Resurrection

7 Loaves of Heaven’s Bread

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.  John 6:33 ESV

When I was a boy I loved the smells coming from the kitchen when my mom baked bread. I could hardly wait for her to hand me a warm slice slathered with butter right from the oven. We need to ask ourselves if we are also longing to know God like that. Are we eager to come into His presence and receive a fresh word from Him each day? No matter the answer to that question now is the time to set our sights again to that Easter morning when Mary came to the tomb and became the first to see our risen Lord;

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The Bread of Heaven!

Monday’s loaf was When the angels sang

And shepherds knelt And the Heavens rang

On Tuesday Mary dedicated Him

In the temple like a lamb Who was without sin

At the Jordan On Wednesday Jesus was baptized

And the dove descended On the bread of life

Thursday’s loaf was when He broke the bread

And He blessed the cup And bowed His head

Good Friday’s Bread was given for us

And His blood poured down The rough wooden cross

Saturday’s silence Was the bread of sorrows

As He lay in the tomb Waiting for tomorrow

Then on Sunday’s dawn He came as Heaven’s Bread

The stone rolled back And He rose from the dead!

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Picture Taken at the Ark Experience

 

So What Exactly is Lent?

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Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.  John 20:18 ESV

This is NOT a full theological or historical explanation of Lent but in general Lent is the time from Ash Wednesday to either the Wednesday before Easter, Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday. Since there is no record of anyone in the Bible observing this roughly 40 day period why should we? Great question!

For starters my own take is that it is never a bad idea to set special times for seeking God’s will and purpose. Some people may choose to fast certain foods or commit to special acts of service, during these weeks. However you choose to honor the season, the most important thing of all is to focus on Jesus. For me personally it brings me back to  the excitement of my first months of faith in Jesus (Which just happened to be on Easter Sunday!)

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I come to each morning’s quiet time with an open heart asking Jesus for a brand new insight into His word and for His will for that day. Instead of racing ahead or lagging behind in my devotional readings I need to slow down so I can hear what God is saying. Walking with Jesus will lead us along the path that He has chosen. Following the path He chooses will bring us to His destination for our life. My prayer is that during these weeks of Lent we will see with fresh eyes the miracles of Jesus, the table of His Last Supper, the Cross, the empty grave and most of all our Risen Lord!

 

All The Things He Can

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

During the last week of my Dad’s life I learned more from him than all the years before. The reality of God’s love reflected in his concern for my getting meals even though he only received his through a tube. He worried I was missing sleep at a time that he spent his night in the ICU. Most of all, dad loved having me and his nurse read the Bible to him. And that week he often quoted his favorite verse

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Those last seven days with my dad along with his verse helped carry me through the sorrow threatened to overwhelm me with his death. Just after the death of Jesus it was the same for His disciples, His family and especially His mother. They hardly dared to recall the joy of those last three years seeing lepers cleansed, storms calmed and the dead raised. All that changed the night of the betrayal by Judas. That was followed by the arrest and false charges by the religious leaders. Finally the Romans sentenced Jesus to be crucified between two criminals and die a horrible and degrading death.

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But in the pre-dawn of hours of the third day everything changed. The stone sealing the grave had been rolled away. The women who came early to the tomb were met with men in white clothing who told them that the Lord was not there – He had risen. The bitterness and loss that they felt was quickly replaced by wonder and new faith as they encountered the risen Christ. Once we have invited this same risen Lord Jesus to rule our hearts we will discover that our lives are no longer defined by the many things we cannot do but by all the things He can!