Matthew 28...He has Risen from the Dead

Conversation for the week of April 24, 2011

After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, "His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping." They assured them, "If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don't get blamed." The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around.

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Yes...HE IS RISEN INDEED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Z3najg_eY&feature=related

Passion Week...Palm Sunday Till the Friday Jesus Died For Us

Conversation for week of 4/17 - 4/23/11

Jesus Rides into Jerusalem as a King

And, a Week Later, Walks to a Humiliating Death

The last week of Jesus' life was crammed with events, as we follow him from his glorious entry into Jerusalem on Sunday until his death on Friday. In the days in between, he preached, taught, presided over the Passover supper, stood trial, and was condemned to death. This week we call Holy Week.

Palm Sunday

Luke 19: 28 - 46

Matthew 21: 1 - 17

Mark 11: 1 - 11

John 12: 12 - 50

John 2: 13 - 15

On Palm Sunday we study two sets of lessons.

The first set is about Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9: 9. The people greeted him as though he were an earthly king; they were sure he would end the Roman occupation and Jerusalem would again be a Jewish city. They shouted, "Hosanna," which means "save us," and comes from Psalm 118: 26. And the second set are a detailed look at what happened in the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. We also read the Psalms which form a foundation for the events of Holy Week.

The color of Palm Sunday is red.The time in the Gospel writers' accounts may be compressed. Their story is about being overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus, not an historical account of places or dates.

Jesus Teaches and Preaches

Luke 21: 31 - 38

After his warm welcome into Jerusalem, Jesus taught in the Temple for a few days. Luke places many of Jesus' stories or parables during this time. We study many of these stories during Lent.

Jesus' Enemies Conspire Against Him

Luke 22: 1 - 2

Matthew 26: 1 - 5

Mark 14: 1 - 2

John 11: 47 - 53

Pontius Pilate and his soldiers went from Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast inland to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of the Passover. They were afraid that so many Jews gathered together from all of Palestine would start riots against the Roman government.

The Jewish Sanhedrin, the council of elders, played on Pilate's fears, because they were afraid that Jesus would start a religious revolution against them. They thought that if the people would follow his new ways of teaching and healing, they would no longer be in charge of the Temple.

A Woman Washes Jesus' Feet and Dries Them with her Hair

Luke 7: 36 - 50

Matthew 26: 6 - 13

Mark 14: 3 - 9

John 12: 1 - 22

This story is told several times, taking place in different locations. John places it firmly in Holy Week, with Mary, the sister of Martha and of Lazarus, as the woman. Mark includes the story in Holy Week, two days before the Feast of the Passover, but Mark says it took place at the home of Simon, the leper, and he does not name the woman. Lazarus and his sisters were very close to Jesus. He and his disciples stayed with them often in Bethany, and because raising Lazarus from the dead was the great miracle of Jesus that the people of Jerusalem knew about, the high priests and elders wanted to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus.

Judas Betrays Jesus

Luke 22: 3 - 6

Matthew 26: 14 - 16

Mark 14: 10 - 11

John 18: 2 - 5

Judas told the Temple guards how to find and arrest Jesus in a quiet place at night; they were afraid there would be riots if they arrested him in the daytime in the city. Because the Gospel writers were so angry at Judas for his participation in Jesus' death, we do not have a clear picture of who Judas was. He was called Judas Iscariot, or Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, which may mean that his whole family belonged to a radical political group. He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the original twelve disciples. Judas was the treasurer for the disciples, even though Matthew the tax collector also knew about money and finances. And we know that he was so devastated by the part he played in Jesus' death that he killed himself, either by hanging or by disembowelment in the Roman fashion (somewhat like Japanese hara-kiri).

Jesus Prepares for the Last Supper and Washes the Feet of His Disciples

Luke 22: 7 - 13

Matthew 26: 17 - 19

Mark 14: 12 - 16

John 13: 1 - 20

Passover lasts for eight days, and the preparation for it is like the preparation for Christmas - it isn't all done in one day. All leaven (yeast, baking powder, baking soda) must be removed from the house, and the house must be cleaned thoroughly to make sure no bread or cookie crumbs remain. Special foods are eaten for the entire eight days (no leaven is allowed back into the house), beginning with the Seder supper on the first night of Passover. In Jesus' day, each family would sacrifice a lamb at the Temple, bringing part of the lamb home for their Seder supper.

