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The
Dogwood
According to legend at the time of Jesus the dogwood
was a large strong tree like the oak or the cedar. Because it was a strong
large tree it's wood was used to make the cross on which Jesus died. God
in anguish for his Son's suffering decided that the dogwood would never
be used again for such and awful deed. So God made the dogwood forevermore
small and crooked. God also made its blossoms in the symbol of a cross
with marks for the nails in the hands feet and the crown of thorns. Now
each spring it blooms as a reminder of Christ's death. But because of its
beauty and vibrancy it is also a reminder that Jesus rose again and lives.
So through the dogwood God proclaims the truth that Jesus died for the
sins of the world and rose again to give us eternal life.
Shrove
Tuesday: "Party for tomorrow may be Lent!"
Also known as "Fat Tuesday" or "Mardi
Gras," Shrove Tuesday is basically the day of preparation for Lent.
The name "shrove" is rumored to derive from the word "shrive"
or confess. It takes place on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the first
day of Lent). The tradition in the church of having pancake suppers and
the secular tradition of just plain partying probably derives from the
practice of feasting before the fast.
Shrovetide
Lent:
"It's not the stuff in your dryer filter!"
"And the Spirit immediately drove Jesus
out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by
Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and angels waited on him."(Mark
1:12-13)
Lent is the forty day period before Easter when Christians
have traditionally mourned their sins in preparation for the celebration
of Easter. Lent always begins on "Ash Wednesday" which falls
on Wednesday February 22nd 2012 this year.
The season of Lent is 40 days long excluding Sundays.
40 is the Biblical number for a time of preparation and cleansing. It rained
for 40 days and nights during the flood while God cleansed the world. The
children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years while God cleansed
them of their rebellion. Christ fasted for 40 days to prepare for his ministry
as he was tempted in the wilderness. The reason Sundays are excluded when
counting these 40 days is that each Sunday is a celebration of the day
of the week on which Christ rose. So each Sunday is a little Easter.
Lent is a season of prayer and fasting during which
we remember our sinful condition and our need for a Savior to die for our
sins and rise to offer us new life. In the church we make use of crosses
and the color purple to represent Christ's death. The purple represents
the bruises Christ bore for our sins. Some Christians celebrate Lent in
their personal devotional lives by giving up habits or foods that are not
good for them. Others set aside extra time for prayer and Bible Study.
How will you prepare for Easter this year?
The Season
of Lent
Dirty Feet
"Then he poured water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples' feet."(John 13:5)
Washing feet was a job reserved for the lowest servant
in a house. Yet Jesus, the Lord of Lords humbled himself to wash his disciples'
feet. It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. In the same way we all
were soiled by the dirt of our own sin. Someone had to clean us up so Jesus,
our king, humbled himself to die for our sins. Remember what Jesus said
to Peter. "Unless I wash you you have no share with me."(John
13:8) Unless we let Jesus wash us, we have not share with him.
The Last Supper
"For
I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus,
on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance
of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup
is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance
of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim
the Lord's death until he comes."(1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
As Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover, Jesus
instituted "the Lord's Supper" also known as "Holy Communion"
or "Eucharist" in different Christian churches. It is a constant
reminder that just as physical food and drink nourishes our physical bodies,
Jesus death and resurrection gives eternal life to our spirits. May you
take the death and resurrection into your heart and soul so that Jesus
who dwells in you may give you new life.
What
Happened to Jesus' Beard?
According to tradition during Jesus' trial before
the high priest, people pulled out his beard. But where did this tradition
originate? Matthew tells of people spitting in his face, striking, and
slapping him(Matthew 26:67), but no pulling of his beard. Mark says that
they spit on him, blindfolded him and struck him(Mark 14:65). Luke says
they blindfolded and struck Jesus(Luke 22:63-64). Finally, John doesn't
mention it. So where did this tradition come from? The answer is Isaiah
50:6. There it says, "I gave my back to those who struck me, and my
cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from insult
and spitting." Christians have traditionally understood this part
of Isaiah as being a prophesy of Christ's suffering. The striking and spitting
are definitely mentioned in the Gospels. Whether Jesus' beard was actually
pulled out I am unsure, but this much is clear: Jesus endured humiliation
and suffering in obedience to God and to purchase your salvation and mine!
