During the season of Lent, the BLVD would like to invite you to join us in a Lenten Fast. Fasting during the season of Lent (which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter) is not an obligation but an opportunity to set our desires aside and spend time intentionally focused on God. The BLVD community will journey together through 40 days of fasting and 6 days of feasting.
A Lenten Fast has two parts. First, it involves self-denial and repentance, which is another way of saying that we remove desires and turn away from sin. Next, we make space in our lives to seek the Lord's direction for our journey, focus more intentionally on God's character, and reflect on the resurrected Jesus.
A fast can take many different forms. For example, denying yourself something could include logging off social media, eating certain types of food, staying away from coffee or alcohol, stopping critical speech. Whatever you choose to deny yourself of, you then use that space to focus on the character of God with a view toward Easter and the resurrect Christ. If you are new to the practice of fasting, a good place to start meditating during your fasting time is Psalm 25:4-5.
While fasting will consume most of our Lent journey, we also want to feast. So, each Sunday during Lent we will gather as a community to break our fast, celebrate a time of feasting on God’s Word, spend time in fellowship together.
Lenten Feasting and Fasting helps us walk ahead. Not because we are especially brave or know the way, but because we are invited into a journey of trusting God who walks with us during our times of plenty or our times of sorrow.
Another practice that we are going to enter into at BLVD Church is a spiritual practice called “praying the Psalms”. It’s quite simple and gives freedom to practice however you best connect with God in prayer. If you are new to prayer, or if your prayer life needs a boost, this is a great practice to help you begin as the Psalms is the best book on prayer.
For each day of the season of Lent, we will post a Psalm of the day on our website and app. This Psalm of the day will help guide your prayer.
Here are just a few examples of what praying the Psalms could look like—we are going to use the first Psalm in the season of Lent—Psalm 51.
Praying out loud & silent prayer.
First, when we pray the Psalms out loud with others or silently by ourselves, we can simply read the Psalm as a prayer. Alternatively, we could pray by speaking or reading a verse, then allowing those words to guide our prayers to God.
For example, the first verse of Psalm 51 says this:
“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.”
This first verse might lead you to pray about God’s mercy in your life (mercy is not receiving what you deserve). Or you might pray about a time when mercy was shown to you, which calls to mind God’s unfailing love. You might also begin your prayer by thanking God for his compassion that has wiped away a lingering pain of a past sin. Once you have prayed through this first verse, you can continue to the next verse and the next verse after that.
Journaling.
This way of praying is much like praying silently. However, in this practice you write down your prayers in a journal or on a piece of paper. You pray lin- by-line or verse-by-verse whatever it is that comes to mind. Perhaps it’s not words that you journal; it could also be drawing pictures that come to mind too!
Meditation.
In this prayer practice, you might read the entire Psalm out loud or to yourself. Next, you would sit silently for 5 minutes (or however long you feel comfortable) and reflect on a word or phrase that stuck out to you from the Psalm. Maybe you are drawn to God’s mercy or God’s unfailing love. You would spend quiet time reflecting on these things. You could consider meditation as a mini-fast, as meditation allows our mind to fast from to-do lists and other things that might consume our thoughts instead of our minds being focused on God!
Memorization.
A final example of how you could “pray the Psalms” is through memorization. This was a practice deeply rooted in the lives of the spiritual mothers and fathers of the past who lived in the desert. By memorizing a Psalm or a couple verses of a Psalm, you might find yourself recalling the words later, which would then call you into deeper prayer. Perhaps you memorized the first verse of Psalm 51. Then, at the grocery store, someone cuts into a parking space you were waiting for but the words of Psalm 51 appear in your brain,
“Have mercy on me, O God.”
Instead of stewing on the words you want to say to that person in the other car, recalling a memorized Psalm reminds you about being in the presence of God and God’s mercy that extends to you and the other person.
This practice of praying the Psalms allows so much freedom in how you best connect to God through prayer. The list above is not a complete list. You can be creative and engage in your own practice as long as it becomes an intentional prayer time with God.
Psalm 51:1-17
51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
51:4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
51:5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
51:6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
51:11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
51:14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
51:16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
51:17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.[b]
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121
121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come?
121:2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
121:3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
121:4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
121:5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
121:6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
121:7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
121:8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel.
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a]
as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’
1 Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2 Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
play the melodious harp and lyre.
3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4 this is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 When God went out against Egypt,
he established it as a statute for Joseph.
I heard an unknown voice say:
6 “I removed the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.[c]
8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9 You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not worship any god other than me.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
11 “But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13 “If my people would only listen to me,
if Israel would only follow my ways,
14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
and their punishment would last forever.
16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Psalm 45
45:1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
45:2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
45:3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
45:4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
45:5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.
45:6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
45:7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
45:8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
45:9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
45:10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house,
45:11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
45:12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
45:13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
45:14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
45:15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
45:16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
45:17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Psalm 40:5-10
40:5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.
40:6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
40:7 Then I said, "Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
40:8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
40:10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
1 Lord, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.[a]
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
11 For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
14 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Liturgy of the Psalms
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
118:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
118:2 Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
118:20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
118:21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
118:23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
118:25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
118:27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
118:28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
118:29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Matthew 21:1-11
21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
21:2 saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.
