The Father Loves You

In that day you will ask in my name.  I am not saying that

I will ask the Father on your behalf.

No, the Father Himself loves you as you have loved Me,

And have believed that I came from God.

John 16:26-27

I was raised with a courtroom mentality of God the Father.  He sits on His throne, awaiting my appearance before Him (for illustration, think of Triton on his throne with his trident in his hand).  When I enter the courtroom, Jesus is there to plead with the Father to have mercy on me for His sake. 

That is not what this verse says.  God the Father loves me as much as His Son loves me.  He does not have to be convinced to love me.  Quite simply, God is not our accuser:  Satan and sin bring charges against us; but both were defeated on the cross of Calvary.  It gives us such hope and  assurance to know that Jesus died to save us from sin, not from the wrath of the Father.

The love of God is greater far

than tongue or pen can ever tell.

It goes beyond the highest star

and reaches to the lowest hell.

 

Let the Children Come

 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,

And do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven

Belongs to such as these.

Matthew 19:14 

A young woman (we’ll call her Karen) was working for the summer selling religious books, including The Bible Story by Arthur S. Maxwell.  One morning, she had an interest card from a town over an hour away, obviously written by a child.  Her gas tank was full, but the tires were bald and she had only a little change in her pocket.  She prayed about it and felt God asking her to go see this family.

When Karen arrived, she found David, a young boy with late-stage leukemia.  He had discovered The Bible Story in his doctor’s office, and desperately wanted the book. His mother agreed to buy it (at a much reduced price), and Karen left her product sample book with David so that he could start reading right away.

Three months later, she received word that David had passed away.  His mother told her that David had spent his last days reading his precious book and talking with his family about going to meet Jesus.  Karen was grateful that she had ignored her own hesitation and followed God’s leading to bring peace and comfort to David and his family.

God's children are all around us.  I pray that God will open our eyes to their needs and our hearts, to share God's love and His Word.

Shut My Mouth!

Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,

that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29

I have been given an assignment for my First Person writing class to write 500 words about a “meaningful mistake” I have made.  I decided to enlist the help of my girls and offered them the opportunity to search their memories for mistakes their mother has made over the years.

My youngest daughter answered almost immediately, with what she called “a classic.”  Apparently I was under considerable pressure that particular day, and was trying to multitask, as well as prepare supper – a meal of Spanish rice and beans.  As a burning smell filled the house, it became clear that I had burned the rice.  Feeling totally defeated, I picked up the pan, muttered an expletive, and pitched the burned dinner, pan and all, down the stairs into the cellar.  All three of my girls clearly remember this incident almost two decades later, including the exact curse word I so carelessly uttered.

Paul counsels the church at Ephesus to carefully monitor what comes out of their mouths.  We should speak nothing unwholesome, but only that which will benefit those who are listening – including little pitchers with big ears.

Make God's Day

 

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

I was reading my devotional book today, when I noticed this title – “Make God’s Day.”  Well, I thought.  I’d like to do that, but how?  By sharing anything and everything with Him.  God is a relationship-focused God who pulls out all the stops on His end to try and deepen the connection with His children.  In a true relationship, the two participants share EVERYTHING: the good, the bad and the ugly. 

If today –

You are feeling really happy, or downright depressed – God wants to know.

You are excited about the future, or worried about the past – God wants to know.

You are concerned about your finances, or celebrating a raise – God wants to know.

Your children are doing well in school, or they are not – God wants to know.

You feel like you are at your wits end with the pandemic – God wants to know.

Sometimes I say, “God, I don’t know what to say to you today.”  He does not expect an oration – just a quiet talk about what’s going on in my life and mind.  Don’t say to yourself, “God already know.”  He does, but like any parent with their child, He longs for you to confide in him.  Go on – make His day!

 

Help from the Field

 

And David inquired of the Lord,

“Shall I pursue this raiding party?  Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue them,” He answered.

You will certainly overtake them, and succeed in the rescue.”

