Alone, Abandoned, Afraid and Defeated

On this Saturday, between the crucifixion and resurrection, we can only imagine what the disciples, Jesus family and other followers were going through, but let's back up a bit. 

It was just before 6pm on Friday that Jesus body was taken down from the cross. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemis, both closet followers of Jesus were part of the Sanhedrin and up until now had been fearful of anyone knowing they believed Jesus to be the son of God. They were the ones that went to Pontius Pilate to appeal to him that they may remove Jesus Body and place in a tomb before the Sabbath. That action in itself is a big deal. While the disciples were

scattering, hiding, mourning and fearful, two men came forward to care for Jesus body. Nicodemis brought spices and oils and they laid him to rest.
Now the rest of the Sanhedrin was undaunted in their mission, they too went to appeal to Pontius Pilate but for another purpose. 
They had remembered Jesus saying he would rise up 3 days later, and they wanted the tomb sealed and guards placed there so that the disciples could not remove the body and claim he was raised from the dead. 
The tomb was guarded all through the night, the next day and into the second night.

Meanwhile, the disciples are in a state of shock, deep grief, feeling so very lost and defeated. Defeated because they never fully grasped the teachings Jesus shared about the meaning behind being the Lamb of God. They did not connect the meaning of how Jesus was to be the sacrificial lamb as atonement for the sins of man. They did however recall his teachings of being the Son of God that would deliver them and through him they would have victory and entrance into the Kingdom of God. Trouble with that was their perception of what the Kingdom of God was. Their thoughts were limited to the earthly realm. They expected Jesus would conquer the Romans and rule a Kingdom on earth. This brought on feelings of total defeat. Little did they know that VICTORY was just around the corner.

How many times have we felt defeated and lack the faith to know Jesus will provide. Does he always provide what we want or does he provide what we need? Click on the following link, .... Ponder, Pray while listening to this song and renew your faith What if your Blessings come in Raindrops

Holy Friday

As we awake this morning and reflect on this day being Holy Friday or Good Friday we realize that while we slept Jesus endured trials by religious leaders, political leaders, condemned to death, beaten, tortured and humiliated by soldiers, made to carry his own cross and by 9am or so he is nailed to the cross.

He wears a crown of thorns painfully pushed down upon his head as soldiers gamble for his robes, his mother, family and followers that dared, watched on in utter devastating grief as life drained from his body. By 3pm or so he utters the words," It Is Finished" and by 6pm he is laid in the tomb.
 

His followers expected a different outcome, they believed he had come to save them not die on a cross. Although they had been told he would lay his life down for mankind and be raised again, they never really grasped the whole story. 

Today we know the outcome, we know the victory that takes place in 3 days time, but they did not. For them it was painful grief beyond compare, it yielded all the deepest emotions of early grief, Denial, Anger, Blame, Shame, Remorse, Abandonment, and totally feeling lost. LOST & ALONE.
 

Judas can't live with his betrayal and commits suicide. The disciples scatter and weep. His family returns home to grieve. It's not a GOOD day, It is said that Good Friday also means Holy Friday and I actually prefer that name for this day, because the holiest of things occurred. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not parish but have everlasting life" John 3:16
Friday's events are recorded in Matthew 27:1-62, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 22:63-23:56, and John 18:28-19:37

The Week Before Holy Week

This week, back in Jesus days, some critical things are happening that lead up to Palm Sunday. I don’t think in previous years I really put much thought into the significance of this week. It always seemed that the focus was on Holy Week and the events leading to Easter, but lets take a look at what was happening.

Jesus had been preaching, healing, casting out demons and teaching his disciples for almost 3 years. He was reaching large crowds and people flocked to him to learn more about the kingdom of God. At the same time he caught the attention of the religious leaders. Some found his teachings to be disturbing on several levels. They were concerned he was drawing people away from age old teachings and of course their leadership. People were saying he was a prophet, …. maybe the Messiah and that really concerned them. Who is this Jesus? Why does he claim to be “one with God”? 

Jesus used parables to teach. Some of which the people, even his disciples, had a hard time understanding. It caused him to repeat things he wanted them to understand, The most important being that he would save them but not the way they thought. He would not raise a big army and defeat the Romans to save them. The saving and salvation he was trying to tell them about was more powerful. It would forge a new covenant with God, On several occasions he spoke of laying his life down to pay the price for mans salvation, that the only way to the kingdom of heaven was through him. 

The time frame before Palm Sunday, Jesus found himself having to flee to avoid being stoned because some of what he was teaching was being considered as blasphemy. Jesus knew he was running out of time so even against the advise of his disciples he would go back and continue preaching.

