Sad Sabbath

It was a very sad Sabbath for the followers of Jesus. Their rabbi whom they thought will be the king of Israel had died on a cross and lay in a borrowed tomb.

What now? Judas had betrayed Jesus and then killed himself so the eleven Disciples gathered in the upper room they had rented and waited out the Sabbath in mourning. They must have thought about returning to Galilee and their old lives. They must have recounted the things Jesus had taught them. They must have sobbed many tears.

It was a sad Sabbath in Jerusalem.

Why Call it "Good Friday" ???

As a youth I wondered why they would call it "Good Friday" when the most awful thing happened on that day. . This was the day of the week that Jesus was crucified and endured such horrible pain at the hands of the Romans.

It was a paradox that I did NOT understand and took me a long time to figure out.

Later I understood that out of that most terrible event came the very best result.

 RESURRECTION happened!

The paradox is still almost too much for me to deal with and I still wonder why it had to happen the way that it did. We could blame it on the Jews of Jesus day saying if only they had accepted Jesus as the Messiah but it would have turned out so differently. Would the gentiles [non-Jews] have accepted the faith in ONE God if Jesus had not died on the cross?

It was this earth shaking event that changed everything and for me and for every believer. We have been saved from our own sin because of the paradox of Good Friday and that makes all the difference.

Today is a day for fasting and prayer! Think and pray about what happened for YOU!

When Did You Receive Your Soul?

The US Supreme Court ruled that a woman has the right to abort a pregnancy. That is now law.

People argue as to when during the development of a fetus does it have the legal right to exist has a human. In the extremes some say only once it is born alive or opposite claim is at conception. Other in between arguments range from in the first through second trimester’s human rights. One church goes so far as to say no contraception to hinder sperm from meeting ovum. 

If humans are just soulless animals perhaps it does not matter all that much. I do not believe that we are soulless so to me it matters. So the theological question is at what point does the mass of dividing cells receive a soul and become a child of God? This is not a matter of law or rights it is theology that people of faith in God must consider for them selves. All of the world’s religions must grapple with this theological question and teach their perspective. Those who do not believe in God consider us only animals so this theological question does not matter.

My personal theological point of view is that when sperm and ovum meet successfully a soul is given by God.  What faith must teach young women is theology and then let the woman make her choice based on her relationship with God.

The Parade

Lets have a ticker tape or these days a confetti parade! We have watched those kind of parades on TV, like when the first astronauts werewelcomed back more than 40 years ago. They splashed down the day my eldest darling daughter was born, so I do remember. Excitement in the air and wonder for the hero's of the day. 

That is how it was when Jesus was welcomed into the city of Jerusalem. Instead of confetti it was palm branches. What a glorious day to enjoy. People went home and told their family and friends and then you know what? They went about their business as usual. Yes that was a bit of fun and excitement but then work had to be done.

Is it business as usual for us too? Do we welcome Jesus into our lives on Sunday and the rest of the week we act as if it makes no difference? I am thankful that Jesus came into my life and changed the way I do business every day.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Psalm 118:26