Lead On, O King Eternal

Lead on, O King Eternal,
The day of march has come;
Hence-forth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home;
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong,
And now, O King Eternal,
We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King Eternal,
Till sin's fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet Amen of peace;
For not with swords loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums,
With deeds of love and mercy,
The heav'nly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King Eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where'er Thy face appears;
Thy cross is lifted o'er us;
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.

--Ernest W. Shurtleff, 1862-1917

The Broken Pinion

I walked through the woodland
      meadows,
  Where sweet the thrushes sing;
And I found on a bed of mosses
  A bird with a broken wing.
I healed its wound, and each morning
  It sang its old sweet strain,
But the bird with the broken pinion
  Never soared as high again.

I found a young life broken
  By sin's seductive art;
And, touched with a Christ-like pity,
  I took him to my heart.
He lived with a noble purpose
  And struggled not in vain;
But the life that sin had stricken
  Never soared as high again.

But the bird with the broken pinion
  Kept another from the snare;
And the life that sin had stricken
  Raised another from despair.
Each loss has its compensation,
  There is healing for every pain;
But the bird with a broken pinion
  Never soars as high again.

--Hezekiah Butterworth, 1839-1905

A Prayer

Oh, not for more or longer days, dear Lord,
  My prayer shall be--
But rather teach me how to use the days
  Now given me.

I ask not more of pleasure or of joy
  For this brief while--
But rather let me for the joys I have
  Be glad and smile.

I ask not ownership of vast estates
  Nor piles of gold--
But make me generous with the little store
  My hands now hold.

Nor shall I ask that life should give to me
  Another friend--
Just keep me true to those I have, dear Lord,
  Until the end.

--B.Y. Williams

Pass It On

Have you had a kindness shown?
  Pass it on.
'Twas not given for thee alone,
  Pass it on.
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another's tears,
'Till in heav'n the deed appears--
  Pass it on.

Did you hear the loving word?
  Pass it on--
Like the singing of a bird?
  Pass it on.
Let its music live and grow,
Let it cheer another's woe;
You have reaped what others sow--
  Pass it on.

'Twas the sunshine of a smile--
  Pass it on.
Staying but a little while!
  Pass it on.
April beam a little thing,
Still it wakes the flowers of spring,
Makes the silent birds to sing--
  Pass it on.

Have you found the heavenly light?
  Pass it on.
Souls are groping in the night,
  Daylight gone--
Hold thy lighted lamp on high,
Be a star in someone's sky,
He may live who else would die--
  Pass it on.

Be not selfish in thy greed,
  Pass it on.
Look upon thy brother's need,
  Pass it on.
Live for self, you live in vain;
Live for Christ, you live again;
Live for Him, with Him you reign--
  Pass it on.

--Henry Burton, 1840-1930

God and Man

Whenever I am prone to doubt and wonder,
  I check myself, and say, the mighty One
Who made the solar system cannot blunder,
  And for the best all things are being done.
He who set the stars on their eternal courses,
  Has fashioned this strange earth by some sure plan.
Bow low--bow low to those majestic forces,
  Nor dare to doubt their wisdom, puny man!

You cannot put one little star in motion,
  You cannot shape one single forest leaf,
Nor fling a mountain up, nor sink an ocean,
  Presumptuous pygmy, large with unbelief!
You cannot bring one dawn of regal splendor,
  Nor bid the day to shadowy twilight fall,
Nor send the pale moon forth with radiance tender;
  And dare you doubt the One who has done all?

--S.A. Nagel

The Doubter's Prayer

Eternal Power, of earth and air!
  Unseen, yet seen in all around;
Remote, but dwelling everywhere;
  Though silent heard in every sound;

If e'er Thine ear in Mercy lent,
  When wretched mortals cried to Thee,
And if indeed, Thy Son was sent,
  To save lost sinners such as me:

Then hear me now, while kneeling here,
  I lift to Thee my heart and eye,
And all my soul ascends in prayer,
  Oh, give me--Give me Faith! I cry.

While Faith is with me, I am blest;
  It turns my darkest night to day;
But while I clasp it to my breast,
  I often feel it slide away.

Then, cold and dark, my spirit sinks,
  To see my light of life depart;
And every fiend of Hell, methinks,
  Enjoys the anguish of my heart.

What shall I do if all my love,
  My hopes, my toil, are cast away,
And if there be no God above,
  To hear and bless me while I pray?

If this be vain delusion all,
  If death be an eternal sleep
And none can hear my secret call,
  Or see the silent tears I weep!

