The events of Holy Week dramatically commences with Jesus' Entry into the city of Jerusalem. The setting was the seven days of Passover when the Jews, then and now, commemorate God's miraculous rescue of their small Semitic tribe from slavery in the land of Egypt. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. Furthermore, that through that nation all the nations of the entire world would be blessed.
Nothing about this story seems probable. We have a man Abraham and his wife Sarah who were childless during their youth. They long waited for an heir to be produced and then further complicating things Sarah went through menopause. We have a Hebrew nation dominated and enslaved many times throughout their history. Is this really the nation that will bring blessings to the whole earth? Yet, this is indeed how God works. In the overcoming of these seemingly impossible odds God's greatness is shown.
Themes connecting to Exodus and improbability continue as Jesus makes His entry into Jerusalem. Many people were beginning to feel that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah who would come to save Israel from yet another overseer, this time the Roman empire. These folks expected God's mighty hand to invoke a miracle as when He parted the Red Sea and destroyed the soldiers trying to pursue the escaping Hebrews.
Yet, here Jesus comes riding in on a humble little donkey. There was no powerful steed, nor chariot of fire, not even an angel army! Many were disappointed by this. So, when it came time later to support one Jewish criminal for the annual Passover pardon from the Roman Governor, the people thought the revolutionary Barabbas would be the best choice to bring salvation from the Romans. They thought when the Messiah or the Anointed One would arrive that it would be with pomp and military options.
They were right and they were wrong. Jesus did come to bring salvation, but as He said, His kingdom would not be of this world. Some people failed to recognize the spiritual salvation that Jesus brought. As Jesus and the Jewish people readied themselves to celebrate the Passover feast a new Passover was coming. And, just as the blood of the lamb smeared over the door saved a family from the Angel of Death, the blood of Jesus spilt on Calvary can save us from the eternal consequences of our actions.
When mankind has an opportunity to pick a leader the strongest option is often chosen. When the Jews could have God as their leader, they instead choose the tall, strong and handsome man Saul. How often do we still choose the wrong leader because we fail to know what is really important? We still pick leaders based on superficial things such as looks, or smooth talking presentations.
So it was, as Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem failed to produce the instant gratification longed for by many that the tumult began. From waving palm branches and welcoming Him with chants of Hosanna (Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord), we end with an arrest warrant being issued and a death sentence being imposed. As we contemplate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem who do we say that Jesus is? Is He just some historic figure? Have we went from saying Hosanna to rejecting him because we have not seen the miraculous signs and wonders that we were dreaming of? Can we see a deeper meaning to this Holy Week story?
Played against the backdrop of humanity in all its' confusion and sin, Palm Sunday begins to shed light on the deeper meaning of God's plan. The salvific wheels first set in motion in the Garden of Eden are now rapidly resulting in a solution to the problem of sin. As the events of Holy Week unfold God takes humanity to a whole new level of healing through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross.
This came as a shock to everyone witnessing these events on that first Palm Sunday so long ago. Many could not accept the changes that were occurring so quickly in God's plan. It still shocks people today. We are still scrambling and debating about who Jesus really is and what He did. Sometimes you miss the forest for the trees. Let's not miss who Jesus really is. He is a servant to all. He is a healer. He is a mighty God. He is the Savior of you and me!
Friday, April 19, 2019
Monday, April 8, 2019
Dating Primer
Dating. Does that even have any meaning today? For some people it does, for some it does not. There are some who feel that it is an outdated concept. In Westchester County, N.Y. one of my daughters asked me what dating was like when I was in High School. I described a first date usually consisting of going out for a hamburger, pizza, and then a movie. The boy always came to my door and met my family and he always escorted me home. For the most part, being with a boy was done in a group. As the relationship progressed, sports such as tennis, biking, hiking or a beach visit might happen. As time went by, concerts, museums and Manhattan dates would come about. The ankle bracelet, or high school ring would signal that a couple was going steady. I would wear such trinkets with pride and write my name and his on all my textbook covers and draw a big heart around them. At this point, I was already thinking if a marriage would work. Or even how his last name would jive with my first name. If that did not work, I would try my last name with a hyphen and include his name at the end.
