Jesus: The Son Of Man

JESUS; THE SON OF MAN

He lived among us. He donned he costliest of robes; a human body. He made a throne out of a manger and a royal court out of some cows. He took a common name--Jesus--and made it holy. He took common people and made them the same. He could have lived over us or away from us. But he didn't. He lived among us.

He became a friend of the sinner and brother of the poor. He touched their sores and felt their tears and paid for their mistakes. He entered a tomb and came out and pledged that we'd do the same. And to us all, and to all the frightened Freds of the world, he shared the same message. "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me...I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am" (John 14: 1,3).

And how do we respond?

Some pretend he doesn't exist. They occupy themselves with a study of the piano and ask no questions about the Maestro.

Others hear him, but don't believe him. It's not easy to believe that God would go so far to take us home.

But then, a few decide to give it a try. They venture out of their corners and peek up through the opening. Each day they look toward the sky. They, like Simeon, "wait for" and "look forward to" the day Christ comes (2 Peter 3:11). They know there is more to life than the belly of a piano, and they want to be ready when Christ comes. (From When Christ Comes by Max Lucado)

Thank you again Jesus for becoming one of us. Thank you for dwelling among us. Help us be one of those that are looking forward to you coming. We thank you for your promise of resurrection. We know that we have that hope of being with you some day. Help us to be ready and watching. Amen

Jesus: The Lamb of God

JESUS: THE LAMB OF GOD


The annual event always drew a crowd. The priest would solemnly ascend the temple steps, cradling in his arms a lamb. As the people waited outside,he would pass through the great curtain and enter the Holy of Holies. He would kill the lamb upon the altar and pray that the blood would appease God. The sins would be rolled back. And the people would sigh with relief.

A great curtain hung as a reminder of the distance between God and man. It was like a deep chasm that no one could breach. Man on his island...quarantined because of sin.

God could have left it like that. He could have left the people isolated. He could have washed his hands of the whole mess. He could have turned back, tossed in the towel, and started over on another planet. He could have, you know.

But he didn't.

God himself breached the chasm. In the darkness of an eclipsed sun, he an a Lamb stood in the Holy of Holies. He laid the Lamb on the altar. Not the lamb of a priest or a Jew or a shepherd, but the Lamb of God. The angels hushed as the blood of the Sufficient Sacrifice began to fall on the golden altar. Where had dripped the blood of lambs, not dripped the blood of life.

"Behold the Lamb of God. And then it happened. God turned and looked one last time at the curtain.

:No more." And it was torn...from top to bottom. Ripped in two.

"No more!~"
"No more lambs!"
"No more curtain!"
"No more sacrifices!"
"No more separation!"
And the sun came out. (From On the Anvil by Max Lucado)

I'm always amazed when I think of God's Love, his grace. He has continually made it easier over time for us to worship him in faith. He gave us his son and broke down all the barriers. We have a direct line to him. It's a shame that we forget and don't always use it!

Apostle's Creed (A Prayer of Faith)
I believe in God the Father Almighty,Creator of Heaven and earth;I believe in Jesus Christ,His only Son, our Lord,He was conceived by the Holy Spiritand born of the Virgin Mary.He suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended to the dead.On the third day He rose again.He ascended into Heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the Holy Catholic Church,the communion of Saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Mother's Day

Most countries celebrate Mother's Day. On this day, it is common for Mothers to be lavished with special attention from their children and loved ones. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Only recently named “Mother's Day,” the highly traditional practice of honoring of Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites typically had strong symbolic and spiritual overtones. Societies tended to celebrate Goddesses and symbols. The actual celebrating of Mom for Mother’s Day is a relatively new occurance. The maternal objects of adoration ranged from mythological female deities to the Christian Church itself. Only in the past few centuries did celebrations of Motherhood develop a human focus and not until the 1900s was it an accepted holiday in the USA.
The earliest historical records celebrating a Mother deity is found with the ancient Egyptians, who held a yearly festival to honor Isis. Isis had a stern, handsome head crowned by a pair of bull horns enclosing a fiery sun orb. Isis’ brother-husband Osiris was slain and dismembered in 13 pieces by their jealous brother Seth, Isis re-assembled Osiris’ body and then used it to impregnate herself. She gave birth to Horus, whom she was forced to hide amongst the reeds so he wouldn't be slaughtered by Seth. Horus grew up and defeated Seth. He then became ruler of Egypt. Thus Isis became as the Mother of the pharaohs.
The Mother and Son imagery of Isis and Horus, in which Isis cradles and suckles her son, is similar to Mary and baby Jesus.
Julia Ward Howe Howe initially worked to have a Mother's Day made a national holiday in the United States but was unsuccessful. Unless she personally funded the ocasion it didn't seem to work.Despite the decided failure of her holiday, Howe had nevertheless planted the seed that would bloom into what we know as Mother’s Day today. A West Virginia women’s group led by Anna Reeves Jarvis began to celebrate an adaptation of Howe’s holiday. In order to re-unite families and neighbors that had been divided between the Union and Confederate sides of the Civil War, the group held a Mother’s Friendship Day.
After Anna Reeves Jarvis died, her daughter Anna M. Jarvis campaigned for the creation of an official Mother’s Day in remembrance of her mother and in honor of peace. In 1908, Anna petitioned the superintendent of the church where her Mother had spent over 20 years teaching Sunday School. Her request was honored, and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother's Day celebration took place at Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia and a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The West Virginia event drew a congregation of 407 and Anna Jarvis arranged for white carnations, her Mother’s favorite flower, to adorn the women. Two carnations were given to every Mother in attendance. White carnations are used to honor deceased Mothers, while pink or red carnations honor Mothers who are still alive. Andrew's Methodist Church exists to this day, and was incorporated into The International Mother's Day Shrine in 1962.
This little country church still holds the charm to invite Moms' to enter and worship!
Mom's need to be appreciated all the time so click on the link below to lavish her with special recipes from famous restaurants...
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