Then Came The Morning

If you are reading this on Wednesday evening, you are past half way in the normal work week. It’s the day most clock punchers look forward to as the turn around day. Only two more days to the weekend. Well, not this week. If you are intuitive and I know you are, you will already have told me you are not working Friday. It’s a holiday. It’s a day off because our nation, built on Christian principals, deemed it so.
While most holidays are there for celebration, this one is not. This one is different, far different. Friday is a day we have referred to as Good Friday. Good for us that is. Not so with Jesus. To Him, it was the day before the Sabbath, which was to them like our Sunday. It was the day he would die. And being God he knew it.
But lets go back to Wednesday. This was the turn around day for the people in Jerusalem as well. Since Jesus had some to town, there was celebration and keen interest in all that Jesus was saying and doing. But on Wednesday, things began to turn around. It started slowly with the religious leaders who didn’t like the competition. They talked to the people and from there it grew. Something akin to bad gossip. By Thursday, most people were turning against Jesus and by Friday, “Hosanna” was replaced by “Crucify Him”.
And there is our Friday off. A day that is also called Black Friday. And if you remember the story, the sky that Friday in Jerusalem was “black as night.” It was black for Him, but wonderful for us because on that day, He covered our sin and shame. He brought me back to God forgiven. And we are now all children of the King.
There is one more day in our weekend. It’s Easter Sunday. It’s Resurrection Morning and He came back to life. And it’s all about Him. He died for us. He suffered for us. He paid the price for our sins. He rose and He leads the way onto eternity.
This Easter Sunday morning, join Christ followers around the world, celebrating new life in Christ. And sing with us the Gaither chorus:
Then came the morning, night turned into day.
The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn.
Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun.
Death had lost and Life had won, for morning had come.

Passion or Palms

Did you know they changed its name? Somewhere, at sometime, someone changed the name of Palm Sunday. And no one told us, let alone asked our permission. It just happened. Maybe it started with one person and just grew from there. If you are past a certain age, no matter what other people may do or say, its still Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week.
I thought it happened without some of us knowing, or caring. It is now called by many and probably most, Passion Sunday. We all know about the palms. It’s the Sunday in the Christian calendar where everyone comes to church to be greeted by palm branches. The children walk around the outside of the church and wave them around. We then, soak them and begin the process of bending and folding them into miniature crosses. I caught you seeing it in your minds eye.
But why the change? What makes our world today look at this Sunday differently? Well . . . I did the research and sorry to say, it happened way back before 1960 with three Popes who came up with something new. Or maybe something old. It had something to do with three Catholic Popes changing the designation. Well, it appears that it has taken Protestants a while to catch on. Today in the Roman Church it is actually called the Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. Now that we are totally confused, let me conclude with, it is the Sunday that begins the celebration of Passion Week.
If you are confused, don’t be. Because what is most important is that we know the Passion of Christ began with palm branches cut from the trees and spread on the streets to Red Carpet His coming and ends with His resurrection. Take time this week to sit and read the whole passage for yourself. It’s found in Luke 22:14 - 23:56. A very rich and long passage that we so often divide up into many parts. It needs our attention in its totality. It is a celebration of what Christ did for us. Something we could never do for ourselves. He came with one purpose and He stated it this way, “I have come to seek and save that which was lost.” Lost from God in our sin and dismay. No mater what they call it, this coming Sunday we celebrate Christ came into the city of Jerusalem. I wonder, do we celebrate His coming into our lives?
Something to think about.
Rob

Spring or Easter?

