Easter

Complaint Department – Upstairs

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But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed    Matthew 27:14 ESV

I have a small confession to make. Some days I love to complain. I complain about the weather. I complain about my church, my kids and even my wife. Some nights as I lay my head on the pillow and replay the whiny remarks which I made I wonder how I could have been so unkind and wish I had kept my lips sealed.

Jesus on the other hand had no shortage of things to complain about. But on the worst day of his short life, Jesus encouraged a thief; made sure His mother was taken care of and forgave His enemies. How could He do that? What was His secret?

Some years ago I was bringing a truckload of branches to our local landfill. At the entrance was a one story cement block booth with an attendant who checked each vehicles weight. As I pulled up to get our weigh-in slip, I saw there by the side of the operator’s window a small sign with an arrow pointed up stating, “Complaint department upstairs!”

How can we be patient like Jesus, when others mistreat or abuse us physically or verbally? The answer is in knowing where the complaint department is located. Telling our neighbors, our family or our enemies the way we feel won’t help. Our only response is to quietly trust that our cry is heard by the only one who can deliver us. Then in the same way that Jesus did we can give ourselves into the hands of the one who loved us and gave His life for ours.

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God Loves Mundane Details

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They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?”  He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters.   Luke 22:9-10 ESV

In our extended family which includes two grown sons, two daughters in law and seven grandchildren, the location of our family Thanksgiving dinner is a subject of delicate negotiation. In a way the Passover meal was the Jewish Thanksgiving of the first century. Lots of preparation went into planning where to hold it, who to invite and even how the table was to be set up. I confess that instead of enjoying

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a season of thankfulness sometimes I have to work overtime just get along with people. Many of my frustrations come from trying to figure out mundane details which I feel God could not possibly care about.

But after three and a half years of seeing bread multiplied, water changed to wine and storms calmed by a word the disciples decided to just ask Jesus about the details of the feast. No matter what you and I face today, we should take a tip from them and ask Jesus to become our event planner. The same God who formed the universe also counts every hair on our heads. It is not a problem to ask Him to take control of even the mundane details we struggle with. When we do we might be amazed at how delighted He will be to show us exactly what He has in store!

Hope at the Table

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And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19

This week millions of us will be remembering the Last Supper as one part of Holy Week. As Christians, some of us share communion once a month, some every week and others each time we meet. But whenever it is that we share in the bread and the cup, we are remembering again the hour on the cross when Jesus freely gave His life to pay for our sins.  Often I reflect on my own sins and ask Him to forgive me before I receive. When it is my privilege to serve communion, I sometimes look at each person as they come and think of how in a deep and holy way we are also remembering how we all belong to Christ. Nothing has been preserved of the songs the first believers sang. We have no pictures of what they looked like. There isn’t even a single plate from which they ate. But the common thread that our Lord Jesus has kept alive throughout more than 20 centuries is the Hope we have every time we come to His table.

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We have hope that our sins are forgiven. We have hope that we can learn to love one another. We are given a living demonstration of His love as the bread is broken and the cup is shared. We have new hope at the table that one day He will return for you and for me!