The Events of Holy Week

We will be blessed this holy week if we read, study, meditate and pray on the events of this week as recorded in Scripture. Today I’m listing Monday through Thursday. Meditate on His life as you read through these events.

Sunday: Jesus “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem occurred on Sunday with Jesus riding on a donkey fulfilling Zechariah 9:9’s prophesy, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” See Matt 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19.

Monday: Jesus is anointed (for burial) at Bethany (John 12:1-9) and he clears the temple of the money changers. Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-48

Tuesday: His authority is questioned. Matt. 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, Luke 20:1-8. And Jesus teaches in the temple. Matt. 21:28-23:39, Mark 12:1-44, Luke 20:9-21:4.

Wednesday: Judas plots against Jesus. Matt. 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:3-6

Thursday: Jesus and His disciples eat the Passover meal, the Last Supper, the first Communion. Matt. 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-38, John 13:1-38. Jesus says to his disciples “This is my body, broken for you, do this in remembrance of me.” In John 14:1-16:33, He comforts the disciples, and in John 17:1-26 He gives His high priestly prayer, praying for them and for us – for our unity in Him.

This is a holy week with much to ponder about Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Blessings, Dottie

A Palm Sunday Baptism

Early in the morning Dot lay in bed thinking about the special Palm Sunday ahead. She glanced out her window enjoying the sunshine, then noticed snow on a tree limb. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window. Snow covered everything in sight. Who ever heard of it snowing on Palm Sunday?

Dot and her parents and younger sister walked to their church through a foot and a half of snow. So much snow had fallen that the streets hadn't been cleared. Dot enjoyed Sunday school and worship and, though attendance was low she knew it would be an extra special day.

           

That night Dot and her family walked to church again through the snow. Dot's heart beat a little faster than usual now, in anticipation. She remembered the minister’s description of Palm Sunday with Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a little mule. The people had strewn palm branches in his path and shouted with praise and joy, "Hosanna to the King!" The minister said they should do everything with love and joy and praise for Jesus in their hearts and shout "Hosanna to the King."

When they arrived at church Dot went to a little room next to the sanctuary. Her friends were already there and women from the church helped them get dressed. Dot slipped into her white robe and just then the organist began playing the prelude. Dot's heart beat a little faster, because she knew this was such a special moment in her life - one she would always remember. Dot was going to be baptized that night.

The service began. Dot's best girl friend, Kitty, went first and came out dripping wet, but smiling. One of the boys went, and then her turn came. She stepped into the water slowly and confidently. The minister took her hands. He talked about the meaning of baptism and asked her if she loved Jesus and wanted Him as her Lord and Savior. Dot replied, "Yes" in a low whisper, but her heart was beating a loud and joyous "Yes" within her.

Dot didn't fully understand all that baptism meant, but she knew Jesus was the Son of God and died for her and rose again. She knew baptism meant she would try to do whatever Jesus wanted her to do and she would be different because Jesus would live in her heart.

The minister said, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost" as he gently let her down into the water. As she came up out of the water she heard the congregation singing "My Jesus I love Thee, I know Thou art mine" and she knew for the first time what that song meant.

After church she heard people say, "What a shame it had to snow on Palm Sunday." But Dot didn't feel that way. She knew this day couldn't be hurt by outward things like snow. That night she had proclaimed to all the members of her church that she wanted Jesus to be the King of her life - just as the people the first Palm Sunday had proclaimed him King. Dot wanted to do as the minister had said they should that morning and live with a song of love and joy and praise for Jesus in her heart always.

"Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" Luke 19:38 NLT

Blessings,

Dottie

Thoughts After Seeing Schindler’s List

Schindler's List  is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler,  a German business man who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. At the time of the film's release, there were fewer than 4,000 Jews left alive in Poland, but more than 6,000 descendants of the Schindler Jews throughout the world. He risked his own life to save others.

I was stunned by this movie, in shock, numb. I thought I would cry during it, but I cried only briefly. I did cry during the night. I woke up thinking about the movie and feeling very, very sad. I cried for all mankind.

The Holocaust really happened to real people. How could it have happened? How can anyone say there is no evil in the world?

This happened in the 1940’s. Is the world a better place today? Or is it worse? Could it happen again? 

It already has happened again in Bosnia and Rwanda even though world communication is very rapid now. War, brutality and killing continue today in many “hot spots” around the world.

How can God not judge mankind?  We are all guilty. We have done mean, cruel things to others. We have used power to get our own way. We have all turned our back on the suffering of others.

Jesus suffered the same indignities as those in the Holocaust. He was stripped of everything including his clothing. He was beaten, taunted, and unjustly crucified. He died a painful death. 

What can we do to heal our world?  Is letting our “light” shine enough?  

Spiritual Vitamins

We have spiritual malnutrition unless we accept these vitamins:

Vitamin A – Atonement – Christ’s death atoned for our sins. Accept this vitamin and sing Alleluia!

Vitamin B –Bible - God’s Word, we are to read and feed on this vitamin and count our Blessings.

Vitamin C – Christ died on the Cross for us, rose again and established his Church. We commit our lives to Him and we are his Church. Vitamin C is powerful!

Vitamin D – Disciple – We follow Him with Dedication and Devotion and he Delivers us from evil.

Vitamin E - Everlasting Life – What a life-giving vitamin this is!

Vitamin F – Faith - We are saved by faith through grace, and we Fellowship with one another.

Vitamin G – God – our Good and Grace-filled God Gives Good Gifts!

