No Atheists in Foxholes

We've all heard the saying that there's "no atheists in foxholes." We use it on occasion, and refer to it jokingly when things get heated. But what does that statement really mean?

In light of yesterday's tragic weather in Alabama, I felt compelled to talk about how God works in our lives. For some of us, God gently nudges us to Him. For some of us, we hear Him and follow His voice. For others, sadly, God has to use more dramatic ways of getting our attention. I'm not suggesting that God brought a storm to Alabama to convert "sinners" to be Christ-followers, but I am suggesting that a storm could be an avenue for some to find him.

I watched several videos this morning. First-hand accounts of the absolute devastation and destruction of a city once booming with life. Today, that city is in ruins. Tuscaloosa, where I happen to have family members living, was hit especially hard. The videos show the power and awesome nature of winds colliding in mid-air to produce a suction powerful enough to toss cars about like toys, uproot mature trees, and flatten buildings, without ever slowing down. It's absolutely amazing the strength that a tornado carries with it, and the complete destruction it leaves behind. I imagine people sheltering in hallways or rushing to basements and cellars, listening to the train-like sounds of the passing funnel through their heart beating like thunder in their ears. Children would cry, and parents would do their best to hold them tight and keep them safe until the cloud passed. There would be terror, fright, and panic. And there would be, no doubt, prayers going up faster and more intensely than ever before.

Alabama is largely a Christian state. Every corner, it seems, has a church on it. There are probably, although I can't state it as a fact, more Christians than non-Christians in Alabama. But there are also many, many non-believers. At least, there probably were.

How many prayers, out of pure desperation, went up to the Father from folks who had doubted His presence in their lives? Interestingly, people who say they do not believe in God often use His name, and call out to him when they have no where else to turn. Who among us, when it comes right down to it, would cry out to a God we claim not to believe in to save ourselves? In the face of tragedy, we often feel like we've nowhere else to turn, and so at that moment, we finally realize that God is our last option.

Luckily for us, that's where Jesus lives - at the end of our rope. When we've exhausted every other alternative, we finally turn to our Savior. And luckily for us, He's okay with that. Better late than never. Sometimes, He knows, that's what it takes for us to realize that we alone are simply not equipped to save our own souls. And He waits patiently for us to get to that realization.

I believe that Alabama is dealing with a lot of issues this morning - some temporal, and some spiritual. I believe that some people were faced with death, cried out to God, and were spared. I believe that some people did not survive, but live in Him nonetheless. And I believe that still others are waiting to be pushed to their absolute limit before they confess what their heart already knows - that Jesus saves. For I believe that Pascal was right in saying, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." Our hearts are made to love the one who created them. We often fill that space with things and experiences and relationships. But none of those things can ever save us from the things that this world throws at us. We all are born with the need to know our Heavenly Father. Nothing else can fill that void.

When push comes to shove, all the things we've put in our hearts to fill up that God-shaped hole fall to pieces and we're left with exactly what we were born with - the desire to be in our Father's arms. He's patient - He will wait on us to come to that realization.

It is my prayer that those who believe in Him were spared. But I know that, even as believers, we are subject to mortality. I pray for those that were lost in the storms. I pray that they have accepted Jesus into their hearts, even if it was at the last second. But for those who are left behind, who may still wonder, He is still waiting...

No atheists in foxholes. In other words, when we are staring death in the face, there is no one who doesn't silently plead for God. We don't know why, and we don't know how, but we know that He is our last resort... and I think He's okay with that.

What foxhole might you be in?

He is Risen!

I don't think it's necessary to explain why Easter Sunday is the most glorious of all Christian holidays. If you don't know the story of Easter, perhaps you've been living under a rock, in which case, you probably don't really care anyway. Spoiler Alert: Jesus was resurrected. Yup, you heard it here, folks: not even the grave could hold Jesus in.

What I really want to talk about is not the events of that day, but the significance of those events. In order to even scratch the surface - which, to be honest, is all I can really do - you have to come to the table with a certain amount of pure faith. It's hard to believe that a man, even a man who is also God, could die a physical death and yet be seen alive again. Science can't possibly explain it, and so we must first have faith even "as small as a mustard seed" (Matthew 17:20).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ showed all of mankind that God is not just a theory. God is real. God came in the form of a man and performed miracles, died a painful physical death, and was given new life. It requires a great leap of faith to believe in this story, but we are given 66 separate accounts of God in the form of the Bible - some are prophecy, some are first-hand accounts, and some testify of God in the flesh. Nonetheless, we have sufficient evidence to suggest that God is real.

