Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread [Passover week], the disciples came to Jesus and said to Him, Where do you wish us to prepare for You to eat the Passover supper? (Matthew 26:17, AMPC)
Before a new season begins, a tour professional will begin preparing weeks, if not months, before the first tournament. One practice day might include a couple hours of short game work, another hour or more on the practice range, and then some on-course play.
I often get asked if I am looking forward to playing the Legend Tour events. I usually feel a twinge inside my chest as the myriad of unspoken responses rattle through my brain. Yes, I want to play the events I am eligible for—and, it’s not that simple. The amount of preparation required to play one or two competitive events per season feels exhausting, ominous, and time-consuming. My ambivalence is strong. Yes, I want to play. No, I don’t want to do what is necessary to prepare.
Play begins today for the first major of the 2021 LPGA Tour season. The ANA Inspiration holds a timeless tradition and the lady pros have been preparing for months. Today also marks Maundy Thursday of Easter week. The day before Jesus goes to the cross is known as the Day of Preparation.
The disciples did not perceive the gravity of suffering that would follow their last Passover supper with their Rabbi.
During his three years with his disciples, Jesus tried often to prepare them for his impending death and resurrection. Recorded in the Gospel of Matthew is a third time he directly told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day” (Matthew 20:18-19, ESV).
Jesus’ attempt to prepare his disciples fell on deaf ears. They did not perceive the gravity of suffering that would follow their last Passover supper with their Rabbi. But Jesus knew and he was prepared.
Today is an important day to remember as we walk through Holy Week. In her work Theology of The Womb, author Christy Bauman writes, “Gratitude, blessing, and recognition for those who give of themselves is what Jesus exemplified on Maundy Thursday at the Last Supper.” Jesus blessed his disciples. He washed their feet. Bauman adds, “Maundy Thursday invites the follower of Christ to prepare to walk alongside the struggle of the coming death.”
There are many ways we prepare for the important things in our lives, whether it be at the practice range, in the kitchen, at work, or a celebration. Set some time aside today to prepare your heart, mind, and spirit on this Maundy Thursday for the crucifixion and death of Good Friday, for the silence of Holy Saturday, and for the rebirth and eternal life of Resurrection Sunday.
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Tracy Hanson
April 1, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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