Please share your personal experiences...

Thank you to all of you who participated in our online journey! It has been amazing to see God work throughout these past 40 days. Please take a moment to share about your personal experience with the Lenten Pilgrimage. And, keep this site bookmarked. As we will use it again next year! If you have ideas about how to make the blog better for next year, please email them to kristicarleton@gmail.com.

He Lives!!!

He is Risen!!

He is Risen indeed!!

Praise God!

HAPPY EASTER BLUE SKY!

Welcome to the Blue Sky Church Lenten Pilgrimage Blog!

Please use this blog as a way to express your thoughts, emotions and artistic expression of what God is doing in your life and your heart throughout this pilgrimage to the cross.

The following is the information that we have published in the form of a bookmark to help guide you on this journey. If you did not receive a bookmark, and would like one, please pick one up at Blue Sky Church.

For more information on what is going on at Blue Sky Church, log on to http://www.blueskychurch.com

Lent:

An annual season beginning Ash Wednesday until Easter. These 40 days (excluding Sundays) are devoted to fasting and penitence in preparation to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Lenten Pilgrimage:

A journey to follow Jesus through the book of Psalms for individuals, couples and families.

1) Set a Time Individuals- Mornings; Couples before Bed; Families-Dinner or before Bed.

2) Abstain from an Indulgence Coffee, chocolates, shopping; TV; Video Games; Food, etc.

3) Read/Meditate on Psalm

Psalm Schedule:

Week One:

2/21 Psalm 6
2/22 Psalm 1
2/23 Psalm 15
2/24 Psalm 8

Week Two:
2/26 Psalm 38
2/27 Psalm 13
2/28 Psalm 19
3/01 Psalm 24
3/02 Psalm 25
3/03 Psalm 27

Week Three:
3/05 Psalm 51
3/06 Psalm 20
3/07 Psalm 2
3/08 Psalm 30
3/09 Psalm 41
3/10 Psalm 36

Week Four:
3/12 Psalm 32
3/13 Psalm 37
3/14 Psalm 3
3/15 Psalm 4
3/16 Psalm 42
3/17 Psalm 37

Week Five:
3/19 Psalm 53
3/20 Psalm 63
3/21 Psalm 66
3/22 Psalm 84
3/23 Psalm 40
3/24 Psalm 46

Week Six:
3/26 Psalm 44
3/27 Psalm 90
3/28 Psalm 115
3/29 Psalm 116
3/30 Psalm 120
3/31 Psalm 128

Easter Week:
4/02 Psalm 121
4/03 Psalm 86
4/04 Psalm 2
4/05 Psalm 110
4/06 Psalm 22
4/07 Psalm 88

Holy Week 2007 at Blue Sky Church!

Holy Week Schedule for Blue Sky Church:

Join us as we journey together through the final week of the Lenten Pilgrimage. Make sure to mark your calendar with these special Lenten Blue Sky Gatherings.













Palm Sunday Gathering- April 1, 2007- 10:00am-11:30am

Join us as we celebrate Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem through music, teaching and of course a parade of palms by Blue Sky Kids!













Maundy Thursday- April 5, 2007- 6:00pm-8:00pm

A Traditional Seder Meal, Foot Washing Ceremony and Extended Worship Night!
(Sign up required)













Good Friday Gathering- April 6, 2007- 7:00pm-8:00pm

A Traditional Tenebrae Service in which we will follow Christ's journey to the cross. This is a very powerful experience, as we witness the extinguishing of light and then leave in silence as we remember the death of Christ on the cross.













Easter Celebration- April 8, 2007- 10:00am-11:30am

A spirited celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! Bring all of your family and friends!

With Special Guests "Nick Carleton Band!"











What a wonderful season to celebrate with family, friends and the Blue Sky Community! We hope that you will take part in these very special Worship Gatherings!
May you and your family be blessed this Holy Week!

All Holy Week Gatherings will take place at...


Blue Sky Church
200 E. 4th Street
Loveland, CO 80537

www.blueskychurch.com

My Personal Lenten Pilgrimage by Susie Sharrai

What a blessing this journey has been. I am so grateful to Pastor Joe and the folks at Blue Sky for inviting me to join in this Lenten Pilgrimage. Hard to believe it is almost over.

Going through the different Psalms daily, the messages at church, the various comments here on the website have all added something valuable to my life. But there is something about these last few days, this Holy Week, that has blessed me tremendously.

