Apr 8 - Easter Sunday - "Undeniable"

John 1:1-18 -- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

1 Peter 1:3-4, 18-21 -- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by divine mercy we have a new birth into a living hope; through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we have an inheritance that is imperishable in heaven. The ransom that was paid to free us was not paid in silver or gold, but in the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb without spot or stain. God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory so that we might have faith and hope in God.”

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Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

It is like a breath of fresh air to be able to say these words. The “Alleluias” which have been put away for the past 46 days have gloriously returned to our voices and we shout them out with joy. Alleluia!

The bookend verses we see today from John’s Gospel and 1 Peter tell us the whole story. Jesus was there at the beginning of time, the inception of our life with God, and He is the one who brings it all to a glorious end in the fulfillment of God’s covenant with us.

When I consider all that I see, hear, read and feel when it comes to God and the gift of His Son, how can I not believe? I consider myself a fairly smart person, thanks to the diligence of my parents, the investment of teachers and the continual guidance I receive from my best friend, my wife Greta. I do not think I am easily fooled. Yes, I can get caught up in the emotion of a good book or movie, become inspired by a story on the news or the web, but I pay attention with a skeptical mind and can quickly tell when I am seeing the truth or a lie.

The evidence of God’s work in my life is overwhelming. The miracles I see every day are abundant and wonderful. The Holy Spirit, at work on my heart each time I read The Word is undeniable. It is too perfect to have been created by the mind of man. For those who think that this Faith...Christianity...is all a contrived ploy to suppress the masses, a great plot and farce propagated by some self-serving cult in order to enrich themselves, they are wrong.

Of course, there are all of the worldly trappings of this celebration. Candy, baskets filled with goodies and that fake grass which seems to end up everywhere, decorated eggs and of course “Easter Deals” at the stores; all of these things seem to supersede the true message of Christ’s resurrection. But are they really all that bad? If nothing else, all of these things which have come from that one moment, when the stone was rolled away, glorify God and His gift to us regardless of the intent or direction from which they come. Even if a person ignores the miracle of Easter because of their focus on the material elements of the celebration, are they still not aware of it in some small way? And, when God works on people over time, does He not send little messages which whittle away at hardened hearts? When you see all of this “Easter-ness” today, egg hunts and sales, candy and bunnies, bright dresses and shiny faces, all of this...every little bit...comes from one thing: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, defeating death once and for all.

It is too perfect. It can be of nothing else but from our glorious Creator: God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, Allah, El, Adonai, El Shaddai, Abba, Emmanuel!!! My heart, my mind, my soul all compel me to believe. The miracle of God sending His Son as a sacrifice is the overwhelming evidence of His Love for us. Man could not have come up with a story this good.

And the greatest and simplest message of all? The undeniable truth? Jesus Christ did not die for US.

He died for YOU!

If you were the only person on earth, the only being ever created, He still would have laid His life down for YOU. Yes, smile with joy as you feel these words wash over you and refresh you.

So, say it again...over and over...it is undeniable. Alleluia, Christ is risen!! The Lord is risen indeed!! Alleluia!!!

Apr 7 - Holy Saturday - "Meaningless?"

Ecclesiastes 7:15 - “ In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.”

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Today is raw. The sun shines bright, but it is a cruel sun, providing no heat as the biting wind blows and saps your warmth.

Today is desolate. Harsh ringing in your ears from the echoes of the crowds causes your head to pound. Their cruel words mock your spirit.

Today is hopeless. Your Teacher has been killed, His life destroyed. Wickedness rules. The authorities prowl like ravenous lions, searching for His believers.

Today is utter isolation. Friends have scattered and deserted you. Every man for himself.

There is nothing in the Bible, in all of the Gospels, about this day. The day when Christ lies dead in the tomb. We find no comfort, no joy, no consolation. The glory of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem just six days ago is now gone; it was not the entry of a king, but a cruel joke of false honor.