21:3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately."
21:4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
21:5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
21:6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;
21:7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
21:10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?"
21:11 The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."
Liturgy of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a
50:4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
50:5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.
50:6 I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
50:7 The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
50:8 he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.
50:9a It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?
Psalm 31:9-16
31:9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
31:10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
31:11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
31:12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.
31:13 For I hear the whispering of many-- terror all around!-- as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
31:15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
31:16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
Philippians 2:5-11
2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
2:8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.
2:9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
2:11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Matthew 26:14-27:66
26:14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
26:15 and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver.
26:16 And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
26:17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
26:18 He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'"
26:19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
26:20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve;
26:21 and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
26:22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?"
26:23 He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
26:24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born."
26:25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."
26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."
26:27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;
26:28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
26:29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
26:30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
26:31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
26:32 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."
26:33 Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you."
26:34 Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."
26:35 Peter said to him, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.
26:36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
26:37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.
26:38 Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me."
26:39 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."
26:40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?
26:41 Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
26:42 Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
26:43 Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
26:44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.
26:45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
26:46: Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."
26:47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
26:48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him."
26:49 At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
26:50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
26:51 Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
26:52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
26:53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
26:54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?"
26:55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me.
26:56 But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
26:57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered.
26:58 But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end.
26:59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,
26:60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward
26: 61 and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"
26:62 The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?"
26:63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."
26:64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.
26:66 What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death."
26:67 Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him,
26:68 saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?"
26:69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean."
26:70 But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."
26:71 When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."
26:72 Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man."
26:73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you."
26:74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed.
26:75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death.
27:2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
27:3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.
27:4 He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."
27:5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.
27:6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money."
27:7 After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners.
27:8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
27:9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price,
27:10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."
27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so."
27:12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.
27:13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?"
27:14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
27:15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.
27:16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.
27:17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
27:18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.
27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him."
27:20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.
27:21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."
27:22 Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!"
27:23 Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
27:24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves."
27:25 Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"
27:26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
27:29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
27:30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
27:31 After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
27:32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.
27:33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
27:34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
27:35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;
27:36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him.
27:37 Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
27:38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
27:39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads
27:40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
27:41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,
27:42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
27:43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'"
27:44 The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.
27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
27:46 And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
27:47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah."
27:48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.
27:49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."
27:50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.
27:51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.
27:52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
27:53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.
27:54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"
27:55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him.
27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.
27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
27:59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth
27:60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
27:62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
27:63 and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.'
27:64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first."
27:65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can."
27:66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
Matthew 27:11-54
27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so."
27:12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.
27:13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?"
27:14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
27:15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.
27:16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.
27:17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
27:18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.
27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him."
27:20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.
27:21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."
27:22 Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!"
27:23 Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
27:24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves."
27:25 Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"
27:26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
27:29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
27:30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
27:31 After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
27:32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.
27:33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
27:34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
27:35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;
27:36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him.
27:37 Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
27:38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
27:39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads
27:40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
27:41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,
27:42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
27:43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'"
27:44 The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.
27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
27:46 And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
27:47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah."
27:48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.
27:49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."
27:50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.
27:51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.
27:52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
27:53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.
27:54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"
Psalm 36:5-11
36:5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
36:6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
36:8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
36:9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
36:10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart!
36:11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me, or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
Psalm 71:1-14
71:1 In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
71:2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.
71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
71:4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
71:5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
71:6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
71:7 I have been like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
71:8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all day long.
71:9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
71:10 For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who watch for my life consult together.
71:11 They say, "Pursue and seize that person whom God has forsaken, for there is no one to deliver."
71:12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
71:13 Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed; let those who seek to hurt me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
71:14 But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more.
Psalm 70
70:1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!
70:2 Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me.
70:3 Let those who say, "Aha, Aha!" turn back because of their shame.
70:4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!"
70:5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
116:1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
116:2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
116:12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
116:16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
116:17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
116:18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 22
22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
22:2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
22:3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
22:4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
22:5 To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
22:6 But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.
22:7 All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
22:8 "Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver-- let him rescue the one in whom he delights!"
22:9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother's breast.
22:10 On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
22:11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
22:12 Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
22:13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
22:15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
22:16 For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;
22:17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
22:18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
22:19 But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!
22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog!
22:21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22:22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
22:23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
22:24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
22:25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
22:26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
22:28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
22:29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
22:30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
22:31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16
31:1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
31:2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
31:3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
31:4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
31:15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
31:16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
Extra Readings
1 Peter 4:1-8
4:1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin),
4:2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God.
4:3 You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.
4:4 They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme.
4:5 But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.
4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.
4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.
4:8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Matthew 27:57-66
27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.
27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
27:59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth
27:60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
27:62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
27:63 and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.'
27:64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first."
27:65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can."
27:66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
John 19:38-42
19:38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.
19:39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.
19:40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
19:41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.
19:42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
This is the answer to the question. Give enough detail to adequately answer the question, but consider using multiple questions so that each answer is concise.