Let's take a break for one moment and touch on this idea of evidence. What does that mean in terms of spirituality? Let me break it down. We believe that gravity exists because we can show gravity in action. Pick up an object and hold it at shoulder-level. Now, let go of the object. What happened? It fell down to the ground. If you repeat this experiment a million times, a million times you will get the same result: the object will fall to the ground. So our basis for believing in gravity is that we have seen gravity at work constantly all around us. Now let's apply the same logic to God. How can we believe God is real? Experiment. Pray and see Him work in your life. Faithfully, continuously, honestly pray and you will see Him at work. Look into His word and see prophecy fulfilled. See account after account of Him working miracles and rescuing those He loves. How can we believe in God? You can see God at work constantly all around us. It isn't "proof" of God, because only when we see His face will we have absolute and indisputable proof, but the evidence is all around us.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

The resurrection showed us all that death is not the end, but rather a beginning. For reasons mortal man cannot comprehend fully, we are given a specific number of days on this earth with which we must perform good deeds and spread truth to those who may not know or understand. Once those days are up, and at a time when only the Father chooses, we surrender our physical bodies and part from this earthly life. We are then taken to a place Jesus called "paradise", where our life with our Heavenly Father truly begins. Jesus, by example, showed us how this works.

This is really just a starting point. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is what the entire Christian faith is based on - the idea that a man born of a poor virgin could live purely and love fearlessly, die, and live again. Hard to believe? Maybe. But I think it beats the alternative...

Good Friday

Something about "Good Friday" makes even the atheists smile. It's almost redundant... Good Friday. Fridays are always good, but Good Friday - that just implies extra goodness! I don't believe it to be coincidental that God picked a Friday - a day we already cherish - as a day to be labeled "good". :)

We left off with Jesus being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, and hauled away to meet his fate. At first, he meets Pilate, who is less interested in punishing Jesus as he is keeping peace in a nation of very emphatic people. He questions Jesus a moment, and "Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, 'I find no basis for a charge against this man.'" (Luke 23:4) Of course, this answer was not good enough for the Pharisees and the community now rallied against Jesus. Once Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean man, Pilate had Jesus taken to Herod Antipas to be dealt with. Herod was amused by Jesus, but didn't seek to end his life. Upon learning that Jesus was "king of the Jews", Herod dressed Jesus in an elegant robe and had him shipped right back up to Pilate.

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him." (Luke 23:13-16)

Of course, we know that Jesus was not punished and released. But this is the order that Pilate gave. The people demanded his life. Finally, Pilate gave in.

But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. (Luke 23:23-25)

Let's talk about this Barabbas fella for a minute. He was, according to scripture, jailed for rebelling against the Roman government in place at the time. He was also accused of murder, but there is a certain irony involved with releasing Barabbas in order to punish Jesus. Barabbas was esentially guilty of the same crime the Pharisees claimed Jesus committed - rebellion against Rome. Of course, we know this was just a cover for the jealousy felt by the religious leaders who feared Jesus would, esentially, steal all of their followers. Barabbas, translated, means Son of Father. This name, while perhaps not his given name, shows how Jesus' death can save anyone - even average guys in jail. Barabbas was released back into society that day and Jesus was taken away to be beaten and die. Again, there is a certain irony about this situation. Jesus took the death penalty so that Barabbas - a son of a father - could live, just like he did for us.

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (Luke 23:32-28)

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:44-46)

Having been to my share of funerals, and having had the miserable experience of witnessing my mother take her last breath, I can testify that it is, without a doubt, the kind of experience a person wishes to forget, but cannot. I cannot imagine, and am thankful, the kind of sorrow Jesus' family and his followers present that day must've felt. Even nature seemed to mourn him - the sky fell black during the midday hours. It must've felt like it was all for naught. Over. No more Jesus, no more hope.