O help me God! for Thou alone
  Canst my distracted soul relieve;
Forsake it not, it is Thine own,
  Though weak, yet longing to believe.

--Anne Brontë, 1820-1849

What If I Say--

What If I say--
  "The Bible is God's Holy Word,
Complete, inspired, without a flaw"--
  But let its pages stay
Unread from day to day,
And fail to learn therefrom God's law;
What if I go not there to seek
  The truth of which I glibly speak,
  For guidance on this earthly way,--
  Does it matter what I say?

What if I say
  That Jesus Christ is Lord divine;
  Yet fellow-pilgrims can behold
  Naught of the Master's love in me,
  No grace of kindly sympathy?
  If I am of the Shepherd's fold,
  Then shall I know the Shepherd's voice
  And gladly make his way my choice.
We are saved by faith, yet faith is one
With life, like daylight and the sun.
Unless they flower in our deeds,
  Dead, empty husks are all the creeds.
  To call Christ, Lord, but strive not to obey,
  Belies the homage that with words I pay.

--Maud Frazer Jackson

UNBELIEF

  There is no unbelief;
Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod
And waits to see it push away the clod,
  He trusts in God.

Whoever says when clouds are in the sky,
"Be patient, heart; light breaketh by and by,"
  Trusts the Most High.

Whoever sees 'neath winter's field of snow,
The silent harvest of the future grow,
  God's power must know.

Whoever lies down on his couch to sleep,
Content to lock each sense in slumber deep,
  Knows God will keep.

Whoever says "Tomorrow," "The
       unknown,"
"The future," trusts that Power alone
  He dares disown.

The heart that looks on when the eyelids
       close,
And dares to live when life has only woes,
  God's comfort knows.

  There is no unbelief;
For thus by day and night unconsciously
The heart lives by the faith the lips deny.
    God knoweth why!

--Elizabeth York Case, 1840-1911

The Search

I sought His love in sun and stars,
And where the wild seas roll,
I found it not, as mute I stood,
Fear overwhelmed my soul;
But when I gave to one in need,
I found the Lord of Love indeed.

I sought His love in lore of books,
In charts of science's skill;
They left me orphaned as before--
His love eluded still;
Then in despair I breathed a prayer;
The Lord of Love was standing there!

--Thomas Curtis Clark

I Am Not Bound To Win

I am not bound to win,
But I am bound to be true.
I am not bound to succeed,
But I am bound to live up to what light
     I have.
I must stand with anybody that stands right;
Stand with him while he is right,
And part with him when he goes wrong.

--Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865

God's Way

Thy way, not mine, O Lord!
  However dark it be;
Lead me by Thine own hand,
  Choose out the path for me.

Smooth let it be, or rough,
  It will be still the best;
Winding or straight it matters not,
  It leads me to Thy rest.

I dare not choose my lot,
  I would not, if I might;
Choose Thou for me, O God!
  So shall I walk aright.

The kingdom that I seek
  Is Thine; so let the way
That leads to it be Thine;
  Else I must surely stray.

Take Thou my cup, and it
  With joy or sorrow fill;
As best to Thee may seem;
  Choose Thou my good or ill.

                    *

Not mine, not mine the choice
  In things or great or small;
Be Thou my guide, my strength,
  My wisdom and my all.

--Horatius Bonar, 1808-1889

My Creed (Guest)

To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein
I stoop unseen to shame or sin;
To be the same when I'm alone
As when my every deed is known;
To live undaunted, unafraid
Of any step that I have made;
To be without pretense or sham
Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind
To keep my having lived in mind;
If enmity to aught I show,
To be an honest, generous foe,
To play my little part, nor whine
That greater honors are not mine.
This, I believe, is all I need
For my philosophy and creed.

--Edgar A. Guest

Day By Day

I heard a voice at evening softly say:
  Bear not thy yesterday into tomorrow,
  Nor load this week with last week's load of sorrow;
  Lift all thy burdens as they come, nor try
  To weight the present with the by and by,
One step, and then another, take thy way--
      Live day by day.

      Live day by day.
Though the autumn leaves are withering round thy way,
  Walk in the sunshine. It is all for thee.
  Push straight ahead as long as thou canst see.
  Dread not the winter where thou mayst go;
  But when it comes, be thankful for the snow.
Onward and upward. Look and smile and pray--
      Live day by day.