For a musical interlude go the Cyber
Hymnal and listen to:
"GO
TO DARK GETHSEMANE"
Simon
of Cyrene
"As they led Jesus away, they seized a
man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the
cross on him."(Luke 23:26)
Simon was from Cyrene which is in north Africa. Simon,
sometimes called Black Simon, may have been an African Jew who had made
a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and while there was
picked from the crowd to carry Jesus' cross. This event apparently influenced
Simon's life. When Mark describes this event he identifies Simon as the
father of Alexander and Rufus. Apparently Simon's sons were still involved
and known in the church in Mark's day. Acts 13:1 tells us that in Antioch
there was a "Simon, who was called 'The Black Man.'" This Simon
was either a prophet or teacher or both and was one of those the Spirit
called to lay hands of Saul and Barnabas to send them out. So it may be
that the man whose hands carried the cross for Jesus were also laid on
Paul and Barnabas to send them out in mission. Perhaps we should carry
a cross so that we can send the word forth too.
For a musical interlude go the Cyber
Hymnal and listen to:
"Were
You There?"
Jesus'
Seven Last Words
Luke 23:34 - And Jesus said, "Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Do you know what you are doing? Most of us operate
in ignorance. We are really unaware of what we are doing. Often we offend
and injure our fellow human beings and are unknowing participants in oppression
just like those Roman soldiers. Just as Jesus looked down from the cross
and asked his Father to forgive those soldiers Jesus still looks down at
our behavior and says, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what
they are doing."
Luke 23:43 - And he said to him, "Truly, I say to
you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
One thief mocked Jesus while the other humbled himself
and said, "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Both died, but one was given eternal life. Do we mock Christ by our lack
of faith or do we humble ourselves to receive eternal life?
John 19:26-27 - When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple
whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold,
your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!"
And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
It has been said that we are the only hands and feet
God has on earth. As Jesus watched his mother and his friend tormented
by his death, he probably longed to hold them and comfort them. But the
nails in his hands prevented him. So he called them to turn to each other
to be the arms he longed to wrap around them. Perhaps in the absence of
the physical body of our Lord we too should turn to each other as parents,
children, brothers and sisters and comfort each other in the name and Spirit
of Christ.
Mark 15:34 - And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a
loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Did God really forsake Christ? Some believe that at
that moment Jesus had taken on himself the sins of the world and was for
the first time truly separated from the Father. But consider this possibility.
"My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me" are the opening words
of Psalm 22. In this psalm of lament it says, "they divide my clothes
among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots."(vs. 18) Perhaps
Jesus was referring to this Psalm or even trying to recite it to strengthen
himself in that hour of physical weakness. Later in the Psalm it says "But
you, O Lord, are not far away!"(vs. 19) Could it be that this is the
real point of Jesus words - that even though it seems God had abandoned
him his Father was really these near by?
John 19:28 - After this Jesus, knowing that all was now
finished, said(to fulfill the scripture), "I thirst."
Jesus was the Water of Life, yet he experienced thirst
for our sake. The world responded to his thirst the same way it responds
to the thirst of all humanity - by offing vinegar instead of water. Let
us offer the Water of Life - Jesus Christ - to the thirsty people around
us instead of the vinegar of the world's sin.
John 19:30 - When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said,
"It is finished";
What is finished? The sacrifice of the lamb of God.
Jesus died for our sins and at the moment of his death he purchased our
forgiveness.
Luke 23:46 - Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said,
"Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said
this he breathed his last.
With his last words and with his first Jesus gives
an example for us to follow. May we all commit our spirits to the loving
care of our gracious Father in heaven.
A
Physician Testifies About the Crucifixion
For a musical interlude go the Cyber
Hymnal and listen to:
"Christ
The Lord Is Risen Today"
An Old Wives' Tale?