My daughter sadly lamented the current state of dating for many of her friends. There were hook-up sessions. The boy was not going to spend any money and usually he had to make sure a girl kissed well before he committed to asking her out on a date. It was all about finding someone to make him happy and if they did not, well good riddance to her! How different that was from what I had taught her and the concept of covenant marriage that our church preached.
The standards for dating if you are a Christian depart radically from those espoused in the popular culture. Music, and the entertainment industry often depict beauty, sexuality and relationships in ways that distort God's plan for how men and women should treat each other. There is a superficiality based upon looks and money that does not correspond with godly thinking.
Selfishness pervades and creates dissension in many a budding romance, often leading to frustration and anger. Selfishness seems to emerge as a key component in ungodly dating. Compare this to the biblical standard (John 15:12- "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.") The manner in which Jesus loved us is immense. Contemplating this is the key to developing and maintaining a healthy relationship. Jesus loves us and has demonstrated that even going so far as to sacrifice His life so that we could live. Does your boyfriend even care if you get safely home?
Jesus was a servant to others who humbly washed the feet of the apostles before the last supper. Does the person you are dating serve their family or their community? Is there a generosity of spirit, a magnanimity towards you that touches your heart? The Bible teaches us that we should look deeper and not judge a person by just what appears on the surface. (1 Samuel 16:7- But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.") Are you choosing your partner because he is "tall, dark, and handsome?" Sometimes we get a sharp lesson when we fail to heed God's wisdom. We may wonder why we just can't meet a nice guy. It could be because we are not looking for one. This is food for thought on a very important topic, dating.
God's plan for dating includes mutual respect, service, patience and waiting. In the long-run, all these attributes will help build a godly, happy family setting. Another basic for Christian dating includes making God an intricate part of your relationship. That can only happen if the other person is a Christian. I struggled with this throughout the years and you might too. I met someone who seemed nice at school. I thought that over time they might convert for me. Sometimes, I looked but didn't find an eligible bachelor at church. It is at times like this you must purposely pray and trust God to meet your needs.
My daughter sadly lamented the current state of dating for many of her friends. There were hook-up sessions. The boy was not going to spend any money and usually he had to make sure a girl kissed well before he committed to asking her out on a date. It was all about finding someone to make him happy and if they did not, well good riddance to her! How different that was from what I had taught her and the concept of covenant marriage that our church preached.
The standards for dating if you are a Christian depart radically from those espoused in the popular culture. Music, and the entertainment industry often depict beauty, sexuality and relationships in ways that distort God's plan for how men and women should treat each other. There is a superficiality based upon looks and money that does not correspond with godly thinking.
Selfishness pervades and creates dissension in many a budding romance, often leading to frustration and anger. Selfishness seems to emerge as a key component in ungodly dating. Compare this to the biblical standard (John 15:12- "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.") The manner in which Jesus loved us is immense. Contemplating this is the key to developing and maintaining a healthy relationship. Jesus loves us and has demonstrated that even going so far as to sacrifice His life so that we could live. Does your boyfriend even care if you get safely home?
Jesus was a servant to others who humbly washed the feet of the apostles before the last supper. Does the person you are dating serve their family or their community? Is there a generosity of spirit, a magnanimity towards you that touches your heart? The Bible teaches us that we should look deeper and not judge a person by just what appears on the surface. (1 Samuel 16:7- But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.") Are you choosing your partner because he is "tall, dark, and handsome?" Sometimes we get a sharp lesson when we fail to heed God's wisdom. We may wonder why we just can't meet a nice guy. It could be because we are not looking for one. This is food for thought on a very important topic, dating.