      Live day by day.
The path before thee doth not lead astray.
  Do the next duty. It must surely be
  The Christ is in the one that's close to thee.
  Onward, still onward, with a sunny smile,
  Till step by step shall end in mile by mile.
"I'll do my best," unto my conscience say--
      Live day by day.

      Live day by day.
Why art thou bending toward the backward way?
  One summit and another thou shalt mount.
  Why stop at every round the space to count
  The past mistakes if thou must still remember?
  Watch not the ashes of the dying ember.
Kindle thy hope. Put all thy fears away--
      Live day by day.

--Julia Harris May, 1833-1912

Making Life Worthwhile

Every soul that touches yours--
Be it the slightest contact--
Gets therefrom some good;
Some little grace; one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies--
To make this life worthwhile
And heaven a surer heritage.

--George Eliot, 1819-1880

Christ--And We

Christ has no hands but our hands
  To do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet
  To lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongues
  To tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help
  To bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible
  The careless world will read;
We are the sinner's gospel,
  We are the scoffer's creed;
We are the Lord's last message
  Given in deed and word--
What if the line is crooked?
  What if the type is blurred?

What if our hands are busy
  With other work than His?
What if our feet are walking
  Where sin's allurement is?

What if our tongues are speaking
  Of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him
  Unless from Him we learn?

--Annie Johnson Flint, 1862-1932

Is Life Worth Living?

Is life worth living? Yes, so long
  As there is wrong to right,
Wail of the weak against the strong
  Or tyranny to fight;
Long as there lingers gloom to chase,
  Or streaming tear to dry,
One kindred woe, one sorrowing face
  That smiles as we draw nigh;
Long as a tale of anguish swells
  The heart, and lids grow wet,
And at the sound of Christmas bells
  We pardon and forget;
So long as Faith with Freedom reigns,
  And loyal Hope survives,
And gracious Charity remains
  To leaven lowly lives;
While there is one untrodden tract
  For Intellect or Will,
And men are free to think and act
  Life is worth living still.

--Alfred Austin, 1835-1913

Things That Never Die

The pure, the bright, the beautiful
  That stirred our hearts in youth,
The impulses to wordless prayer,
  The streams of love and truth,
The longing after something lost,
  The spirit's yearning cry,
The striving after better hopes--
  These things can never die.

The timid hand stretched forth to aid
  A brother in his need;
A kindly word in grief's dark hour
  That proves a friend indeed;
The plea for mercy softly breathed,
  When justice threatens high,
The sorrow of a contrite heart--
  These things shall never die.

Let nothing pass, for every hand
  Must find some work to do,
Lose not a chance to waken love--
  Be firm and just and true.
So shall a light that cannot fade
  Beam on thee from on high,
And angel voices say to thee--
  "These things shall never die."

--Charles Dickens, 1812-1870

Rise Up, O Men of God

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things,
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
His kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up, and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod;
As brothers of the Son of Man
Rise up, O men of God!

--William Pierson Merrill

God's Ways

I asked for grace to lift me high
  Above the world's depressing cares;
God sent me sorrows,--with a sigh
  I said, "He has not heard my prayers."

I asked for light, that I might see
  My path along life's thorny road;
But clouds and darkness shadowed me
  When I expected light from God.

I asked for peace, that I might rest
  To think my sacred duties o'er,
When, lo! such horrors filled my breast
  As I had never felt before.

"And, oh," I cried, "can this be prayer
  Whose plaints the steadfast mountains
    move?
Can this be Heaven's prevailing care?
  And, O my God, is this Thy love?"

But soon I found that sorrow, worn
  As Duty's garment, strength supplies,
And out of darkness meekly borne
  Unto the righteous light doth rise.

And soon I found that fears which stirred
  My startled soul God's will to do,
On me more lasting peace conferred
  Than in life's calm I ever knew. . . .

--Author unknown

One Of Us Two

The day will dawn, when one of us shall harken
  In vain to hear a voice that has grown dumb,
And morns will fade, noons pale, and shadows darken,
  While sad eyes watch for feet that never come.

One of us two must sometime face existence
  Alone with memories that but sharpen pain.
And these sweet days shall shine back in the distance,
  Like dreams of summer dawns, in nights of rain.

One of us two, with tortured heart half broken,
  Shall read long-treasured letters through salt tears,
Shall kiss with angiuished lips each cherished token,
  That speaks of these love-crowned, delicious years.

One of us two shall find all light, all beauty,
  All joy on earth, a tale forever done;
Shall know henceforth that life means only duty.
  Oh, God! Oh, God! have pity on that one.

--Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Abide With Me

Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide.
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day.
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!

I need Thy presence ev'ry passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's pow'r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Thro' clouds and sunshine, oh, abide with me!

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still if Thou abide with me!

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine thro' the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heav'n's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee!
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!

--Henry F. Lyte

In Him Confiding

Sometimes a light surprises
   The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
   With healing on His wings.
When comforts are declining
   He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
   To cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation
   We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God's salvation,
   And find it ever new.
Set free from present sorrow,
   We cheerfully can say,
Let the unknown to-morrow
   Bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing
   But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
   Will clothe His people too.
Beneath the spreading heavens
   No creature but is fed;
And He who feeds the ravens
   Will give His children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither
   Their wonted fruit should bear,
Though all the fields should wither,
   Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
   His praise shall tune my voice;
For while in Him confiding,
   I cannot but rejoice.

--William Cowper, 1731-1800

A Prayer In Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid-air still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only need that we fulfill.

--Robert Frost

[Holy Week]: #26; He Lives

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him He's always near.

Refrain
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And tho' my heart grows weary, I never will despair;
I know that He is leading thro' all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hal-le-lu-jahs to Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,
None other is so loving, so good and kind.

Refrain
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way,
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

--Alfred H. Ackley

[Holy Week]: #25; Easter Hymn

Christ the Lord is risen to-day,
Sons of men and angels say:
Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.

Love's redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won;
Lo! our Sun's eclipse is o'er;
Lo! He sets in blood no more.

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ hath burst the gates of hell!
Death in vain forbids His rise;
Christ hath opened Paradise!

Lives again our glorious King:
Where, O Death, is now thy sting?
Once He died, our souls to save:
Where thy victory, O Grave?

--Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

[Holy Week]: #24; Easter Morning

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer:
Death is strong, but life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Faith and hope triumphant say,
"Christ will rise on Easter Day!"

While the patient earth lies waking
Till the morning shall be breaking,
Shuddering 'neath the burden dread
Of her Master, cold and dead,
Hark! she hears the angels say,
"Christ will rise on Easter Day!"

And when sunrise smites the mountains,
Pouring light from heavenly fountains,
Then the earth blooms out to greet
Once again the blessed feet;
And her countless voices say:
"Christ has risen on Easter Day!"

--Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893

[Holy Week]: #23; Jesus' Burial

   Now when evening had come, there came a
rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who
himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body
of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to
be given to him. When Joseph had taken the
body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and
laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of
the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the
door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary
Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sit-
ting opposite the tomb.
   On the next day, which followed the Day of
Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees
gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we re-
member, while He was still alive, how that de-
ceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' There-
fore command that the tomb be made secure
until the third day, lest His disciples come by
night and steal Him away, and say to the peo-
ple, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last
deception will be worse than the first."
   Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go
your way, make it as secure as you know how."
So they went and made the tomb secure, seal-
ing the stone and setting the guard.

Matthew 27:57-66

[Holy Week]: #22; When I Survey...

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the cross of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

--Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

[Holy Week]: #21; Beneath the Cross

Beneath the Cross of Jesus,
  I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock
  Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
  A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat,
  And the burden of the day.

Upon the Cross of Jesus,
  Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One
  Who suffered there for me.
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
  Two wonders I confess,--
The wonder of His glorious love,
  And my unworthiness.

I take, O Cross, thy shadow
  For my abiding-place;
I ask no other sunshine than
  The sunshine of His face:
Content to let the world go by,
  To know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
  My glory all, the Cross.

--Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane, 1830-1869

[Holy Week]: #20; Jesus' Death

   Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there
was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth
hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me?"
   Some of those who stood there, when they heard
that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" Immediate-
ly one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with
sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him
to drink.
   The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah
will come to save Him."
   And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and
yielded up His spirit.
   Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the
rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and
many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were
raised; and coming out of the graves after His resur-
rection, they went into the holy city and appeared to
many.
   So when the centurion and those with him, who
were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the
things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying,
"Truly this was the Son of God!"

Matthew 27:45-54

[Holy Week]: #19; GOLGOTHA

   When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they
put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.
And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked
Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they
spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on
the head. And when they had mocked Him, they
took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him,
and led Him away to be crucified.
   Now as they came out, they found a man of Cy-
rene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear
His cross. And when they had come to a place cal-
led Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they
gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But
when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
   Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments,
casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet:

     They divided My garments among
          them,
     And for My clothing they cast lots."