All things are according to God’s plan, we see this now as we read the account of Lazarus. 

Jesus had been given news that his good friend Lazarus was gravely ill but he waited until he received word Lazarus had died before he went. In retrospect we see that he knew he would be preforming his greatest miracle and raise Lazarus from the dead. Why did Jesus weep learning the news of Lazarus death when he knew he would be raising him from the dead? He wept because he loved Lazarus and knowing the pain this caused touched his heart. He was God living in human form and could feel the pain of man as well as his own.

There was something else very significant that took place. At the feast Mary took a very expensive bottle of perfume and poured it over Jesus. Some might think the only significance was that she was showing immense appreciation for what he had done, but it also revealed Judas. 

Judas anger over Mary having wasted the expensive perfume instead of selling it for money to give to the poor, gave Jesus the opportunity to reveal that Judas was not interested in the poor. Nobody really caught it, but Jesus was revealing he knew Judas would betray him. It may have been that incident when Judas realized the fortune and fame he hoped would happen by being one of Jesus disciples was not going to happen. 

Raising Lazarus from the dead was critical to Jesus ministry. It resulted in two things;

When people saw and heard about this miracle, they believed in Jesus. When he approached Jerusalem they hailed him. John 12:13 describes it, “They took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

The other result, it enraged the Chief Priests, so much so, they considered putting Lazarus to death as well as Jesus. It was imperative in the Chief Priest minds that Jesus was a serious threat and they must find a way to get rid of him. 

The disciples discouraged Jesus from returning to Jerusalem, as they knew it would be dangerous but Jesus knew all was happening in accordance with his Fathers plan. So as we approach the high point of celebration of Jesus, understand the stage was already set. We can not as humans completely wrap our minds around what Jesus was about to do for us. This week Reflect, Ponder and Pray.

Weed or Wonder

Growing up I remember my dad was meticulous about his yard. It was cut trimmed and weeded, yes weeded. Anything growing in the grass that was NOT grass got weeded out. His nemesis, …. DANDELIONS. Yes, I grew up thinking they were terrible weeds that needed to be pulled up by the roots and discarded.

Our time living in Belize and Mexico gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn natural gardening, propagation of plants without buying them from the garden section of the store. Matter of fact back in 2015 I wrote 2 blogs about this very subject.

Everything you need for a beautiful garden Part I (https://catrinscaadventures.blogspot.com/2015/01/everything-you-need-for-beautiful.html) and
Self propagating gardens Part II. (https://catrinscaadventures.blogspot.com/2015/03/self-propagating-gardens-part-ii.html )

The point being many times we over look the unsuspecting beauty and benefits of something or someone because we only see the exterior, see it as unfavorable and never go beyond it to find its value. Take dandelions as an example. Did you know that every part of the dandelion plant has medicinal and nutritional value? It does!!!! The flower is used in teas, the stem and leaves are known as a superfood for its high vitamin levels. Even the roots are used PLUS it self propagates, when the flower goes to seed and the wind carries it off to create new plants. There are actually Dandelion Farmers!!

“I know…you may be shocked by this, but it’s true. Dandelions are a superfood high enough in vitamin levels to put even kale and spinach to shame. Those bright yellow weeds that pop up in the lawn? Yes, that’s what we are talking about. Get ready to have your mind blown!” https://gardentherapy.ca/superfood-dandelions/

We sometimes see people, things and ideas this way, only looking at the outside and never going beyond that to see beauty or value. 

Psalm 139:14 tells us, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

This mornings devotional on Facebook from our Youth, led by Lily Cooley, talked about having & showing value in yourself. Having respect for yourself honors God the creator of all things. I look forward to these devotionals each day and am so proud of our youth, their dedication to the Lord and their courage to stand up and proclaim him in their lives.

Take a second look at the dandelions in our world be they flowers in our yards, people in our workplace, ideas placed before us or things that appear broken and ready to be discarded. Look beneath the surface, find the good, re-purpose it and rejoice!

Hymns and Such

What's YOUR Favorite Hymn?

 

I woke up to the sound of rain and thunder, not unusual this time of the year but it reminded me of the mixed metaphor that presents. Rain - the water of life for crops, plants, animals and humans vs the grey skies and tumultuous sounds of thunder. Which of these comes to mind for you today? Psalm 42:1 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."

Take a moment this morning and ponder how effective is our yearning for God in our lives. Do our souls truly pant for God. 

