It's Hosanna Day! The start of Holy Week and maybe a start of a new you!
Oh How I remember teaching during Lent. How to receive your first communion and what it really means. How did we get it in the first place? It's the Jewish Passover celebrated by Jesus with His disciples as the Last Supper. The jews left Egypt so fast, but first the LORD had instructions for them. We celebrate it as Jesus celebrated with his disciples.
Here's a bit more explanation:
A Brief History
Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God's deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and His creation of the Israelite people.
The festival of Passover begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April) and marks the beginning of a seven day celebration which includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The highlight of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means "order," because of the fixed order of service), which is a time to rejoice and celebrate the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished through the exodus.
What every Christian needs to know about Passover
As many prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, knowing the cultural Jewish soil on which Jesus walked is important to a mature and growing Christian faith. Here are a few steps for help along the Passover journey.
Step One: Read the Bible about Passover.
Jesus and the apostles were celebrating Passover at the Last Supper, because they were Jewish men with Jewish observances:
"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance." (Exodus 12:14)
"Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying ‘go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.'" (Luke 22:7-8)
Step Two: Attend a service at a messianic temple. Most congregations at a messianic temple are made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Or, you might consider having your own service in your home with family and friends. For resources see www.messianicjewish.net.
Step Three: Learn traditional prayers that are said during Passover. You can find these online at www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm. Or, you can learn them from a rabbi.
Step Four: Cook a traditional Passover meal. You can find out how to do so by obtaining a book about Passover from the library or search on the web articles like, "How to Make Passover Eclairs" or "How to Make Matzo Meal Pancakes for Passover."
A few foods include:
Parting Thoughts
Some might debate whether or not it is appropriate for a Christian to celebrate Passover. Whether one chooses to do so or not is a decision for the individual Christian to make. While Passover remembers the Jews deliverance from slavery, it also is a depiction of Christ's atonement for His people and His deliverance of us from the bondage of sin. The end result is certainly worthy of a Christian's consideration and could provide needed "bread for the journey" - whether it is unleavened or not!
As a final step in the process, allow me to encourage you to speak with a Rabbi about Passover if you have additional curiosities. He can inform you about this important Jewish observation.
Russ Jones is co-publisher of the award winning Christian Press Newspaper (ChristianPress.com) and CEO of BIG Picture Media Group, Inc., a boutique media firm located in Newton, Kansas. Jones holds degrees from the University of Missouri and St. Paul School of Theology. As a former NBC TV reporter he enjoys reporting where evangelical Christian faith and news of the day intersect. He is president of the Fellowship of Christian Newspapers. Jones is also a freelance reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Total Living Network and writes blog reports for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. He may be reached at russ@christianpress.com.
Original publication date: April 1, 2010
Growing up in the South at a time when there was a lot more etiquette in the air, I learned an important lesson about Easter: That's the day you can begin to wear white shoes again after winter. Fortunately, my family and church taught me more crucial lessons about the holiday that marks the crux of the Christian's life.
Crucial, crux, holiday -- in these words we see even our language bowing to the essential nature of the event we remember during Lent and Easter. Good Friday is not just a day off work; it is a holy day. Easter's Resurrection could happen only after the Crucifixion, and the cross is like a crossroads in our lives. Every one of us must stand at that crux, that point requiring resolution, and must choose which way to go. The decision we make is crucial -- the crisis of our lives is resolved by our turn toward either life or death. Jesus said, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but he passed from death to life" (John 5:24).
We reveal to ourselves and others what is important to us by the way we celebrate. Is the season before Easter mainly a hassle to get to the mall and a strain on the budget purchasing clothes, candy, cards, and groceries for a big dinner? Or is it several days or weeks of considering God's work in our lives through Jesus, along with special activities to help us think about Jesus' death and resurrection?
Over the course of the Lenten and Easter season, we are remembering the lowest points of sin and the highest peaks of what God has done for us through Jesus. We have a way, the only way, to the Father through Jesus. That's worth celebrating!
