A candle is burning somewhere tonight. It burns to signify a prayer. Or penance. Or the presence of Christ.
Throughout the world, churches burn, too. But unlike a candle, churches are ablaze for an opposite reason. They burn because of hatred of Christianity and the God of love. The true scale of religious violence is unknown, whether it is in Kenya, Turkey, Sudan, China, or France. Countless churches or Christian symbols are vandalized, defecated on, and torched every day. There is a creeping war against everything that symbolizes Christianity whether the attacks are on stone crosses, sacred statues, churches, cemeteries, Bibles, baptismal fonts or the people, themselves. Notre Dame was built in the shape of a cross. That cross was literally burning this week.
Why? Why is there destruction and hostility toward the church? It doesn’t need to puzzle us. When He walked among us, Jesus said, You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Jesus knew what would happen. He experienced it first-hand. Yet the God of love extends His mercy, even to the place of the cross. It is the cross – the battered, controversial, and despised cross – that still stands. Despite hateful intent or destruction or fire. And it is our Savior who died there we remember tonight.
Jesus left the glories of heaven to be born a man and experience the grittiness of a perfect life in an imperfect world. He learned and grew just as everyone must do. But when did He realize His mission would take him to the cross?
Luke 2:49 tells of Jesus’ parents searching for him in Jerusalem. They’d lost him! And when they finally found him, he responded not with tears but with a practical statement: I must be about my Father’s business. By that time, Jesus had read Isaiah’s prophecy: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Was he talking with the teachers at the temple about that? He kept reading. He kept thinking and contemplating. Despite the sad prophecy, He didn’t stop.
Rome was in power during Jesus’ life. When he saw Roman crosses along the road, was he considering His sacrifice then? When he learned carpentry from Joseph did they talk about how mangers and crosses were made?
When Jesus taught about entering through the narrow gate that leads to life and staying off the wide road of destruction did he know? Or when he prayed alone, did he know? Whether He knew exactly what would happen by then or not, we see our Savior continuing to teach, continuing to spend time alone with God.
Clearly Jesus knew trouble would result in even some of the healing he did, because he sometimes instructed those healed to not tell anyone. He wanted to extend his time to call more sinners to repentance. He was on a rescue mission! It was a mission he would not abandon.
But when Jesus told his disciples about the temple being destroyed and raised again in 3 days, He most certainly knew what was coming. He knew of His impending suffering and sacrifice. Yet He didn’t back away from it.
When He set out for Jerusalem, He wasn’t the only one who’d figured it out. Peter tried to talk Him out of it. But Jesus was determined. He had a mission and He would complete it.
By the time what we call Palm Sunday arrived, Jesus rode through what He knew would be fickle crowds of people – praising Him. A day or so later, He allowed Himself to be anointed with expensive perfume at Simon’s house.
Monday was the day Passover lambs were selected, and Monday is when Jesus, the Lamb of God, entered Jerusalem and visited the temple. He drove out all who were buying and selling there; and overturned the cashiers’ tables. He was – so close – to the end. And the desecration of God’s house was disgusting to Him. As it should be to us.
Jewish leaders didn’t like His message. They didn’t like Him. They felt threatened; and though they tried and tried, they found nothing. No crime. They would bring Him down despite that. On Wednesday, Judas conspired to hand Jesus over for 30 pieces of silver. Do you understand what happened? The Savior of the world was betrayed for the price of a slave.
And then it was Thursday. Jesus and His disciples prepared the Passover lamb and ate the Seder meal together. He prayed for them. For unity for them and, yes, for us even all these years later. Then they sang together. How poignant to sing a familiar song one last time.
Jesus came to earth for one reason: to save it. And us. Every. Single. One. He did not run the other way. He did not stop, though it must have been tempting. He put one foot in front of the other, and He fulfilled His awful, terrible, gracious, wonderful mission.
Let’s go there now.
Isaiah 53:5; Images: Pexels.com
our home needs since my husband’s idea of excitement is watching T.V. with a cold Dr. Pepper in his hand and my preference is a cozy mystery. Our action-packed evenings amaze even us.
bump (being without a working fist), can shake hands, and remembers what he first learned: sitting and lying down. He even stays if you don’t expect it to last beyond 30 seconds. He sits by my chair while I’m at the computer (as long as I have some snacks to bribe him with from time to time). He understands quite a few words and expressions, including “something to eat” and “drop it”, although he responds much better to one phrase than the other. He (mostly) comes when he’s called. We did have one little episode in Minneapolis, but it’s better left undiscussed, and my stress at a tolerable level.
His love of tennis balls is without compare. And the chase! If he was an orator I imagine he would expound on the thrill, ending with the words, “It makes my life complete”.
staff experiencing his love on a regular basis. And I’ll add here, that never was there, in my experience, a dog more social than this guy. All I have to say is, “Rocky’s outside,” and he bounds for the back door to visit the dog across the fence. I’m not altogether sure the feeling is mutual (Rocky is up in years and might think to himself the yard was more peaceful before an energetic puppy arrived), but some friendships take time, and our dog is in it for the long haul. He’s making in-roads with the tiny little dog kitty-corner to us, two dogs another yard over, and the rest of the walking public (including the high school track team). The expression “never met a stranger” is true of him. And while these days we are becoming doubtful of others’ good intentions, he is not.
And I have some news! We’re not the only ones who care about prayer! (Okay and yes, I rhymed on purpose.)
bedrock of freedom and morals taken from Moses, himself. If I told you the truth and said the Bible some of you would check out, so we’ll just say Moses for now. Everybody likes Charlton Heston. Or did at one time.
By the time everyone had either experienced or witnessed the plagues, Israel had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground while God parted it in two, and Moses had gone up on the mountain and fasted 40 days, there was some water under the bridge, you know? So when he came down and saw the folks that he’d led out of Egypt – the ones he’d put his own neck on the line for, the ones God was doing all sorts of beyond amazing things for – had made a golden calf and were worshiping it – worshiping it – you might understand his distress, frustration, and anger.
slammed those commandments down so hard, they shattered. Stone shattered! He must’ve really crushed it. He was mad. Witnessing corruption will do that to a person. But think how embarrassing it would be to be the one to shatter the 10 Commandments. It makes me like him even a little more. Fortunately, God made a second set for him to give to the people, and he put it in the Ark. Safe and sound.
God created nations, and He loves them. In fact, we are told in Revelation about the leaves of a tree used to heal the nations. Love of country does not equal hate of another country or other people. It simply means that you love your home.
being a rescue from an Amish puppy mill, was already over 3 months old when we got him. I was glad he had a little religion already. But by the time I signed up for training, he was too old for the puppy class. We went to our first tweener class last week. It is a walk-in situation, which suits us; though why we have trouble connecting schedules when all four kids are out of the house, I can’t explain. We were the only ones who raised their hands to indicate it was our first time being there, which leads me to my clue. When the instructor asks if your puppy knows “Sit”, and you say “Yes”, the answer to the follow-up question of “How many times do you say it before your dog obeys?” is not “As many times as it takes”. You’re welcome. I live to serve.
and growling and rolling around on the floor. Some of the sweet little things walked behind their owners’ chairs or bumped noses. Not ours. Ours was right out in the middle of things the entire time. I began to understand a bit more of how parents of kids with ADHD feel.
the influence some others do. But still we can take a page from someone we admire. After all, citizens of good character who stand straight and strong and who do whatever it is at their hand to do with honor and care are more 
likely to hold a nation up than bring it to its knees. We’re not just a thousand points of light. We’re a thousand steel beams, a thousand iron plates, a thousand rivets and bolts.