God's plan for dating includes mutual respect, service, patience and waiting. In the long-run, all these attributes will help build a godly, happy family setting. Another basic for Christian dating includes making God an intricate part of your relationship. That can only happen if the other person is a Christian. I struggled with this throughout the years and you might too. I met someone who seemed nice at school. I thought that over time they might convert for me. Sometimes, I looked but didn't find an eligible bachelor at church. It is at times like this you must purposely pray and trust God to meet your needs.
Monday, April 1, 2019
Sabbath Day
Many people are not attending church these days, and some of these folks are Christians. Of course, it is understandable in cases of illness or even in the case of a Sunday employment responsibility. We also know there are many places around the world where one is not free to attend a church service on the Sabbath Day.
Let's look at the phenomena from the vantage point of my life in Westchester County, New York. Here is a partial list of reasons why people have told me that they aren't going to church on Sunday. "My son has a soccer game." "I had a busy week. I am so tired." "Our family has to catch up on chores, my house is a mess and the kids have too much homework." "Home repairs." "Sunday is the only day that I can sleep in. Anyway, I can watch a service online." I have certainly made some of these excuses myself over the years.
Let's look a little more closely at the underlying issues regarding church attendance. As we look at some of the reasons people stay away from church we see that people are exhausted and overwhelmed by their lives. They feel unable to accomplish basic weekly chores. These are issues that must be addressed and can be eliminated in order to be free and available to attend a weekly worship service.
Then, there are the other issues which arise and explain why Christians stay away from churches. Foremost among them is lack of viable churches in their vicinity. Many churches no longer preach sound Christian doctrine and have instead become something other than what Christ intended. Other churches seem cold and unable to welcome newcomers. What of ungodly and hurtful things that happen to some in various congregations? The music played at service has also arisen to be a factor in people's minds when choosing a worship service.
Regardless of the issues you might have regarding the need to attend church services, there is a clear mandate to do so biblically speaking. God himself constructed and gave us a template for doing so in the early books of the Bible and the theme of corporate worship continues to be developed and referred to throughout the entirety of the Bible.
The Old Testament books of Exodus and Leviticus mention worship. Vitally important is the commandment mentioned in Exodus 20:8-11 commanding Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Here is another such passage: when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent -Exodus 33:10.
Moving on in the Bible, we see an account of worship during the time of King David, 2 Samuel 6:5 says David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.
As I have studied the various scriptures concerning worship it is pretty clear that people then as well as now have struggled to keep holy the sabbath day. When Exodus 20:10 states that neither our sons or daughters are suppose to work on the Sabbath Day. This means that we parents have to take a stand as regards what activities they are allowed to engage in on Sunday.
For those of you in Westchester, who don't know what that means, let me further explain. We must say no to our children sometimes. As I can attest, that could mean various tantrums, hate-filled tirades and allegations of ruining their lives on the part of a child. Resolving to follow this directive
from God Himself could have far reaching implications for you and your family.
After God did the creative work of bringing the whole world into existence He rested and He exhorts us to do the same. What could be more compelling? Another compelling fact to reflect upon is that Jesus is pictured in the synagogue studying scripture and worshipping God on the sabbath. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read -Luke 4:16.
In Luke 4:16 Jesus shows us part of the purpose of the sabbath to be that of reading and studying scripture. Time spent on Sunday doing this will help us grow toward spiritual maturity and in living the Christian life. A godly church offers an opportunity to share time with spiritually mature elders and hear a mature Christian, the Pastor, teach, help you understand the Bible and assist you in fostering your relationship with God. In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul rather compellingly tells Timothy: Preach the word, be urgent in season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. God equips certain ones among us to fulfill this role of preaching and you can meet that person at the pulpit on Sunday.
Jesus desired that we should all be one in Him. In other words we should be united in some ways. The Bible describes Christ and the church as a body with Him as the head and we as the parts. This suggests working together tightly and efficiently. The picture of Jesus as the groom and the church as the bride is another example of this closeness. Yet, the concept of coming together with one another and with Christ is never taken for granted in the Bible because somehow in our sinful ways this commandment is put aside.