We sit today in question of our faith. Was He just a man, a mere mortal who spoke kindly and brought forth some kind of magic? Certainly the Son of God could not be dead! He would have destroyed His killers, crushed the tomb and returned to health, whole and pure as if no wounds had been placed on Him.

Evil laughs.

Friends are in fear.

A mother mourns the death of her son.

Is all hope lost? Was His life meaningless?

Apr 6 - Good Friday - "The Whole Experience"

John 19:28-30 -- “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

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Today, we experience the day of Christ’s death. Why must we experience it over and over again in our lifetimes? Is it not sufficient to observe it once and never return? We know the end of the story...why dwell on the painful part of it?

In my own life, I sometimes try to fast-forward through events, believing that the end result is more exciting and the journey along the way, though necessary, is not the best part of the experience. I can remember many times being at a concert, sitting in the movie theater or reading through a book as fast as I could, rushing to get to the end. Being at the end was better, having experienced the event. We humans are funny in the sense that we often take more joy in saying “I did that”, as opposed to “I am doing that.”

Similarly, many of us are already looking forward to Easter Sunday. We will likely be with family or friends. We have experienced the joy of the risen Christ on many occasions and are excited about singing hymns such as “Lift High the Cross” and having the word “Alleluia” return to our liturgical vocabulary, it having been absent since Ash Wednesday. But, let’s not get there yet. There is still much to experience.

Go back 2,000 years. You are in the time of Christ’s life on earth. You have seen Him preach and heal. You believe he is Messiah come; Emmanuel. Even though there are dozens of prophesies throughout the Old Testament about the death and resurrection of Messiah, even though Jesus had intimated it multiple times while with His disciples or in speaking with the crowds, you don’t know for sure whether all of this is true. You can see the events unfolding before you. Why doesn’t He use His power to stop this? You find yourself shouting with the crowd, “Crucify! Crucify!” Where do these words come from? You are standing in the street as He stumbles by and falls. You don’t help Him. They lay Him on the cross, pound the nails through His hands and raise Him up for all to see so they can relish in His humiliation. You stand and watch as you see Him die, taken down and buried in the tomb. What is happening?!?

Wasn’t all of this avoidable? Was the pain really necessary? At the Last Supper, Jesus could have told His friends, “Hey...let’s just party tonight. Don’t worry! Even though tomorrow will be full of pain and torture, even though I will die and be without you for a little while, I’ll be walking out of the grave Sunday morning. Be happy! This is no big deal!”. He could have assured His friends that His resurrection was certain, they need not be afraid. Remember, Jesus has the power of the universe at His disposal; the temporal and locational boundaries of time and space do not apply to Him. He could have whisked them all away, allowing time to fast forward through His crucifixion. He could have placed them in observance over the tomb, watching as the stone rolled away and He walked out, shining and glorious. He could have given them proof, letting them see and experience what was to come, in order that they not lose heart.

But, this losing of heart is important. Seeing Him arrested. Betraying Him. Watching His torture, the crown of thorns burying deep into His brow as He drags the heavy instrument of His death through the crowded streets. We must see the people of Jerusalem mocking Him, tempting Him to use the power of Heaven and Earth to bring Himself down from the cross, destroying it and laying waste to those who are killing Him. We must hear Him cry out to God. We must watch as He takes His last drink of the bitter wine.

We must experience His death, just as His mother Mary did, just as His disciples did.

Just as He did.

So, don’t rush through it. Take in the whole experience. Slow down and allow yourself the time to absorb the Passion of Good Friday. The pain we feel today is a crucial part of our ability to derive meaning from all that we see happening to Jesus on this day. Through our sin we have betrayed Him, we have killed Him. And though He did not have to, He willingly experienced this betrayal, torture and death, giving up His life for us.

Apr 5 - Maundy Thursday - "Washed Clean"

John 13:1-17 -- “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, ‘Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’ ”

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The picture of our Lord Jesus Christ washing the feet of His disciples is, for me, one of the most powerful images of Him presented to us in the Gospels. In these scene, our Savior puts himself lower than all others by kneeling to the ground and serving His friends in the humblest of fashions.