Jesus said....I'm the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
And yet every year somehow it's so easy for Easter to slip up on us, and suddenly we're saying, "Oh, my goodness, it's Palm Sunday already!" Let's think of some ways to be prepared, to be waiting for Easter.
Holy Week
If the children in your life are young, Lent may be too long a waiting time. In that case, the week that begins with Palm Sunday may be just long enough for anticipating Easter. At our house, we use a play dough mountain and chenille stick (pipe cleaner) people to depict what happened during the week. (*see instructions for mountain at the end of this article.)
As you're reading the Gospels, make a list of the days beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter. Try to assign part of the Holy Week story to each day. I realize that it's not clear on which day some things happened, but spread out the events in order as evenly as you can.
Each day we play out part of the story with the chenille stick people. Finally on Good Friday the Jesus figure is placed on the cross and then laid in the grave under the mountain with a rock "sealing" the entrance. After activity all week, there is nothing to do on Saturday except wait. Perhaps that gives the children a tiny bit of empathy for the disciples who were hidden away, thinking all was lost.
The first year we made an Easter mountain, three-year-old Karsten woke on Easter morning and pattered out to the dining room to check the mountain. He saw "Jesus" astride the top of the hill, arms raised in triumph. After a few motionless moments of silence, Karsten shouted, "He's alive, Jesus is alive!"
This activity is excellent for as many years as children can enjoy it and take it somewhat seriously. As soon as it starts to be treated as silly, it's time to set it aside. The reality of the Crucifixion is too deep and horrendous to be treated lightly.
I felt the weight of it most heavily, I think, as I watched a video brought home by a missionary from a nation where it is very difficult to be a Christian -- where many people have suffered for their faith. We watched as the brothers and sisters in a house church broke bread together in remembrance of Jesus' death. Their tears and cries and spasm of grief were so overwhelming they could hardly eat and drink. It was as if Jesus were being crucified before them at that very moment.
It is no small think to "proclaim the Lord's death" (1 Corinthians 11:26), which is what we are doing not just on Good Friday, but every time we eat and drink together the Lord's Supper. Jesus' suffering is very real to his people who suffer because of their faith. May we not take our Lord's death for granted. Our lives depend on it.
I don't want to aim so purposefully toward Easter that I speed unthinkingly past the cross. But at the same time, the Crucifixion -- Jesus' death -- is not the end.
Easter
After the somber days of Lent, we wake to Easter morning. At our house that means I slip downstairs ahead of the children to set out the breakfast cake and turn on some "hallelujah music" to meet the family as they appear. A lamb cake, representing the Lamb of God, decorates the table and will be dessert later in the day. All the Lenten candles burn brightly because the Light of the World has overcome the darkness. At the table together we read the story of the Resurrection.
Then -- the high point of the day -- we gather with other glad believers to worship our living God and cry together, "The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!" This the cry that resonates through all our celebrations and traditions through all the year. If it were not so, it wouldn't matter what our traditions were or even if we had any. If it were not so, we would have no eternal inheritance, no Heirloom that is God himself.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
Other Lenten and Easter Ideas
• Pull out all your CDs or tapes of Easter music. Have them handy to pop into your player.
• Read books that will deepen your spiritual life and your understanding of what God has done. Ideas might include missionary biographies or The Pleasures of God (John Piper), in particular the chapter entitled "God's Pleasure in Bruising His Son." You could use The Man Born to Be King (Dorothy L. Sayers), a radio play, for an evening of aloud with friends.
• Put all of your children's Easter-related books, tapes, DVDs, and videos in a basket so that they're handy for you and the children to pick up on the spur of the moment. This would include stories and information about Passover as well.
• Make use of the Jesus video (http://www.jesusvideo.org/) with your family and with friends who don't yet know Jesus personally.
• Set aside a special place for your family's devotional times.
• Attend your church's services that are held during this season. Prepare yourself and your children for the focus and mood of each service.
From Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper, copyright 2003, pages 92, 95-98. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, http://www.gnpcb.org/. Download for personal use only. Scripture passages used in this selection are from, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright 2001
Noel Piper and her husband, John, have ministered since 1980 at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have four sons and a daughter. Noel is a graduate of Wheaten College (B.A.).Page Source (url): http://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/holy-week-prepare-for-easter-with-your-family-1317997.html
Here's a bit more explanation:
What Every Christian Needs to Know About Passover
- Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God's deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and His creation of the Israelite people.
The festival of Passover begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April) and marks the beginning of a seven day celebration which includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The highlight of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means "order," because of the fixed order of service), which is a time to rejoice and celebrate the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished through the exodus.
What every Christian needs to know about Passover
As many prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, knowing the cultural Jewish soil on which Jesus walked is important to a mature and growing Christian faith. Here are a few steps for help along the Passover journey.
Step One: Read the Bible about Passover.
Jesus and the apostles were celebrating Passover at the Last Supper, because they were Jewish men with Jewish observances:
"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance." (Exodus 12:14)
"Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying ‘go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.'" (Luke 22:7-8)
Step Two: Attend a service at a messianic temple. Most congregations at a messianic temple are made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Or, you might consider having your own service in your home with family and friends. For resources see www.messianicjewish.net.
Step Three: Learn traditional prayers that are said during Passover. You can find these online at www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm. Or, you can learn them from a rabbi.
Step Four: Cook a traditional Passover meal. You can find out how to do so by obtaining a book about Passover from the library or search on the web articles like, "How to Make Passover Eclairs" or "How to Make Matzo Meal Pancakes for Passover."
A few foods include:
- Matzoh: three unleavened matzohs are placed within the folds of a napkin as a reminder of the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, leaving no time for dough to rise. Two are consumed during the service, and one (the Aftkomen), is spirited away and hidden during the ceremony to be later found as a prize.
- Maror: bitter herbs, usually horseradish or romaine lettuce, used to symbolize the bitterness of slavery.
- Charoses: a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon, as a reminder of the mortar used by the Jews in the construction of buildings as slaves.
- Beitzah: a roasted egg, as a symbol of life and the perpetuation of existence.
- Karpas: a vegetable, preferably parsley or celery, representing hope and redemption; served with a bowl of salted water to represent the tears shed.
- Zeroah: traditionally a piece of roasted lamb shankbone, symbolizing the paschal sacrificial offering
- Wine: four glasses of wine are consumed during the service to represent the four-fold promise of redemption, with a special glass left for Elijah the prophet.
Parting Thoughts
Some might debate whether or not it is appropriate for a Christian to celebrate Passover. Whether one chooses to do so or not is a decision for the individual Christian to make. While Passover remembers the Jews deliverance from slavery, it also is a depiction of Christ's atonement for His people and His deliverance of us from the bondage of sin. The end result is certainly worthy of a Christian's consideration and could provide needed "bread for the journey" - whether it is unleavened or not!
As a final step in the process, allow me to encourage you to speak with a Rabbi about Passover if you have additional curiosities. He can inform you about this important Jewish observation.
Russ Jones is co-publisher of the award winning Christian Press Newspaper (ChristianPress.com) and CEO of BIG Picture Media Group, Inc., a boutique media firm located in Newton, Kansas. Jones holds degrees from the University of Missouri and St. Paul School of Theology. As a former NBC TV reporter he enjoys reporting where evangelical Christian faith and news of the day intersect. He is president of the Fellowship of Christian Newspapers. Jones is also a freelance reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Total Living Network and writes blog reports for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. He may be reached at russ@christianpress.com.
Original publication date: April 1, 2010
Holy Week: Prepare for Easter with Your Family
Growing up in the South at a time when there was a lot more etiquette in the air, I learned an important lesson about Easter: That's the day you can begin to wear white shoes again after winter. Fortunately, my family and church taught me more crucial lessons about the holiday that marks the crux of the Christian's life.
