Seven Devils. How they had plagued her. Seven months with the Master. How he had healed her. And now he was gone. The tears kept falling. She just stood there, outside the tomb that had held her dearest Rabbi and friend. What was she to do? She had seen him crucified with her very eyes. She stood with his grieving mother as he said “It is finished.” Yes, it all seemed over now.
Seven Devils. How they had plagued her. Seven months with the Master. How he had healed her. And now he was gone. The tears kept falling. She just stood there, outside the tomb that had held her dearest Rabbi and friend. What was she to do? She had seen him crucified with her very eyes. She stood with his grieving mother as he said “It is finished.” Yes, it all seemed over now.
Good Friday. I had a nice chat at the YMCA on Wednesday with a young man about WHEN Jesus was actually crucified. He was surprised to learn that Jesus may have died on a Wednesday afternoon [at the very time we were chatting], and not on a Friday according to tradition. Here are some of the things that I shared with him.
Peter is well known as an apostle and leader in the early church. He was married to a wonderful woman who supported him, and Jesus, in their ministry.
Joseph and Mary are another believing example of a married couple who did God’s will. In their lives we see: Mary’s immediate obedience to God, God’s care for Joseph’s concerns, how they obeyed the law they knew to fulfill a prophecy about the Messiah, God encouraging them by other faithful believers, God showing Joseph how to protect and care for his young family, their teaching Jesus the Scriptures so he could grow in God’s grace, and God blessing them with a big family.
This morning, James 1:4 “jumped out” at me!
How could a God Who is Spirit show himself to humans? By creating His own life and nature into a woman so that human could be born with all the attributes of God. That person was Jesus of Nazareth.
There are many opinions about who Jesus Christ is. Of course, most people say they base their opinion on the Bible. If they do, it should be clear that he was raised from the dead and is seated at the Father’s right hand as Lord of all. Peter and the apostles spent at least a year with Jesus before he died and was raised. They also saw him in his resurrected spiritual body for forty days before he ascended. Then they preached to others about their risen Lord. Let’s see some of the things recorded in the Book of Acts where Peter, Paul, and others preached about Jesus.
What is the most loved Christian hymn of all time? A beautiful heart declaration by an old slaver and sea captain.
Christ is at the Father’s right hand. We have more than “his works” as the foundation of our lives. We have his very existence as God’s ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON who is now raised and seated in the heavens FOR US. He is the ACTUAL HEAD of the spiritual body that we are members of. We belong to him as much as we do to each other. Paul warned people of not falling prey to Bible teachers who would minimize who and what Christ is for us today.
We went to the Lutheran church a block from our home for the Christmas Eve service. We enjoyed the carol singing and candle lighting last year and did it again for the joy in remembering Christ’s birth with others. I did notice the confusion that exists on Who God is, and who His Son is.