Daily Readings at Southeast

  The Divine Drama By Danny Saavedra “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”— 1 Corinthians 11:23–25 (NIV) Enjoying a great meal while celebrating a momentous day is a treat. Gathering with the people we love, celebrating, giving thanks, and sharing stories, memories, and dreams of the future is something we shouldn’t take for granted. It’s something we should cherish and get excited for. In today’s verse, the apostle Paul describes a festive family meal between Jesus and the disciples. The meal He’s describing is found in all four gospels and is commonly referred to as the Last Supper. But the occasion that brought Jesus, His disciples,...

  Clean Hands, Dirty Feet By Danny Saavedra “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end . . . Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”— John 13:1, 3–5 (NIV) “It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it!” This expression essentially describes an unpleasant action that’s necessary, but no one wants to do. Have you ever had to do a dirty job? Cleaning a diaper is a dirty job, right? But literally someone has to do it!  Today we see Jesus doing a dirty job. In John 13, we’re told that jus...

  Turning the Tables By Danny Saavedra “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.’”— Matthew 21:12–13 (NIV) The word  zeal  isn’t one you hear very often. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to hear it come up in everyday conversation. The dictionary defines zeal as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” Some related words include passion, vigor, intensity, devotion, fervor, and fire.  As Jesus’ final week began, His issues with the established religious order escalated, starting when He rode into Jerusalem on what we now affectionately call Palm Sunday. Things heated up more the following day, as Jesus walked into His Father’s house and saw those He referred to as “robbers” ...