One More For JC

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him…And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice,  ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’  (which means  ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ).  When some of those standing near heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he’s calling Elijah.’  Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.  ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,’ he said.  With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. (Mark 15:25, 15:34-37) Growing up, I must have said the following words from the Apostles’ Creed thousands of times: “ For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried.”  I said it so often the sting of the final few words got lost on me after awhile.  But last year, in reading the gospel of Mark, the above verses really hit home: “It was nine in the morning when they crucifie...

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13) “Good Friday – Gratitude not Guilt” - a friend of mine just posted that on Facebook, and what a great reminder that is.  I can recall growing up dreading Good Friday – carrying what felt like a ton of guilt throughout each one of those 24 hour days (not to mention all the hatred and resentment I felt for those responsible for crucifying Christ).  Little did I know at the time, but sadly I was one of those people – as Christ willingly laid His life down to save all sinners, most notably me.  Ironically with that knowledge, came increasing thanksgiving not increasing guilt – for I came to realize that we have a Savior that loved us so much He was willing to give all, even death on a cross. I never understood why Good Friday was called good – Horrible Friday always seemed more appropriate – but as my gratitude for what Christ did on that day continues to grow, so does the ...

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  (John 20:27-29) Dee and I spent the weekend in northern Minnesota.  Saturday night we selected a new church to visit on Easter Sunday morning with the family.  It’s always an interesting thing visiting a new church – what is the pastor like, what is the worship music like, and what are all the people like?  About 50% of the way through the sermon, it became clear that this particular message was going to resonate for a long time.  Towards the end of the message, the pastor posed a question as to why most people reject Jesus as their savior.  He offered two reasons: 1)    The story is just too good to be true.  Why would God...

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:25) I hope you all had a very blessed Easter.  Mine was capped by an incredible gift that a family member gave me on Easter morning – a homemade CD with all of his favorite Christian songs.  If you had ever seen my iTunes collection, you’d probably be asking what made the gift so special (I’ve got more Christian songs on it than I can count, and I’ve been known to burn quite a many of them to CD).  The true value of the gift was not the CD itself, but it was from whom I received it.  The family member who gave me the gift has seen his life turned completely upside down over the past year, with a large number of heavy trials mixed in.  But despite being caught in the lowest of lows, there’s a peace he’s coming to find more and more every day.  There’s a level of forgiveness in his heart that...

This is what is written:  The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (Luke 24:46-47) One of my favorite new weekly traditions is a Friday morning visit to Starbucks before work.  Unfortunately, this past Friday (Good Friday), I wound up getting much more than my usual ‘Venti’ mild.  Half way through the pouring of my cup, one of the workers stopped to talk about Easter and all the things it meant to her…chocolate, candy, and bunnies.  She then topped off my cup, rung up the bill, and capped off the conversation with “Isn’t Easter just like Halloween.” I wanted to climb over the counter and shake some sense into her, but thought better of it, and wound up just giving her $1.81 for my cup.  My frustration cooled (as I blended in my usual three sugar packs along with a healthy sprinkling of Half and Half) and I began to pra...

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.  (Hebrews 2:9) Dee and I went to see “The Passion of The Christ” last Friday.  It was a very heart wrenching two hours and six minutes, and without a doubt the most powerful movie I’ve ever seen.  The film’s intent is to tell the story of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus, but it goes well beyond that.  It seems to lift you from your seat and transport you to the Garden of Gethsemane, to His trial, to His scourging, to His carrying of the cross, and finally to His death and resurrection.  Although a Hollywood movie can only take you so far, it does convey the extent of Christ’s sacrifice in a way no film has ever done before.  A few months back in “ The Cost ”, I wrote about the song “Here I Am To Worship” and how “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin...

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.  (Hebrews 9:27-28) The Easter weekend always brings mixed emotions to me.  I can remember growing up as a kid and watching “Jesus of Nazareth” on television every year.  I witnessed the love of Christ unfold before my eyes in a very real and powerful way:  I marveled as I watched all the miracles He performed.  I winced as I watched Him being tortured and beaten.  I cried as I watched Him being crucified.  I rejoiced as He arose from the dead, reunited with His disciples, and ascended into heaven.  On Good Friday, I always think about the death of Christ – His suffering, His pain, and His sacrifice.  What makes Him so special to me is that I know His death was no accident.  He willingly ...