I was honored to be 'invited' (I love that word! - have you noticed!?) to be a part of the Maundy Thursday celebration. Thank you Joe and Kristi for that opportunity!
The Seder meal was very special - I think it is important to honor the history of Passover. It was a fun, yet reverent, event - and seeing it from this side of the Cross, under the New Covenant, gives it a whole new meaning. I'd seen re-enactments of the Lord's Supper (the guy playing Jesus 'glowed' for weeks!) and danced the Hora, but had never partaken in such an in depth teaching/event.

The foot washing was a blessing to me - it always is. When looking it up in John 13, I kept wondering 'why?' - why did Christ choose those last moments of His time on earth to wash the feet of His disciples? Pastor Joe mentioned during the Seder that it was Jesus' last opportunity to teach the men who shared the past 3 years with Him. And that's what He did - He said they wouldn't understand what He was doing while He was doing it, but that they would catch on eventually. He said He was setting an example for them - as He washed their feet, they were to wash one another's feet. An example of service, yes, but also a huge example of love and forgiveness. Don't forget He washed the feet of Judas as well, knowing what was in his heart. How many of us would do that? Imagine how the disciples felt when they finally 'got' that part of it.

Now Good Friday - that was something really moving. We ended in silence and darkness - and now we're waiting for the stone to be rolled away. At least we know it WAS, the disciples waited in fear and confusion for 3 days.
Thank you Blue Sky for this experience. God has opened my eyes and my heart to so much through this. I am so grateful to Him that my salvation doesn't depend on my feeble attempts at sacrifice, or that my mistakes aren't too big to be covered by the blood of Jesus.

Thank you Lord.
God bless you all, and Happy Easter ~ Susie

Day 40- Psalm 88

Psalm 88

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

O LORD, the God who saves me,
day and night I cry out before you.

May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.

For my soul is full of trouble
and my life draws near the grave.

I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man without strength.

I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.

You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.

Your wrath lies heavily upon me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
Selah

You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;

my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, O LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.

Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do those who are dead rise up and praise you?
Selah

Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?

Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

But I cry to you for help, O LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.

Why, O LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?

From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death;
I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.

Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.

All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.

You have taken my companions and loved ones from me;
the darkness is my closest friend.

Day 39- Psalm 22

Psalm 22

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

"He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.

From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

From the Pastor

My apologies for not writing last week. I hurt my thumb and thus typing has been painful. But I am back now. My thumb is actually numb so I may be hitting the space bar more often.

We are in our final week of the Lenten Pilgrimage. We named it a "pilgrimage" because it is a journey. Here is my question, "What has this journey been like for you?" Two thoughts to direct your answer. How has God revealed himself? And secondly, "What has been revealed about yourself?"

If your journey has been like mine, I have realized many shortcomings in myself and thus I need more grace from God. Although I have not accomplished all that I set out to do, I have been reminded that Lent is not what I have given up or my plan for spiritual growth –it is not about me. Essentially, it is about following Jesus. Lent is about putting myself in a position to receive more of him. I am grateful, that I have become more aware of this need.

LENT HISTORY
Lent is often associated with Baptism as seen in many Catholic parishes. Why is this? Baptism is the symbolic rite where one is baptized in death (dunking under the water) then baptized in life (the rising out of the water). Essentially, this is the journey of following Jesus.

As you reflect upon your journey ask two questions: What have I put to death? Secondly, What is God giving new life to?

PSALMS EXPERIENCE
Psalm 22 is quoted by Jesus as one of his last words. "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" For the first time in eternity, the Father and Son relationship is separated. What a moment. The Scriptures say that Jesus who knew no sin, became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Relationship between God and Jesus had ceased.

But every God fearing Jew knew that the Psalm Jesus is quoting may begin in despair, but it ends in hope. It says, "For the LORD is king! He rules all the nations," and that "future generations will know him."

When Jesus uttered this Psalm, he not only was communicating his despair, but that his despair would end in hope –hope for all of us. What a moment.

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Did you know that Psalm 110 is the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament? As you read this today, discover why the authors in the New Testament used this Psalm.

Day 38- Psalm 110

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."

The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn
you will receive the dew of your youth.

The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."

The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

He will drink from a brook beside the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.

Day 37- Psalm 2

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.

"Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

"I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
He said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.

Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.

You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.

Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Day 36- Psalm 86

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.

Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.

In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.

Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.

All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.

For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

The arrogant are attacking me, O God;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life—
men without regard for you.

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and have mercy on me;
grant your strength to your servant
and save the son of your maidservant.

Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Day 35- Psalm 121

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.