Crucial, crux, holiday -- in these words we see even our language bowing to the essential nature of the event we remember during Lent and Easter. Good Friday is not just a day off work; it is a holy day. Easter's Resurrection could happen only after the Crucifixion, and the cross is like a crossroads in our lives. Every one of us must stand at that crux, that point requiring resolution, and must choose which way to go. The decision we make is crucial -- the crisis of our lives is resolved by our turn toward either life or death. Jesus said, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but he passed from death to life" (John 5:24).
We reveal to ourselves and others what is important to us by the way we celebrate. Is the season before Easter mainly a hassle to get to the mall and a strain on the budget purchasing clothes, candy, cards, and groceries for a big dinner? Or is it several days or weeks of considering God's work in our lives through Jesus, along with special activities to help us think about Jesus' death and resurrection?
Over the course of the Lenten and Easter season, we are remembering the lowest points of sin and the highest peaks of what God has done for us through Jesus. We have a way, the only way, to the Father through Jesus. That's worth celebrating!
Jesus said....I'm the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
And yet every year somehow it's so easy for Easter to slip up on us, and suddenly we're saying, "Oh, my goodness, it's Palm Sunday already!" Let's think of some ways to be prepared, to be waiting for Easter.
Holy Week
If the children in your life are young, Lent may be too long a waiting time. In that case, the week that begins with Palm Sunday may be just long enough for anticipating Easter. At our house, we use a play dough mountain and chenille stick (pipe cleaner) people to depict what happened during the week. (*see instructions for mountain at the end of this article.)
As you're reading the Gospels, make a list of the days beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter. Try to assign part of the Holy Week story to each day. I realize that it's not clear on which day some things happened, but spread out the events in order as evenly as you can.
Each day we play out part of the story with the chenille stick people. Finally on Good Friday the Jesus figure is placed on the cross and then laid in the grave under the mountain with a rock "sealing" the entrance. After activity all week, there is nothing to do on Saturday except wait. Perhaps that gives the children a tiny bit of empathy for the disciples who were hidden away, thinking all was lost.
The first year we made an Easter mountain, three-year-old Karsten woke on Easter morning and pattered out to the dining room to check the mountain. He saw "Jesus" astride the top of the hill, arms raised in triumph. After a few motionless moments of silence, Karsten shouted, "He's alive, Jesus is alive!"
This activity is excellent for as many years as children can enjoy it and take it somewhat seriously. As soon as it starts to be treated as silly, it's time to set it aside. The reality of the Crucifixion is too deep and horrendous to be treated lightly.
I felt the weight of it most heavily, I think, as I watched a video brought home by a missionary from a nation where it is very difficult to be a Christian -- where many people have suffered for their faith. We watched as the brothers and sisters in a house church broke bread together in remembrance of Jesus' death. Their tears and cries and spasm of grief were so overwhelming they could hardly eat and drink. It was as if Jesus were being crucified before them at that very moment.
It is no small think to "proclaim the Lord's death" (1 Corinthians 11:26), which is what we are doing not just on Good Friday, but every time we eat and drink together the Lord's Supper. Jesus' suffering is very real to his people who suffer because of their faith. May we not take our Lord's death for granted. Our lives depend on it.
I don't want to aim so purposefully toward Easter that I speed unthinkingly past the cross. But at the same time, the Crucifixion -- Jesus' death -- is not the end.
Easter
After the somber days of Lent, we wake to Easter morning. At our house that means I slip downstairs ahead of the children to set out the breakfast cake and turn on some "hallelujah music" to meet the family as they appear. A lamb cake, representing the Lamb of God, decorates the table and will be dessert later in the day. All the Lenten candles burn brightly because the Light of the World has overcome the darkness. At the table together we read the story of the Resurrection.
Then -- the high point of the day -- we gather with other glad believers to worship our living God and cry together, "The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!" This the cry that resonates through all our celebrations and traditions through all the year. If it were not so, it wouldn't matter what our traditions were or even if we had any. If it were not so, we would have no eternal inheritance, no Heirloom that is God himself.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
Other Lenten and Easter Ideas
• Pull out all your CDs or tapes of Easter music. Have them handy to pop into your player.