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And
they put up over His head the accusation written a-
gainst Him:

                        THIS IS JESUS
               THE KING OF THE JEWS.

   Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one
on the right and another on the left.
   And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wag-
ging their heads and saying, "You who destroy the
temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If
You are the Son of God, come down from the
cross."
   Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the
scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself
He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him
now come down from the cross, and we will be-
lieve Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him
now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son
of God.'"
   Even the robbers who were crucified with Him
reviled Him with the same thing.

Matthew 27:29-44

[Holy Week]: #18; Judas' End

   When morning came, all the chief priests
and elders of the people plotted against Jesus
to put Him to death. And when they had bound
Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to
Pontius Pilate the governor.
   Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had
been condemned, was remorseful and brought
back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests
and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying
innocent blood."
   And they said, "What is that to us? You see to
it!"
   Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the
temple and departed, and went and hanged him-
self.
   But the chief priests took the silver pieces and
said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury,
because they are the price of blood." And they
consulted together and bought with them the pot-
ter's field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field
has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
   Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah
the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces
of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom
they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them
for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

Matthew 27:1-10

[Holy Week]: #17; Peter's Denials

   Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a
servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were
with Jesus of Galilee."
   But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do
not know what you are saying."
   And when he had gone out to the gateway,
another girl saw him and said to those who were
there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazar-
eth."
   But again he denied with an oath, "I do not
know the Man!"
   And a little later those who stood by came up
and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them,
for your speech betrays you."
   Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do
not know the Man!"
   Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter re-
membered the word of Jesus who had said to him,
"Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three
times." So he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:69-75

[Holy Week]: #16; Jesus' Betrayal

   And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas,
one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords
and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of
the people.
   Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
"Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him." Im-
mediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings,
Rabbi!" and kissed Him.
   But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"
   Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took
Him. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus
stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the
servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
   But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or
do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and
He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of
angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that
it must happen thus?"
   In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you
come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs
to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple,
and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the
Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."
   Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

Matthew 26:47-56

[Holy Week]: #15; Denials Predicted

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made
to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
     'I will strike the Shepherd,
     And the sheep of the flock will be
          scattered.'

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to
Galilee." Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if
all are made to stumble because of You, I will never
be made to stumble." Jesus said to him, "Assuredly,
I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows,
you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him,
"Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"
    And so said all the disciples.

Matthew 26:31-35

[Holy Week]: #14; GETHSEMANE

Then Jesus came with them to a place called
Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here
while I go and pray over there." And He took
with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and He began to be sorrowful and deeply dis-
tressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is
exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay
here and watch with Me." He went a little far-
ther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying,
"O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass
from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You
will." Then He came to the disciples and found
them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could
you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and
pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again,
a second time, He went away and prayed, say-
ing, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away
from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."
And He came and found them asleep again, for
their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went
away again, and prayed the third time, saying
the same words. Then He came to His disciples
and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and
resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son
of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sin-
ners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is
at hand."
--Matthew 26:36-46

                  GETHSEMANE

All those who journey, soon or late,
Must pass within the garden's gate;
Must kneel alone in darkness there,
And battle with some fierce despair.
God pity those who cannot say:
"Not mine but thine"; who only pray:
"Let this cup pass," and cannot see
The purpose in Gethsemane.

--Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 1855-1919

[Holy Week]: #13; The Lord's Supper

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread,
blessed and broke it, and gave it to the dis-
ciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of
you. For this is My blood of the new coven-
ant, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine from now on until that day
when I drink it new with you in My Father's
kingdom," And when they had sung a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:26-30

[Holy Week]: #12; EVIDENCE

"Where is God!" inquired the mind:
"To His presence I am blind.
I can tell each blade of grass,
Read the tempests as they pass;
I have learned what metals lie
In the earth's deep mystery;
Every voice of field and wood
I have heard and understood;
Ancient secrets of the sea
Are no longer dark to me:
But the wonders of the earth
Bring no thought of God to birth."

Then the heart spake quietly,
"Hast thou thought of Calvary?"

"Where is God?" inquired the mind;
"To His presence I am blind.
I have scanned each star and sun,
Traced the certain course they run;
I have weighed them in my scale,
And can tell when each will fail;
From the caverns of the night
I have brought new worlds to light;
I have measured earth and sky,
Read each zone with steady eye;
But no sign of God appears
In the glory of the spheres."

But the heart spake wistfully,
"Hast thou looked on Calvary?"

--Thomas Curtis Clark