Easter Sunday

As I begin to write this article and to think about what I wanted to say, I realized that no matter what I could write it would not compare to the way that the Easter story is told in the Bible.  So I am going to quote Matthew 28:1-10.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.’  Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them.  “Greetings,” he said.  They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.  Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”                     

A Good Friday Devotion

The final observance before Easter is Good Friday.  Once again Good Friday is a church term and cannot be found in the Bible, but on that day believers place even more emphasis than usual on the sacrificial death on the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Following is a short poem that is one of my personal favorites.  While I cannot show my devotion to Jesus in the same way as the little dog, there are so many things that I can do.  Everyday in everything that we do we show, not to God but to the world, how much we love Jesus.  As I compare my actions to that of the little dog, I must wonder whose love is greater.

I wonder if Christ had a little black dog

All curly and wooly like mine;

With two long silky ears,

And a nose round and wet,

And two eyes brown and tender that shine.

I’m afraid he hadn’t because I have read

How He prayed in the garden alone;

For all his friends and disciples had fled-

Even Peter-the one called a stone.

And I’m so sure that the little black dog

With heart so tender and warm,

Would never have left Him to suffer alone

But creeping right under His arm

Would have licked the dear fingers

in agony clasped

And counting all favors but loss;

When they took Him away

Would have trotted behind

And followed Him right to the Cross.

For Heaven's Sake

We have gotten many favorable responses to our short stories that help us understand scripture but that do not come directly from the Bible.  For that reason we have decided to include these kinds of stories on a regular basis.  This is the first of what we hope will be a long list of many.

He was one of those lads who seemed to keep getting into mischief.  It frustrated his mother greatly.  Finally, one day when he was being particularly troublesome, his mother posed this question to him:  “How do you ever expect to get into heaven?”

The lively boy thought a few seconds, then said, “Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, ‘For heaven’s sake, Jimmy, come in or stay out.’”

Maundy Thursday - Remembering Jesus' Gift To Us

After Palm Sunday the next observance during Holy Week in many churches is that of Maundy Thursday.  Maundy Thursday is also a church term and not found in the Bible.  On this day believers remember the establishment of the Lord’s Supper.  Jesus met with his disciples on the first day of Passover.  At this time they ate unleaven bread, which symbolized Christ’s body, and drank from the fruit of the vine, which symbolized Christ’s blood.  This meal was meant to be eaten again and again until Jesus returns.

The establishment of the Lord’s Supper is recorded in Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:19-22 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.  Following is the account given in Matthew 26:26-30.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

While we should remember and give thanks 24/7 for the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, so that we may live with him forever, we all need to make the additional remembrance by eating the bread and drinking the fruit of the vine as he instructed us when he established the Lord’s Supper.

Palm Sunday

During the first several centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christians remembered both the death and resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.  Gradually the time that was taken to honor the passion of Christ grew to be one week long and became known as Holy Week.  Holy Week begins with the celebration of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem on what is now called Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday is a church label and cannot be found in the Bible.  Rather, the Bible refers to this event as “The Triumphal Entry.”

The story of “The Triumphal Entry” is recorded in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.  In Mark 11:8-10 we read, “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.  Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!  Hosanna in the highest!’”

Today many churches celebrate Palm Sunday by distributing palm branches to worshippers and perhaps having a processional re-enacting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.                                                            

Lent: The Seven Last Words Of Christ

Since we are now in the middle of the Lenten season, I wanted to discuss what is called “The Seven Last Words of Christ.”  As Jesus hung dying on the cross he made seven statements.  Each statement is referred to as a “word.”  The first three words were said between 9AM and noon, and the last four were said close to 3PM.  You cannot find a list of these words in the Bible in the same way that you find the Ten Commandments, but they are there.  The purpose of this blog post is to tell you what these words are and where you can find them.

The first statement, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” is recorded in Luke 23:34.  Since the entire reason for Jesus’ death on the cross was to grant forgiveness for their sins to everyone who believes and trusts in him, Jesus has established that purpose with this statement.

The second statement, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise,” is recorded in Luke 23:43.  This promise given to a penitent thief gives us a look into the future and tells us what happens after a believer’s death.

The third statement, “…he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother,’” is recorded in John 19:26-27.  With this statement Jesus provided for the care of his mother by his disciple John.  From that day forward Mary lived in John’s home and he provided for her.

The last four statements were said close together at 3PM.  The fourth statement, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is recorded in Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46.  This was a cry expressing the emotional pain that Jesus felt as he alone took on his shoulders the sins of the entire world.

The fifth statement, “I am thirsty,” is recorded in John 19:28.  This was an expression of physical pain and his lips were moistened with some wine vinegar.  This was the drink of the ordinary people at that time.

After being given the drink Jesus uttered the sixth statement, “It is finished,” which is recorded in John 19:30.  This was not a cry of defeat but rather a cry of victory.  Jesus had completed what he had come to do.  Salvation was available for everyone who believed and trusted in him.

With that Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” recorded in Luke 23:46, the seventh and last statement.

These words are extremely important.  They were made while Jesus was completing the final steps for our salvation.  This was something that no one before or since could accomplish.  For this reason I have included these words and their location under our page titled “Things to Know.”                                                        

                                                                                                                       

Lent Reflection - The Cross and The Star Thrower

Once again I found this in my collection of articles, but am not sure how it came into my possession.  During this Lenten season I believe it is a good article to share.

Loren Eiseley, a naturalist, tells a story about a star thrower.  He was in the seaside town of Costabel, and, plagued by insomnia, spent the early morning hours walking the beach.  Each day at sunrise, he found townspeople combing the sand for starfish which had washed ashore during the night, to kill them for commercial purposes.  Eiseley thought this was a sign, however small, of all the ways the world says NO to life.

One morning, however, Eiseley got up unusually early, and discovered a solitary figure on the beach.  This man, too, was gathering starfish, but each time he found one alive he would pick it up and throw it as far as he could out beyond the breaking surf, back to the nurturing ocean from which it came.  As days went by, Eiseley found this man embarked on his mission of mercy each morning, seven days a week, no matter the weather.

Eiseley called this man “The Star Thrower.”  On the beach in Costabel, everything that Eiseley had been taught about evolution and the survival of the fittest was contradicted by one man.  For this man, strong as he was, reached down to save the weak.  Eiseley wondered if there is a star-thrower at work in the universe, a God who contradicts death, a God whose nature is mercy itself.

During this season of Lent, our focus is on the Cross.  This cross is one of the ways that human beings said NO to life.  And yet, through the cross of Jesus, God says a resounding Yes to life.  Through this cross of Jesus, God reaches down to save us from ourselves.  Through this cross of Jesus, God rescues us from certain death – he hurls us back into the fullness of life.  And he invites us to take up our crosses and follow him – to become star throwers ourselves, cherishing life for all people.  Through the Cross of Jesus, God invites us to join our voices with his in a resounding YES to life.