Even in today’s standards of daily showers, moisture-absorbing socks and breathable shoes, washing someone else’s feet is not at appetizing proposition. At the end of a long day, almost none of us has feet which are a pleasant sight...or smell. Now go back two thousand years. Your feet were barely covered in a couple straps of leather, if you were fortunate. Most likely, you went around barefoot all day. The dust, grime and who-knows-what else would become caked and dried on your feet over the course of the day or maybe even days. Washing someone else’s feet was the lowliest of jobs. To do this was seen as the ultimate act of service. Once complete, the person whose feet were now clean felt refreshed and new.

This is why Peter reacted in the way he did. There was no way he was going to let his teacher, the man whom he knew was Messiah, the Son of God, kneel down before him and wash his feet. Once again, we see Peter behaving in the way we all would have. But fortunately, Jesus tells him the lessons to be learned in this act of service. He gives us the perfect example of how we should be with each other. When Christ tells Peter that he must allow this act of humility or he will have no part of a life with Jesus, Peter goes all in. He wants every part of him to be for Christ.

If you are lucky, your church offers foot washing during its Maundy Thursday celebration today. To experience this act of service as well as to give it can have a dramatic impact on all who take part; washing, washed or even just observing. There are very few things we can do in our earthly lives, which Christ also did. We cannot turn a few loaves into a meal for thousands, restore a blind man’s sight with a mere word nor can we bring the dead back to life. But, the big things, the important things, we can do. We can finish the work He started by spreading the Good News to others. We can break the bread and pour the wine of His remembrance, sharing it with each other. We can make ourselves lowly, serving our friends with humble care.

So, today, if you have the opportunity, participate in the worship and celebration of the Last Supper. Consider approaching the altar at the time when called, sitting and accepting the act of service. Then, offer the same gift to another.

Apr 4 - "The Gift of the Journey"

Mark 12:1-8 -- “Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.’ ”

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As we come into the middle of Holy Week, nearing the end of our journey through Lent, we are faced with the sobering fact that in spite of all the joy, miracles and wonders we have seen from Jesus, He will be crucified and die. Why did it have to come to this?

Up to this point, God has tried everything. He is like a master tinkerer, throwing everything He’s got, every tool in his kit has been working at the problem of our sin and reconciliation of our relationship with Him.

God established us as His perfect creation in Eden, giving us all that we would need. Yet, the one fruit has asked us not to

eat, we lusted after, consumed and thereby brought sin into the world.

When we had fallen into sin, he wiped the earth clean with The Flood, starting anew with a righteous family.

He created a mighty people through the lines of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and saved us from famine by raising up the son,

Joseph.

When oppressed by Pharaoh, He showed His power through Moses and brought us out of Egypt into the Promised Land,

even though along the way we complained, worshipped idols and questioned His ability to bring us to deliverance.

Although He told us that His lordship over us was sufficient, we begged to be lead by men. He raised up Judges and Kings

over us, He sent us mighty prophets with His Word, but we continually rejected them and Him, returning to our evil ways.

Again He sought to break us from our sin and sent the hoards of Babylon to bring us into captivity. We were given a “time

out”, but then brought again into freedom as he crushed our captors.

When we once again returned to our ways, caught up in rite and ritual, focusing on what was on the outside of us and not on

the inside, He sent us His Son. Instead of continuing to punish and redeem us, He offered up the most precious Gift as a

sacrifice, once and for all. His death for our life.

Why did He do it this way?

Wouldn’t it have been easier for God to send Jesus to Adam and Eve, right at the beginning of our Sin? Might not He have saved Himself centuries...millennia...of rejection and frustration by jumping to the end of the story? The Gift was always there, from the beginning of time, available to be given to us. Why do it the hard way?

As we have often learned, if we are paying attention, it’s not always about the destination itself, but the journey we take along the way to get there.