Our busy lives and selfish ways get in the way of doing was is really important, that is giving God glory and praise on the day that He set aside as holy. In addition, to the worship of God, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross and have communion in memory of that. So, I urge you as Paul so perfectly did in Hebrews: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching- Hebrews 10:25.
Let's look at the phenomena from the vantage point of my life in Westchester County, New York. Here is a partial list of reasons why people have told me that they aren't going to church on Sunday. "My son has a soccer game." "I had a busy week. I am so tired." "Our family has to catch up on chores, my house is a mess and the kids have too much homework." "Home repairs." "Sunday is the only day that I can sleep in. Anyway, I can watch a service online." I have certainly made some of these excuses myself over the years.
Let's look a little more closely at the underlying issues regarding church attendance. As we look at some of the reasons people stay away from church we see that people are exhausted and overwhelmed by their lives. They feel unable to accomplish basic weekly chores. These are issues that must be addressed and can be eliminated in order to be free and available to attend a weekly worship service.
Then, there are the other issues which arise and explain why Christians stay away from churches. Foremost among them is lack of viable churches in their vicinity. Many churches no longer preach sound Christian doctrine and have instead become something other than what Christ intended. Other churches seem cold and unable to welcome newcomers. What of ungodly and hurtful things that happen to some in various congregations? The music played at service has also arisen to be a factor in people's minds when choosing a worship service.
Regardless of the issues you might have regarding the need to attend church services, there is a clear mandate to do so biblically speaking. God himself constructed and gave us a template for doing so in the early books of the Bible and the theme of corporate worship continues to be developed and referred to throughout the entirety of the Bible.
The Old Testament books of Exodus and Leviticus mention worship. Vitally important is the commandment mentioned in Exodus 20:8-11 commanding Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Here is another such passage: when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent -Exodus 33:10.
Moving on in the Bible, we see an account of worship during the time of King David, 2 Samuel 6:5 says David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.
As I have studied the various scriptures concerning worship it is pretty clear that people then as well as now have struggled to keep holy the sabbath day. When Exodus 20:10 states that neither our sons or daughters are suppose to work on the Sabbath Day. This means that we parents have to take a stand as regards what activities they are allowed to engage in on Sunday.
For those of you in Westchester, who don't know what that means, let me further explain. We must say no to our children sometimes. As I can attest, that could mean various tantrums, hate-filled tirades and allegations of ruining their lives on the part of a child. Resolving to follow this directive
from God Himself could have far reaching implications for you and your family.
After God did the creative work of bringing the whole world into existence He rested and He exhorts us to do the same. What could be more compelling? Another compelling fact to reflect upon is that Jesus is pictured in the synagogue studying scripture and worshipping God on the sabbath. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read -Luke 4:16.
In Luke 4:16 Jesus shows us part of the purpose of the sabbath to be that of reading and studying scripture. Time spent on Sunday doing this will help us grow toward spiritual maturity and in living the Christian life. A godly church offers an opportunity to share time with spiritually mature elders and hear a mature Christian, the Pastor, teach, help you understand the Bible and assist you in fostering your relationship with God. In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul rather compellingly tells Timothy: Preach the word, be urgent in season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. God equips certain ones among us to fulfill this role of preaching and you can meet that person at the pulpit on Sunday.
Jesus desired that we should all be one in Him. In other words we should be united in some ways. The Bible describes Christ and the church as a body with Him as the head and we as the parts. This suggests working together tightly and efficiently. The picture of Jesus as the groom and the church as the bride is another example of this closeness. Yet, the concept of coming together with one another and with Christ is never taken for granted in the Bible because somehow in our sinful ways this commandment is put aside.
Our busy lives and selfish ways get in the way of doing was is really important, that is giving God glory and praise on the day that He set aside as holy. In addition, to the worship of God, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross and have communion in memory of that. So, I urge you as Paul so perfectly did in Hebrews: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching- Hebrews 10:25.
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