1 Samuel 30:8

As David and his 400 men took off to rescue their loved ones, the men found an Egyptian slave lying in a field, left to die by his Amalekite master.  He had not had food or water for three days.  David’s men brought the man to David, who ordered food and water be supplied to revive him.

 It appears that this slave had heard of the God of the Israelites, for when David asked if he would be willing to lead them to the raiding party, the man replied, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, I will take you down to them.”  David agreed, knowing that God had brought this wounded slave to their attention, so that the man could join his group of men, and lead them to the Amalekites.  The ensuing battle lasted for 24 hours, but David and his men prevailed, recovering everything – wives, children, flocks, herds, and one very grateful Amalekite slave.

David should never have taken refuge from Saul from God's arch-enemies.  Did David honestly think that the Philistines could provide greater safety than Jehovah?  In his fear of the earthly king of Judah, David lost sight of the King of the universe.  When he realized his error, David acknowledge that God was the source of his strength and his safety.

  

A Solution for Every Problem - Part 1

 

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him,

because the soul of all the people was grieved,

every man for his sons and for his daughters –

but David found strength in the Lord his God.

1 Samuel 30:6

David and his band of men had been fleeing from the wrath of King Saul, when David made the mistake of sheltering with the Philistines, the archenemy of God’s people.  After a year, the leaders of the Philistines got into a big argument over David’s presence, and the king told David to go home.  When he and his men returned to Judah, they found that the Amalekites had burned the city of Ziglag to the ground, and all of the women and children were carried off as slaves, including two of David’s wives.

David’s men were furious, not at the Amalekites, but at him, and threatened to kill him.  Their wives and children were in grave peril.  This time, however, David did not say, “This is how we are going to fix this.”  Instead, He realized that the His strength came from his heavenly Father, and he sought counsel from the Lord.  God directed him to go after the Amalekites and He would be with them.  Tomorrow we will take a look at the surprise assistance that God provided. 

You are my hiding place,

You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance,

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

I will trust in you.  Let the weak say:

I am strong in the strength of the Lord.

I will trust in you.

Inside and Out

 

You know me inside and out - you know every bone in my body.

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit.

How I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book You watched me grow from conception to birth.

All the stages of my life were spread out before You;

The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived a day.

Psalm 139:15-16 Message 

The Covid19 vaccine has been a compelling issue for people around the world.  “To get or not to get” – that is the question.  For me, it was relatively simple:  Yes, I am going to get the shot.  I am going to do my research, choose which vaccine seems best for me, then I am going to get the vaccine, just as I have gotten the shingles and the pneumonia vaccines.

My mind, however, could not just leave it alone after my decision was made.  I was plagued with the “what if’s”.  What if I am allergic to the vaccine?  What if I am intolerant of one of the ingredients (not the same as allergic but can be just as devastating).  What if I get really bad side effects?  What if I get blood clots?   What if…what if…what if.

This verse assures me that there is nothing about my body that God doesn’t know.  He formed me, watched me grow, and knew every stage of my life before I had lived even one day.  He knows us.  He loves us.  The Creator of the universe is in control.  

 

He Gave

 

For God so loved the world that He gave

His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

I love the biblical story of Hannah, found at the beginning of the first book of Samuel.  Hannah was happily married to Elkanah, even though he was also married to Peninnah.  The fly in the ointment of her life was the fact that she apparently could not conceive children. 

This poor woman had to put up with Elkanah “comforting her” by proclaiming, Why are you downhearted?  Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”  Her co-wife constantly flaunted her ability to provide children for the family when Hannah could not.  The Bible says, “This went on year after year.”  If that was not bad enough, when she went to the Temple to open her heart up to the Lord about her childless condition, the high priest accused her of being drunk!

Hannah made a vow that if God honored her request for a son, she would give the child back to the Lord for His service.  God granted her request through the birth of little Samuel.  She nurtured and loved that boy until he was four years old.  Then Hannah did the unbelievable:  She kept her promise and gave Samuel to the high priest to serve God and His people.  Her story is a harbinger of the Father’s own gift of His Son to serve and save His people.