So, what's so good about Good Friday, if even the Earth fell into darkness for a time? This passage tells us something incredible that happened: the veil was torn. The curtain referred to in Luke 23:45 kept people from viewing the Most Holy Place. This was where the ark of the covenant, and therefore the presence of God, was located. Only the high priest was allowed to go there, and once a year he entered to atone for the sins of all the people he represented. When this curtain was torn, God's presence was fully exposed, and it was no longer necessary for anyone to intercede on our behalf. We were granted access to God, and were given permission to go to Him whenever and wherever we wanted. The barrier was literally ripped.

If Jesus was never resurrected, and we know he was, Good Friday gave us a huge blessing - direct access to God uninhibited by fellow man. We know that Good Friday was really just the start of our complete salvation, but we received the first blessing the moment the veil was torn and God became more than just a distant idea... He became a personal and intimate Heavenly Father.

Good, indeed.

Holy Week - Thursday

The Bible does not specify what happened on the last Wednesday of Jesus' life. Likely, he spent the day in Bethany with his disciples. I feel certain that by Wednesday, he had a lot on his mind and probably needed some time to think, reflect, pray, and meditate. But again, the Bible does not say what happened on this day.

But Thursday was a busy, busy day for Jesus and his disciples! I have always been amazed that Thursday was not designated as a special calendar day the way Good Friday and Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday have always been. Thursday was very eventful, and, in fact, were it not for the events of Thursday, the events that followed on Friday and Sunday could not have happened. Let's take a look...

The Last Supper

Let's set the stage. The Last Supper was the final time Jesus partook of the Passover meal. This was more than just a meal - even before Jesus' time. The Passover time was a time of reflection when the Jews began their exodus from Egypt. God told the Jews to kill a lamb and paint its blood on the doorframes to their houses, letting the angel of death know not to come inside. This would foreshadow Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Long after the Jews were rescued, they still celebrated this special time. They were thankful that God had saved them. Part of the Passover celebration included a special meal that included lamb and unleavened bread. The unleavened bread was significant in that during the exodus, the Jews did not have time to sit and wait for their bread to rise - they had to leave in a hurry! Even to this day, Jews eat the Passover Seder (meal) with unleavened bread. I recommend visiting www.jewfaq.org for more information on Passover. At any rate, Jesus asked Peter and John to get the bread, lamb, herbs, wine, and the rest of the Passover meal prepared.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." (Luke 22:14-16)

Jesus knew that his time on Earth was drawing to a close. He knew what would be required of him. And I feel certain that he must've cherished one last meal with his dearest friends. I would imagine him being so heavy-hearted at what was to come, but yet still so filled with joy at watching his friends grow and learn and spread this important message, and knowing that what was to come would fulfill prophecy and free slaves from eternal bondage.

And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:19-20)

"But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him." They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. (Luke 22:21-23) I think we all know who would do this. Judas Iscariot must've been trembling in his boots... or sandals. He must've been thinking, "how did he know?" And maybe at this moment Judas is beginning to feel a little bit uneasy about this. But he goes forward nonetheless. And this brings us to the garden...

Jesus prays in Gethsemane

The meal had been eaten, the disciples now knew that one among them would betray Jesus, and one would deny him (three times). They also knew that Jesus was preparing for something huge. He had already discussed what the disciples were to do once he "left" them. Something was on the horizon. Jesus asked his disciples to follow him for solemn prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. He needed peace and quiet, though he already knew that he would be interrupted that evening as the culmination of events would find fulfillment. He asked his disciples to pray that they would not fall into temptation (Luke 22:40) and then he withdrew for time alone with his Father. It is there, in that time, that we can see Jesus as a being that is both fully God, and yet fully man.

He prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42) I have always loved this particular verse. Can you imagine the emotion? Jesus knows that his life will be required of him - and he knows why. He will pay for ALL the sins of ALL the people in ALL of the world for ALL time. But he also knows that it will hurt. And he asks one more time that God reveal if there is ANY OTHER WAY to accomplish the thing they've set out. His words are so simple, yet so powerful: "God, I want to do it, but if there's another way to make it happen, please say so." He is not telling God no, but he is asking for a less painful way. And how can anyone blame him? To take on the sins of generations?

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:43-44) What a powerful event! He prayed that God would either show him a different way, or reaffirm him of the things to come. An angel appeared and Jesus knew that this was the ONLY way. And he poured out his whole heart to his Father in Heaven. So much so, that he bled from his pores.

