Easter Series Part 4--The Sun Stops Shinning

“So you are a king are you?” the Roman soldiers jeered…. They gave Jesus a crown made out of thorns. And put a purple robe on him. And pretended to bow down to him.
Then they whipped him. And spat on him. They didn’t understand that this was the Prince of Life, the Kind of heaven and earth, who had come to rescue them…They walked up a hill outside the city. Jesus carried the cross on his back. Jesus had never done anything wrong. But they were going to kill him the way criminal were killed.

They nailed Jesus to the cross.
“Father, forgive them.” Jesus gasped. “They don’t understand what they’re doing.”
“You say you’ve come to rescue us!” people shouted.
“But you can’t even rescue yourself!”
But they were wrong. Jesus could have rescued himself. A legion of angels would have flown to his side—if he’d called.
“If you were really the Don of God, you could just climb down off that cross!” they said.
And of course they were right. Jesus could have just said a word and make it all stop. Like when he healed that little girl. And stilled the storm. And fed the 5,000 people.
But Jesus stayed.
You see, they didn’t understand. It wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love.
“Papa?” Jesus cried, frantically searching the sky. “Papa, where are you? Don’t leave me!”
And for the very first time—and the last—when he spoke, nothing happened. Just a horrible, endless silence. God didn’t answer. He turned away form his Boy. Tears rolled down Jesus’ face. The face of the one who would wipe away every tear from every eye.

Even though it was midday, a dreadful darkness covered the face of the world. The sun would not shine. The earth trembled and quaked. The great mountains shook. Rocks split in two. Until it seemed that the whole work would break. That creation itself would tear apart.

The full force of the storm of God’s fierce anger at sin was coming down. On his own Son. Instead of his people. It was the only way God could destroy sin, and not destroy his children whose hearts were filled with sin.
Then Jesus shouted in a loud voice, “It is finished!”
And it was. He had done it. Jesus had rescued the whole world.
“Father !” Jesus cried. “I give you my life.” And with a great sigh he let himself die.

Easter Series Part 3--All things...for Gods Plan

Suddenly, through the trees, a glitter of starlight flashed off steel…. Jesus stood up. He woke his friends. “Now is the time,” he said. “Everything written about me—what God has been telling his people all through the long years—it’s now coming true.”
And into the night, with burning torches and lanterns, with swords and clubs and armor, they came—an army to arrest him…
The guards marched Jesus off and took him to the Leaders.
The Leaders put Jesus on trial. “Are you the Son of God?’ they asked.
“I am” Jesus said.
“Who do you think you are? To call yourself God. You must die for calling yourself the Son of God!”
Only the Romans were allowed to kill prisioners, so the Leaders made a plan "We'll tell the Romans, 'This man wants to be our king!' and then they will have to crudivy him!"
But it would be alright. It ws God's Plan.
“It was for this reason that I was born into the world,” Jesus said.

Easter Series Part 2-- A Dark Night in the Garden

… Jesus walked ahead alone, into the dark. He needed to talk to his heavenly Father.
He knew it was time for him to die. They had planned it long ago, he and his Father. Jesus was going to take the punishment for all the wrong things anybody had ever done, or ever would do.
“Papa! Father!” Jesus cried. And he fell to the ground.
“Is there any other way to get your children back? To heal their hearts? To get rid of the poison?”
But Jesus knew—there was no other way. Al the poison of sin was going to have to go into his own heart.
God was going to pour into Jesus’ heart all of the sadness and brokenness iun peoples’ hearts. He was going to pour into Jesus’ body all the sickness in peoples’ bodies. God was going to have to blame his son for everything that had gone wrong. It would crush Jesus.

But there was something else, something even more horrible. When People ran away from God, they lost God...not being close to God was like a punishment. Jesus was going to take that punishment.
Jesus knew what that meant. He was going to lose his Father—and that, Jesus knew, would break his heart in two.
Violent sobs shook Jesus’ whole body.
Then Jesus was quiet. Like a lamb. "I trust you, Papa,” he said. “Whatever you say, I will do.”

Easter Series Part One--My Life Will Break

Easter is a time for us Christains to savor the extravegant love and redemption of our Servant-King, Jesus Christ. Over the course of this weekend I will be posting exerpts come from the amazing childrens book The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I have added my own emphasis with italics and bolding, while quoting Ms. Lloyd-Jones exactly. Have a wonderful weekend marveling at the foot of the cross!

"It was Passover, the time when God’s people remembered how God had rescued them from being slaves in Egypt. Every year they killed a lamb and ate it. 'The lamb died instead of us” they would say."'
But this Passover, God was getting ready for an even Greater Rescue…
Now, one of Jesus' friends had made a bad plan. No one else knew what the bad plan was. But Jesus knew—and so did Judas. Judas was going to help the Leaders capture Jesus—for 30 pieces of silver.
'Go on, Judas' Jesus said. And Judas got up from the meal, left the room, and walked out into the night.

Then Jesus picked up some bread and broke it. He gave it to his friends. He picked up a cup of wine and thanked God for it. He poured it out and shared it.
'My body is like this bread. It will break.” Jesus told them. “This cup of wine is like my blood. It will pour out.'
'But this is how God will rescue the whole world. My life will break and God’s broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart—and your hearts will heal. Just as the Passover lamb died, so now I will die instead of you. My blood will wash away all of your sins. And you’ll be clean on the inside—in your hearts.'
'So whenever you eat and drink, remember,' Jesus said, 'I’ve rescued you!'
Jesus knew it was nearly time for him to leave the world and to go back to God.
'I won’t be with you long,' he said. 'You are going to be a very sad. But God’s Helper will come. And then you’ll be filled up with a Forever Happiness that won’t ever leave. So don’t be afraid. You are my friends and I love you.”'

Then they sang their favorite song. And walked up to their favorite place, an olive garden... "

Photo Of the Week

Who knew that a sparrows' liter box could look so cool?

Verse of the Month Challenge

I have always been aware that knowing God's Word was important.; however, it wasn't until this past New Years that I decided to do something about it. My resolution? To memorize at least one new verse a month. So far I have actually memorized about four and I am currently working on number five (so I am a little bit ahead of my goal!). This months verse comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18…

"Rejoice always,
Pray without ceasing,
In everything give thanks for this is the will of Christ Jesus for you all."

For me, this is one of those truths God uses to "hedge" in my thoughts and attitudes. Lately when I have caught myself unsettled by a disquietude of heart, I ask myself, is this thought/attitude causing me to rejoice and give thanks for what God is doing? Is it prompting me to submit myself to Him? If the answer is “no,” then I must immediately discard it for it is not God’s will for me.

God’s Word is indeed sharper than any two-edged sword and He is making it effective in my life as I get His truth into my heart, month by month, one verse at a time.

Any one else with me in the one verse a month challenge? Use my suggested verses or find your own—just do it.

James 1: 27...On Film

This film clip from Youtube is a extremely powerful and moving picture of what is we as Americans do not often see. I have seen it three times and I cried every single time. No, cry isn't the right word...I wept every time. On each occasion my heart was convicted over my own shallow, selfishness as well as the hope of the Gospel. How much do I complain in the space of one days time when not only do I have salvation, (the greatest gift of all) I have an excess of temporal blessings and enjoyments. Yet despite these blessings, I regularly crave for more and become upset when my desires are not met. How much I have to learn about giving like our Lord Jesus gave.

Like I said, this film is moving. The only question is, what will it move us to do?