"... returning from the tomb they told
this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Mary the mother of Jesus, and the other women with them who told this to
the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did
not believe them."(Luke 24:9-11)
The other disciple did not believe and just wrote
off the resurrection as an idle tale, an old wives' tale. This was the
news that the Messiah, the King of Kings was alive. Jesus whom they loved
had risen. It was beyond their wildest dreams. It seemed unbelievable.
So they decided not the believe it.
In the same way many today refuse to believe because
it seems unbelievable that a man rose from the dead. They also think it
unbelievable that God could love them and offer them eternal life.
Here is one old wife's (an archbishop's
wife) testimony in song!
"HE
IS RISEN"
The Great 50 Days
"After his suffering he presented himself
alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty
days and speaking of the kingdom of God."(Acts 1:3)
In the church the season of Easter lasts for fifty
days. The first forty reminds us of the forty days that Jesus appeared
to his disciples after his resurrection and before he ascended into heaven.
After Jesus ascended the disciples waited ten more days before Pentecost
when God poured out the Holy Spirit on these first disciples.
For a musical interlude go the Cyber
Hymnal and listen to:
"The
Day Of Resurrection"
Evidence
for the Resurrection
The resurrection of a person from the dead was nothing
new. There were resurrections in the Old Testament and Jesus was known
to have raised a girl and Lazarus (After four days no less!). But there
is something different about Jesus' resurrection. It was not just a case
of an individual cheating death for a few years. After all Lazarus experienced
physical death again. Jesus' resurrection was a resurrection to eternal
life. And it defeated death not just for him but for all who believe in
him. Consider these accounts of Jesus' resurrection:
The empty tomb: Matthew 28:1-8 - Mark
16:1-8 - Luke 24:1-11 - John 20:1-10
Appearances:
Matthew 28:9-10 - Jesus appears to the women
coming from the tomb.
Matthew 28:16-20 - Jesus gives the great commission.
Mark 16:9-11 - Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.
Mark 16:12-13 - Jesus appears to two walking
in the county - possibly those on their way to Emmaus(Luke 24:13-35).
Mark 16:14-19 - Jesus appears to the eleven
and commissions them before ascending.
Luke 24:13-35 - Jesus walks with two men traveling
to Emmaus and they recognize him when he breaks the bread.
Luke 24:36-53 - Jesus appears to the disciples,
eats fish with them, teaches them and ascends to heaven.
John 20:11-18 - Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
as she weeps by the tomb.
John 20:19-25 - Jesus appears to all the disciples
except Thomas.
John 20:26-28 - Eight days after the resurrection
Jesus appears to Thomas.
John 21:1-19 - Jesus appears to the disciples
while the fish and commissions Peter to "Feed my lambs."
Acts 9:1-9 - Jesus appears to Paul on the
road to Damascus.
I Corinthians 15:3-8 - Paul tells the Corinthians
of Jesus appearances to more than 500 disciples and to himself.
Revelation 1:9-20 - The glorified Christ appears
to John who is on the prison island Patmos to reveal to him God's plan
for history.
From these passages it seems clear that the empty tomb
didn't convince anyone that Jesus was alive. The first reaction of all
who saw it was that his body had been stolen. It took either an angel or
an appearance of Jesus himself to convince people. Perhaps the most convincing
evidence of the resurrection is described by the hymn writer Alfred Ackley
who wrote, "You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart."
Does he live in your heart?
E-mail me, Alex
([email protected]),
and let me know!
Easter Links:
Annie's
Easter Page
The
Catholic Encyclopedia: The Easter Cycle
Easter
in Cyberspace: A Christian Perspective
Passover
on the Net
Easter
Stories and Articles
Awards:
for
March 1997
Links2Go Key
Resource
Easter Topic
Please send any comments or suggestions to Rev.
Alex Stevenson, Web-"Steward."
(Jesus Christ is the "Master" of this web site. I
am merely its caretaker.)
This page last updated on March 8, 2012.
Easter
Eternal