Jesus, the kiss, and the arrest

While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

Judas' Betrayal Begins

Tuesday, like Monday, doesn't get talked about much. It, too, plays a significant role in the realm of Christian living. Yet, we mention it only in passing. On the last Tuesday of Jesus' life and ministry, he is not the main character... Judas Iscariot is.

I have mentioned before that I love the book of Luke. I will refer to it in this post because there is a key detail mentioned in the book of Luke that is mentioned nowhere else in the gospels: "Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve." (Luke 22:3) Only in Luke do we find the real reason for Judas' betrayal of Jesus - Satan.

Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:4-6)

We have all heard this story: Judas went to the officials and promised to trap Jesus for some money. But in the account given in Luke, we find so much more to this story! I want to dissect it and give us a better understanding of how these events led to our salvation.

Let's first hit this "Satan entering Judas" business. First of all, Satan entering into Judas does not excuse Judas' behavior. Judas had been in the presence of the Messiah - our Savior! Surely, the spirit of the Lord had been with them. He had knowledge and understanding provided by Jesus Christ himself! In other words, "he knew better". No excuse. But then we have to ask how Satan got there, and why? If Judas had any doubts about Jesus' role in the coming of the kingdom of God, he should've taken them to the authority - whether in prayer to his Father, or to Jesus. But likely, he let these doubts fester and began to raise questions in his mind as to whether or not Jesus was telling the truth. It's unclear what Judas was thinking prior to Satan taking over, but clearly Judas' faith was lacking. This is how Satan has the ability to take over in the first place. When we have questions, doubts, fears, we need to take them to the only one who can answer those questions, erase our doubts, calm our fears, or give us peace where we lack understanding. In this way, we are strong. God is in our hearts and protects them from the evils of Satan. When we take it upon ourselves to answer questions or prove our doubts, we invite Satan in. And I believe, though scripture does not actually say, that this is the state of Judas Iscariot's heart when Satan is allowed to enter him. Now, why does Satan want in Judas? Satan assumed, falsely, that allowing Jesus to die would allow his ministry and mission to die also. However, Satan failed to realize that the death and resurrection were necessary - and also pre-determined from the start. These were part of God's plan all along, and Satan and Judas were playing right into it.

Next, let's talk about Judas meeting with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard. First of all, we know that Satan is fully at work here. So, it really comes as no surprise that Judas went to them, and not vice versa. Judas sought out an opportunity to go to the priests and officers to discuss a way to get rid of Jesus. That must've required effort. The chief priests and officers must've known that Judas had been hanging out with the "enemy". How could Judas have won their trust? This, I believe, is where Satan does his best work: convincing and deceiving. With Satan at the helm, it was really just a matter of opportunity for these sinful leaders and a dishonest Judas to come together and plot for the death of the Savior. I, for one, would've enjoyed knowing exactly how this conversation went. Exaclty what does one say when coming to an equally corrupt group of "religious leaders" to plot and scheme a way to kill the Messiah? I wish scripture gave a full account of that conversation! But, I digress...

The next verse makes me a little tense. It reads, "They were delighted and agreed to give him money." (Luke 22:5) They were DELIGHTED. They enjoyed the idea of finally getting their man. They must've been thinking, "finally, when this yahoo gets outta here, we can go back to doing things OUR way!!" This passage doesn't tell us they were "excited" or "happy" or "encouraged" or "anxious"... they were DELIGHTED. Oh, the irony! While they were delighted about the death of this crazy, blasphemous man, all of heaven braced for the real delight: the plan was coming to fruition! Yes, he would die a painful death, but it would quite literally save the world! If only these hypocrites knew what they had set into motion... perhaps their delight would be short-lived?

True to plan, Judas waited for an opportune time to hand Jesus over. Jesus was, for all intents and purposes, alone in the garden when guards came to sieze him. Judas was paid hansomely for his work, though it would later drive him mad and he died in sin. Everything was as Judas (and Satan) wanted it to be. But this was also how God knew it HAD to be - all part of His perfect and unfailing plan.

