Friday 4/14/2006
Acts 4.23-37-?they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in
prayer?
Deuteronomy 21-22-?a hanged man is an insult to God.
Job 14-My sins will be stuffed in a sack and thrown into the sea?sunk
in deep ocean.
2 Esdras 10.25-27a-While I was talking to her, her face suddenly began
to shine exceedingly?
John 18.1-19.42-?So you want me to nail your king to a cross?? Pilate
asked?on each side of him a man was also nailed to a cross.
Psalm 22-From the day I was born, I have been in your care, and from
the time of my birth, you have been my God.
?I just wanted to know if you understood how I was feeling.? ?
Understanding feelings. Sometimes we know more of the story and can
understand how another person feels. Sometimes we don?t and can?t
figure out why the other person is acting a certain way. And through
it all as Christians. We pray?lifting our confused voices together in
prayer. Some knowing- some not- but all praying. Praying to a man that
all of those praying have hung on a cross. Cruelly nailed Jesus to the
cross. We are all guilty. And God is insulted. We are all guilty of
sin and God is insulted. Ashamed- we are ashamed and sinful. Nailed
him to the cross--- and it?s hard to believe to the ?outside?
world. ?So you want me to nail your king to a cross?? Pilate asked-
astonished by the answer- from the very people who had been praising
and honoring Jesus just a short time ago. How we change- How we sin.
It?s disgusting. Yet in my sin and there suffering from the cross ? is
one who loves me so deeply ? one who
knows me so completely- one who knows my sin- knows my filth- knows
how awful I am- one who gives me that look when I deny him ? that look
that brings on my shame and makes my cry the deep cry of giving up one
that I love- but after the look- that look after my denial- Jesus ?
suffers ? dies ? yet calls me his friend- how great a love- how
awesome is God?s love for us that he would allow me to hang next to
him on my cross- still feel the pain of my sin- but on Jesus cross-
the sin is removed and the price is paid by Jesus- not by me- he
grants me paradise as I hang on my cross next to his- Jesus is Love-
Love beyond all understanding- and Love that is given to all. Love
that from the day I was born makes Jesus my God and my Savior. Jesus
forgive me! Jesus save me! Jesus let me be in Paradise with you! Jesus?
I love you! ? Jesus my Savior! ? ?I just wanted to know if your
understood how I was feeling.?
Prayer-Jesus! ? My God! ? Jesus! ? My Savior ? Jesus! My Love! --- Amen
Saturday 4/15/2006
Acts 5.1-16-Through the work of the apostles, many God-signs were set
up among the people, many wonderful things done.
Deuteronomy 23-24-?your God, refused to listen to Balaam but turned
the curse into a blessing---how GOD, your God, loves you!
Job 15-Whoever invests in lies, gets lies for interest.
2 Esdras 10.27b-37-For I have seen what I did not know, and hear what
I do not understand.
Isaiah 52.13-53.12-He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by
taking our punishment, he made us completely well.
Ephesians 5.14-Wake up from your sleep and rise from death. Then
Christ will shine on you.
Psalm 4-I was in terrible distress, but you set me free.
?Seems like all coffee shops close too early.? ? Trying to go to a
coffee shop with a huge sign that said ?Now Open? ? well ? it was
closed ? it closed at 6:30 pm. We were disappointed. But God does not
disappoint. God fulfills and God gives life. The early church was
witness to this life. To this fulfillment they experienced great
growth. Growth even in persecution. God sent signs that his Spirit was
ever present. God turns the curses of sin into blesssings of life. God
does all this through Jesus. Jesus the source of truth and life. Not
the source of lies. My sin is the lie that brings on interest of more
lies. And this I confess. And in my confession I look upon the cross
and see what I don?t know, and hear what I don?t understand. A love so
deep that Jesus would die for me. A love so deep that Jesus would take
on the lie of my sin and rescue me from myself and sin and death. He
was wounded and crushed because of my sin and took on my punishment to
make me completely wel
l. I will respond by waking up and letting the warmth of Jesus love
shine on me and let that warmth and light penetrate through me to the
world of people I meet day after day. I was in terrible distress but
Jesus set me free. ?Seems like all coffee shops close too early.? ?
But, thanks be to God he sent Jesus to keep my life open eternally
through his grace.
Prayer-Lord, let your light shine through me this day and give
comfort. -- Amen
Holy Saturday
As I sit on the porch of a cabin buried in the Smokies, I wonder? This
is the day my Savior lay in a tomb. As I hear nature erupt all around
me on this early morning. As I hear the song of the birds. The buzz of
some huge bees. As I ponder my Savior in the tomb. I have to wonder?
What was it like that Saturday morning years ago? What was it like
outside Jesus? tomb? Did the birds sing? Did the bees buzz? Did nature
look at that tomb and wonder? Or maybe they knew. Maybe they knew the
purpose of our Savior. Maybe the birds, the bees, the squirrels, the
cows, the woodpeckers, knew that Jesus would rise again. Would rise
again in a spectacular way. Maybe they were at the height of their
glory praising God with all their might, singing, buzzing, mooing,
pecking the wood of that cross and feeding on it. Maybe they knew how
God could turn it all upside down and inside out and raise Jesus from
the dead. What was it like outside that tomb, in expectation of the
upcoming glorious even
t on that Saturday morning? Waiting in anticipation to be the very
first to know and see that Jesus is risen. In just a few hours what
would Jesus? friends witness? Would they see my Savior pass through
that stone? Would they see his triumphant return from his meeting in
hell? Would they see and delight in the excitement of some silly
humans who didn?t really quite believe begin to believe as they
discovered the empty tomb? What would these birds and creation of God
think about Mary?s slow recognition of Jesus her Savior and friend? As
the sun begins to shine brightly directly into my eyes, did that sun
on that Saturday morning spotlight the stone in front of that tomb?
