Cross

Maundy Thursday-His Hour Had Come

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 
Luke 22:15 ESV

The word Maundy, in the title, Maundy Thursday means command. This is because at the Last Supper, Jesus gave His disciples the command to love one another and to wash one another’s feet. But for Jesus this night meant much more. At the Last Supper Jesus would give us the communion bread and cup. And in a strange way, the Last Supper also reminds me of being in Junior High, (more than a few years ago!). Back then, the most important decision of my day was who to sit with at lunch. Considering the fact that at the Last Supper, Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, Peter deny Him and the rest turn tail and run, it is amazing that He was really wanted to sit them. Yet, for Jesus, this was not just tolerating being with them, it was the highlight of His final days on earth. And despite the significance of the hour and even after having walked with Jesus for years, none of them understood what was going on. But Jesus knew that, understanding or not, this was the crucial time to break the bread and share the cup of the New Covenant, and that gives me hope. I have hope because I am often also not understanding what God is doing in my life, and yet the bread and cup which Jesus passed to His disciples, is still being passed to all me today. I will never deserve it, I sometimes don’t remember what it cost Him, and yet He still passes me the broken bread, He still blesses the cup, and just as when He sang a hymn with them, He sings with me. Then Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He knew that His hour had come; His betrayer was at hand; His friends would run away, but He, the Lamb of God would stay behind, knowing that His hour had come when He would take away the sins of the world!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Nothing But the Blood

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 NLT

I still remember the “I Found It” campaign, launched by Campus Crusade back in 1976. Billboards, bumper stickers and even lapel pins sported that phrase. The intent was to stir conversations, that would give Christians the opportunity to share the message of Christ. It was an interesting approach, but its message that, before being saved, we were searching for Christ and had somehow found Him, doesn’t line up well with the Bible. The entire Gospel is rather about Jesus coming as a shepherd searching for His lost sheep. He didn’t come because we were looking for Him, but because He was looking for us. The Good News of salvation is that the Holy Son of God, gave Himself as an innocent sacrifice for people like us, who had rejected Him. On the cross, as His blood poured down its timbers and touched the ground, a miracle occurred, a door opened wide, and a love story was told. Through the blood of Jesus, God reached out and claimed us as His own. “How can I be included?” you might ask. The answer is that, if God can redeem a failure like Peter, who had denied Him at His trial, a hater of Christians like Paul, and a doubter like Thomas, who demanded to put His hands on the nail prints before He would believe, then He can redeem you and me! In fact, I can’t find a thing, until He finds me first, not because of what I have done but through “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus!” Last Sunday, we introduced that hymn into our growing songbook at the nursing home. I hope you will enjoy listening to our simple rendition of this classic, coupled with the more contemporary Maranatha song, “White as Snow.” Have a blessed day everyone!

The Passion of Suffering and Grace

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2 NLT

As Christians we are on a journey, not at a final destination. Our road here on earth is sometimes perilous, confusing and difficult. Jesus told us it would be that way, but He also offered us the hope of His presence, His promises and His power to go with us all along the way. The final hours of the life of Jesus are called His passion, and He has called us to pick up our crosses, and His passion to follow Him and carry His love to those around us. In today’s video, I was struck by the fact that even after all these years of disability, suffering, and ministry, Joni still has that kind of passion for others. As we begin Lent on this Ash Wednesday, let’s pause for a moment and turn our eyes to the example of Jesus. He didn’t skip joyfully down the pathway of life, but for the joy that lay ahead, He endured the suffering of the cross with the passion of God’s love. He took time for His mother, for a young and frightened disciples, for a thief, and even to pray forgiveness for His enemies. He lived and He died with a passion that lights the way before us. So, this morning, however dark your journey may be, keep looking to Jesus, because He is the only one who can help, and He willingly did so with a passion that carried Him through death to Life and the sunrise of Easter morning!