I’ve been writing on Holy Week this past week, and I wanted to actually be able to write something about Easter, too. I sat down earlier today to try to write about the resurrection, and hope fulfilled. I wanted to write something about God doing the unexpected in times of trouble, and walking with us when we don’t even know it’s Him. But I couldn’t write that today.
Tagged Christian, Christianity, Easter, Easter Sunday, Gospel, Holy Week, Jesus, Redemption, Resurrection Sunday
Growing up in church, I was raised with Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday traditions. They were more than traditions for some, to be sure, but traditions they were. Plays depicting how the crowds shouted “Hosanna! Hosanna!” as Jesus entered the city riding an ass. Actors illustrating for us the righteous anger of Christ when He saw the Temple had become a “Den of thieves” instead of a house of prayer for all nations, turning over the tables – cursing the temple system. The last supper, where Christ gave the mandate of Communion, of the Eucharist, commanding that we do so in remembrance of Him. Representations of King Jesus being beaten, mocked, and whipped. Crucified and buried. Rising again. Yet, somehow, with the repetitive nature of this, year in and year out, I found myself inoculated to these performances.
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When we think of Christmas, we may think of baby Jesus lying in a manger, surrounded by shepherds coming to see the baby the angels told them about. We may also think of the three wise men showing up a few years later, or we may even think of the nativity scenes that so often incorrectly include the wise men at the manger. Many of us may be so overwhelmed with the busyness of the holiday season that we don’t have time to think about why we’re running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to buy that last present on Christmas Eve, or simply trying to come up with new places to hide the presents we’ve bought so that the future detectives (a.k.a. nosy kids) running around don’t find the unwrapped presents and ruin the surprise. Then we have the younger ones, to whom, for the most part, Christmas is about one thing: getting presents. Continue reading
Posted in Bible Study
Tagged Angels, Baby Jesus, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Church, Crucifixion, Divine Plan, Easter, Evil, God, God's Will, Gospel, Jesus, Manger, Pain, Religion, Shepherds, Sovereignty, Suffering, The Bible, The Cross, Wise Men
