Thoughts about Easter Celebrations

For many people, Easter is just another Sunday. A day for coffee in bed, wrangling children, and for some heading to church. It is an ordinary day that may have some extra color, bright attire, brunch, and an egg hunt, but nothing of eternal value. It is not a day that people really stop and plan their whole month around. It is nothing like the Christmas season. This has always caused me some confusion and discomfort. Why does Christmas get a whole season, and Easter gets a day with a half day on the Friday before? This is not to say we should lessen the Christmas celebration. Christmas is a day worth the extravagance for it celebrates the birth of our perfect savior. But should we not also revere the RISEN king. Easter celebrates the impossible. The Resurrection defied all odds outside of divinity. It is the day that the peaceful, kind Jesus proved once and for all that He was who He said He was. He is Lord.

As I reflect this Holy Week and plan out my Easter Sunday, I feel compelled to urge fellow believers to give Easter the excitement it deserves. When you go to bed the night before, read the story of the crucifixion. Sit in the angst that the event of Christ’s death brings. Thank Him for what He did. Pause in the grief even though you know what Sunday brings. Let the gravity of His sacrifice take up space in your home, so that when you arise the next morning you feel nothing but overflowing gratitude and joy. Then on Easter Sunday rejoice and celebrate the story of the Resurrection. Imagine the fear, confusion, and shock the women felt at the empty tomb. Think about the immediate switch from horror to delight when they saw the angel and then met Jesus in the garden. Reflect on what His Resurrection truly means. He is not a God who stays dead. He is not a God who abandons us. He is not a God who prioritizes people due to status, location, race, or gender. He sees all people as His creation for whom He died and rose. Every single person is loved and redeemed if they choose to accept it.

So, if you open an Easter basket or have some special tradition let the fun and joy fill your home just as it does on Christmas. Remind your family and friends of the purpose of the festivities. These celebrations are meant to reflect the greatest gift we have ever received. We get to have candy, treats, and fun because Jesus is alive. Easter is the day when the full picture of the Gospel is finally seen. Let’s make the holiday a great one and rejoice from morning until night. Remember, had Easter not happened nothing Jesus did would have mattered. He would have been all talk. But He did die. He did rise. He is alive and with us today. Easter is the day each year we should go all out in our prayer, thanksgiving, rejoicing, and sharing. Be generous with your praise and receive unending joy that can come only because of what happened on Resurrection Sunday.

Written By: Elizabeth Keith

Praying for the Road to Damascus

Missiles, bombs, and soldiers are traveling the road to Damascus right now. 

I’m praying that Jesus appears, once again, on that road to call people to a miraculous understanding of who he is. 

Jesus spoke to Saul of Tarsus on that road, and Saul was forever changed. 

Might Jesus do that again today? 

We can and should ask.

The city of Damascus

Damascus is, according to some, the oldest capital in the world. People may have lived in this area since 9000 BC, but, according to early Egyptian records, it became a significant city around 1350 BC. 

It was a perfect location for an ancient city because the land was situated on a high plain that provided a sweeping view in all directions. There was water which provided fertile land for farming. Ancient records report that Abraham settled there for a time before going to the land of Canaan.

Today the city of Damascus is the capital of Syria and considered the fourth holiest city in Islam. The history of the city would make it one of the most interesting tourist destinations in the world, except for the fact that it has been a city of unrest and civil war. Guinness World Records lists Damascus as the “least livable” city because of its instability, poor education, and lack of opportunity. The culture, politics, and infrastructure can’t support tourism, and extreme poverty is commonplace.

Now, war has been added to the long list of troubles this ancient city faces. The soldiers of Israel are slowly working their way through the buildings and streets of Damascus, clearing out people who want to do their nation permanent harm.

The sons of Abraham

Before Abraham’s son with Sarah’s handmaiden was born, an angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar, telling her what kind of man her son Ishmael would become. The angel said, “He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen” (Genesis 16:12 NIV). Centuries of history illustrate the truth of the angel’s proclamation. 

Ishmael’s descendants did grow to become “a nation of people great in numbers” who continue to exist as “a hand against everyone else, and everyone’s hand against them.” The evening news tonight will likely display the ever-present reality of the ancient, biblical truth.

