It Is Finished: The Last Words of Christ (Lent 2021)
We live in a chaotic time. We would do anything to have clarity and certainty. Into this fallen world, Jesus came and spoke words of finality: “It is finished” (John 19:30). In three short words from the cross, he says, “I’ve done it all. I’m it. My work is the ultimate, the final, the full.”
When a loved one is near the end of their life, you treasure the last things they say. Throughout the six weeks of Lent, we will focus on Jesus’ seven “last words” spoken from the cross. What does he mean? What is he saying to you? In Lent 2021 we will simply hold fast to the words of Jesus.
Sunday Lenten Services
Salvation – February 20/21
It Is Finished: Lost Causes
Are there such things as “lost causes”? What do we do when things are beyond our ability to control? In our Lenten journey, today’s word is “salvation.” Through the thief on the cross, we explore what salvation means when we’re at a dead end.
Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Questions for Reflection:
Recall a time in your life when you were in a desperate situation. What was it like to be stuck in place you couldn’t get out of?
Think of a situation or a person that is a lost cause. What makes that situation or person “impossible”?
Read the surrounding text, Luke 23:32-43. How are the two criminals crucified next to Jesus different from one another? Note verse 41. How does the one criminal understand justice? How does he see Jesus?
Consider your own guilt before God this day. You may not be a convicted criminal before the state, but before God every sin is criminal, a violation of his eternal law. Sin puts us in a desperate situation. What particular sin today haunts you the most?
Share a time when the full weight of Jesus’ salvation impacted you. How did you feel when you realized his undeserved love for you?
Think about someone you know who appears to be “a lost cause.” What makes them seem beyond saving? What can you do to extend the love of Jesus to them? Pray for them every day this week.
Forsaken – February 27/28
It Is Finished: Forsaken
So many people feel forsaken in our society – abandoned, left out, and alone. One of Jesus’ last words from the cross was “forsaken.” Why was Jesus forsaken? How could he be abandoned by the Father? What does this mean for us?
Matthew 27:46 “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Questions for Reflection:
For all our connectedness through technology, we see a culture disconnected and so often forsaken. Can you think of examples of people or people groups that are forsaken in our society?
Think of a time when you’ve felt forsaken. What was it like? Where did you find hope?
Why is it important that Jesus himself was forsaken at the cross? How is this good news for us?
Read Psalm 22. Note the transition from forsakenness to feast and celebration. How does this help you see Jesus’ words from the cross differently? What important context does the Psalm provide?
Think of someone you know personally who is forsaken today. They could be alone, divorced, depressed, rejected, etc. What good news could you share with them?
Compassion – March 6/7
It Is Finished: Compassion
In an act of compassion, Jesus took care of his widowed mother even as he was dying on the cross. “Woman, behold, your son.” It’s an obscure and sometimes puzzling detail. What does Jesus’ word for Mary and John mean for us today?
John 19:25-27 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Questions for Reflection:
Jesus’ word from the cross means that the Christian community is a family. How well do you know your family?
How can you show radical care for brothers and sisters in Christ?
Before Easter: Meet one new person in our church, or contact one person in our church you haven’t seen in a long time.
Distress – March 13/14
For Jesus, the end is now near. Death is close. And this week we come to the shortest of these last seven words, literally just one word in the Greek: “I thirst”. And with this word, Jesus reveals both genuine human suffering and the God who left nothing undone to secure your salvation.
John 19:28-29 – After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
Questions for Reflection:
Think of a time when you were, or felt, dehydrated. What did it feel like to take a drink after experiencing incredible thirst?
How is it good news that Jesus himself suffered?
Read Psalm 69 for context on “I thirst.” What parallels do you see with Jesus on the cross? How does this help you understand Jesus’ suffering?
Times of drought and thirst often bring us closer to God in faith. Think of a time of dryness that revealed God in a new or different way.
Trust – March 20/21
Today we focus on the word “trust.” Jesus called from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk. 23:46).
Luke 23:45-47 For the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
Questions for Reflection:
What does it mean to trust someone?
Why do we often hold back?
How do we know God’s hands are trustworthy?
Palm Sunday – Triumph- March 27/28
Today, we focus on the word “triumph.” To all the world, the cross looked like a defeat. And yet, the final word of Jesus from the cross is a word of victory! “It is finished.” In what way was the cross a victory? How do the events of Palm Sunday help us to see Jesus more clearly today?
“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.” (John 12:12-16)
Questions for Reflection:
The crowds and even the disciples misunderstood Jesus’s mission. How do we misunderstand Jesus today?
How does the cross shed new light on the victory Jesus came to win?
What secret sins of yours need to be “finished”? Confess these sins and rejoice in the victory Jesus has won over them for you.
Midweek Lenten Services
Ash Wednesday – February 17
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Midweek Lenten Worship – February 24
Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Lost Son
Midweek Lenten Worship – March 3
Mark 2:1-12 Jesus forgives and heals a paralytic man
Midweek Lenten Worship – March 10
Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus the tax-collector
Midweek Lenten Worship – March 17
John 4:4-26 The Samaritan Woman at the Well
Midweek Lenten Service – March 24
Matthew 14:22-38 Jesus Walks on Water