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As we approach our most joyous celebration – the rising of our Savior, the first-fruits of eternal life, the opening of eternity for a mutinous creature – let’s take a moment and consider the cost.

No earthly torture will ever amount to the screaming schism as the Father looked away from the Son and restrained Himself from rescuing Him until the wrath was complete.

There are not enough words, not enough metaphors to describe this.

But there are some word-pictures that we might miss if we don’t examine the act of crucifixion on the God wrapped in flesh. The flogging, the nailing of beaten skin, the naked shame, the jeers as the prisoner gasped for life – opportunities for the most sadistic cruelty to emerge from man’s heart unchecked. We see that through the sinful judgment of man on God, that God absorbed the price of the sins of man.

The Jewish people reserved crucifixion for anyone who betrayed his own people to a foreign enemy, sorcerers, and idolators (Josephus, Antiquities 13:41, Numbers 25:1-4, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Mishnah, Sanhedrin 6.5) How ironic that the Jewish people betrayed their God to a foreign enemy (Luke 23:6-16) and accused Him of being in league with a demon (John 10:33) as well as blasphemy that accorded this death sentence (Mark 14:64).

The Romans adopted the practice of crucifixion as the supreme penalty for specific instances. It was executed upon lower classes, in wartime, and upon slaves.

Consider this:

• Crucifixion was thought to deter slaves from insurrection. It was rare for a slave to have protection from his master. But Jesus was actually the Master who was betrayed by His servants (Mark 12:1-10). 
• Crucifixion was used to break the will of a conquered people by the conquerors. This act of conquest is used by God to bring freedom (Galatians 3:10-13).
• Crucifixion was used for crimes of high treason (Luke 23:2-3). Jesus is the true King of all the kings (Matthew 26:64). The kings of the earth will answer to Him (Psalm 2:2, Revelation 1:5).
• Crucifixion was used in contexts of war. And yet, when Jesus submitted to it, He brought peace (Isaiah 53:7).
• Perhaps most shockingly, crucifixion was used for religions that were not condoned by the earthly government. It was the true God that man dared to execute judgment on! (John 1:1-18)

That night, the apostles were in despair. They were terrified, confused, discouraged and unsure. But what looked like the worst evening in the history of mankind was the most wonderful loving act for them.

In Acts 2, Peter explains it eloquently by reminding them of the words of the long-ago prophets and then explaining,

“²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” Acts 2:22-24

The response of the crowd echoes into our own souls, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). For, if we are honest with ourselves, we, too have betrayed God. We too, commit high treason when we reject His authority over our lives. But Peter’s plea for repentance is our incredible privilege as we recognize that He is perfecting the work of sanctification in us.

So, what does this mean for you and for me? If Jesus is our Savior, if we embrace the atoning work that He endured on our behalf, what now?

The answer is in Luke 9:23-27,

“²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

If you are prayerfully considering what this might look like in your life, I would encourage you to pray through Philippians 2:6-11 and 1 Corinthians 1:20-25.

May He bless you as you seek His face and celebrate the awesome work of resurrection this Sunday!  He is risen indeed!

Reference: Hengel, Martin “Crucifixion” Fortress Press, 1977

In a survey of students at a prominent mid-western university, 67% claimed to be of the Christian faith. When those surveyed were asked what they first thought of when Easter was mentioned, what do you think they answered?

• The leading response was Easter eggs at 26%.
• The Easter bunny garnered 16%.
• Church came in at 14%.
• Christ received 11%.
• Resurrection got 11%.
• Sweets were mentioned in 5%.
• Family came up in 5%.
• Other stuff    12%. 

If you count Church, Christ and Resurrection together, that adds up to just 36%. Compared to Easter eggs and the Easter bunny adding up to whopping 42%. Wow!

But, regardless of what the world, our culture or our customs tell us, the reason Christians celebrate Easter is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Without doubt Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the single most important event in all of history.

Jesus’ resurrection is the lynch-pin to God’s creative masterpiece.