Damascus is in modern-day Syria, just outside of the territories of Israel and Iraq. The land has always been strategic and has always been land that any of Abraham’s descendants wished to control. The fighting in Damascus today is intense. Lives have been lost, and there is no ceasefire on the horizon. Some of those who were taken hostage last October are probably being held in Damascus today.

The ancient road to Damascus

After Stephen was stoned, the book of Acts reports, “There arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1). One of the last things Jesus told his disciples was they would be his disciples, taking his gospel to “Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8 KJV). 

Chapters and verses were not added to the Bible until 1551, about fifteen hundred years after the book of Acts was written. It is interesting Bible trivia to note that Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 were fulfilled by the words of Acts 8:1.

Christians likely consider the road to Damascus as the place where Jesus spoke to Saul of Tarsus saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). When we want to pray for the people walking that road right now, we should pray with Saul’s miracle in mind.

Saul of Tarsus was one of the most significant terrorists in Scripture. He was going to Damascus to seek out the Christians who’d fled there. Saul had been arresting, even killing, Christians since the stoning of Stephen. He thought he was defending his faith, but he was persecuting the faithful. When Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his entire life changed. Saul of Tarsus became the apostle Paul, who did more for the spread of the gospel than probably anyone in history. 

Which terrorists might meet Jesus today if we prayed for that? 

Which soldiers would have their lives completely changed if they heard the voice of Jesus speak to them from heaven?

Jesus still wants to dramatically change lives on both sides of the conflict. Do we pray for everyone involved with the faith found in the book of Acts? Do we believe like Paul taught, that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16)? 

Pray as you watch and read the news

Abraham’s children continue to fight one another, convinced they are serving their faith and their future. Christians are called by the One we serve to “share the gospel” with everyone. Those who fight outside the Christian faith fight for a faith that will fail them.

The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is the faith that will sustain them now and one day sustain them eternally.

The news we watch and read is a call to prayer. Abraham’s children, the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael, have a Father in heaven who sent his Son to die for their sins. Maybe today, on the road to Damascus, Jesus will once again call to one of them from heaven saying, “Why are you persecuting me?” 

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). The Christian position in this war is to be the hands, feet, and heart of Christ for the lost, and the lost exist on all sides of the conflict.

Will you actively pray, led by the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s word? 

The sons of Abraham will continue to fight until Jesus returns. Through prayer, we can fight for those who are lost. Some are hiding in Damascus, hoping to kill, and others are held captive by their enemies. They are also marching along the same land that Saul of Tarsus marched in the first century. Damascus was a key city then and is still a key city today. 

We need to pray for God to do miracles and make himself and his will known to those who have not met his Son.

Please, Jesus, call out to them on the road. Appear to them in their dreams. 

Send angels of protection to the innocent and comfort all the children. 

May many who are lost repent and come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

May those who are saved live the rest of their lives as your disciples, sharing their salvation with others. 

May Paul’s life remind Christians to pray under the power and authority of their Lord and Savior, who can accomplish far more than we can even ask or imagine. 

In your name, Jesus, and for your glory, we pray. Amen.

Written By: Janet Denison

Source: Foundations with Janet

This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

God knew before you were born that you would be reading this in this moment. He planned to get your attention for just a few seconds so he could say this to you: “I’ve seen every hurt in your life, and I’ve never stopped loving you. You matter to me. I love you more than you will ever know. I made you to love you, and I’ve been waiting for you to love me back.” 

If you gave me a Christmas gift and I never opened it, you would be disappointed. And it would be a worthless gift, because I don’t receive the benefit of a gift I never opened. 

Jesus Christ is God’s Christmas gift to you. Yet some of us have gone Christmas after Christmas and never opened the best gift of all: God’s gift of salvation. Why even celebrate Christmas if you’re not going to open the biggest gift? It doesn’t make sense to leave unwrapped the gift of your past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven.

God has made a way for you this Christmas to be right with him, and all you have to do is receive his gift of salvation. The Bible says, “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

Below is a prayer I prayed years ago when I stepped across the line and accepted Jesus. It’s a simple prayer. If these words express the desire in your heart, then prayer them. 

“Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me, that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me. 

“Today I want to receive the Christmas gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. Save me from myself. 

“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you. 

“I need peace with you, God, and I need you to put your peace in my heart. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. Help me be a peacemaker and help others find peace with you and each other. In your name I pray. Amen.”

If you prayed the prayer above, please write and tell me at Rick@PastorRick.com. I’d love to send you some materials as you begin your journey with Jesus.

If you still have questions or want to learn more about becoming a follower of Christ, watch this video: What does it mean to be saved?

Written By: Rick Warren

Source: Crosswalk.com

Advent Week 4

The fourth advent candle is the last one lit in most advent wreaths, marking the last phase of the advent season. It has perhaps the most sentimental meaning of all the advent candles, a meaning that is often seen as just a cliché. However, that candle’s meaning is unexpectedly powerful.

What Does the Fourth Advent Candle Stand for?

While Advent wreaths as we know them have been around for nearly 200 years, the tradition of celebrating Advent goes back much further. As a result, advent wreath designs and the number of Advent candles vary worldwide and across denominations.

In contemporary Western Christianity, the typical Advent wreath has four candles inside an evergreen wreath. Each one is lit during a new week of Advent and has a particular meaning attached to it. Candle 1 is purple, known as “the Prophet’s Candle,” and it stands for hope. Candle 2 is purple, known as “the Bethlehem Candle,” and stands for peace. Candle 3 is pink or rose-colored, known as “the Shepherd’s Candle,” and stands for joy. Candle 4 is purple, known as “the Angel’s Candle,” and stands for love.

Some Christians add a fifth candle, a white one known as “Christ’s Candle,” which stands for baby Jesus. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the culmination of Advent.

Learn from our How-to Guide on Advent Wreaths for celebrating this Christmas season.

What Place Do Angels Have in the Christmas Story?

Angels appeared in the Christmas story even before Jesus appeared on the scene. The Gospel of Luke describes how the angel Gabriel appeared to a man named Zacharias, informing him that he and his wife would soon have a son (Luke 1:1-25). Zacharias’ son grew up to be John the Baptist, who preached that the Messiah was coming and baptized Jesus in the Jordan River (Mark 1:1-7).

After giving Zacharias this message, Gabriel appeared to a young woman named Mary. He informed her that even though she wasn’t married and still a virgin, she would soon become pregnant with a son. This son would be from God, the long-promised Messiah (Luke 1:26-38). After Mary became pregnant, her fiancé Joseph considered “divorcing her quietly,” (Matthew 1:19) a way to avoid scandal. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him that Mary’s child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and to marry her in spite of her pregnancy (Matthew 1:18-25).

The night Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds outside Bethlehem, announcing the Messiah’s birth and telling them where to find him (Luke 2:8-20). Several years later, after the Wise Men had visited Mary and Joseph with gifts for Jesus, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. This time, he got a warning that Herod’s soldiers were coming to kill the infants of Bethlehem and to escape. The small family fled for Egypt and didn’t return until another angel appeared and told Joseph that Herod had died, so it was safe to return to Israel (Matthew 2:13-23).

Thus, within the Christmas story, angels function as messengers of love. They told people “good news” (Luke 1:19), which is unexpected but no less good for being shocking. In some cases, the news that the angels gave saved people’s lives. Other times, it alerted people to something worth celebrating in the future or nearby. In each of these cases, their message showed God’s love.

Get your FREE copy of A Thrill of Hope - 25 Days of Advent Devotionals and Readings! Print these and share them with family and friends to keep your mind's attention and heart's affection for Jesus this holiday season.

How Does the Bible Describe Love?

More so than perhaps any of the other advent candle themes, love is easily misunderstood. We often think of love in purely sentimental terms, thinking it means being happy or being nice.

The Bible affirms that and that his sending Jesus into the world was an act of perfect love (1 John 4:8-12). Jesus loved people, and yet he didn’t try to always be nice to people. Sometimes, he pushed people to consider what they really believed if they really wanted to follow him (Mark 10:17-27). Sometimes, he got them to admit their mistakes to see how much they needed God (John 4:1-42). Throughout his ministry, he maintained that the key to finding God was not to “follow your heart” but to follow him and obey his teachings.