For God so loved the world He gave His only Son

To die on Calvary, from sin to set me free.

Some day He's coming back - what glory that will be!

Wonderful His love to me.

Exterior or Interior?

 

For the Lord does not see as man sees,

for man looks at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Samuel was tasked by God to go out in the countryside and anoint the next King of Israel from the family of Jesse.  Samuel took one look at the firstborn, “I’m in control” son and decided this was the next king.  God said, “No.”  He then chose the brawny one.  God said, “No.”  No matter what criteria Samuel used – best looking, brightest smile, most polite, Daddy’s favorite – God said, “No.”  When they ran out of sons in the house, the father sent for the redheaded kid tending the sheep.  God said, “Yes!”   

“We live in times when people are judged by the color of their skin, their language, culture or religion.  We tend too be impressed by a person’s resume, how they dress and where they live, instead of the leanings of their heart.  We sometimes forget that Christ died for all people, not just a privileged few.”  - Walter Carson, Words of Life

It was no happenstance that Jesus, in response to the question of which commandment was greatest, answered that there were only two equal commands:  Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor (every other person on this planet) as you love yourself.  Tall order, but He is here to help.

 Oh, I love you with the love of the Lord,

Yes, I love you with the love of the Lord.

I see in you the glory of our King

And I love you with the love of the Lord.

Your Creator

 

The heavens are telling the glory of God

And the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

The spacious firmament on high

With all the blue ethereal sky

And spangled heavens, a shining frame

Their great Original proclaim.

The unwearied sun, from day to day,

Does his Creator’s power display.

And publishes to every land

The work of an Almighty hand.

 

Soon as the evening shades prevail,

The moon takes up the wondrous tale;

And nightly to the listening earth

Repeats the story of her birth.

While all the stars that round her burn,

And all the planets in their turn

Confirm the tidings as they roll,

And spread the truth from pole to pole.

 

In reason’s ear they all rejoice,

And utter forth a glorious voice

Forever singing as they shine,

“The hand that made us is divine.”

-Joseph Addison, 1712

Hymn lyrics based on Psalm 19

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth....

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Adopted

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear,

But ye have received the Spirit of adoption,

Whereby we cry, “Abba,Father.”

Romans 8:15 

For as long as I can  remember, I have known that I was adopted.  My mother could not have children, so she and Dad made the decision to adopt my two brothers and me.  We  each came from different family situations, two years apart.  Our development as a family did not come by nature, but by the nurture of my parents.  We were chosen – adopted.

Over the last three years, I have found both of my birth parents through DNA results and long hours of research.  They both were from the Bay area of California, and most likely met at a military base in Arizona.  Neither of them were at a point in their lives where they could offer a child love, nurture and stability.  So my mother made the difficult but correct choice to arrange for my adoption.

When we think about our Creator’s unlimited love for us – that He would suffer the ultimate sacrifice to bring us into His heavenly family – it moves us to cry out “Daddy!”  He is, in every way that matters, our Father.  You are His chosen child – adopted for eternity.

 I'm a child of the King, a child of the King,

Through Jesus, my Savior, I'm a child of the King.

 

God Found It!

He replied, “I tell you the truth,

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,

You can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there!’

And it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20-21

When my oldest daughter was in college, she was in a horrible car accident and broke her back. Because it was the weekend, she had to lay on her stomach until she could have surgery on Monday.  She was miserable lying on her stomach staring at the floor, and in a great deal of pain. On top of that, she could not see a thing.  Her right contact lens popped out in the crash (she wore hard lenses), and the other was taken out at the hospital.

That afternoon while she slept, I went to the place where her car was parked.  Sitting in the driver’s seat, I prayed that God might “open my eyes” to find her contact.  I tried to figure out the possible trajectory of that flying lens, pointed with my finger to that vicinity on the passenger side floormat, and there it was - ready to be picked up, thoroughly cleaned, and popped back in her eye.