Jesus Identifies His Betrayer

Luke 22: 14, 21 - 23

Matthew 26: 2 - 25

Mark 14: 17 - 21

John 13: 21 - 30

Jesus knew who would betray him to the Temple guards, but he also knew that the prophecies must come true, and he must accept what would be done to him. With no death, there could be no resurrection.

Jesus Presides over the Passover Supper

Luke 22: 14 - 20

Matthew 26: 26 - 29

Mark 14: 22 - 25

There is some disagreement between the Gospel writers on when this meal took place. For Luke, it is a true Passover meal, with the blessing of the wine before the bread. For the others it may be a pre-Passover meal with the two Jewish blessings, one for the bread and one for the wine.  John's imagery encourages us to see Jesus as the true Lamb of God, sacrificed at exactly the same time the lambs were slaughtered in the Temple for the Passover meals. Whichever meal this was, it took place during the time of the Passover, when Jews remember that God freed them from slavery in Egypt, and it is the meal where Jesus asked us to remember that he freed us from our slavery to sin. Christians participate in this meal in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Jesus Knows Peter Will Pretend He Doesn't Know Him

Luke 22: 21 - 38

Matthew 26: 31 - 35

Mark 14: 27 - 31

John 13: 36 - 38

Peter of the changing enthusiasms was so sure that if Jesus died, he would die too. But Jesus knew otherwise, telling Peter that he would deny knowing him three times before the rooster crowed at sunrise the next morning.

Jesus Prays while His Disciples Sleep

Luke 22: 31 - 33

Matthew 26: 36 - 46

Mark 14: 32 - 42

John 18: 1

Jesus knew what was in store for him that night (Thursday) and on Friday as well. So he took his disciples to a quiet place to pray, the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. The disciples fell asleep while he prayed, Luke says, "because of grief". In their own way, they, too, were preparing for the terrible times to come.

The Temple Police Arrest Jesus

Luke 22: 47 - 53

Matthew 26: 47 - 56

Mark 14: 43 - 52

John 18: 2 - 12, 20

Three distinct groups of guards or soldiers play a part in this story. Both Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas had their own troops, and troops (probably Pilate's) were garrisoned in Jerusalem, even though Pilate's official residence was in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast (Jerusalem is inland.) The first troops to appear, however, are called guards or temple police. They took direction from Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, and the Jewish council of elders. They were the guards who arrested Jesus. The Roman soldiers appeared later.

Peter Doesn't Know Who Jesus Is

Luke 22: 54 - 62

Matthew 25: 69 - 75

Mark 14: 66 - 72

John 18: 15 - 18, 25 - 27

Even though Peter said he would follow Jesus to his death, before the rooster crowed at sunrise on Friday morning, Peter said three times that he did not know Jesus or any of his friends. And even though it was obvious from his accent that he was a Galilleean, he said he did not come from Galilee.

Jesus Is Teased, Slapped, and Beaten

Luke 22: 63 - 65

Matthew 26: 67 - 68

Mark 14: 65

The temple guards, the followers of the Jewish council of elders, and perhaps even the elders themselves taunted and slapped Jesus after they arrested him. They finished their torment with a beating, and then took him to the house of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest.

Jesus Stands before the Council

Luke 22: 66 - 71

Matthew 26: 57 - 68

Mark 14: 61 - 64

John 18: 12 - 14, 19 -24

The Sanhedrin, or council of elders, charged Jesus with blasphemy, which means to talk to or about God with disrespect. Considering the Jewish belief in the One God, it was disrespectful of Jesus to say that he was God's son, or to call him "Abba," which means Daddy. The Romans believed their Emperor was a god living on earth, so they understood the Jewish belief, and in Palestine, respected it some of the time. Christians, of course, believe that Jesus was exactly right, that he was the Son of the Living God, and that he was resurrected as the second person of the Triune God as they state in the Apostles' Creed.