Judas takes a lot of slack for being a betrayer and a liar. And he was. But he also was necessary for the plan to fall into place - the plan saved us from the place where Judas likely went in his disbelief. Judas may not have been one of the great apostles like Paul or Peter, but his role was equally important. It's ugly, but it's true - he sent our Savior to die. But without that death, we might not live.

The rest of Judas' betrayal comes in a few days...

Holy Week - Monday

I had every intention of posting every day during Holy Week. But, as usual, life gets busy and we tend to put God to the side until we think we have time for Him. It's a quality that I'm not terribly proud of, to be sure. I know God deserves to be first, and not get my "left-overs". Humbly, now, I gather up my thoughts and try to catch-up...

I had already spoken a great deal, in my opinion, about Palm Sunday. As you may recall, I mentioned that Palm Sunday kinda gets bad press. Actually, I feel that Palm Sunday gets NO press. I didn't even know what Palm Sunday was until adulthood. But I feel confident that some of the details were revealed in my previous post (which I hope you read).

Now we can discuss the last Monday of Jesus' life. It doesn't have a catchy name. It doesn't usually get talked about too much, either. Not sure why - it's a fairly important day. But maybe that's just Mondays for you.

This particular Monday, Jesus did something that seems to get skimmed over a lot in our Christian life. On Monday, Jesus cleared the temple.

I want to back up a little bit and explain a few key points. First of all, the reference that I make for this temple event occur in the Gospel of Luke. I personally love the book of Luke. I love the way he writes and the message just speaks to my heart. It's my favorite among the gospels and one of the many favorites of the New Testament. But the temple cleansing is also mentioned in the other gospels. However, in John, it is mentioned "out-of-order". I'm not a Bible scholar so I can't really speak to why this is, but in some of my light research, some suggest that there may have been more than one temple cleansing in Jesus' ministry. Others suggest that John didn't necessarily write in order of events, but in order of importance. I like to think it was the latter - see, Jesus cleaning the temple of all the evil is a very significant event. It was really the first time in scripture that we see that Jesus has a little bit of a temper. And I can totally relate!

We know that Jesus was the "perfect lamb", so we know he did not sin. And we know that Jesus is fully man and yet fully God, and God is perfect. So we can deduce that Jesus acted in a way that did not allow for sin in this instance. So we can be sure that Jesus is right in speaking out against the atrocities committed in the temple.

Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. "It is written," he said to them, "My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Luke 19:45-46)

Here's what was happening: in that day, people didn't attend the temple daily. It would've been too expensive and too difficult - especially if you lived outside of the city. People came on a regular cycle and paid a 'temple head tax' - in other words, a tax for using the temple. Of course, if you were not from the city, you might be using a different form of money. You would need to convert it to the right kind of money accepted at the temple. So you would be greeted by the folks who do currency exchange. For a fee, naturally. And you couldn't make any kind of sacrifice with just any animal. You would need a pure and clean animal to make your sacrifice. But how could the temple officials know if your animal was good enough? So they offered animals at the temple for sacrifices. For a fee, naturally. By the time a person traveled, exchanged his money and paid his "tax" and bought his sacrificial animal, he may as well have been broke! And this was not at all what God was asking of his people. The temple officials were taking advantage of people who wanted to pray, receive forgiveness, and be close to God. And Jesus was sick over it. After all, if people were not able to follow these temple rules, they would never be close to God at all! And let's face it, the other option - Jesus Christ himself - was under constant attack thanks to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other leaders of the day. So how on earth could anyone be saved??

It is written in Matthew 21:12 that Jesus "overturned tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves." Can you imagine seeing Jesus this amped up? We may look into our own lives and see ourselves turning over tables and calling people robbers, and say we are full of "rage". Was Jesus? When does anger cross over into sinful anger? Psalm 4:4 gives us a clue: "In your anger do not sin". Anger is a perfectly acceptable emotion - we now see that Jesus was, and rightfully so, angry. He saw people trying to keep their own away from God, and ultimately, away from saving grace. He knew that these rules were imposing on a loving, healthy relationship and it made his blood boil. He didn't hurt anyone, but he made it perfectly clear that this kind of behavior was unacceptable. However, that does not give us free reign to walk about overturning tables and calling people out in their sin. After all, it was also written that Jesus said "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone" (John 8:7). Jesus, the only one truly without sin, was fully in the right to "cast the first stone".

