The Ukrainians celebrate Easter this weekend. I have been doing research for a story I’m writing, and have been studying their traditions, their Pysanky eggs, their Paska bread, and their traditions. I grieve that so many are mourning theirs lost customs, their fright, their deprivation, and worst of all, their dead and displaced people. For a celebratory holiday like the resurrection of Christ, the gathering of family, the hope of spring and new growth will be replaced this year for…..
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 these words, my theme for today– “Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”
Yesterday was quite a day for me. Right after I posted my blog, I received a Facebook message that I had violated…..
So, we’ve sung “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today!”, we’ve eaten the festal feast of ham and scalloped potatoes, had our fill of egg salad from all the colored Easter eggs, and consumed more chocolate than at any other time of the year. So, how, besides the calories and the memories, do we apply Easter so that it changes our…..
The story of Jesus is one of redemption. The message of Easter and beyond is that it is our turn to tell it to the world. May this poem, My Psalm 166 capture the story so we can tell it over and over throughout all generations to all parts of the earth. Jesus has risen. He has risen, indeed. Alleluia!
My Psalm 166
Predicted Messiah,
Son of God, Son of Man,
Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords
From Paradise came.
…..
We know Jesus was buried in a garden tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea..Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, but also a member of the Sandhedrin which had sentenced Jesus to die. He and his Pharisee friend, Nicodemus, requested the body of Jesus. Since it was the day of preparation for the Sabbath, they hurriedly buried Jesus in Joseph’s own tomb in a nearby garden. This “fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy spoken hundreds of years before Jesus’ death: “He was assigned…..
That fateful Thursday night, Jesus was betrayed as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed earnestly, so earnestly, that it is said His sweat was as drops of blood. First, He knew what awaited Him. He asked that that cup pass from Him, but as He continued to pray, He changed to one of complete submission to God,…..
Jesus told his disciples the parable of the sheep and goats, then, chapter 26 of Matthew says: “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away–and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” There were already plots and plans against Jesus, notably by Caiaphas and the chief priests, but they were postponing arresting Jesus until after the feast. They feared an uprising by…..
Jesus told parables to teach the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. One of my favorites, told in Matthew 25 tells of servants who kept the master’s property, some merely maintaining it, not increasing its wealth, and another who invested and worked and doubled the masters’ profits. Then comes a verse, often quoted at memorial services out of context which says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in…..
During what we calls Holy Week, Jesus spent time with His disciples (and us) teaching and cementing God’s truth in their hearts. Matthew talks about the fig tree, the power of prayer, those who pledge to do something and then don’t fulfill the promise, and those who do not promise but complete the task, those who misuse their gifts and positions, and those who refuse to repent. It was as if the disciples were attending university education which they later…..
After the children and the crowds shouted, “Hosanna in the Highest” in the triumphal entry to Jerusalem, Matthew says Jesus healed the blind and lame and He healed them. Verse 15 and beyond of chapter 21: “But when the chief priests and teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting…..