Betty Whitaker Jackson

This will be a day of contrasts. The first is of intense joy. Our new church facility passed its final inspections just yesterday, and this evening we end three years as nomads and will worship in our new facility. We are thankful and rejoice.

But it is the day of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. It’s ironic that it is called “Good Friday,” unless we look at the fact that, as My Psalm puts it, “He Did It for Us.” The…..

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This is known as Maundy Thursday. This is what John writes, given from God, in chapter 5:25-29. And this is what we all need to realize about Jesus’ mission.

25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.

Are you one whom Jesus refers to in verse 40? He ways we who believe the Scriptures think they are saved. Yet here’s what Jesus says, and why today is so important. “. . . yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” Verse 43 says,…..

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Holy Week is a time for reflection for Christians. It’s fun to think about Easter egg hunts, bunnies and chocolate, but our true allegiance is to Christ who lived this life, gave His life, and presents us with choices.

Our time of reflection includes an illegal trial, betrayal, scourging, pain–unimaginable pain– and separation, for a short time, from the Father’s love as Jesus paid the price for man’s sin. He did not just live a life with no home, literally,…..

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Some think that this is the day of Holy Week when Jesus cleansed the temple, throwing out those who were misusing the place as a business hub, sometimes overcharging, I suppose, for the sacrificial animals. He called them moneychangers, and making it a place for less than worship and spreading God’s love.

There is special significance for this as our congregation prepares to move into our newly built facility for ministry. We are awaiting the final Certificate of Occupancy, and…..

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As we come to the end of Lent, let us remember its implications and the true statement, He Did It For Us.

MY PSALM 341   HE DID IT FOR US

Dear Heavenly Father, Provider of all good things, Sustainer of Creation, Merciful to all, Abba, Father, We glorify Your Name and thank You for Your Son, Jesus. We celebrate this special week, this Holy Week For in it, we recognize the immensity of Your sacrifice To fulfill Your Covenant promise,…..

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As a child, I remember Palm Sunday. We waved palm branches while the congregation sang, “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” with its verse: “Into the city I’d follow the children’s band, Waving the branch of a palm tree high in my hand.” It ended with “Shouting Hosanna, Jesus is King!”(William H. Parker, Public Domain.)

In my Psalm      I wrote about three triumphal entries of Jesus. May they remind us of the important implications of Holy Week, the…..

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The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. (Song of Solomon, the Bible)

As we approach the end of Lent and look forward to Easter and springtime, let us remember that God brings us through all the proverbial seasons of life and is our ever-present help in times of difficulty and brings us joy, just enough in this mortal life, to look…..

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The signs of spring are welcome. The dead fall leaves from the live-oaks remind us past-Northerners of fall. New leaves, spring green hues that only God can paint, take their place as they fluff out beauty. The birds are singing their nesting sounds, and the box stores and Publix feature hyacinths, daffodils, lilies, and tulips. Of course, they’ve been grown in artificial lightsed warehouses, but it’s clear they know people will scoff them up in the hopes that real spring…..

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Celebrations are always occasions to remember, and I’m reasonably sure that Christ’s disciples and followers remembered Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Yes, later in the week, their hopes of the conquering hero were dashed, only to be realized by the resurrection and establishment of the church.

We’re told in the scriptures that people threw their garments down and waved palm branches in the usual victory celebrations of the time. We’re also told by historians that when royalty visited, weeks before the…..

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It seems to me that the older I get, the wiser I should become.  Oh, I know. . . people are screaming that the President is too old to serve. . . the residents around me in the senior living facility where we’ve moved tell the same memorized stories at mealtimes, and three of my friends are in the hospital, the rehab center, or anticipating surgeries. . .  lots of opportunities for grace and mercy here.

We took a friend…..

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