Palm Sunday

As Easter rapidly approaches, I find myself burried in God's word. I feel a special closeness to my Heavenly Father in discovering the lengths He was willing to go to so that He and I could be reunited for eternity one day. I felt, during my studies, the need to share some things that I learned about this time of year... I hope that you will find these things interesting and walk with me through history as we learn about Jesus' final days on Earth...

This Sunday marks the beginning of one of the holiest weeks in Christianity. It is called Palm Sunday (or Branch Sunday in some sects). It was on this day that Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. All four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) mention this event.

According to scripture, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. This particular detail is important. Traditionally, riding into a city on a horse is thought to be aggressive and may symbolize the intent of the rider of the horse (say, a king?) to wage war on that city. Donkeys, being more docile and less aggressive, symbolize peace.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, "many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields." (Mark 11:8) Something like the red carpet of today's elite, Jesus rode into town in style! Can you imagine it? In a time where riding an animal around meant dust kicked up and the click-clack of hooves on the stones, Jesus came into town and was greated by his fans laying down their coats and blankets and palm branches to ensure Jesus had a smooth, clean, quiet ride - like a king deserved to have. It was customary in that time and region of the world to lay down a path for someone worthy of high honor. Furthermore, the palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in Jewish tradition. As Jesus passed the people, riding on his "red carpet" he heard "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Mark 11:9) He was rock star! Well, kinda.

Now, this didn't go over well with the Pharisees. As the leaders of the day, they were, shall we say, a little bit "ticked off" that Jesus, a relative new-comer to spiritual matters, was being treated like royalty. In fact, the Pharisees had quite enough of Jesus stirring things up. As the crowd chanted "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38) the Pharisees were none too happy. "Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" (Luke 19:39) I want to take a pause for a moment. Did you catch that? The Pharisees called Jesus "teacher". Not prophet, not leader, not king... teacher. Why? Because they felt that Jesus wasn't worthy of the title of King of the Jews. In fact, if Jesus were "king", that would mean there really wouldn't be any power left over for the Pharisees. Hmm. So as they called him "teacher", it was out of disrespect. Let's continue. The Pharisees tell Jesus to shut his people up. But Jesus says, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:40) The stones WOULD cry out... but we'll get to that later in our discussion on Good Friday. In John 12:19, the Pharisees say, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" Jealous much? Oh yeah, the Pharisees were on their final straw with this Jesus guy. This "teacher" was stealing all the thunder from the Pharisees, undermining their authority and showing no regard for all the many rules and regulations the Pharisees had painstakingly put together to ensure the purity and sanctity of their people. How dare Jesus come in and show these people a different way!

"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said "if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus saw the city as he rode in, and his heart broke for them. He ached knowing that he would pay for this city so dearly, and these people had no idea at what price.

Palm Sunday was never made a big deal in my recollection. In fact, I think I was an adult before I even knew what Palm Sunday was. But it is very significant. It fulfills a prophecy given us in Zechariah 9:9: "See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." In my humble opinion, any time a prophecy is fulfilled, I rejoice. God's faithfulness is amazing! But even as this prophecy was fulfilling, Jesus knew that his time was drawing near and sacrifice would be made. The people that greeted him shouting "Hosanna!" would soon be calling for his crucifiction.

This Palm Sunday, I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, to imagine how different your life would be had Jesus not rode into the city. He rode in a hero, but would march out under the burden of his own cross to die for the same faces that greeted him with palm fronds and cloaks, and would later spit on him and curse him. Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week - and the last week of Jesus' life on Earth. In the span of just one short week, Jesus turned the world inside out.

I hope you'll join me during the rest of this holy week as we take a look at the final days of our savior's life...

Memor matris

10 January 2009 - at approximately 20:20, my mom passed away. She had been in hospice care for only a couple of hours before she died. It was the worst couple of hours I have ever spent. Her breathing was labored - about 6 respirations per minute - and her mouth foamed as she essentially drowned in her own secretions. She was given morphine to make her "comfortable" as her body expired. I held her hand for the last 45 minutes of her life. I squeezed every few minutes, and only once received a squeeze back in return. This happened seconds before she breathed her last, as if to give me permission to let her go. I prayed over her body as she struggled to breathe and asked God to please grant us mercy and take her quickly, painlessly, and with dignity. She gasped for breath, hungry for air, and could find none. Silently, her heart refused to beat and her body released her spirit.

