Before he was born, Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, had a dream. In it an angel told him that it was okay to marry Mary because the child that she was carrying was from God and that he (Jesus) would save his people from their sins. That statement put two questions in my mind: Who are Jesus’ people? and What does it mean that he will save them from their sins?
I believe that Jesus came from God and that he had a mission. Often we receive messages incorrectly, or we may not fully understand the meaning of what was said. We must always realize that if the message is from God, then he will ultimately make it clear to us through his Holy Spirit if we remain open to the truth.
We would be hard-pressed to find anyone who was continuously happy.
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It’s that time of year again. Trees budding, flowers blooming, palm fronds waving, egg decorating and the opportunity to once again sing, “Up from the grave He arose …” For religious folk, it’s time to focus on death, particularly death by crucifixion, and resurrection. In my wife’s childhood church, akin to the Plymouth Brethren, the weekly Lord’s Supper (worship service) is centered on “the death of our Lord Jesus.” Every Sunday. The entire year. Having participated in it for years after our marriage, and now looking back, it seems so morbid.
Most Western Christians like the best of both worlds. Jesus bled and died for our sins (sad face), but was resurrected in a glorious body (bright face). Now, where did we hide those eggs, and could you pass that Easter ham down this way?
As I have mentioned before, I get a lot of my ideas for these articles from church signs that I observe while driving around. I attend a Methodist church, and our sign has no slogan. Just the church name and the pastor’s name below, which gets obliterated part of the year when the shrubbery grows up too far.
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