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March 25, 2008
March 22, 2008
He is Risen...He is Risen indeed
The tomb is empty...God's glory is shining bright. John 1 tells us that Jesus came to be light to the world, and bring mankind out of darkness. Through His life on earth we really see only glimpses of His light as He heals, forgives, and restores. It is though on Easter Sunday that we really see what He is as the light of the world. The light that rescues us from the darkness of eternal death. The light that rescues us from our sins, from Satan, and from Hell.
The light that shines forth from the empty tomb reminds us of the great light that you and I truly have as eternal light lives in us. Him being risen, means that you and I will also rise. Death has no hold over us, Satan, has no hold over us, Sin has no hold over us, for we now see the light. Jesus the Christ truly is the light of the world, showing us His love and life.
May the Light of the world shine through you today, tomorrow and forever.
God Bless you, truly this Easter.
March 20, 2008
Good Friday
Isn't it odd that we call Friday, the day that God was killed by His own creation 'good'. It is odd if you and I don't see Jesus and His death as something that He willingly did for you and I. The death of Jesus was done so that you and I wouldn't have to face the true consequence for our sins. The real consequence is the separation from God. Jesus took that separation for you and I, so that because of Friday, you and I as His disciples will never know what it is to be separated from God. Thank God for Friday...It truly is Good for His creation.
God Bless your reflection of His sacrifice for you!
March 18, 2008
Holy Week: Maundy Thursday
This Thursday we celebrate Maundy Thursday. It is the day that we remember Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper and sharing with His disciples (then and now), that His body and blood will give new life to all who eat of it.
This was a monumental day for our Lord as He gave a new covenant to His people, the covenant that His blood covering over us will bring the passing of the Angel of Death over us. With the blood of Jesus spread over us we have the guarantee of life to its fullest.
This Maundy Thursday remember and partake in the very body and blood of Jesus Christ. We remember that He is the one who in just four short days will rise from the dead, and so it is simple for Him to be present in, with, and under the very bread and wine.
God Bless your Holy Week preparation
March 13, 2008
Palm Sunday
Hosanna in the Highest, Hosanna in the Highest, the people shouted as the Lord came on a donkey. The Lord riding in on a donkey is very symbolic. In the days of our Lord, Kings rode on one of two animals. A horse or a donkey. When they entered into a city if they were on a horse they were on a mission of war. If they rode in on a donkey they were on a mission of peace.
Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey...coming to bring peace. Peace comes with the Lord's subsequent arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. One only knows the Lord of Peace when they recognize His kingship through the death of God and the empty tomb of God.
The only God who brings peace to His people, is the only God, who conquered death. This Palm Sunday, may you shout Peace on Earth, as you recognize the Peace that Christ brings to you!
March 08, 2008
Mark 16:9-16...Inspired?
This week we will read the Scriptures from Mark 16. If you look in between verses 8 and 9 you will see a marking indicating that some of the earliest manuscripts omit verses 9-16. What is going on with that. Well the truth of the matter is that probably Mark ended with verse 8. "The women fled and told no one because they were trembling and fearful." What a crazy way to end a Gospel. But this is how Mark ended, this is how God desired that it would end.
So what is going on with 9-16, well probably what happened, is that a faithful scribe saw that this was an ending that would leave many confused...and he used the Gospels Matthew and Luke, and possibly John to fill in the rest of the story!
Is this a problem for the Christian church? Not in the slightest, as this is what any one of us would have done, and it is faithful to the work, miracle and reality of Jesus the Christ. We just have to be honest that this more than likely was not in the original manuscript that God penned through Mark. Why it ended this way...well, God only knows...what does it mean for us...it means that when we read the Scriptures we read faithfully with the lenses of inspiration of God. We also read and think critically, always reminding ourselves to be faithful to the word and work of our Lord. The scribe who filled in the rest was faithful, and used only the Scriptures that were inspired to fill in the end of Mark.
Was it penned by God...Yes...just not originally in Mark.
God Bless your reading this week!
February 29, 2008
Reading through the New Testament: Mark 9-15
This week we will discover God's glory as revealed through the gospel writer Mark. God displayed His glory to the disciples on a mountain, and God later revealed His glory through the cross and empty tomb on Mt. Calvary to the rest of the world for all time.
When the glory of God is revealed to Peter, James, and John, they respond by honoring God and trying to do what the believe He would want. The Father instead says to them "This is my Son, whom I love, Listen to Him."
Mark then makes a switch in the gospel of explaining some of the teaching of Jesus (prior to this he had focused on the miracles and work of the Lord). Jesus says that we are to love God above all and then love our neighbors. What is it to listen to the Lord. Listening is doing. If we are not doing the work of the Lord, then we have to ask ourselves if we are truly listening to Him. We are told to Listen to the Lord by the Father.
As we listen we do in preparation for the final glory of the Lord to be revealed. It will come at His second coming which will be anytime now. I get a little dismayed when I see Christian pastors or churches predict when Christ will come! The scriptures tell us that no one knows when He will come, not the angel, not even Jesus himself! If the very Son of God doesn't know, what makes us think that any one of us will be able to know. Instead of trying to predict a date, the Lord tells us to live each moment as if that were the time. Live Listening and doing the Word of God.
God Bless your Listening to the Word of God this week.
February 14, 2008
Matthew 14-25 A Tumultuous Week
Jesus had a rough week in the readings that we hear as we continue to hear the New Testament together as a congregation. In the sections we hear Jesus is confronted with the news that His cousin has been killed to satisfy the whims of the wife of Herod the tetrach...Jesus later will have those demand a sign to them that He is the Son of God, the Christ...He later will calm the storm and prove who He is to His disciples.
Jesus also knows that His death is near...He predicts it to His disciples and begins to prepare them for the upcoming "passion" week.
This week as you read or hear the Word of God and some of the tumultuous events that Jesus went through be reminded of His faithfulness to you and His strength that when things got tough, He got prayer. Be people of prayer, people of the Word and people of Worship and rely on the strength of Christ who conquered all things including death for us.
God Bless your reading and hearing of His Word.
February 09, 2008
Reading the NT together
Here at Immanuel we are embarking on the journey of reading through the New Testament together. This week our community will read Matthew chapters 1-13. We invite you to join us and read along as well.
This week you will see what Matthew's message about Jesus the Christ was. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector for the Roman army. Matthew was hated by his peers. Matthew would also have been seen as one who would be on the line of not making it into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew though is called to follow Jesus and is accepted into His kingdom (chapter 9). Matthew also is key to note that with the baptism of Jesus (the beginning of His three year ministry), that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (ch. 4...best translation of this is the English Standard Version).
This week as you read the Bible hear the teachings of Jesus (Matthew emphasizes the teachings over miracles) and apply them to your life (Let the light shine through your good works so that others might praise your Father in heaven. Ch. 5)
Enjoy the Word of God, and watch it make a difference in your life!
February 03, 2008
Can you imagine if we shared the gospel with four people!
Can you imagine if you shared the gospel with four people who currently would be standing outside the kingdom of heaven if Christ were to return today.
Can you imagine their reaction to your great witness...can you imagine their gratitude as they would realize how blessed they are by you and your witness.
The gospel is to be shared, and it is already written for us, it is already given to us, we don't need to jazz it up, we don't need to figure out how to make it eloquent or poetic...we just need to proclaim it. "Jesus Christ the son of God came and lived a perfect life, died and three days later rose, appeared to His disciples and to 500 others and to Paul, and ascended into heaven and is coming again!"
That's it, it is done, now proclaim. Share the gospel!
Glory be to God!