So, have you taken the time during this season of Lent to experience all that the journey of faith has to offer? Will you choose to be a part of these final days by celebrating with fellow believers the Last Supper of Maundy Thursday and the Passion of Good Friday? Or, will you just skip to the end...the celebration of Easter? Will you enjoy the Gift of the Journey? The good news is that regardless of whether we take the shortcut or the longer winding path with its abundance of mystery and challenge, we all gloriously end up in the same place, saved by the Blood of Christ.

Apr 3 - "Honest Questions. Honest Answers"

Mark 11:27-33 -- “Again Jesus and the disciples came to Jerusalem. As He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.’ They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?” But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’ – they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’ ”

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Are there times in our lives when we ask questions for which we are not ready to hear the answers? We think we know what we want or need to know, but we can get caught up in the things of the world and our perception becomes skewed. We get confined into thinking that the choices we have, the answers we are given are limited in some way.

The line of dialogue Jesus has with the elders from the temple is a really interesting one. Of course, Jesus knew just the right question to ask which puts the elders into a tough spot. Their question to Him, although likely meaning to trap Him in some way, was an honest one in the sense that they wanted an answer. It is highly likely that in each one of the hardened hearts of these men, they were genuinely searching and yearning to believe.

Imagine this situation, this scene in the temple, with a different outcome. A young priest off to the side steps forward and answers Him honestly; “John’s baptism came from heaven.”

The elders, whispering to each other as they consider their answer, stop suddenly, shocked at the words of their junior member. Jesus turns to face him and says, “Then why did you not believe him?”, already knowing the candid words to follow as they come from this yearning heart.

“What this man John was doing represented a change from our traditions. It was a threat to all that we have set up in our laws and rituals. We could see very clearly that God was blessing John and he was giving people a new way to have a relationship with Him. But he was doing this outside of the rules we have established over the centuries. God must not want us to turn aside from these things he ordained. We could not support John and support our tradition.”

Jesus smiles, gently speaking, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

The elders shout at the young priest, telling him to stop. But he continues, “But how can we set these things aside? They are a part of us...our tradition...our history!”. You can hear the passion and the pain in his voice as he adds, “I have known nothing but the law and the rituals of sacrifice and cleansing my whole life. They are a part of me. I cannot exist without them!”

Christ responds, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Falling to his knees, his heart torn, he pleads, “I want to, but there is so much telling me I cannot follow you. How can I know that you are Messiah?”

Jesus walks to the broken man, kneels down to him, reaches out to his face and turns it to up to His; "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

So, think about your deepest and most honest questions. With what do you struggle on a daily basis? Are you you looking for answers? We are the elders in this story, but also the young priest. Look to the Word. All of the answers we need are there. Jesus speaks to our honest questions and gives us the honest answers, whether in the Bible or when we call to Him from our yearning hearts in prayer.

Apr 2 - "The Wall"

Mark 11:24-25 -- “So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

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Are you holding onto forgiveness which needs to be given? Is there someone who has harmed you by their words or actions?

When we hold onto forgiveness, it builds a wall. Each instance we have placed on the list of wrongs which we keep in our heart is a heavy brick. Over time, these bricks stack up and separate us from the people around us. But most importantly, they separate us from God. We say to ourselves, “If only that person would acknowledge what they did to me was wrong. THEN I will forgive them.” Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

When we expect confession, repentance and the request for forgiveness from the person who has wronged us, that is not forgiveness. That is justice in a sense...or maybe fair commerce. One person has wronged the other, they ask forgiveness, pardon is granted. That series of events is a transaction, not blessed and holy action. True forgiveness comes when the injured party grants pardon to the offender, without the offender asking for it, or sometimes even being aware of the harm they have caused.

In Mark’s Gospel today, we see Jesus telling us that prayer is powerful. All we have to do is speak to God in prayer and whatever we ask will be granted. But, just after He tells us these miraculous words, we get the small print. He gives us a qualifier, of sorts; a requirement which must be met in order for the prayers to work. We must forgive. There cannot be anything standing between us and God when we speak these prayers.