Jesus Answers Pilate

Luke 23: 1 - 5

Matthew 27: 1 - 2, 11 - 14

Mark 15: 1 - 5

John 18: 28 - 38

Pontius Pilate was a Roman citizen, sent by the emperor of Rome to be the procurator or governor of Palestine. He had his own army and presided over his own courts of law. Pilate was the man who called Jesus, King of the Jews.

Jesus Stands Silent before Herod

Luke 23: 6 - 12

Herod Antipas was the son of King Herod the Great whom the three Wise Men visited when they were searching for the Baby Jesus. Herod Antipas had previously told his soldiers to cut off John the Baptist's head. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod because Herod was the tetrarch (or ruler of one-fourth of Palestine) of Galilee, the area in the north of Palestine where Nazareth is, where Jesus grew up. Herod held less power and territory than Pilate, so it would be easy for Pilate to blame him if things went badly.

Pilate Releases an Innocent Man

Luke 23: 17 - 25

Matthew 27: 15 - 26

Mark 15: 6 - 15

John 18: 38 - 40

John 19: 4 - 16

Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, but because he was afraid that the crowds might riot, he allowed the Jewish court of elders to make the decision to execute Jesus. The crucifixion, however, was done by Pilate's soldiers, because the Temple guards who reported to Caiaphas did not have the power to put anyone to death by crucifixion.

The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus

Matthew 27: 27 - 31

Mark 15: 16 - 20

John 19: 1 - 3

The Roman soldiers took Jesus to their quarters and made fun of him in a "king for a day" ritual that they may have performed on Roman holidays. The soldiers crowned him with thorns and put a purple cloak on him. Choosing a make-believe king and tormenting him may have been a way of letting go of their anger at cruel rulers.

Jesus Walks to His Death on Golgotha

Luke 23: 26 - 43

Matthew 27: 32 - 44

Mark 15: 21 - 32

John 19: 17 - 24

Increasingly aware that he was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, Jesus walked quietly to his death, after making the firm, strong speech to the crowd we find in the Luke passage. The Romans had several methods of executing criminals. Crucifixion, in which people slowly suffocated from the burden of their own weight on their chests, was both the most painful and the most humiliating. Other Roman methods of execution included garroting (strangling with a special cord or wire) or beheading (cutting off the criminal's head with a sword). Both these methods were considered more dignified than crucifixion, as well as being much quicker and much less painful. The two criminals (or bandits) who were executed with Jesus are nameless. They may have been highway robbers: simple theft may not have been a serious enough crime to demand crucifixion as the means of death. Only in the passage in Luke do the two men enter into conversation with Jesus.

The Sky Turns Black and the Curtain Is Torn

Luke 23: 44 - 56

Matthew 27: 45 - 61

Mark 15: 33 - 47

John 19: 25 - 42

Jesus spoke from the cross to his family and followers. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me," is the first line of Psalm 22, a beautiful hymn of praise to God. His mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene were present, as well as some other women followers.

The Temple Guards Watch Jesus' Tomb

Matthew 27: 62 - 66

The Temple guards took their position late Friday afternoon, because they were afraid that Jesus' friends would steal his body from the grave and pretend that he had risen from the dead.

BUT THE TRIUMPH WILL COME
IN THE MORNING OF NEXT SUNDAY...
ONE WEEK FROM TODAY WHEN WE CELEBRATE

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

AND OUR SALVATION!!!

A true bona fide miracle!!!!

CONVERSATION FOR APRIL 11, 2011

I have been doing a Bible Study using John Brevere's book entitled EXTRAORDINARY. I would like to recommend this book to you for starters. One of the concepts in this book is that we get to grace through faith. Not too new! However, another concept in this book is very empowering.  If we can pray without doubt for what we need...that means no doubt in our hearts, that we will receive it because we believed we would. 

I just wanted to give you a background of where I am coming from in this writing. I have had a hard time with it because I am always plagued with the idea that God will answer my prayer if it is in His will. And this is true as well. Still it is necessary for me to believe with no doubt in my heart that he will grant what I pray for...a kind of conundrum for me because I always wonder how to bar doubt from said heart.

