Tag Archives: Easter

Questions. What do you want to ask? part 3

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HE HAS RISEN!!! May this truth be more real than ever to you today.

I hope you have enjoyed the questions we looked at in this blog more closely.

Sidenote…I found it quite interesting that my pastor, today, based his sermon in John 18 and 19. In those two chapters, he looked at three questions that Pilate asked in the presence of Jesus.

If you feel like browsing, here is the link to our church’s youtube channel. As of this writing, I don’t think the Easter message is posted yet but it should be within a day or so.

And this link is to the church website. Central Church

And now on to my last question in this series.

The bible is overflowing with questions. This series could go on for months if we addressed all the questions we read. My pastor’s sermon only had three questions in it.

But I do have a favorite question. Of all of them, one sticks out to me. It resonates with me. I would even say I get equal parts challenge and encouragement from this single question. It has the ability to motivate and drive my life.

All human endeavors are summed up in a single sentence. Why we do what we do is contained in these words.

Are you ready? Sorry, not the question to which I am referring!

Here are the first 8 verses from Luke 24:

1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8 NIV

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

I will share a few quick thoughts.

  1. Trust – Jesus said he was going to die and then be raised again. Maybe the ladies didn’t really believe it because he has been in the grave for three days.
  2. Timing – They were planning on anointing the body of Jesus but did not go the day after the crucifixion. It was the Sabbath so they had to wait an extra day. Jesus said three days.
  3. Temporal – This is the part that gets me. The angel said, “among the dead”. How many times do we look for life (happiness, joy, peace, life etc.) among things that are temporal (dead)? Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Gambling, Job, Relationship, Games, Art, Sleep…or anything else?
  4. Toga – Okay, maybe it wasn’t actually a toga but it started with the correct letter. Jesus was gone and the shroud (toga) left behind symbolizes (at least in my opinion) that Jesus did not need the material things we seek after.
  5. Tomb – Tombs are full of dead things. Our living Savior is not there anymore.

These are the reasons why this question is my favorite. It encompasses all of life. Jesus is life and we can end our search with him.

So there is no reason to go to the tomb.

You can find life in our risen Lord. Jesus is waiting for you to look for him.

Clean as you go

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Welcome to 2023! I am saying that now even though April is only 2 days away!

I have not posted since December and now is the time to remedy the situation.

Clean as you go. That is a phrase I first heard close to 40 years ago. And it still rings true today.

My mother told me that at some point while I was watching her cook a meal. It was amazing to me to see how one person could prepare, cut, boil, bake, saute, and even burn (the rolls were always a victim) various foods yet still get it to the table at the same time.

On top of that, she always managed to clean the pans so all that was left was the dinner dishes. That mom of mine. Fanatastic.

Clean as you go.

I just finished cooking pancakes for my chemistry class. You can fill in your own back story on that one.

They ate while I flipped. And then I cleaned everything up after the pancake mix ran dry.

There is a good feeling about that when all the dishes are done. No clutter. One can relax.

True to form, at least as best as I can, here is the connection to the spiritual side of things.

Clean as you go.

The word that comes to mind is confession.

We have all made a mess in the kitchen of our lives. Pots and pans everywhere. The sink is overflowing with dirty dishes. There might even be some bugs floating around the stench.

But then we confess. Jesus helps clean up our lives. Correction, only He can clean our lives. Our efforts fall short. We can’t wash our own sins clean from our lives. That task belongs to Jesus. He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins if we confess.

Jesus is the original Mr. Clean.

If you have a mess before you, go to God in confession. Confess to a friend, a pastor, or a spouse. Easter is coming up so I can’t think of a better time to get a spiritual dishwasher.

No amount of baked-on, greasy, leftover pots and pans is too much for the God who created the universe.

Make a confession a regular part of your routine. Or, in the words of my mom, clean as you go.

God bless – enjoy reconnecting with God in the Easter season.

In fact, more on Easter in the days to come.

Remember?

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Jesus is risen! Yes!!!

