5 Minutes with Jesus is a daily devotional series for people in the midst of real life, whether facing anxiety, grief, questions of purpose, or simply needing encouragement and connection. Hosted by Sheila Walsh, each five-minute episode offers Biblical truth, honest reflections on faith and emotions, and closes with a moment of prayer.
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| Sheila Walsh: Preparing Your Heart for Easter | 5 Minutes with Jesus | March 27, 2026
- In john's gospel.
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- We have so much of the last conversation
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- That jesus
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- Had with his closest friends, including his prayer for them
- 00:00:05.895 --> 00:00:09.165
- And for those of us who would come to faith after his death
- 00:00:09.165 --> 00:00:12.836
- And resurrection on the night christ was betrayed.
- 00:00:12.836 --> 00:00:17.107
- Do you know he prayed for you?
- 00:00:17.107 --> 00:00:19.242
- Take the time over the next few days to read and remember.
- 00:00:19.242 --> 00:00:22.712
- Ask the holy spirit to reveal the truth of our life
- 00:00:22.712 --> 00:00:26.549
- Changing savior and worship him.
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- Let's pray.
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- My husband loves to decorate and he's really good at it.
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- Our house at christmas looks like a magazine cover,
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- And the only thing that i contribute is the hot
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- Chocolate and andy williams on my christmas playlist.
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- As we get
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- Closer to christmas, boxes begin to pile up our front door.
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- I expect that, but i didn't expect it as we were
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- Preparing for easter with easter the following week.
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- A large box appeared at our front door
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- And barry said, you are going to love this.
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- I did not.
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- He made me close my eyes until he had all set up.
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- And then came the big reveal.
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- It was, an italian porcelain depiction of christ's tomb.
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- I mean, you press the button, a light came on,
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- And jesus popped out of the tomb.
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- That's going back, i said.
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- I don't know, maybe it's because i'm scottish,
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- But the sight of jesus
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- Popping out with a touch of a button was just too much for me.
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- It felt too gimmicky.
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- Barry was very disappointed in my lack of appreciation.
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- And if you have one
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- In your home, i'm sure he'd love to visit you.
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- But how do we really prepare our hearts for easter?
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- The challenge is that we become so used to the story
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- That we lose the wonder of this moment, that split
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- Human history in two and changed all our lives.
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- If you grew up in a tradition that celebrates the season
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- Of lent, then for the 40 days from ash wednesday to easter
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- Sunday, you've been more aware of getting your heart ready.
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- I didn't grow up in that tradition,
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- But i want my heart to be ready for the greatest moment
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- In human history.
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- On palm sunday, we remember the crowds
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- That greeted jesus as he entered jerusalem.
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- In our church, we often have a beautiful depiction of that
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- With children waving palm branches and shouting hosanna!
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- Blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord.
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- What the crowd didn't understand
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- Is that nothing is going to go the way they expected.
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- Neither do the disciples.
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- We read in matthew's gospel, chapter 24.
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- As jesus was leaving the temple grounds, his disciples
- 00:02:45.421 --> 00:02:48.958
- Pointed out to him the various temple buildings,
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- But he responded, do you see all these buildings?
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- I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished.
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- Not one stone will be left on top of another.
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- They didn't understand what was about to happen.
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- They were pointing to what made sense to them.
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- You know, look at the temple, lord, this is all yours.
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- Let's do this.
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- But christ's message to them and to us is our salvation
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- Is never found in the structures around us, but only in him
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- And in his way and in his time.
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- So how do we prepare our hearts
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- For the most important week in our lives?
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- Read the stories.
- 00:03:32.468 --> 00:03:34.037
- All the gospels give an account of holy week.
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- Matthew 21 recounts christ's
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- Entry into jerusalem and then matthew 24 and 25.
- 00:03:40.043 --> 00:03:44.347
- We read what's referred to as the olivet discourse,
- 00:03:44.347 --> 00:03:47.750
- Which is christ's teaching, and what was to come
- 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:50.620
- And how we should prepare for the return of christ
- 00:03:50.620 --> 00:03:53.756
- In mark's gospel.
- 00:03:53.756 --> 00:03:55.024
- Chapters 14 through 16 we read about the last supper
- 00:03:55.024 --> 00:03:58.861
- And the betrayal of christ by judas.
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- We read of peter's declaration that he would never
- 00:04:01.264 --> 00:04:04.167
- Desert jesus, and yet by the following morning
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- He denied even knowing him three times.
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- If you read luke chapter 22,
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- We're given the most graphic description
- 00:04:12.875 --> 00:04:15.011
- Of the agony of christ in the garden of gethsemane.
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- As a physician, luke noted that christ
- 00:04:18.348 --> 00:04:20.950
- Sweat great drops of blood as he prayed.
- 00:04:20.950 --> 00:04:24.053
- His agony was profound in john's gospel.
- 00:04:24.053 --> 00:04:28.191
- We have so much of the last conversation that jesus had
- 00:04:28.191 --> 00:04:32.128
- With his closest friends, including his prayer for them
- 00:04:32.128 --> 00:04:35.665
- And for those of us who would come to faith after his death
- 00:04:35.665 --> 00:04:39.335
- And resurrection on the night christ was betrayed.
- 00:04:39.335 --> 00:04:43.606
- Do you know he prayed for you?
- 00:04:43.606 --> 00:04:45.742
- Take the time over the next few days to read and remember.
- 00:04:45.742 --> 00:04:49.212
- Ask the holy spirit to reveal the truth of our life
- 00:04:49.212 --> 00:04:53.049
- Changing savior and worship him.
- 00:04:53.049 --> 00:04:56.252
- Let's pray.
- 00:04:56.586 --> 00:04:58.554
- Lord, as we
- 00:04:58.888 --> 00:04:59.822
- Prepare our hearts to celebrate that moment
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- When you are willing to set your face toward the cross,
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- And to take the next step, even though you knew
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- It would cost you everything.
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- Lord, help us to prepare our hearts
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- In the noise and bustle and all the fillings of easter.
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- Help us to find time to be with you,
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- And to read your story of what you are willing to do
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- So that we could live with you forever in jesus name.
- 00:05:25.181 --> 00:05:30.286
- Amen.
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