Celebration Sunday

 

 

Somewhere in time, approximately two thousand years ago, on a Sunday Morning, the stone was rolled away.  The Friday before, the Roman government had killed what they thought was a man. They had nailed him to a cross and watched him die.  To verify he was dead, a soldier stuck a spear into his side and out of it blood and water flowed as a sure sign of death.  The body was taken, wrapped as you would a mummy and placed in a tomb.  A huge rock was rolled in front and armed guards stood around it. 

At this point, if you were a follower of this man, you had moved beyond discouragement into despair, but what they didn’t know was that Sunday was coming. 

We need to realize the wages of sin is death.  Sin is only punishable by death.  There can be no justice if all sinners don’t recieve the same penalty.  God knows this, so he sent his only son Jesus, to die in our place.  When we get to heaven and are judged, God will pass sentence and it will be death -  but Jesus will have paid our penalty.  Jesus already took our punishment for us.  All we have to do now it accept the free gift he gave his life to give.

To prove that God rules death as well as life, death was not the end.  On Sunday morning when woman came to the tomb, the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty.  Imagine the amount of joy they felt when they found out their Savior was alive.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is truly a Sunday of celebration.  We were dead, but yet we live.  We were guilty, but yet forgiven.  We deserved judgment, but yet we received mercy. 

Because of the sacrifice of the Cross, we have redemption in Christ Jesus.  I can think of no greater reason to celebrate.

Allison Durham Speer - I Will Glory in the Cross from bill-and-gloria-gaither on GodTube.

Turning Thirty

 

 

Somewhere in time, in a few weeks, my niece is turning thirty.  I have had nieces and nephews before her that have reached this pinnacle, but they didn’t announce it.  In my mind, none of my nieces or nephews are over thirty.  I cap the oldest one at twenty-nine, or I did until my niece reminded me this group of precious people are growing up and growing older.

Thirty is a milestone.  We face milestones at different times in our lives.  Special birthdays and major events can all lead to a time of reflection or a time of planning ahead.  With this can come anxiety or joy, depending on the thoughts entertained. This is a time to decide if what we have accomplished this far is what we wanted to accomplish and also set a course for the future.  All of this is good, but ultimately, God has a plan for us also.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

With my niece, she is a ray of sunshine in the lives of all who know her.  I’m not sure if she is looking forward or backward at this milestone of her life, but I know the plan God has for her life is something special.

Thirty years ago, a song was written with the title, “Turning Thirty”, by a young songwriter named Randy Stonehill.  In honor of my niece who is turning thirty, I have tweaked the words of this thirty year old song for her.

 

I’ve got a place near the ocean
Where the rent is way too high
I love to watch the ships come in
And hear the seagulls cry
But lately I’ve been taking stock

Of all that I’ve been through
Oh tomorrow is my birthday
Feels funny but it’s true
I'm turning thirty

Now I’ve got a spouse who really love me
He makes my life so sweet
And a little fluffy doggy
Who plays games around my feet
And my world is very different
From those lazy single years
But if I had the chance to go back
I'd rather stay right here
Turning thirty

I have friends who care about me
They’re the best I’ve ever had
And they always stood beside me
If ever times got bad
And I love to read a good book
Even when I don’t have time
I prefer my kindle to the nook
One download and it’s mine
Turning thirty

Well, now thirty ain’t like fifteen
And it’s not like twenty-five
My ankle’s a little stiff

But there’s no lines around my eyes
I’ve still got my energy
And I’ve got beautiful hair
I'm not too old to rock ‘n roll
And I’m not really scared
Of turning thirty

Happy Birthday! I love you.

Saint Patrick

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week a new Pope was elected.  This man has chosen the name Frances since it represents a spirit of peace and humbleness.  This week is also the observance of the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day.  For this reason, I am republishing last years’ blog about Saint Patrick. 

Somewhere in time, about the third century, a young man was out for a walk.  He lived on the isle of Britain, which was part of the Roman Empire. At the time, those in Britain lived in relative peace.  This particular day, his peace was shattered and his world turned upside down.  He was out by the ocean.  We don’t know if he was fishing or just out admiring the view when he was captured by slave traders from a neighboring island.  They captured him and took him to Ireland where he was sold.

Alone on an island, he didn’t speak the language.  He had no money, no friends and no relatives.  He was no longer free, but a slave to whoever purchased him.  He was sent to tend the livestock out in the fields. I’m sure he had moments when despair threatened to overtake him, but he never completely lost hope. He used this time, to pray and cry out to God.  God always hears when we cry out to him, we may just not realize it right away.

I’m sure it seemed like a long time, but one night, while praying, he sensed God telling him how to escape.  If it wasn’t God’s voice, then it would be a fool hardy endeavor.  To help an escaped slave was punishable by death.  God told him to follow a certain road to the coast and there a boat would be loading that would give him passage back to Britain.  He did as instructed and followed the road, found the boat and was offered passage back to his home.

Finally, he was home, hallelujah!  He decided to enter the Priesthood, God had rescued him from slavery, so he would serve God, wholeheartedly, the rest of his life. 