Anyway, that being said, I want to share a story of what happened to me last Friday as I was driving my husband to San Francisco airport to catch a flight to England.  My chauffeur part of his trip took place during rush hour on a Friday afternoon in the San Francisco Bay Area.  As I was headed for the airport I said a quick prayer with all the built-in, doubt removed, believed that it would be answered. "Heavenly Father, you know that I'm under a lot of stress about tomorrow's yard sale.  I still have things to do to be completely ready, and I need to get home quickly.  Father, I ask you to let this night be a night of easy traffic and a quick return to Livermore.  Father I thank you in advance for what you will do about this, and I love you.  Amen."

With this I became a relaxed person, drove to the airport, had nice conversation with my husband, and kissed him goodbye at the door of United Airlines.  I headed back to live more fully confident that it would not take 2 hours.  After all, I had prayed.  I was all set, and I would be home in Livermore by 6 PM.

I was right on track and only 3 exits from Livermore when the unexpected happened.  The traffic was not moving at speed limit, and the cars were pretty close to each other, but still traffic was moving in a reasonable speed.  I had already thank God several times for his answer to my prayer.  Suddenly, the unexpected happened.  The traffic in front of me, and the driver right in front of me had slammed on her brakes because the truck in front of her had slammed on his brakes.  I slammed on my brakes as well and smacked right into that car, pushing her into the truck in front of her.

I have had a little fender bender a couple of weeks ago in that very same car.  It was scheduled to go for repair on the following Monday, to the tune of 600+ dollars.  As I sat there in the seconds before I would have to do something.  I was wondering how could I possibly tell my husband in England that I have had yet another accident.  Then I had to get out of the car.  You have to realize that we were in the lane next to the fast Lane and were standing on the freeway trying to figure out what to do.  Each of us was saying are you okay; are you hurt?  Everyone seemed to be fine, and we all decided that we needed to cross the fast Lane to get into the area near the freeway divider before we all ended up dead.  So we signaled and crossed the fast Lane with no further consequences.

In that area we would be protected by our cars...if only no one hit our cars and pushed them into us.  As God would have it, nobody got crushed.

However, God had more for the 3 of us.  When we get out of our cars the 2nd time there were more questions asking if everyone was okay, and we were!  I, of course, was heartsick worrying about having to tell him stuff her about yet another accident. The truck driver, 1st in line, looked at his truck and saw no damage.  The middle car, which should have had damage on the front and the back, had no damage.  My front end ALSO HAD NOT DAMAGE!!! I am sure that I hit that car going at least 5 to 10 miles an hour.. enough to push her into the truck. All 3 cars had no damage.  We all laugh each other once again, are you okay; did you hurt yourself ?  Everyone was okay.  We did not exchange any information about who we were, or are licenses, or anything.  We climbed into our cars and drove away.  I will never see this man on this woman again, but I will pray for them whenever they come to my mind.

I had prayed for a quick trip home.  I wanted to get there quickly and I had asked God for that.  God knew that the traffic of rush hour would not be a problem, so it is my belief that God applied my prayer to the place where the real problem would be.  We all should have had terrible damage to our vehicles, but none of them had any damage.  That was God's answer to my prayer, He just applied it to win than the really was.

A bona fide miracle of God!!!

What could've been...
and what was!!!!!!!

A TRUE AND BONA FIDE MIRACLE OF GOD

Light of the World

Devotional for 4/5/11

I am come a light into the world,

that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not:

for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

John 12: 46-47

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Our Lord publicly proclaimed, that every one who believed on him, as his true disciple, did not believe on him only, but on the Father who sent him. Beholding in Jesus the glory of the Father, we learn to obey, love, and trust in him. By daily looking to Him, who came a Light into the world, we are more and more freed from the darkness of ignorance, error, sin, and misery; we learn that the command of God our Savior is everlasting life. But the same word will seal the condemnation of all who despise it, or neglect it.

submitted by Annie

Inspirational Friendship Story - Who Packs Your Parachute?

Conversation for week of April 3, 2011

This friendship story asks an important question: So who packs your parachute? Who are the ones who are in the backstage, making sure that you are safe and happy? Read this inspirational friendship story about a man who survived the war because of a special someone.

Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!

How in the world did you know that? asked Plumb. I packed your parachute, the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, I guess it worked!

Plumb assured him, It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today.

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, Who's packing your parachute? Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

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