At the same moment that I lay weaping, her Father in heaven was rejoicing. It was difficult for me to imagine, in my grief, that anyone anywhere could be celebrating. It was then that I realized that I am fully human, and God is fully God. I possess a human quality that is, in my opinion, one of the most hurtful and expensive qualities given to man after the fall: loss. It was the loss of innocence that made Adam and Eve realize their mortality, and it is loss that reminds us that one day we, too, will succomb to the reality of death. It hurts. As humans, it stings. But the Bible reminds us that it is temporary, and it is only on Earth that we experience this. In 1 Corinthians 15:55, it says, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The grave has no power over is because we believe in the victory of Jesus Christ. We lay our bodies in the ground, but our spirit - the core of who we are made to be and the "fingerprint" of our Creator - is returned to our Heavenly Father to be made complete and whole for eternity. Life as we know it is brief in comparison to the eternity we spend in the company of absolute perfection. Why should all of heaven NOT be celebrating when one of its own is returned??

Briefly, I cracked a smile at this thought. I was sad - sad for me, the one left behind. But for her, it was a homecoming like she had never imagined! Mom's life had been one of pain and trouble. I never knew all the details, but I did know that she had experienced a broken heart early in life and it plagued her into adulthood. At the thought of being completely freed from this pain, I couldn't help but rejoice a little bit in my own heart. "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death." (Hosea 13:14) She will no longer bound to the power of this earth or this life, but be free in hope and love with her Creator.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31)

While my heart still aches for the loss of my mother, I take comfort in knowing that her pain is gone. I take comfort in knowing that she is waiting for me to join the party. I take comfort in knowing that my Heavenly Father has prepared a room in His house for me. I take comfort in knowing that my last exchange with my mom - a hug and a kiss in the hospital, and a gentle squeeze of my hand before her passing - wasn't "goodbye" but instead "goodbye for now".

My mom had a passage from the Bible she was particularly fond of, and I'll share it now:

For everything there is a season,
A time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for and a time for peace.
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Loving the Unlovable

Everyone has a "difficult-to-love" or "unlovable" person in their life. I have a few of those, myself. They need to be loved, and even respected (although that proves most difficult at times). My most "difficult-to-love" person is very close to my heart, which makes it even more complicated. This person is very hurtful to me, and causes me a lot of pain. But this person is also in desperate need of the kind of unselfish, passionate, crazy love that Jesus Christ showed the day he gave his life for all - and I mean ALL - of God's children. I know that I am called to love this person, but sometimes it seems all in vain. Often, there is no reciprocation, just more pain and emptiness. How can I love someone who seems not to want it?

Jesus said that we should LOVE - even when it means loving someone who would do exactly the opposite of what you think they should. In Luke 6:27, Jesus calls us specifically to "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." It's a tough pill to swallow. Especially when I know that my "unlovable" seems to despise me! This person is so deeply consumed by their sinful nature, and so deep in their own sin, they can't even see how engulfed in flames they are! But, after all, Jesus tells us that "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17) In other words, "the ones who are in the worst shape need the most care."

After years of doors slammed in my face, phone calls disconnected, hurtful words and sharp-tongued exchanges, it seems hopeless. It seems, at times, as if this person will never fully receive my love, reciprocate that love, or become anything but a big, fat jerk! And part of me wants to completely give up on this person. Pretend as if they were never even born, maybe? But deep in my heart, I know that this is not what Jesus asked of us.

Jesus said "As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples." (John 13:34-35) If we are to call ourselves Christ-followers, and we are to carry his name, we have to act as he would've acted, and do as he has commanded. And he said to us, "if you call yourselves my followers, you need to show love - the kind of love I showed you when I forgave YOU for all the stupid, thoughtless, cruel, and sinful things YOU did." Wow. That's quite a charge. But who among us can say we are without sin? None. We're all guilty. But through Christ's selfless love, we are forgiven of all of it, and he pursues our hearts daily. He LOVES us. Regardless of what big, fat jerks WE are. And he tells us to do the same.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7)

Do you know your Heavenly Father?