• Read books that will deepen your spiritual life and your understanding of what God has done. Ideas might include missionary biographies or The Pleasures of God (John Piper), in particular the chapter entitled "God's Pleasure in Bruising His Son." You could use The Man Born to Be King (Dorothy L. Sayers), a radio play, for an evening of aloud with friends.
• Put all of your children's Easter-related books, tapes, DVDs, and videos in a basket so that they're handy for you and the children to pick up on the spur of the moment. This would include stories and information about Passover as well.
• Make use of the Jesus video (http://www.jesusvideo.org/) with your family and with friends who don't yet know Jesus personally.
• Set aside a special place for your family's devotional times.
• Attend your church's services that are held during this season. Prepare yourself and your children for the focus and mood of each service.
Palm Sunday -- The people were praising with hosannas but were ready to turn against Jesus.
Maundy Thursday -- The Last Supper was a time of good-byes and preparation for separation. It would be the end of life together as the disciples had known it. Afterward in the Garden, Jesus' prayer was heart-wrenching, and his disciples deserted him, first in sleep and then by running away. Judas betrayed him, and Peter denied him during the trial and following persecution.
Good Friday -- We see Jesus carrying his cross, and we imagine his pain. We hear his words from the cross. We shudder at his death and feel the weight of our own responsibility.
Easter -- Hallelujah! Jesus has triumphed over death!
Maundy Thursday -- The Last Supper was a time of good-byes and preparation for separation. It would be the end of life together as the disciples had known it. Afterward in the Garden, Jesus' prayer was heart-wrenching, and his disciples deserted him, first in sleep and then by running away. Judas betrayed him, and Peter denied him during the trial and following persecution.
Good Friday -- We see Jesus carrying his cross, and we imagine his pain. We hear his words from the cross. We shudder at his death and feel the weight of our own responsibility.
Easter -- Hallelujah! Jesus has triumphed over death!
*Make an Easter Mountain
Ingredients:
Play Dough
4 c. of flour
1.5 c. salt
1.5 c. water
1 Tbs. oil
Mix ingredients and knead. Add small amounts of water as needed until the texture is right.
Mountain
1. Use two backyard sticks bound together with twine to make a cross about five or six inches tall.
2. Shape the whole lump of play dough into a mountain. The size will be determined by the volume of your play dough. Leave an opening on one side into the "cave' that will represent the tomb, using your fist or a soup can to hold the space open.
3. Press the cross into the top of the mountain to form a hole deep enough to stand the cross in. Make the hole a bit larger than the actual stick circumference because the hole will get smaller as the mountain bakes. Set the cross aside.
4. Twist toothpicks into the dough or press fork tines randomly around on the hill to make "footholds" for the chenille stick people.
5. Press the rock that will cover the tomb against the opening, to shape a better fit. Set the stone aside.
6. Bake at 250 degrees for four to five hours. When cooled, color as desired with paint or markers.
Originally posted on Crosswalk during Holy Week 2007.
Ingredients:
Play Dough
4 c. of flour
1.5 c. salt
1.5 c. water
1 Tbs. oil
Mix ingredients and knead. Add small amounts of water as needed until the texture is right.
Mountain
1. Use two backyard sticks bound together with twine to make a cross about five or six inches tall.
2. Shape the whole lump of play dough into a mountain. The size will be determined by the volume of your play dough. Leave an opening on one side into the "cave' that will represent the tomb, using your fist or a soup can to hold the space open.
3. Press the cross into the top of the mountain to form a hole deep enough to stand the cross in. Make the hole a bit larger than the actual stick circumference because the hole will get smaller as the mountain bakes. Set the cross aside.
4. Twist toothpicks into the dough or press fork tines randomly around on the hill to make "footholds" for the chenille stick people.
