EMPTY: A Sacred Space
PRAYER
COMPANION
COMPANION
COMPANION
1. GOD'S COVENANT
Welcome to the first station! They are ordered to move through clockwise, but feel free to move about however you'd like!
Sit down in the chair, pick up the animal skin/blanket on the chair and put it over your shoulders. Feel how soft and warm it is. Where do you think God found the animal skins he gave to Adam and Eve? He had to kill an innocent animal and take its skin. A sacrifice of an innocent animal had to be made to cover the sin of Adam and Eve… But God knew people would continue to sin. So he sent His Son a sinless, innocent man to give His life to cover our sins and give us HOPE.
Read Genesis 2:15-17 & 3:21
Take a moment to pray. God always had a mindset to partner with humanity - whatever the cost. Thank God that he offers to cover our sins through the sacrifice of His only son. The Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world and gives us eternal life with Him.
Cut a square of cloth to take with you.
2. MISSING THE MARK
One definition of sin is "Missing the mark".
When we typically think of missing the mark, we envision our arrow being just outside of the target. However, that takes the assumption that we had enough strength originally to get the arrow to the target. Before Jesus enters our life, we are like a child trying to pull a bow back with all of our might, but when we release the arrow it lodges itself into the ground two feet in front of us. We are void of strength.
When we accept Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit provides the grace and extra strength needed to pull the bow completely back. Now, the question becomes will you let Him direct where you shoot?
Ezekiel 36:26-27
Romans 8:26
Put the goggles on and attempt to toss the ball up high and catch it three times in a row. Pray through how challenging it may have been. Where do you normally draw your strength from? Where does scripture say you can draw strength from?
3. THE PASSOVER LAMB
Jesus timed his death with a traditional Jewish feast - The Passover. Jesus and His disciples are celebrating the Passover meal right before His crucifixion at the Last Supper. The Passover is a feast that recalls the Exodus story where God delivers His people from Egypt's oppressive enslavement.
Each portion of the Passover meal embodies a part of the Jewish peoples' journey. During Jesus' day, it would have sparked hope for the Jewish people that a new Exodus from Rome's power was coming through a ruling and reigning Messiah. However, Jesus' rule and reign looked very different than what they expected. His enthronement was the cross, but this sacrifice dethroned sin and death from their rule. It brought deliverance from our deepest bondage and slavery. And later, Christianity brought down the Roman Empire through Jesus' loyal, love to one another and their enemies.
In the Last Supper, the parts of the meal that Jesus highlights include the bread that He breaks and states, “This is my body broken for you” and the wine they were to drink and mentions,” That this is my blood poured out for you”.
This bread was representative of the Passover lamb and the wine associated with the blood of the lamb. It was known as the “Cup of Redemption”. The Passover lamb was the sacrifice given so that the judgement coming upon Egypt wouldn’t come on the Jewish people. It is a rich image that Jesus activates for His disciples and for us. His broken body and blood poured out allows for death to Passover us.
Lay down the animal cloth on the table and reflect / journal through how God emptied Himself so that death now passes over you (Read Phil. 2 if you'd like) . Are you expecting Jesus to show up one way and He might want to show up another?
4. THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
Browse over the account of Jesus’ crucifixion in Matt. 26, 27 & 28. Be reminded of how His body became empty, lifeless that we may find life.
God created life from nothing in Genesis and was able to resurrect Jesus from the dead leaving nothing but an empty tomb. Do you see the empty places in your life with the same hope that God can create life in them?
Create a reminder that we too are living sacrifices (Romans 12) created to pour out and empty ourselves for the sake of the Gospel. Take a cross, a piece of string, and several beads; let each one represent a person or thing you'd like to pray for. Tie the cross to your backpack to remember to carry your cross. It is in our willingness to empty ourselves that He fills us.
5. SteadFast Love: K'Hesed
God initially created the world by speaking into the waste & empty wild. He breathes life into the empty clay that Adam was and He gives humanity the role to cultivate the Garden to help it flourish.
Throughout the story of the Bible, however, humans continually show how faithless, selfish, and self-sabotaging we are, but the Bible makes clear how enduring God’s loyal love (k'hesed) is for us.
In the story of the Bible, God’s k'hesed is focused on one family, the family of Abraham. God pours His k'hesed out on them even when they don’t deserve it. He does this because he wants them to become the type of people who can take God’s k'hesed to all nations.
The entire nation of Israel consistently rebels against God, despite his continued deliverance and forgiveness. Eventually, they are made to wander in the wilderness as a result of not trusting God, but God, in his khesed, is moved to rescue them.
In your khesed you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
-Exodus 15:13
Despite their rebellion God forgives them, which is called an act of k'hesed. Later, the entire nation of Israel rebels against God again, and they are exiled to Babylon. During these dark times, Israel’s prophets look at God’s past acts of k'hesed as the basis for hope of future khesed and their rescue from exile.
Awake, Lord!
Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself!
Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face
And forget our misery and oppression?
We are brought down to the dust;
Our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up and help us;
Rescue us because of your unfailing k'hesed.
-Psalm 44:23-26
God continues to show abundant k'hesed to Israel because through them, he will show his khesed to all the nations. This leads us to Jesus. He came to fulfill God’s relationship with Israel by being the faithful human who lives every day in the security of God’s k'hesed and succeeds in showing k'hesed back to God. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s k'hesed. God’s relentless, loyal love arrives in Jesus, and his affection for us drives him to give us the ultimate act of loyal love in his life, death, and resurrection.
This is our God. He will continue to do the things that we cannot. He takes the punishment for our sins and not keeping our covenant with Him so we could be pure. He sends us His Spirit to be made alive, holy and restore the image of God onto us. Jesus is even right now interceding for us now to complete the finished work of the cross in our hearts. He's working to bridge several gaps of insecurity, doubts, lies, and the carelessness that resides in our soul. He is cheering you on.
He is committed to seeing a new humanity made right with Him. We now get to go out and partner with this loyal, loving Father. Our Commander for the rest of our days. We partner here and now for the hope of humanity - for Louisville, for our classmates. That He, starting through us now, is putting all things right back again. We carry His loyal love to the nations and to our neighbors. Our feet carry the good news that this king has come and brought a new way to live empowered by His Spirit and His grace.
Who needs to hear this good news? Pray for them and text them now just to grab lunch and start building a deeper relationship with them.
Do you see God with this loyal love? If you could hear Jesus bringing you to the Father and interceding for you, what do you think He'd be praying (think about how Jesus talked to His disciples and prayed for them John 15-17)?
Before you leave, write on the butcher paper how this Easter you want to see God's Kingdom Come in your life or here at UofL.
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