You may say, however, “That is easy for God to do. He can forgive. His feelings aren’t hurt as much as ours, if at all. He is all powerful and Holy. God can forgive endlessly, but I can’t”. It is not so. You are powerful. You are Holy. You are made in His Image. The ability to forgive without expectation of justice or transaction is in you and in each one of us. And the beautiful thing is, that the forgiveness you give will come back to you in manifold returns.

When it comes to us humans, forgiveness is for the forgiver, not the forgiven. And the amazing blessing is that, when it comes to God, forgiveness is ALSO for the forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift for you regardless from whom it comes; from you or from God. Additionally, when we know we have harmed someone due to our own thoughts, words or actions, the blessing comes again, when they have made the choice to forgive us.

So, remember, whether to you or from you, forgiveness is for you. Forgiveness destroys the wall which separates us from our relationship with God and with those around us. Let go of that forgiveness, let it flow...today...right now...and you will be blessed.

Apr 1 - "Polar Opposites"

John 12:12-16 -- “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
‘Hosanna!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt.’

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

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Today we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem! Prophecy written in the book of Zechariah centuries before is being fulfilled on this day, witnessed by the people who have heard Christ’s words over the past few years, those who saw His healing and miracles. Their joyful shouts of “Hosanna” are praise for Messiah who has come. It is a joyful day!

When I consider this scene, I am struck not just by its majesty, but by how quickly things devolve from the praises of Palm Sunday to the vilification and condemnation of Good Friday. It is amazing at how the people of Jerusalem who, on this day, praise Jesus, but then call for His death, mocking His life less than a week later. These people take an immeasurable turn from the holy to the horrible.

I recognize that these people of Jerusalem were probably under tremendous pressure from the Pharisees to tow the line. The leaders of the Jewish people at this time saw Jesus as a tremendous threat, not only to their laws and customs, but to the status quo of a continually precarious relationship with Rome. The local governor and his centurions were probably very often just a few steps away from brutal oppression of the Jews. The slightest ripple in the expected behavior of these people could cause problems, setting back the limited freedom they had under their Roman rulers. A man like Jesus could easily upset this tenuous detente. The Pharisees needed to turn things against this man from Nazareth.

As we think about our own lives, we have to wonder, how we will turn over the next week? Yes, in just five days we will sit in churches on Good Friday in remembrance of His crucifixion; our crucifixion of Him. We will shout out “Crucify Him!, Crucify Him!” from the pews, reenacting the voices of that day over two millennia ago. But let’s also examine how our hearts may change over the course of the next week as we reenter the world, stepping through church doors after worship today.

Don’t we often find ourselves falling short of God’s glory, sometimes just moments after we leave church on Sunday? We sing praises, pray for others, confess our sins, remember Him as we partake of the bread and the wine; all wonderful and holy things. But then, as we are driving home, someone cuts us off in traffic and we shout out in anger and frustration, cursing this person. We casually step back into our work life, changing our persona to the uncaring taskmaster. Our secular friends mock a life of faith and worship, with which we play along, not standing up for what we believe. Our departing from Church on Sunday as we walk out is solemnly symbolic, turning our backs to what we just experienced in worship, walking in the other direction.

We crucify Him over and over and over again.

Are we not like the rabble of Jerusalem? Do we not see the glory of Palm Sunday and then quickly become willing participants in His death?

The world is a hard place to stay Christian. We are attacked on all sides, having our faith mocked and ridiculed. It is sometimes easier to permit and enable the status quo. We can become willing accomplices to the work of the Evil One and his goal to turn everyone away from the One True Light and towards his false brightness of vain self-centeredness.

So, ask yourself: “Will I turn aside?” As you reenter the world on this day, filled with the joy of your King’s triumphant entry, will you stand by your words of praise and worship? Do you feel the glory of this morning fading, being drawn out of you by the world? Pray to your God that He will give you the strength to stand by your faith and not turn your back on the Gift that was given for you.