Did this sun warm the face of the guard at the tomb? Did this sun
start to warm the hearts of all men, guards, disciples, religious
leaders, poor, rich and all people that soon the news of a risen
Savior would invade the world forever? Did nature recognize the change
that was about to take place for all time i
n the rising of this sun on this in-between day. Yea, as I sit on this
porch and hear the voice of God in nature surrounding me?.I wonder. I
wonder, and I believe in the in-between day. The day after all the
suffering, pain and death. The day in-between where there is pause to
feel my sin, see my sin die on that cross years ago, feel the pain and
shame of letting my Savior down by running and hiding, by denying, by
betraying, by selling him off to the devil, but also a day to ponder
and reflect on what has just taken place on that cross. A day in-
between, when I feel the love and hope and salvation of a Savior sent
by God who loves me so deeply that he would take on my sin and die for
me. The day in-between to ponder and to give thanks and to anticipate
that day to come. That day when I will meet Jesus and give him thanks
and praise and glory for this wonderful gift of life freely given. On
this day in-between I wonder if creation was reborn. On this Sabbath
day in-between, a
Sabbath when our creator once rested?our creator rests once again.
Jesus has completed the work. Jesus has given new life. Jesus now
rests on this day in-between. I wonder?did nature sing a lullaby to
my Lord and Savior as he sleep on this day in-between? The sounds, the
sights and the warmth I feel at this moment?were they like those on
this day in-between? As I sit on the porch of a cabin buried in the
Smoky?s, I wonder?.I reflect?.I pray?I cry?.I love?.I listen?I see the
light?I hear the voice?I feel the warmth?I feel the life?I praise God?
but most of all?I wonder?I wonder?.I wonder?And I feel the presence of
my risen loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?here now and with me on
the porch of this cabin buried with me in my sin in the Smokies. The
day in-between, what a gift from God!
Sunday 4/16/2006
Acts 5.17-42-But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse
door and led them out. He said, ?Go to the Temple and take your stand.
Tell the people everything there is to say about this Life.?
Deuteronomy 25-27-Listen to the Voice of GOD, your God.
Job 16-Only a few years are left before I set out on the road of no
return.
2 Esdras 10.38-54-Listen to me and I will teach you?
Mark 16.1-8-When the women ran from the tomb, they were confused and
shaking all over. They were too afraid to tell anyone what had
happened.
Psalm 118.19-29-Open the gates of Justice. I will enter and tell the
LORD how thankful I am.
?Don?t you dare say that I did it!? ? ?You did it.? ? ?Somebody must
have farted.? ?Three people this time! ? This was a conversation that
Steph and I heard from a couple passing by the opposite way as we were
hiking to the Chimneys in the Smokies. The wife made the first
statement- then the husband- then Steph?s comment. Who knows for sure
what it was about. But maybe Steph was right. I don?t know if the man
was willing to tell everything there is to say about this Life- but
maybe a little anyway. And that?s what the first Christians were
about. Telling about the Life. Life with a capital L- Telling about
Jesus. But as you see the Mark account of the women at the tomb. This
telling of the Life can be confusing and shaky and afraid. But their
reaction was before the Spirit was sent. With the Spirit of God at our
backs we CAN tell about this Life. We can tell even though we are
sinful ? we MUST tell. Sin is no excuse to back away from telling
about this Life. After all that
Life gave himself for my sin ? so I must tell ? I love that Life so
much my only response is to tell about him to all I see. Listen to the
Spirit- read the Word ? hear His teaching and tell about this Life.
Listen to the Voice of God all around myself ? day after day- hour
after hour ? minute after minute ? second after second- and go tell
about this Life. For this Life has opened the gate of Justice for me
by dying for my sin. I must tell! ? ?Don?t you dare say that I did
it!? ? ?You did it.? ? ?Somebody must have farted.? ? OK?I did it! ? I
claim it! ? I glory in it! ? Now you go tell and I?ll go tell too!
Prayer-Lord- today I thank you for all you have graciously done for me
and I will tell of the Life you offer and glorify you. ? Amen
Easter Morning
How warm is the Love of God. How bright is the Sun on my face. How
clear is the Voice of his calling this day. Christ is risen! No doubt
about it. Life surrounding me. Life in abundance. Life in every sound.
Life in every sight. Life in every smell. Life in the Breeze. Life in
the Spirit. No more death. No more pain. Glory in the scars of my sin.
Glory in the wounds of suffering. Glory in Jesus my Lord and Savior.
Life-Glory-Light-Warmth-Praise. That?s what creation is singing to me
this day. That?s what I hear from the porch of this cabin buried in
the Smokies. The tomb is open and Life is present here and now. Life
is present around me and in me and in everything I sense this day.
Thanks be to God! ? He is risen! ? He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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