The Bible also clarifies that Jesus’ death and resurrection was the great act of love (1 John 3:16). This helps us see that love is sacrificial. As the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says, “Love, whether used of God or man, is an earnest and anxious desire for and an active and beneficent interest in the well-being of the one loved.” 1 Corinthians 13 describes the attributes we pursue when we love someone (patience, kindness, trust, not having envy, etc.). None of these attributes are easy things to practice, which means that we need God’s help to live them out. In fact, God must teach us how to love: before becoming Christians, we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 3:1), and we still struggle to do anything that is not self-centered.

Therefore, we know that love ultimately is about living a life centered on God. To love God is to obey him (1 John 5:3). When we do that, we set our standards not by how we happen to feel but by an eternal standard and a person who can guide us. This helps us go beyond just trying to be nice, giving sacrificially, and doing difficult things because we love others.

Why Is Love So Important to Christmas?

As noted above, the Bible states that God sent Jesus into the world as an act of love. Jesus came into a world that desperately needed help because it was in the grips of sin. King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents captured this truth in a graphic way: Jesus had entered a world where greed and ruthless self-protection reigned.

Jewish prophets had said centuries earlier that someone would come that would bring an end to this strife. This Messiah, from the family line of King David (Ezekiel 37:24), would be born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and be a great ruler (Isaiah 11:12). Gabriel affirmed these prophecies when he told Mary that her son would sit on David’s throne, reigning forever (Luke 1:32-33). The Messiah would bring an end to strife not by being a conventional ruler but by dying for people’s transgressions (Isaiah 53:5). People would be healed by the Messiah’s sacrifice, bringing freedom at last.

Thus, Jesus’ birth was proof that God had not abandoned or forgotten the world. His gift of love had come, to bring freedom for captives and heal the hurting (Luke 4:18). Jesus was the perfect gift.

A Prayer for Advent Week 4

Lord Jesus, thank you for your gift of love. We know that we were dead in our sins, and did not deserve anything but death. Thank you that in spite of our many sins, you still loved us and came to save us. You came and showed us how to love. Teach us what it is to love, and how to practice it each day. Remind us that love is paradoxical, sacrificial, and only found in you. Give us the wisdom we need to love well, the mercy to forgive ourselves when we neglect to love well, and the hunger to always learn more about love. We ask for all these things in your name, Amen.

Scripture Readings: 1 John 4:8-12, Matthew 2:13-23, Luke 2:8-20, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:1-25, Mark 1:1-7, John 3:16, John 15:9-17, John 15:13, John 13:34.

Written By: Connor Salter

Source: Crosswalk.com

Advent Week 3

Each candle in the Advent wreath has a significant meaning, but the third candle of Advent has an unusual place. In most advent wreaths, it is the one candle that is a different color than the others. There is something unique, more spontaneous, and celebratory about the theme of the third week of Advent compared to the others.

What Does the Third Week of Advent Candle Stand for?

The advent wreath has had many variations since it was invented in 1839, but the most common version has four candles inside a wreath. The first advent candle (“The Prophet’s Candle”) stands for hope. The second candle (“The Bethlehem Candle”) stands for peace. The fourth candle (“the Angel’s Candle”) stands for love. The third candle, also known as “the Shepherd’s Candle,” stands for joy. Each candle is lit on a different Sunday leading up to Christmas Day. Some Christians also include a fifth candle, a white one representing Jesus himself, in the middle of the Advent wreath and light it on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Get your FREE copy of A Thrill of Hope - 25 Days of Advent Devotionals and Readings! Print these and share them with family and friends to keep your mind's attention and heart's affection for Jesus this holiday season.

Why Is the Third Advent Candle a Different Color?

In most advent wreaths, the first, second, and fourth candles are purple, but the third candle is pink or rose. Various writers have given different explanations for why the third candle is pink. Generally, there is a consensus that the colors connect to the different candles’ themes. Purple or violet is associated with contemplation and fasting, particularly in Catholic Lent celebrations that influenced Advent celebrations. Thus, candles 1, 2, and 4 are purple and are occasions to contemplate hope, peace, and love.