I was in awe.  She was astonished.  We both were so thankful for the restoration of her contact lens.  God does not always choose to answer our prayers with a miracle, but when He does, it is an experience you never forget.

A Love Without End

Go take to yourself an adulterous wife

and children of unfaithfulness.

So Hosea married Gomer…

Hosea 1:2,3 

When a man surveys the field of potential marriage partners and mother for his children, I don’t think anyone begins the process with the thought, “Let me find the worst possible woman out there.”  But that is precisely what God asked of His prophet Hosea.  “Find a woman who has already proven she cannot be faithful, and take her as your wife and the mother of your children!”

It is to Hosea’s credit that he did not challenge God, but married the adulterous Gomer, who gave him three children and then disappeared to other men, other beds.  At some point, God came back to Hosea and said, “Go get your wife and love her again, even though she is involved with someone else.”  Learning that she had been sold as a slave, Hosea found her, bought her back, and settled down to have her as his wife.

Hosea’s living lesson for Israel is relevant to us today:  God’s love is everlasting and unconditional.  There is nothing we can say or do to cause that love to cease.  Paul spells it out as clearly as anyone:  

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor thing to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

[Romans 8:38-39]

 

 

To Tell the Truth

 

An honest witness does not deceive,

but a false witness pours out lies.

Proverbs 14:5

I grew up with two brothers, one four years older than me, and the other two years older than me..  My oldest brother was on the autism spectrum and it was difficult for my childhood brain to comprehend him.  The middle boy – we’ll call him Jack – had a jovial spirit and a grin that went on for miles.  I was the annoying little sister.

When it came to obeying my mother (the stay-at-home parent), Jack and I had polar opposite approaches.  When Mom told me to do something that I didn’t want to do, I tried to argue my way out of it.  That usually landed me a lecture or worse, and eventually I stomped off and did as I was told.

When Mom approached Jack, he would gift her with one of his huge angelic grins and say, “Sure, Mom,” then he would go right back to what he wanted to do.  Many times, what Mom wanted from him never quite got done.  I’m sure Jack never felt that he was lying to her.  He was simply “putting things off.”

We humans are amazingly adept at lying.  Every time we deceive someone, we are empowered to lie again.  But God is not fooled. He sees everything and knows us far better than we know ourselves.  Lying might get you out of sticky situations, but eventually it will destroy your soul.

New Every Morning

 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 

I love this verse.  I don’t remember exactly when I discovered it (I don’t do much wandering around in the book of Lamentations), but it has a wonderful mantra for our everyday lives – NEW EVERY MORNING.

There are days when everything goes wrong that could go wrong – you know the type of day, I’m sure.  By evening I am exhausted, disgusted, and feeling relatively sorry for myself.  I crawl into bed and have to remind myself to speak to my heavenly Father before I nod off.  No matter the mess of the day, I always sleep better if I visit with God for a few moments of peace.

The next morning, I hopefully remember this verse.  God’s love and mercies never end because they are NEW EVERY MORNING.  It is a new day, with new blessings, new obstacles, and a new chance to rectify the challenges left over from yesterday.  Grab hold of your new portion of love and mercy at the very beginning of your waking hours.  I guarantee the day will go better.

 

Read the Signs

In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!

I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 

Speed Limit:  25 MPH   We live in a society that is driven by immediate urgency.  The cars that race down my neighborhood street at 10-20 MPH over the speed limit obviously have somewhere very important they need to be. We often think that God has that same sense of urgency, but that’s not the way it works.  God has told us that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, so why would His timing be any different?  

One Way   We humans are often in charge at home, the superintendent or boss at work, and leaders in the local church.  Sometimes this “in charge” attitude can seep into our relationship with God.  But again, that’s not the way it works. We need to climb out of the driver’s seat and let Jesus take the wheel.  God’s control and guidance is the best GPS for our lives. 

Speed Bump Ahead   There will be times when our journey in this life will be bumpy.  Major road blocks can obstruct our chosen path.  It is easy to become discouraged.  Our verse today acknowledges that we will have problems in this life, but Jesus has overcome all obstacles, and will work His will in us, with us, and through us.