Just as there is one cut of the rough diamond that displays all the brilliant facets of the ge, so the resurrection reveals the many aspects of God’s redemptive plan.

The Facts Are:

God sent His only Son to live among us for the purpose of restoring us to right relationship with Him shows the great lengths He is willing to go to keep His promises. God is faithful.

Jesus came, knowing death on a cross awaited Him, demonstrates how great His love for us is. God is love.

Jesus bore our sins and took the punishment for them, He paid the price for our redemption, exhibits the saving grace of our redeemer. Jesus saves.

God’s raising Jesus from the dead is proof that we are free from the bondage of sin and death. The resurrection is our assurance that the holy and just God accepts the sacrifice made on our behalf; our debt is paid in full, our hope is secure. Jesus lives!!

As Christians we celebrate as a praise offering to God for what He has done.

We celebrate the wonderful transformation that we’ve experienced in salvation and the continuing transformation of sanctification.

We celebrate because we have been blessed.

We celebrate so that others might see our joy and be drawn to the Savior.

We celebrate the RESURRECTION!

As a church, we celebrate Advent as the “Expectant Waiting for Christ”. We celebrate the birth of our infant Savior, whose long promised prophecy was fulfilled. The world’s salvation came to earth that night so long ago in Bethlehem.  

Perhaps you’ve followed along with the Advent readings, the lighting of the candles, and even reached out to the weary world during this season. If so, you might be asking yourself, “Now what?”  What are we called to do after we’ve celebrated Christ’s birth? Is this merely a ceremony that we will repeat next year? I would submit that there is far more to Christmas than just the waiting and celebration.

What we do after Christmas is just as important as what we do leading up to Christmas!

You see, there is something more to be celebrated, to be considered, to be shared….something we don’t want to miss.

Take note of the shepherds’ response to seeing baby Jesus lying in the manger of a stable, in Bethlehem, wrapped in strips of cloth, just as the Angel told them He would be.

Upon hearing about the Messiah’s birth, the shepherds went immediately.

They saw the hope of generations, just as they had been told by the angel, and they couldn’t help but respond! How often does that happen with you? If we’re being honest, I would confess that I might remember God’s call on my heart and then drag my feet when it comes to telling others. I’d ask if He’s sure I’m the one for this, maybe, procrastinate a bit…..you get the point.

But not the shepherds! Instead, they said,

“Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” And then, they acted! “ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2: 15-18)

Unlike me, the shepherds saw and heard the angels, went and saw for themselves, and then ACTED. They told everyone!  

It seems to me that the time just after Advent is where the rubber meets the road.

How will you respond to our Savior in light of this season?

Will you go out and tell the world what you’ve experienced? Will you share His story, His love and perhaps your testimony? There is no better time than right now. Don’t wait until January 1^st because New Year’s resolutions have nothing on the Gospel! This is too important to wait.

Who did you mean to share the gospel with this year, but didn’t? Who did you mean to serve, but got too busy too? What ministry do you intend to get involved in, but never did?

Did God lay a call on your heart that you didn’t act on?  

Don’t be discouraged, pray over how God would use you right now, today, and in the coming year, and then, like the shepherds, ACT!

Hurry to fulfill His purpose for you and be astonished at how He uses you, and how He transforms you, as you fulfill His purpose.

The wait is over…..the time is now.  Act on God’s heart.

For our family, the focus of Christmas was Christmas Eve.  Yes, we shopped for presents, listened to Christmas music, put up a Christmas tree, looked forward to posole and tamales Christmas Eve, spent time with Joan’s family in Albuquerque or mine in Kansas, and opened presents Christmas morning. But, from the time our children were small, we always looked forward to a Christmas Eve church service followed by a family time. 

That time started with reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” (with each member rubbing the fuzzy surface of Santa’s clothes), then several children’s books built around Jesus’ birth.  Next, I would read about His birth from the Bible and we would have a short time of prayer. The kids would then go off to bed while Joan and I finished wrapping presents. 