In contrast to purple, pink or rose represents joy and celebration. Susan Clement writes that one of the ancient church’s popes gave a citizen a pink rose on the third Sunday of Lent, symbolizing the moment of joy amidst Lent’s fasting and penance. Therefore, when Catholic priests modeled Advent celebrations on Lent, they wore rose-colored robes and set the third Sunday of December as the time to remember joy. The pink or rose-colored advent candle is lit on that third Sunday.

It’s also worth noting that more so than the other three Advent themes, joy is something we associate with spontaneous action. Hope, peace, joy, and love are all things that God places in us and should be ongoing attitudes in our lives. However, hope and peace are generally seen as inner qualities that we cultivate by meditating on ideas like God’s provision. Love is something we do, but also something we cultivate and meditate on. Joy tends to have a more spontaneous effect. Joy can motivate us to celebrate or worship with glorious abandon (like David did when he danced in front of the ark of the covenant). In that light, it’s appropriate that the advent candle representing joy is a different color, highlighting the different nature of joy compared to the other advent themes.

Learn from our How-to Guide on Advent Wreaths for celebrating this Christmas season.

What Place Do Shepherds Have in the Christmas Story?

The third advent candle is called “the Shepherd’s Candle,” and the shepherds’ section of the Christmas story is very much about joy. The shepherds are mentioned in Luke 2:8-20. In this scripture passage, they were watching sheep in their pastures when an angel appeared to them. As many people in the Bible reacted when angels showed up, the shepherds were frightened, so the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12). The next moment, a whole group of angels appeared around the first one, praised God, and then disappeared. The shepherds immediately entered Bethlehem and found Joseph and Mary with their baby. After meeting the Messiah, the shepherds told others what they had seen and then returned to the manger, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20).

The shepherds serve as witnesses to Jesus’ birth and emissaries of joy. They received a message of joy from the angels and passed that on to other people after seeing Jesus. They even returned to see Jesus again and praise God. In other words, their response to Jesus’ birth was very joy-filled.

Why Do We Say That Christmas Is a Time of Joy? 

In Biblical terms, having joy means being happy about something good that has arrived or is coming. Like hope, it has a long-term view of life, emphasizing the good that will come. However, it has a component of great happiness, rejoicing at the good news. Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus with joy when Jesus said he would stay at Zacchaeus’ home (Luke 19:6). Jesus tells his disciples to have joy in their sufferings for their reward is great in heaven (Luke 6:23). As noted in the section above, the shepherds who visited Jesus were both given a joyful message and acted joyfully.

People could have had joy before Jesus came, but his arrival was the culmination of a special promise. Ever since sin entered the world, humanity had been broken. Creation was also broken by sin, and since that time, has been crying out with groans for relief (Romans 8:22-23). Jesus’ birth fulfilled prophecies that the Messiah would come and break sin’s hold, starting a new phase of God’s redemption plan. As Jesus said multiple times during his ministry, the kingdom of God had come now that he had arrived. Sin continued to be a reality after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but Jesus broke its hold. 

Thus, at Christmas, we joyfully celebrate that God’s greatest promise was fulfilled: God’s kingdom has come. The final movements in God’s plan (the last battle against Satan, the resurrection of the dead) are still to come. As some scholars have put it, we live in the “already/not yet” phase of God’s kingdom, where it has arrived, but the final effects haven’t come yet. However, with Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, the definitive move in the battle against evil was struck. More skirmishes will follow, but the war has, for all intents and purposes, been won. That is definitely something to be joyous about.

Prayer for Advent Week 3

Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into the world to pay the price for our sins. We do not always appreciate how high a cost you paid, and how your birth made good on promises that God the Father had made. Thank you for your great love, for your sacrifice and victory against evil. Thank you that while we know hard times may come, your kingdom has come. Thank you that while battles may come, the war against evil is effectively finished. Help us to never grow tired of that truth, to discover it anew and see how great it is that we can know it. Show us how to have joy every day, how to rejoice in your love and provision time and time again. We ask these things in your name, Amen.

Advent Week 3 Scripture Readings: Luke 2:8-20, John 3:22-30, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 1:26-56, Luke 1:67-75, Luke 2:25-38.

Written By: Connor Salter

Source: Crosswalk.com