Encouraging Deep Roots

Luke 24:28-35 (HCSB) ~ They came near the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther. But they urged Him: “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them. It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.    Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight. So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”  That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together,    who said, “The Lord has certainly been raised, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. It is the day of the resurrection and t...

Luke 9:23-24 ~  Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it." Today is Palm Sunday and I love the celebration and symbols of this day. Like the crowds in this Palm Sunday story, we celebrate and excitedly welcome Jesus into our midst. In our context here, we have breakfast together. We decorate the aisle of the church with palms. Later today the children and adults will march around the sanctuary and wave the palms. We've created crosses from some of the palm branches that people can take home with them. As I was reflecting on this day, the thought occurred to me that when we follow Jesus we enjoy certain aspects of that, but we don't always weigh the cost of following Him. We forget that following Him means we are to pick up a cross and live a crucified life.  Picking up my cross means that I ...

I was busily running around the church this morning, vacuuming, straightening, getting bulletins ready and figuring out a children's church lesson. I have company coming on Sunday and still need to get the house ready for that as well as prep. I'm going to have to drive and pick up my in-laws before church (a little over an hour each way) and get them into the building, settled, and then do children's church, etc. I could feel my attitude disintegrating very quickly and was kind of feeling sorry for myself. (Just being honest). I started feeling a bit resentful that I never get to enjoy the celebration because I'm working to make it nice for everyone else.  Then I heard a still quiet voice say, "Who are you doing it for?" "Isn't the sacrifice I gave worth more than of all your minor inconveniences?" Ouch. That brought me up short, caused me to ask for forgiveness and shifted my attitude. How can I complain over petty stuff when I reflect on the m...

Matthew 26:36-45 ~ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he...

John 12:1-8 ~ It was six days before the Passover Feast. Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. Lazarus was the one Jesus had raised from the dead. A dinner was given at Bethany to honor Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus was among the people at the table with Jesus. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard. It was an expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot didn’t like what Mary did. He was one of Jesus’ disciples. Later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies. Judas said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold? Why wasn’t the money given to poor people? It was worth a year’s pay.” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor. He said it because he was a thief. Judas was in charge of the money bag. He used to help himself to what was in it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “The perfume was meant for the day I am buried. You will always have the poor among you...

Matthew 21:1-11 ~ As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage. It was on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two disciples. He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a donkey tied up. Her colt will be with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them. The owner will send them right away.” This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would come true. It says, “Say to the city of Zion,     ‘See, your king comes to you. He is gentle and riding on a donkey.     He is riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ” (Zechariah 9:9) The disciples went and did what Jesus told them to do. They brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their coats on them for Jesus to sit on.  Whenever I read the Palm Sunday story of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem I have put myself in the character as one of the crowd. This morning I looked at it from the point of view of...

 I woke up at 2 a.m. to thunder, lightning and a heavy downpour. April decided to come in to the proverbial "April showers bring May flowers." As I lay awake listening to the rain, I found it hard to get back to sleep. Often my mind gets buzzing with things I need to do, concerns I have or just random thoughts. What I've found has worked is to spend some time praying. Yesterday, I was busy preparing for the upcoming Holy Week celebrations at church. It begins tomorrow with a Palm Sunday breakfast at church, followed by our service. On Friday, we will have prayer stations set up throughout the church for Good Friday and then our Easter Sunday service. This is my favorite time of the year in the church and I think it even trumps Christmas for me. It's a time of reflection and thanksgiving and worship. A time to remember Christ's sacrifice and a time for renewed joy in His resurrection. I want to savor every moment. I don't want to rush through it and I don't...

This morning I decorated with palm branches for our Palm Sunday service tomorrow. Normally, I make palm crosses out of the branches, but this year we purchased ready made crosses. I am planning on taking some of the branches and forming them into something for one of our prayer stations I am putting together for Good Friday. One of the reasons I love Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter is that it reminds me of why I have hope no matter what trials or difficulty I'm going through. Each morning I wake up with renewed joy in my heart because of the sacrifice made for me and the miraculous resurrection of Christ.  We sometimes take that for granted.  We pay it lip service, but often have a "meh" attitude about what was done for us. I'm thankful for these reminders each year.  It is because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross that I can have joy, peace and hope each day of my life. It doesn't matter what valley I find myself in, I know that God will see me throug...

Yesterday was Easter and Christians all over the world celebrated the resurrection. They had on their new clothes and shiny, smiling Easter faces. But what happens the day after Easter?  How many show up for church just for that day, thinking they have done their duty until Christmas?  How many continue to go to church, yet, the wondrous miracle of this event in history does very little to change them?   What happens the day after resurrection Sunday, when monotonous Monday hits?    Various concerns and situations still face me. I have a to-do list that is longer than my arm. I still have to deal with the same crisis that was there before Easter. I'm still the same person with the same ongoing struggles. What happens when the normality of life keeps marching on day, after humdrum, day?   Does the resurrection still hold the same meaning when facing a painful illness, a pile of dirty laundry, and a stack of bills?  Does the joy...

