Welcome back to The Living, a space created to help you encounter God in your everyday life, be with Him, and find life right where you are. Today is Tuesday, March 24th, and we continue in our Linton journey, looking at the last week of Jesus' life. This week we're spending time with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yesterday we saw that when pressure came, Jesus went to the place that he knew: a place of prayer, a place of connection with the Father. But he didn't go alone. He brought others with him. And in that moment we see something deeply human about Jesus. And even he needed friendship. Today, before we begin our lectio practice, I'd invite you to settle into where you are. Just remind yourself today, I am here, and so is God. Let's begin our time with open hands. If you're able, rest your hands in your lap, palms facing upward. I invite you to take a slow breath in and gently exhale. Again, one more slow breath in and exhale. We're invited to cast all of our cares on him because he cares for us. And so as you are here, simply notice what you've been carrying. The weight of responsibilities, the unspoken stress, things that you haven't fully processed yet. Today we look at the Garden of Gethsemane from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty-six. Our scripture for the day is found in verses thirty-six through thirty-eight. As always, we will go through our lectio practice, working through four movements. First, we'll read the text, then take time to reflect on it, and then respond, and finally take some time to rest in the presence of the Lord. On this first reading, I simply invite you to listen to the reading. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Just take a moment to notice Jesus' words. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. What stands out to you in this moment as you reflect on the passage? As I read this passage again, this is your opportunity to respond. Listen for the invitation from the Lord. You might ask, where do I try to carry things alone? Who is God placed in my life that I need to let in? Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. Then he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Go ahead and take time to respond honestly to the Lord. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Now simply take a moment to rest in the presence of God. As I sat with this passage today, I love how Jesus does not try to go it alone here. He invites his disciples into his moment of greatest pressure. Stay here, stay with me, is what Jesus says. He's not pretending to be unaffected. He's not isolating himself completely. And while the disciples won't fully show up the way he would hope, Jesus still models something really important for all of us. That we were not created to carry life alone. God, he meets us personally, but he also meets us through people. And sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is simply let someone stay with us. Let's have a word of prayer. Jesus, thank you for meeting us in our humanity. Teach us today to walk with you and have courage to walk with others. Give us the wisdom to invite people into our lives to support us. We pray these things in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today, go in his presence, rest in his love. This is the living, will continue tomorrow.