As our children became adults and we began adding grandchildren, we continued meeting at our house for Christmas and the Christmas Eve service followed by the family time (without changes – including the mandatory rubbing of Santa’s clothes).

Then the Lord sent Joan and me to Africa and we missed the tradition for 6 years.  In the U.S. the meeting place moved to our daughter’s home since she had children and our son was not yet married.  But, other than that, Christmas Eve was the same.

In Nigeria, things were different. The months leading up to Christmas were marked by an increased rate of armed robberies. And there were no Christmas Eve services because it was too dangerous to be out after dark. So Christian families gathered in their homes early. There was little outward evidence of Christmas and, because of unreliable phone service, the likelihood that we could communicate with our children in the U.S. was slim to none.  But we had God’s Word, knew His abiding presence, and had experienced His utter faithfulness, and they were more than enough.

Now that Joan and I are back in the U.S., we still meet at our daughter’s home as they did when we were gone.  And now that we have grown grandchildren (as well as an infant grandson), the tradition still holds, always ending with Scripture.

The time in Nigeria was a real blessing to us in many ways.  One of them was in moving more of the Point of Christmas more from our heads to our hearts.  No matter the tradition of the culture where one is living, there are things that are firm and unchangeable. 

Particularly that “God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son..”  By itself, that fact is an absolute wonder!  And He did it for a purpose “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). The accounts of His birth carry evidence that Jesus met all the requirements for the long awaited Savior of the world; the only One who could reconcile us to God as we put our faith in Him.

At the end of the day, our confidence and comfort are in Him and Him alone.  What a great privilege we have to be able to celebrate His birth openly and without fear!

May the reality of His presence fill you with His peace and joy this Christmas and always.

Christmas cards! A sparkly, happy and festive reminder of the people we care about reaching out to us, sharing their news and remembering us during the Holidays. With photos of happy, smiling families or reindeer smiling gaily you may hang them on your tree, a wreath, a swag across the door, or in some other Pinterest-worthy presentation.

The idea is almost antiquated, surpassed by technology, opportunity, and convenience. Yet, surprisingly, happily, the cards still come. Keeping us in touch with loved ones in a way that still surpasses Facebook.

But the holidays pass. We take down our decorations and then what? Do those cards go in the recycling or trash? Maybe you’re crafty and add them to a holiday book……but then the book ends up in the box with last year’s and the years’ before that, forgotten and collecting dust. A sweet reminder of friends, quickly laid aside, as the excitement of the New Year comes upon us.

What if there was a different way to “use” these Christmas Cards, one with a value greater than the glitter, foil-print, gloss and ribbon?

What if your Christmas Cards became Prayer Cards?

What if those Christmas letters sharing the excitement, success, perhaps sorrow, or changes of your friends’ and family’s previous year were used as an insight on how you can pray for them? Wouldn’t that change your perspective on Christmas cards completely? For them and for you!

Several years ago, close friends of ours, prayers warriors, shared how they “use” their Christmas Cards as Prayer Cards. As the Christmas Cards come in throughout the month of December, and a few in January, they are indeed used to decorate. But once the season is past, they are added to a simple basket on the dining room table.

At each meal throughout the year one card is taken out, perhaps the card or letter is reread, and then they pray over that family or individual. Specifically. By name. By occasion; giving thanks, supplication, or prayerful request.

This family now gets our card every year! We never know what day they might be praying for us. But HE does and they do. And we take strength from their commitment to caring for us. This has become our tradition, as well.

We keep a simple basket at our table, or sometimes on the mantle, filled with Christmas cards of the ones we love as a constant reminder to pray for friends and family, near and far. We pray for their lives; for their relationships; for their salvation. This is not saving the planet. We are not recycling.

We are reaffirming and reinvesting our love and commitment to family and friends throughout the year. We are re-dedicating ourselves and our lives to use God’s precious power to help those we love.

What would it look like for your family to pray over Christmas cards? How would it change your prayer life and the lives of those you care about most?