Easter celebrates the empty tomb. Our faith rests on this fact. Jesus is not in the grave anymore.

The Power of An Empty Tomb —

And that brings me to a question:

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Here is the origin of that question. Luke 24:1-8

“1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words.” NIV

Easter is over, at least the celebration part. But every day can be an ’empty tomb’ day.

So why do we keep going back to ‘dead’ things?

You know what I mean, right?

Old habits…

Broken relationships…

Unhealthy things…

Undisciplined living…

Note verse 8. “Then they remembered…”

The ladies recalled what Jesus had taught them. AFTER the angels spoke to them.

Is that what it takes for us? Angel visits?!?!

If you remember back to the H.E.L.P. series, you know that God is right there with us.

Through God’s assistance, we can have ‘angel visits’ on a regular basis.

  • The Holy Spirit can speak to us on a daily basis.
  • Going to church can be refreshing.
  • Reading the Bible will unlock power in your life.
  • Friends will stand by you.

These are the ‘angel visits’ that will help us remember the words of Jesus.

So while the hype of Easter is behind us and you have eaten all the chocolate from your kids’ baskets, be encouraged by the fact that we don’t need angels to visit us.

God can (and would love to) reveal Himself to you today. Look for Him even now.

God bless!

Next week starts a new series so come back for, possibly, the best two minutes of your day!

Chronicles, the 2nd

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If you recall, the first post in Chronicles of Calvary, is about Simon.

Simon was ordered to carry the cross of Jesus. You can read about him here.

Surveying the Cross” Simon of Cyrene – Daily Encouragement

Let’s move on to the second person in these Chronicles.

The centurion at the cross would have been the soldier in charge of the executions. It was his duty to make sure that all was in order and finally, that the prisoners would perish.

In Mark 15, the centurion at the crucifixion plays a prominent roll. Here are a few verses:

37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, c he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, d and Salome. 

41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 

43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 

44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 

45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 

The Long Good Friday: The Story of Longinus the Centurion | The Inglorius Padre Steve's World

I bolded (is that the right word?) the verses that reference the centurion.

In 39, he made a proclamation. He was fortunate enough to be present at the most important moment in the history of the world. I think that he knew who that man was, hanging there on the cross.

Verse 45 tells us that he made a pronouncement. Pilate, the Roman ruler, wanted to know for sure, that Jesus had died. The centurion was responsible for that knowledge.

Isn’t it cool that we can learn from the centurion?

We can proclaim that Jesus is God’s son. He was divine and human while he lived on earth. That is information that we can confidently shout from the tallest mountain. Proclaim it today!

We can also pronounce that Jesus died…and is risen! Our faith is for nothing if Jesus never died. Because only in death, can he be risen. And that, is what Easter is all about.

Tomorrow’s post will compare the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus. God bless!

Suffering Beyond Belief

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I am back! It has been almost four months since my last post.

Now I want to start writing again.

For most of my life, I have let fear control me.

More specifically, when I am afraid, I freeze.

frozen in fear

Fear of failure or letting someone down (and 50 other reasons why I fear), typically brings me to a position of nothing.

I don’t move.

No progress. No fighting head-on. Lack of courage.

But I am stepping out right now.

Despite my fears, I want to post some videos I have created.

There are a total of 5 of them.

I’ve entitled the series, “Suffering Beyond Belief”.

Here is the link to Episode 1

 

To be honest, I am not even sure why I am afraid. I just know that I was fearful of posting since last December.

I could probably list some reasons but that would be stupid. And defeating.

Today is a new day. I am moving on from a state of fear.

These videos have a few reasons why they exist:

  1. They are educational. I teach high school science and these videos were mandatory for my students.
  2. They are entertaining. Well, not super exciting but I don’t think they are boring.
  3. They are enriching. I believe these videos can bolster one’s faith.

If you stick with me and watch all five videos, you should be able to answer this question;

Does science expand your faith and or empty your faith?

scienceand faith

Thanks for reading and watching. See you soon.