COMMUNION, ETC.

Tomorrow we are "celebrating Christ's death until He comes again" as we take the elements of grape juice and a small leaven-free morsel of "bread" to honor what He did at Passover, when He said to his disciples "This is my body broken for you. Eat all of it. And this is the cup of my blood shed for you. Drink all of it." Of course, He used wine, not juice, but our elements in that sacrament are just a symbol - a reminder of what Jesus did for us.

God came to earth in the form of a baby and lived on earth for approximately 33 years, with the last 3 years being His time of ministry. He came to be the perfect Lamb, the only one who could totally free us from Sin and bring us back into relationship with God through sacrificing Himself on the cross so we could have forgiveness of our sins if we ask for His forgiveness and accept His grace.  

God so loved the world that He GAVE his one and only Son - fully God and fully human - God incarnate. Jesus chose to be obedient to the humiliation that he bore: the stripes of the whip that had barbs attached to the ends of the whip which ripped chunks of skin from his back as he bore the lashes; being spat on; and hit; and a crown of thorns crushed into his head. And painfully, having His followers run away in fear, and for the moment, deny knowing Him. And last, the indignity of the cross - hanging bare and exposed between earth and heaven, the bridge that would offer mankind the opportunity to be back in a personal relationship with God, as Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden.... 

At the end of the Passover Meal the evening before He was so wrongly arrested and illegally tried for wrongs He did not commit, He told His disciples that each time they did this, i.e. PASSOVER (which is an annual celebration), to remember Him and His death until He comes again...and He will! 

Most of the Jewish faithful missed Him the first time because He didn't come as the conquering hero they were expecting - one who would right all the wrongs and save them from the oppression of the Roman rule they were oppressed under. But this time He will come as the Warrior, riding in on His white horse, accompanied by an army that will vanquish the foe! 

It sounds magnificent and charming - but what has to come before that happens is awful - and we are experiencing the beginning of those birth pangs. Matthew 24:6-13 shares what Jesus said would come at the end of time: (NIV)

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

I view Matthew 24 as the "Cliff's Notes" version of the Book of the Revelation of John, which goes into far more detail than I can comprehend. It is already upon us - and will be horrific. We cannot even imagine the bloodshed and devastation that will occur before Jesus returns to "make everything right" - but He will, and God is the only one who knows exactly when that will be. 

He tells us we will not now the exact day or hour - but we will know the season. From what I see, the "season" is getting close! And as I share in my book, LEAD ME TO THE CROSS, I believe God gave us an outline in the Feasts He commanded to be celebrated. He fulfilled all of the Spring Feasts of Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Weeks/ Pentecost in the year in which He died. Therefore, similarly I believe He will fulfill the final 3 feasts in the year that He returns. My goal is to be ready - and to be anticipating His return no matter how bad things get here! 

Even so, Come, Lord Jesus. 

FAT TUESDAY 2024

TODAY IS FAT TUESDAY! Such a funny name when you think about it. 

Rather than think about something I will sacrifice in the realm of food, I need to decide what I will purpose to do that is a positive contribution over the 40 days of Lent. I have committed to reading the daily entries in my book. It is amazing how God speaks to me again and again through His Word, but often with different thoughts than I experienced when I first wrote the Lenten Blog in 2010 that eventually became a book. 

I love that God's Word is fresh and new to us every day. And I love the aspect of "wonder" that accompanies thinking about what was written for us to read and ruminate on. In fact, that idea of Wonder has been with me ever since I wrote in my blog during Advent through Epiphany. There is soooo much to wonder about. I look forward to whatever insights God will share this season! 

LENT BEGINS ON WEDNESDAY!

A dear friend texted today that she is going to read through my book, LEAD ME TO THE CROSS, again this year for the Lenten season. That alerted me to check for when Lent begins - and shock! It is this Wednesday - just 2 days away (on Valentine's Day, which is poignantly appropriate). Easter/ Resurrection is coming on the early side this year, and so it is time to prepare for those who are interested. 

Tomorrow is the prelude to the Lenten journey - FAT TUESDAY, when people eat all the goodies that they will give up for Lent beginning the following day to "sacrifice" something they love to honor the 40 days (excluding Sundays) that are the precursor to celebrating Jesus' resurrection. Easter - or as I prefer to reference it - Resurrection Sunday is the MOST IMPORTANT date of remembrance in the Christian faith. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whomever believes in him shall have everlasting life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved. (Loose translation of John 3:16-17). 

We celebrate his coming as a baby at Christmas - God incarnate! Only God would do that - love those he created so much that he would choose to come to earth - fully God and fully human to become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins as the Lamb of God. 

I am not promising to write every day this Lent - but I will read along with those who choose to join in on the journey of anticipation. Making this a spiritual journey as we explore Jesus' life on the way to Calvary where he was crucified - and the Sunday after when he was resurrected is powerful! 

LEAD ME TO THE CROSS is available on Amazon as an e-book in case you are interested.