5. Press the rock that will cover the tomb against the opening, to shape a better fit. Set the stone aside.
6. Bake at 250 degrees for four to five hours. When cooled, color as desired with paint or markers.
Originally posted on Crosswalk during Holy Week 2007.
From Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper, copyright 2003, pages 92, 95-98. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, http://www.gnpcb.org/. Download for personal use only. Scripture passages used in this selection are from, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright 2001
Noel Piper and her husband, John, have ministered since 1980 at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have four sons and a daughter. Noel is a graduate of Wheaten College (B.A.).
Easter: The Great Sunday
Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost) are two great festivals observed by the Jewish people in the spring. Pesach occurs at the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. In Israel, it also occurs when the barley harvest begins. Shavuot is fifty days later at the time of the wheat harvest. Both festivals recall two key events in Israel's history - Pesach, when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, and Shavuot, when God gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai and initiated a covenant with the people of Israel.
For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.
(1 Corinthians 5:7, KJV)
For Christians, the Easter season is one of fifty days, beginning with the Passover that the apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 5:7, and concluding with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot (Pentecost). Fifty represents a week of weeks (7 x 7) plus a day, a symbol of eternity. The 50-day Easter season is considered one long "Lord's Day," or the "Great Sunday." The apostle Paul admonishes followers of Christ "to keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8, KJV).
With Christ's resurrection, there is the invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). Easter is celebrating Christ risen and Christ among us. The renewal of the earth, with the transition from winter to spring, and from the season of Lent to the season of Easter, invites followers of Christ to break the paschal fast and celebrate the paschal feast.
Eggs, symbolic of life, are dyed various colors and served on Easter Sunday at breakfast. The paschal feast begins with the eggs being passed around and then cracked against each other while participants say: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Blessed Easter!
We love Easter! We love this time of year, when the ordinary man comes to church to "get right" with Jesus and recognizes his need for the Savior. Some say this may be the only time they come, but I look at it this way. Maybe, just maybe, this time it will be different for them. Maybe, just maybe, they will awake from a deep slumber and see that they need that everyday relationship with the Risen Savior who went to the cross for them, who gave it all for them because He loved them so much! Maybe, just maybe, something in the sermon will bring Jesus to real life for them! Maybe, just maybe, they won't see the church people as hypocrites and they will decide that they can attend more and just see what all the fuss is about. Maybe, just maybe, they will decide that they need Jesus for themselves and they will decide to walk with Jesus in their everyday life.
My hope for every single person that walks into the "church" building on Sunday morning during Easter or Christ-mas walks out with a renewed hope, a renewed and right spirit that desires more than the person can bare to desire the Savior of the World to dwell within them and live forever. The change is slow but the desire burns like fire within them!
For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.
(1 Corinthians 5:7, KJV)
For Christians, the Easter season is one of fifty days, beginning with the Passover that the apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 5:7, and concluding with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot (Pentecost). Fifty represents a week of weeks (7 x 7) plus a day, a symbol of eternity. The 50-day Easter season is considered one long "Lord's Day," or the "Great Sunday." The apostle Paul admonishes followers of Christ "to keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8, KJV).
With Christ's resurrection, there is the invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). Easter is celebrating Christ risen and Christ among us. The renewal of the earth, with the transition from winter to spring, and from the season of Lent to the season of Easter, invites followers of Christ to break the paschal fast and celebrate the paschal feast.
Eggs, symbolic of life, are dyed various colors and served on Easter Sunday at breakfast. The paschal feast begins with the eggs being passed around and then cracked against each other while participants say: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Blessed Easter!
We love Easter! We love this time of year, when the ordinary man comes to church to "get right" with Jesus and recognizes his need for the Savior. Some say this may be the only time they come, but I look at it this way. Maybe, just maybe, this time it will be different for them. Maybe, just maybe, they will awake from a deep slumber and see that they need that everyday relationship with the Risen Savior who went to the cross for them, who gave it all for them because He loved them so much! Maybe, just maybe, something in the sermon will bring Jesus to real life for them! Maybe, just maybe, they won't see the church people as hypocrites and they will decide that they can attend more and just see what all the fuss is about. Maybe, just maybe, they will decide that they need Jesus for themselves and they will decide to walk with Jesus in their everyday life.