 

The Ultimate Gardener

 

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you

Will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Every spring and summer, I spend as much time as possible in the yard, tending to my very large corner lot.  During the isolation of the pandemic and after my retirement, I have had much more time to devote to it.  Late winter has Lenten roses, which melt into the daffodils of spring.  Not far behind are the flowering trees:  a red dogwood, an ornamental cherry, a peach tree, and an apple tree.  This is the first year (in eight years) that my apple tree has fully blossomed, and it is glorious.

Sometimes my friends try to give me the credit for the blossoms that burst forth, but I know better.  It isn’t me at all.  I have the privilege of watching God work, sending the rain, adjusting the temperature, and beaming the sunshine.  He lets me help with weeding, fertilizing and backup watering, but the main portion of the flower fest is His handiwork.

Our text today reminds us that we, who are a part of God’s garden, can be confident that He who started the work in us has promised to carry it through to full flower. 

PRAY Instead of Worry

Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, PRAY!

Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,

letting God know your concerns.

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness,

everything coming together for good,

Will come and settle you down.

Philippians 4:6-7 The Message 

I am having my Covid vaccination this morning, and I am… concerned.  All right, I am worried – not about the shot itself, but how my body will react to it.  I have a long history of allergy and intolerance to medication of any kind. 

Our text this morning speaks directly to me:  Hey – don’t fret.  Don’t worry.  Pray instead.  But that solution just seems so easy.  Ah – but it is never easy to turn lose of our concerns and ease the grip of our control.  But there is absolutely nothing I can do to control this situation, so why not ask God to take care of it. 

I think that is why Paul tells us to “…pray without ceasing.  Everything this life throws at us will be cushioned by the love of our Creator.  God made me and He knows exactly how this body of mine works.  I will pray (my job) and He will take care of me (His job).

O, what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer.

Cast Your Burdens on the Lord

 Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will sustain you.

He will never let the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55:22

I remember when I first read this verse.  I said to myself, “Well, there you have it.  You are certainly not among the righteous, because your faith is shaken regularly!”  Perhaps that is because I am weighed down with all my problems and cares.

Perhaps a key element of being righteous is being willing to place our burdens at the feet of the Savior and leave them there.  God has never asked us to carry our problems on our own backs (or worry about them, either).  That is God’s job, not ours.

Do you have a heavy heart today?  Do you have problems that seem unsolvable?  Is the weight of the world on your shoulders?  As my dad would say, “Hey – take a load off!”  Give all of it to God.  Then pray every day that He will give you the courage to leave your cares with Him.

In Quietness and Confidence

In returning and rest you shall be saved;

In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.

Isaiah 30:15 

When I first arrived at a Methodist Church in Virginia, they only had an adult handbell choir - a long-standing group that was very accomplished.  I immediately began to try building a handbbell choir for the youth in grades 6-12, hoping that it would eventually be a feeder group for the adult choir.

By the third year of my tenure, we had 15 youth in our Celebration Ringers group.  In searching for music for them to play, I came across a 4-octave piece entitled In Quietness and Confidence.  Written by organist Kenneth Logan, it is based on this scripture from Isaiah.  It quickly became one of our favorite pieces.

 This world is full of noise and clamor.  Jesus calls us to find our rest and strength in the quietness and confidence of His love. 

In Quietness and Confidence

Kenneth Logan

The Disciples

While they were still talking about this,

Jesus Himself stood among them…

Luke 24:36

Jesus appeared to the disciples while they were still talking about Jesus appearing to Cleopas.  Even after digesting the vivid story relayed by the Emmaus men, these men are frightened by their Master’s presence among them and think “they saw a ghost.”  Jesus invites them to look at His hands and His feet, and touch him, for a ghost “does not have flesh and bones, and you see I have.”