 As the Deer 

I love music and there are so many hymns that for one reason or another touch my heart. When asked what's my favorite hymn, so many come to mind. In contrast to the music video attached to this post, the Hymn, "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" came to mind this morning as it speaks volumes to this time during Lent, this time in our world, this time in my heart. Its Lyrics are a cry to God for closeness. Amazingly so, it is one of the most used hymns for funerals and has been recorded most often as a Gospel Spiritual or in the Country genre, but in fact applies to everyday life.

 

1 I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I'll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

2 Thro' this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]

3 When my feeble life is o'er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o'er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain]

 

What is YOUR favorite Hymn?

SELAH, A MUSICAL REST

In this fourth week of Lent the scripture reference is Psalm 23. Unbelievably so, it is a most fitting scripture for today.  In the Bible, Psalms is a book of songs written and sung in Biblical days by shepherds of flocks and many are still sung today as hymns. At the end of many of these Psalms is the word Selah. 
Someone asked the other day what that means. Some think it to mean Hallelujah, Alleluia, Praise to the Lord, or Amen. Several dictionarys list it as a Hebrew word meaning "Musical Rest". A pause, a moment of rest and that is certainly what we are doing right now. Schools are closed, many businesses are closed and people are asked to stay home to delay the transmission of COVID 19. Churches on the other hand have maybe closed their building doors but not their ministry. They are finding new ways to continue fellowship and sharing the word to God. 

Talking to a friend the other day we laughed about having actually attended more services last Sunday than usual since we were home we listened to sermons from several sources. Isn't that something? But many yearn to get back to worshiping and focusing on Lent.
I have noted a few times that it is ironic we are going through this during Lent and many feel like they are sitting in a tomb waiting for the stone to be rolled back. Understand, when it does expect a celebration beyond celebrations to take place as we return to fellowship in person and rejoice!! Its hard to experience a stop to a normally busy life, but here we are. So how to cope. you could panic, feel fear and anxiety OR you could embrace SELAH, a musical rest, a time to slow down and refocus on some important things. 

Family - a great time to do family devotionals, read the Bible, discuss it and Pray
Relationships - stay connected by phone, email, mail, on line, in anyway possible.
Bible Study - find ways to continue Sunday School & small group Bible study
Prayer - there is more time to pray, make a list, find a time and place daily
Your walk with God  - reflect on where you are at in your relationship with God.

Such a powerful song, listen closely, take it line by line and ponder its meaning in todays world and in our lives:

Psalm 23
 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Here is a beautiful rendition of this Hymn, The Lord is My Shepherd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKvTPzJFf3M



  

In the Garden

The hymn "In the Garden" is one of my all time favorites. It is such a wonderful place to pray. My dad loved gardening vegetables, he took great pleasure in planting seeds, caring for them and harvesting the crop. My mom on the other hand used to say, "he told me we were retiring but I have more work canning vegetables then I ever had when I had a job." But she shared in the work with love.

Matthew 13:31-32 says, He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Our opportunity to garden presents itself everyday and you never

know when that little mustard seed you planted will flourish into a tree. Everyone plays a part in reaching out to our friends, family, neighbors & parishioners. A phone call, an email, a card in the mail, ... plant the seed.

Now that the weather is turning to springtime temperatures, its hard to stay inside. Whether it is to dig in the dirt or just take a walk, smell the air & pray, it's a good use of time. a quote I like says, A lot of troubles can be buried digging in the dirt".

In times of trouble I would grab my trowel and head to the garden. I would vigorously pull weeds and talk to God and he would listen. It calmed me as God spoke his comforting word in my ear,
"This too shall pass"

PLEASE feel free to use the comment section for discussion, your experiences on this topic!!
God Bless Us All

EnCOURAGEment

Encouragement, I love that word. Right there in the middle of it is the word COURAGE. There are so many great examples in the Bible of incredible courage. Name ANY Bible story and in the midst of it is courage.

• David & Goliath
• Noah's Ark
• The Exodus
• The Good Samaritan 
• Job's Tribulations
• Daniel in the Lions Den
• Calming the Storm
• Ruth
• Jonah and the Whale
• Mary Joseph and the Birth of Jesus
• The Crucifixion 

The list goes on and on. In life we also experience times that require courage. Now is such a time. Courage to make decisions that are tough, courage to yield to wisdom, courage to endure solitude, courage to home school our children, courage to STEP OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE and learn new ways to worship, fellowship and share the word of God. Hence this list goes on and on.
John 14:27 says,

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Let your faith be bigger than your fear, give God your needs, he will provide, love and care for one another. My cousin Jim, a great man of God (God rest his soul) used to say, "Go forth Be Blessed and Be a Blessing." Have Courage!Though Christ we are family.