My hope for every single person that walks into the "church" building on Sunday morning during Easter or Christ-mas walks out with a renewed hope, a renewed and right spirit that desires more than the person can bare to desire the Savior of the World to dwell within them and live forever. The change is slow but the desire burns like fire within them!
I found this sermon, I think that Easter is a great time to start your new year! It is about a new start, it's about a new you, it's about time to change from the old you to the new you!
Sermon: New Year, Christian Life: Holy Habits
1 Timothy 4:7
- 1 Timothy 4:7-8
- Psalms 118:24
[1Timothy 4:7-8] For better or for worse, we are creatures of habit. I learned this early when I was a newspaper delivery boy. A customer would tell me he was going to be on vacation for a week and not need a paper. Nevertheless, out of sheer habit, I would fling a paper up on his porch each day and have to pay for that paper myself.
Habits can be frustrating. Have you ever done this? You need to stop by the grocery store on the way home, but as you drive homeward your mind is on other things, and you drive right past the grocery store out of sheer habit.
Or you come home in the evening, change into something casual, then decide to stroll out into the backyard. As you exit the house, habit kicks in and you lock the door. You have no key with you and no one else is at home. So you then try to remember where that hidden house key is that you placed outside for just such an occasion as this. Lo and behold, you hid it so well that you can't remember where it is. Oh, the power of habits.
A habit is just a grooved pattern of behavior. Some are very good such as walking on your treadmill each evening as you watch the news. Some habits are hurtful such as obscene language, smoking cigarettes or eating a fatty bedtime snack.
One reason professional golfers practice so much is because they are trying to groove their swing. There is such a thing as muscle memory. If you repeat an action often enough, your muscles can do it almost automatically. That principle works for professionals; it is not guaranteed for amateurs.
It is even more important to groove one's character. We can harness the power of habit in our spiritual development. Paul wrote, "Train yourself to be godly" (1 Tim. 4:7). He was urging us to develop holy habits and then reinforce them by repetition.
Paul often used athletic metaphors and figures of speech. He especially loved track and field. I suspect if someone had approached Paul and said, "I'll race you to that sycamore tree down there," he would have hiked up his robe to take the challenge.
In verse 8, Paul acknowledged that physical exercise is a good thing, but he said spiritual training in godliness is much better. Why? Because physical training can help only during our brief lifespan on earth, whereas the value of spiritual training will carry throughout eternity. Each of our godly grooves will have eternal importance.
I want to challenge us today to prepare a list of realistic New Year's resolutions. Why? Because God wants to help us carve some godly grooves into our character. To get your juices flowing, let me suggest some possibilities.
Suggestion Number 1: I will take better care of my body.
If you owned a million dollar racehorse, such as one of those that competes at Churchill Downs, how would you treat that horse? Certainly you would not blow smoke into its lungs, feed it junk food or refuse to exercise it. Well, our bodies are worth much more than $1 million. Shouldn't we treat them better than we do?
Obesity in America is a national disgrace. We Christians should lead the way to a healthier lifestyle. The Bible teaches that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). If we want the Holy Spirit to be comfortable residing inside us, we must be faithful stewards of our magnificent minds and bodies. Just consider this question: What specific lifestyle change could I make to enhance my health in 2011?
Suggestion Number 2: I will start each day with God.
If your day begins by slapping the snooze button twice and then growling at it as you trudge toward the shower, your day is off to a rough start. Contrast that kind of beginning with this one: Begin by reciting Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." That's the way to jump-start a new day!