Jesus asked for something to eat, and then sat these men down for a history lesson, similar to the one He had with Cleopas and his friend.  The Bible says He opened their minds to the Law of Moses (the Pentateuch), the prophets, and the Psalms.  The disciples were to be sent out to the rest of the known world, carrying the message of a risen Savior to any who would listen,  It was imperative that they know the Scriptures upon which their message was built.  Then Jesus admonished them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle John  tells the story of Thomas, who apparently was not present at this first visit by Jesus after the resurrection.  When told of this wonderful miracle, Thomas dug his heels in and refused to believe their story.  He demanded personal proof, and Jesus graciously provided it.  There is no length that Jesus will not go to strengthen the faith of His children.

The Men from Emmaus

They asked each other,

“Were not our hears burning within us

while He talked with us on the road

and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:32

I have always loved this post-resurrection story as told in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 24:13-35).  It warms my heart in several different ways: 

1) Jesus appeared to the everyday man – not to the disciples or those who would eventually lead the fledgling church.  Cleopas and his unnamed friend were believers like you and me.

2) Jesus spent quality time with these two men, teaching them the Old Testament prophecies that spoke of the Messiah and His sacrifice. It was just as important to Him that they understand His mission as it was for the multitudes to understand.

3) He hid His identity from them, but not His heart.  To the men of Emmaus, He was a wise, fascinating stranger.  To Jesus, these were His children.

4) When their eyes were “opened” and they recognized their Master, there was nothing on earth that would keep Cleopas and his buddy from returning to Jerusalem at once!  They had just completed that 7-mile journey and it was now evening, but they gladly hit the road again, determined to share their joy with the disciples.

 

 

The Roman Guard & Pilate

 

Some of the guards went into the city and reported

to the chief priests everything that had happened.

When the chief priests had met with the elders and

devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came

during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’

If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him

and keep you out of trouble.”

So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.

And this story has been widely circulated among

the Jews to this very day.

Matthew 28:11-15

Money for silence.  That has to be one of the oldest political tricks in the book.  The resurrection was a disaster for the Roman guards, the religious leaders, and for Pilate himself.  On Friday, the chief priests and the Pharisees had requested that soldiers guard the tomb. Pilate had given the order to seal the tomb and post a guard (Matthew 27:62-63).

After the resurrection, some of the guard hurried into the city – not to their boss, Pilate, but to the corrupt leadership of the synagogue.  The soldiers wisely understood that the priests had just as much to lose as they did if the truth were to reach Pilate’s ears.  So a lie was concocted, money changed hands, and a false report was spread.  I doubt that Pilate believed a word of it.

But he understood the game well enough to turn a blind eye, a deaf ear and a closed mouth. 

 

Easter Sunday

 

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning,

the women took the spices they had prepared

and went to the tomb.  They found the stone

rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered,

they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men

with clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground,

but the men said to them,

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here, He has risen!”

Luke 24:1-6

 

Early morning,

                                                thick with darkness,

                                                            damp with dew

Anxious soldiers

                                                faint dead away before the

                                                            brilliance of archangels.

Son of God!

                                                Your Father calls You!

                                                            Come forth!

The trembling earth

                                                unfolds her captive Creator

                                                            from the grave - leaving

Emptiness, as angels proclaim:

                                                Why seek the living among the dead?

                                                            He is not here!  He is

Risen!

                                                Christ is risen indeed!

                                                                        Alleluia!  Alleluia!

T

The Hallelujah Chorus 

G. F. Handel

Lent - Day 40: The Sabbath

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee

followed Joseph and saw the tomb,

and how His body was laid in it.

Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.

But they rested on the Sabbath

in obedience to the commandment.

-Luke 23:55-56

With Pilate’s permission, Nicodemus placed Jesus’ body in the tomb before 6:00pm on Friday evening, when the Sabbath began.  There He lay during the Sabbath hours,, guarded by soldiers and angels, awaiting the call of His Father.

The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference 

Guy Penrod / Gaither Vocal Band 

There will be an Easter Sunday blog tomorrow morning,

Including the Hallelujah Chorus (with lyrics) for you to sing along.