Are you ready? I know many of you are. We have waited a while for this to happen. Spring. I know winter didn’t necessarily arrive but . . . It’s that time of year when we anticipate opening the windows and searching for everything new. Last week I took notice of the snow bells, buds on the trees and lots of wind blown refuse. It was on one of those odd warm early spring days where we are almost by instinct, drawn out to take a look and to discover the world coming to life again.
Now, we really didn’t have a harsh winter. You may even ask, where was the snow? For those who suffer from SAD, this year was a piece of cake. In fact, let’s go and have a piece right now.
I’m back. It didn’t take much looking yesterday to discover signs of spring. I mean, other then the rain. When it stopped for a little while, it gave me opportunity to take a look around. The first thing I noticed after the snow bells were weeds already growing and flourishing. A little downer on what could have been a wonderful adventure. Just like you, I anticipate all the beauty that is just waiting to jump out of the ground. The bulbs are already breaking the ground, and the lilies won’t be far behind. And in the time being, I have weeding to do. It’s a life sentence if you ask me.
And it happens beyond the garden. It is part of life. Yours and mine. Many people have said something like this; “If you eliminate something bad, you need something good to put in its place. This is how we get better at being the best God intended us to be. And that is what lent can be all about. It is a time when we examine our lives and eliminate the not so good things in our lives and replace them with wonderful things. It’s not just about what we eat or what we give up. It’s about what is taking the place of the weeds we pull out. Easter is about the resurrected Jesus. His resurrection needs to be mirrored in our lives. The place in our lives where there is more beauty and less weeds. Where there is new life everywhere.
It’s time to pull weeds, and it’s time to instill the beauty of Jesus. Are you with me?
Something to think about
Rob

Out Walking

There are two types of walks you can go on. One leads you somewhere and the other takes you around in circles. There are some malls around our area that open early for “walkers.” They open their doors, turn on the lights and give opportunity to people, mostly older retired people, to get some exercise. Day after day, week after week, they go around and around and around. This is a wonderful thing for them to do considering the outside temperature of our Canadian climate. But then again, it’s been cold in Florida as well this winter.
I have noticed two things that happen when they are walking. While some people walk and talk lap after lap, others can’t do two things at once. I think it has something to do with being able to either walk or talk. Maybe something to do with catching your breath.
It’s fascinating to see them go, lap after lap. I did notice that some pace themselves while others are in it to see how many people they can out pace and lap. Remember that they are all going - nowhere.
Then there are the people who walk to arrive somewhere. I noticed a couple of people who walked to church yesterday. They lived near the church and made it under their own power. As I thought about it, I wondered what the difference is between walking for fun and walking for a reason. Both give us something and both give us a destination, in life or in fitness.
And they’re in lies the truth. We walk to reach that destination, physical or imaginary. And both have their rewards.
Life to me is a long walk and a long walk home. My bible tells me that this world is not my home. Jesus said he is going before me to prepare a place for me that I can enjoy for eternity. In the movie Paint Your Wagon, Lee Marvin sings these lines. “Home is made for comin’ from, For dreams of goin’ to.” How true. We have come from God and we are going back. Do you know where you are going? My bible tells me I am going home. Let’s walk together.
And talk if we can. The song says it all. Going home to see my Saviour, going home to meet a friend . . .

I Need A Hand, Can You Help

“I can do it myself.” Have you ever found yourself saying those words? I have. In fact, it may have at one time been my mantra. Even though I grew up in a family of six, I learned early that I had to depend on myself. You may have had the same experience. It might have had something to do with being the youngest.
On the other side of the coin, have you noticed that many people are always there to ask for your help. Back to the original side of the coin. But for some reason, you feel you couldn’t impose on someone else to help you. This can be acerbated at times when you may have thought to yourself, “no one can do it as good as me.”
And so we go through life, independent, self-sufficient, and decidedly autonomous. If you take it to an extreme, you become a person who can do it all yourself. The difficulty is, there are, and have been times when you could have used someone’s help. The old saying is still true, “Two hands are better then one.”
The other day I was on the computer and a friend sent me a video connection to youtube.com. As I sat there watching, I saw a girl born with no arms flying a plane on her own. She was using her feet. This young woman decided to do it herself. Instead of going along for the ride, she took control and did what everyone thought impossible. To her it was indeed possible.
How do you spell impossible? Is it, that things are impossible or is it, “I’m possible?” I pray the later. Edison was a man who thought the word impossible as a challenge. Every invention we have today came from someone saying, “Well, that’s just impossible.” And someone standing nearby saying to themselves, I will prove it is not!
At the end of the video I was reminded that there are times when we can’t do it ourselves and just as many times we can. With one exception. Our faith. Oh we might think we can do it ourselves. We can get through all the problems we face by just being focused and determined. Sorry, that is not what my bible says. We need Christ, not only to get through life but to enter heaven. As I thought this through a verse I learned a long time ago came to mind. “I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength.”
Someone to think about
Rob