Maybe your new holy habit should be to spend the first 15 minutes each morning with God, reading something from Scripture and talking with God in prayer. You could make this habit more enjoyable by getting to bed at a decent hour the night before and setting your coffee machine to have a hot cup ready for you to enjoy as you commune with God. As you read the gospel accounts, notice how often Jesus got up early in the morning and slipped away to pray. He must have known something we need to learn. Start off by reading at least five or six verses each morning from the Gospel of John and talking with God.
Starting the day correctly is like programming a computer properly or making your first shot in a basketball game. You are launched into the day in a positive frame of mind, and usually things go better all day long.
As you seek to develop holy habits in 2011…
Suggestion Number 3: I will take on a specific ministry for God.
Paul urged all Christians to "excel in gifts that build up the church" (1 Cor. 14:12).
If someone were to ask you today, "What is your ministry as a member of your church?" what would you say? Some might say, "Well, when I was younger I did lots of things, but now I'm retired." I don't know any place in the Bible where a believer is allowed to retire from Christian service. Even some of our homebound members are active volunteers in our prayer ministry. They pray daily for a list of people assigned to them.
Everybody can do something. No Christian can grow as a disciple unless he or she has found a service slot.
Suggestion Number 4: I will control my tongue.
Of course we mean with God's help. One of my New Year's resolutions is that I will not make any comment about a bad golf shot that I would not want the Lord to overhear.
Several weeks ago, we conducted the funeral for one of the great saints of our church. As I listened to people talk about this man, I heard this comment countless times: "He never would say a negative word about anybody." Wouldn't you like for people to say that about you?
Paul gave us the ideal standard in Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ." In the Book of James we read, "Let your ‘yes' be yes and your ‘no' be no" (James 5:12). Anything else gives an opportunity to the devil.
Here are three great resolutions for controlling the tongue in 2011:
• First, I will not utter a profane or obscene word.
• Secondly, I will not gossip.
• Thirdly, I will offer an encouraging word to somebody every day.
Here is one final idea for developing a holy habit in 2011:
Suggestion Number 5: I will become a more joyful Christian. If you want to feel better about yourself, consider the kind of person your dog thinks you are. If you have a cat, I'm not sure that applies. Cats don't seem to adore their owners the way dogs do. A good prayer might be, "Lord, help me become what my dog thinks I am."
If you don't own a pet, the following seven truths should bring you joy:
1. You are a free American.
2. You were tailor-made by God Himself, and He made only one like you.
3. Jesus knows everything bad about you, yet He loves you anyway unreservedly.
4. Though you are a sinner, you are a forgiven sinner.
5. You are royalty because you have been adopted into the family of the King of kings.
6. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
7. You are heaven-bound.
I have suggested five possible resolutions for 2011. You may think of others. The purpose of these resolutions is not to earn passage to heaven. Our salvation and eternal life are gifts offered by a gracious God and received by faith. We make resolutions because we want to fulfill St. Paul's admonition: "Train yourself to be godly."
Pastor James Moore tells a story about a woman who went to see her doctor with a whole list of complaints. The doctor could find no physical ailment. He suspected the woman's negative outlook on life was the real problem. He got up from his desk and pointed to a shelf filled with bottles.
He said to her, "Look at these bottles. All of them are empty. I can take one of them and fill it with poison, enough poison to kill a human being. Or I can take that same bottle and fill it with medicine, enough medicine to cure a headache or bring down a fever or kill bacteria. The important thing is that I make the choice. I can fill each bottle with something hurtful or with something helpful."
Then the doctor looked her straight in the eye and said, "Each day that God gives us is like one of those empty bottles. We can choose to fill it with positive thoughts that lift us and other people; or we can fill it with negative thoughts that depress us and everyone else. The choice is ours."
That truth expressed by the doctor applies to an entire year and indeed to an entire lifetime. We have a magnificent opportunity at the beginning of this new year, an opportunity to grab our future and with God's help change it for the better.
According to St. Paul, God "has saved us and called us to a holy life" (2 Tim. 1:9). Let's answer that call in 2007 by creating some holy habits and godly grooves; to God be the glory.
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