While in seminary, he felt a burden for the people that had kept him in captivity.  He knew the people lived in spiritual darkness, he had seen it with his own eyes. They needed to hear about the love of Christ.  He told the church leaders of his plan and they tried to dissuade him.  Ireland was a rough land, the people would not listen, or so they thought.  The young man wouldn’t take no for answer.  Finally the church gave permission and with his new name, Patrick set out again, this time for Ireland by his own choosing.

Patrick brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the sin darkened island of Ireland. Patrick loved the people and chose to demonstrate God’s love in many ways.  The people responded and turned to Christ.

It really is a wonderful story.  Patrick had to endure capture and slavery before he was free to demonstrate love.  Sometimes God brings us through things so that on the other side we can reach out for him in a new way, one we would have never thought of otherwise.  Be patient and trust, God always has a plan.

I wonder what St. Patrick would think about the way we celebrate a holiday to commemorate his life.  I’m not sure he would be able to recognize some of the celebrations we have now. It might be more accurate to go to church, feed the poor or reach out in some way to those around us.  That would be more of a demonstration of the life of Patrick.

I started to think, if Patrick were here, what he would tell us.

2 Thessalonians 3:15-17 (NIV) “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Patrick’s work is still evident on the island, as people are still turning to the Lord, even today.  Below is a video from a group of Irish young people that are choosing to serve the Lord through music.  I think Patrick would be proud.

 

Rend Collective Experiment - Second Chance (Official Music Video) from rendcollectiveexperiment on GodTube.

Words

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week, I have been thinking about words.  I am taking two creative writing courses, so I have had to think about the best way to word things.  It’s interesting and I’m still learning, but I know that words have power. I know I have been blessed by words and also hurt by them. The book of James, it talks about the problems we humans have with our words.

James 3:9-10 “With it (our mouth) we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.   Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

I ran across a song by Hawk Nelson called “Words” and I thought it had the essence of James chapter three.  This is a reminder, to myself and anyone reading my blog.  Let’s be careful with our words. 

 

 

 Words"

They've made me feel like a prisoner
They've made me feel set free
They've made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king

They've lifted my heart
To places I'd never been
And they've dragged me down
Back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

You can heal the heartache
Speak over the fear
God, Your voice is the only thing
We need to hear

Let the words I say
Be the sound of Your grace
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

I wanna speak Your love
Not just another noise
Oh, I wanna be Your light
I wanna be Your voice

 

Hawk Nelson - Words [Official Music Video] from hawk-nelson on GodTube.

My Two Esther’s

 

 

Somewhere in time, this last weekend, the feast of Purim was celebrated.  I’m not Jewish, but I find the history behind most Jewish celebrations interesting.  The feast of Purim is to commemorate the time when the Jewish people were saved from annihilation by the act of a young woman.

The story of Esther is found in the book of Esther, in the Bible.  She was an orphan, raised by her cousin, Mordecai.  The King needed a new Queen, so they sent officials into all the provinces to find all the beautiful young virgins.  Esther was taken during this time with hundreds of other young women.  They would each spend one night with the King. From this he would decide if the girl should be Queen. Something about Esther was different. Something about Esther made her unforgettable. Unlike the hundreds of girls before her, she was not sent on as a concubine, she was made a Queen. 

Haman the Kings right hand man came up with a plot to kill all the Jews in Persia.  Esther heard of the plot from her cousin Mordecai.  At the time, it was forbidden for anyone to come to the King without being summoned.  They could die for the offense. Mordecai pleaded with Esther to go to the King in defense of her people.

Esther 4: 14 “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.  Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”

Esther risked her life and went before the king.  He held out the golden scepter to let those around know that she didn’t need to die for her act of disobedience.  She was saved, but she still had to convince the King that annihilating her people was a bad choice.  She was successful and the feast of Purim celebrates this.

For such a time as this - Some people have a purpose on their life that is life changing for themselves and others.  One defining moment that forces them to take a stand and defend what they believe in.  Esther had this moment and her life and her story have been passed down for many generations.

I have been thinking about my Aunt Esther.  When I was seven years old, my parents divorced.  I’m sure this was a difficult time for both of my parents and I know it was a confusing time for me as a child.  My grandfather came and took all of us to live with him for a few months.  My grandparents still had two children at home.  Not children really, young adults.  My Aunt was a Nurse in her twenties and she welcomed the intrusion of four little children into her home.

She played games with us and spent time with us.  She taught us things that little kids love to learn. One was how to get the truck drivers to honk their horn as they drove through town.  She also taught us how to play old maid. Burping, she told us, in some cultures is polite and shows appreciation after eating.  For this lesson, we were relegated to eating in the kitchen whenever company was around.  We didn’t mind, our Aunt would join us in our burping fun.

She also told us a Bible story, every evening before bed. Her favorite story, was the story of Esther.

She may not have had a defining moment like the biblical Esther. She was probably never required to stand for her faith or die.  She was willing to. She was waiting to go into the mission field when she died of Hodgkin’s disease. She had the spirit, but not the opportunity.  But her life impacted mine.  She took a time in my life that was scary and uncertain and filled it with happy memories.

Many of us have a calling more like that of my Aunt.  We may not have this great story, or this great moment in life, but our life touches other people. 

If you want to change the world – look around.  What can you do that is right at your fingertips?

Plumb - ONE DROP (Blood:Water Mission video) from plumb on GodTube.



www.bloodwatermission.com