Luke 23:46 (HCSB) ~ And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit. ” Can you imagine living your life in such a way that at the end of it you can say, "Father, do with me what you will?" We come to the end of Jesus life. He has completed the task he willingly chose to do. He has paid the ultimate price for our sins. And now he speaks these words that show his complete and utter trust in his Heavenly Father. What a beautiful picture of his relationship with God. After he spoke these words, he died. And even in his passing, he changed lives. Verse 47 tells us that a centurion who was standing nearby, saw this and began to praise God. His sacrifice is meant to do just that. Jesus came so that I can be a changed person. I cannot see and understand what He did without realizing my desperate need to put my life into the hands of my Heavenly Father. His death and later, resurrection calls me to know that I cannot do any...

John 19:28 - 30 (HCSB) ~ After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!”   A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” These two sayings of Christ really go together because they reflect the same thing.  Previously, Jesus cut his last earthly tie by making sure his mother was cared for and now, knowing that all he came to do was completed, he did one final act that is remarkable. Earlier, he had been offered wine which he denied. It would have dulled his senses and made the crucifixion a bit more bearable. Instead, now knowing that all was completed, he expresses his thirst and was offered sour wine or vinegar which would have immediately heightened the pain and awareness of what was going on.  It was a...

Matthew 27:46 (HCSB) ~ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni? ” that is, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? ” Jesus lets out a terrible cry of despair as his flesh, raw and ripped open from his flogging, rubbed against the rough wood of the cross. He body's weight rests on hands and feet that are driven through with nails. Large thorns embedded on a crown have been shoved into his head. His body is beginning to shut down. He would have been slowly suffocating due to being unable to draw enough oxygen into his lungs. The cells unable to receive enough oxygen begin to break down and carbon dioxide makes its way into the lungs. It is a terrible way to die. The words He speaks are actually from the beginning of Psalm 22, which shows a prophetic testimony of Christ's suffering. I encourage you to read the entire Psalm for yourself.  More importantly, these words of...

John 19:26-27 (HCSB) ~ When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”   Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” My heart aches when my children are hurting. I am so emotionally connected to them that it's hard to see them struggle or hurt by the unkindness of others. So I cannot even imagine the emotional horror and pain Mary was going through as she sees her son hanging on that cross. She watches him labor for each breath. She knows that he is going to die. She is heartbroken. I'm sure she would have taken his place if she could. These words of Jesus show his humanity and love for his mother. Some scholars believe at this point Joseph is deceased, so as a widow in that society, she was vulnerable. It was up to the oldest son to fill the shoes of his father as the next in line. So here we see Jesus doing just that.  He asks his friend and disciple to care for his moth...

Luke 23:43 (HCSB) ~ And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.” Hour after agonizing hour, Jesus hung on the cross. As the splintered wood cut into the raw and open wounds on His back, Jesus is asked a question by the criminal hanging next to him, "Will you please remember me when you come into your kingdom?"  And even in his pain, Jesus assures the man of his eternal destiny. As I reflected on this, I realized that there would have been no time for this man to ask for forgiveness from those he wronged. No time for him to make restitution. No time for him to act differently. No time for baptism nor any of the outward symbols of a changed life. There was just a desperate plea to be remembered. And just as quickly Jesus, recognizing his heart condition and his desire for repentance, speaks these simple words, "You will be with me today." It's just that simple.  How many times do we think people have to prove ...

Luke 23:34 ~ “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” The tears streamed down my cheeks, as I thought of the multitude of ways I had been hurt by another.  I relived each intentional word and action that had cut me to my core. "Father, how can I forgive them, when they so deliberately hurt me?" The image of Jesus, hanging on a tree in agony, popped into my head.  How could he forgive those who put him there?  How could he forgive those who cursed at him, spat at him, mocked him, beat him, and nailed his hands and feet to the rough wood?  I think the answer comes in the second part of his sentence, "They don't know what they are doing."   Jesus understood that without his sacrifice, there would be no ability for people to even comprehend what forgiveness meant, let alone being able to do so..  His sacrifice gives me the ability to forgive others when they hurt me.  Without Christ's death and resurrection, ...

The Unexpected King  by Terri Groh Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed be the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Here comes the expectant King, riding towards Jerusalem, not with sword As what thought. Not on horse, tall and proud. But on a young beast of burden, before the expectant crowd.   They shouted and through the streets the men, women and children ran, Waved their branches of palm and threw up their welcoming hands. Little did they realize that in just a few short sleeps. This king would be led to a slaughter, much like sheep.   The crowd that waved those praising hands in the sky Would soon lift fists up high and shout, “Crucify!” “Crucify!” Fickle people that would so easily be turned astray, by religious leaders old and gray,  with hearts as hard and brittle as clay.   Jesus rode through that crowd and the children laughed and cried out. “Master, Teacher, Lord!” the people did shout! Joy and praise, love and laughter, ador...

"What's this one?" I asked, as I stooped to pluck a small white flower.   We had moved into a new home and a lady from our church was pointing out different flowers to me.  I'm terrible at gardening and trying to remember all the names is always difficult.  As I pulled on the stem and root, a reddish substance came off on my hand. "That's bloodroot,” my friend explained.   “It always blooms in the spring around Easter and has reddish orange roots that twist and wind their way underground.  The flower opens with the light of day and closes as night falls.   If you break open the stem, a bloodlike fluid oozes out... hence the name bloodroot." Bloodroot.  I thought it appropriate that it blooms during the Easter season.  It is a reminder of the sacrifice made for us. Healing Blood.   Bloodroot has multiple healing powers and has been used for bronchitis, extreme sore throats, and skin disorders.  Christ's dea...