Vitamin H – Holy Spirit – dwells in us as our Helper.

Vitamin I – Immanuel – God is with us – what Inspiration!

Vitamin J – Jesus – Our Justifying King, puts the Joy, Joy, Joy down in our hearts!

Vitamin K – King Jesus fills us with Kindness and Knowledge.

Vitamin L – Love that will not Let us go and helps us Let go.

Vitamin M – Master, Messiah and Mediator gives us Meaning, Message and Mission.

Vitamin N - New Life – we are New creations in Christ.

Vitamin O – Opens the eyes of our heart.

Vitamin P - Prayer, Purpose, and Peace fill our lives. Praise Him!

Vitamin Q - Quiet Time with Him Quells our Questions.

Vitamin R - Refuge, Response, and Resources are found in Him. Rejoice!

Vitamin S - Son, Savior, and Shepherd Saves our Soul. Sing praise!

Vitamin T – Trust in His Teachings Touches us Tenderly. Give Thanks!

Vitamin U – Unity in Him – Unveils our hearts.

Vitamin V – Vision - He is our Vision giving Victory in Jesus!

Vitamin W – Wisdom – God’s unsearchable Wisdom is revealed to the Weak.

Vitamin X – eXcellence – Perfection found only in Christ. He is our eXample.

Vitamin Y – Yes – We say Yes to Him and are Yoked with Him.

Vitamin Z - Zeal – We are Zealous (enthusiastic, passionate) for our God and His purposes.

Loyalty in Marriage

Loyalty in a marriage means putting your spouse’s feelings, wishes and needs above those of others. We love our children, we love our parents, and we love extended family and friends. But our marriage relationship is primary, first, number one. Only our relationship to God ranks above our marriage.

           

Family problems are often due to conflicting loyalties. An adult woman, for example, may try to take into consideration on any given issue, what she thinks, what her husband thinks, what her family thinks and what his family thinks. It may be difficult just to work out an agreement with her husband, much less satisfy all the other relatives. 

           

Parents must allow young couples to break away and find their own answers to life’s problems.  Parents give young couples a wonderful gift when they allow them to put their partner first; when they no longer try to control them.

Loyalty to one’s partner does not mean you must say you agree when you do not. It does mean supporting his or her view of the situation when you are with others. (If you disagree, do it in private, later.) This sense of being able to count on one’s partner for support and protection, no matter what - is vital to the feeling of comfort and safety needed in marriage.

           

Your partner’s definition of loyalty may differ from yours. It’s important to pay attention to his or her viewpoint. Remaining neutral won’t satisfy. Neutrality will appear as though you are siding with the opposition. Your partner wants and needs an ally. The issue of loyalty often comes up in relation to others or in public situations. When we are publicly challenged by our mates we feel betrayed. This can happen innocently, when one partner “corrects” the other’s way of telling something. 

It may feel safe to have one’s partner tease you or disagree with you when you are in private. In public, even in a family group, this feels quite different. This may say to the larger group that your marriage is not going well. It can create feelings of shame, embarrassment or even humiliation. When your partner sides against you, is disloyal to you, you feel very betrayed.

 

“A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17 NIV

Blessings, Dottie

Proofreading Scripture

Is the Bible inerrant? Are there mistakes in Scripture? Did the Bible need a proofreader? Many people today doubt its veracity. My book, Changing Churches elaborates on these troubling issues.

In the course of writing and working with a publisher I learned more than I ever knew I needed to know about proofreading. I spent days and hours and even weeks looking for mistakes. This daunting task taught me that nothing man creates is perfect.

The Christian Writer's Manual of Style says:

"The average 200 page book contains about 500,000 characters, that is a half-million letters, spaces, and punctuation marks. Each one must be in exactly the right place if the book is to be error free. A book that is 99 percent accurate will still contain five thousand typographical errors - about twenty-five errors per page. A book that is 99.9 percent accurate will still contain five hundred errors, or about two-and-a-half per page."      

Even so, I couldn't believe it when I discovered a mistake in The Message version of the Bible!

"May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!" (Romans 15:13)  

Clearly this should say "May the God of great hope fill you up with joy..."  The mistake in The Message was a minor error not picked up by spell check and it did not distort or change the basic message of the verse.

The accuracy (Truth) of the Bible has come under attack by many so-called Christian churches and groups in recent decades. Check out the Re-Imagining Conference, and the Jesus Seminar. As Christians we need to know the Scriptures and be able to defend their veracity. Lee Strobel's book, The Case for Christ, gives marvelous information along this line.

Here's a taste of Strobel's facts attesting to the truth of Scripture:

How can we be sure the biographies of Jesus are reliable? The four gospel writers give eye witness accounts of Jesus life and teachings. Their accounts, written 20 to 30 years after the crucifixion, contain accurate historical dates and are consistent with each other.

What about copying errors? The only errors are minor such as misspelling of words or putting the words in a different sequence without changing the meaning. There is no variation in the major doctrines of the church.

Did Jesus and Jesus alone match the identity of the Messiah? Dozens of Old Testament prophecies gave Israel a way to rule out impostors and validate the authentic Messiah. Against astronomical odds - one chance in trillions ­- Jesus, and only Jesus, throughout history, matched this prophetic fingerprint.

Surely, the Bible was proofread by the Holy Spirit.


Blessings, Dottie

Grief and Love

A friend told this story in Bible class one Sunday in 1991. While walking around his neighborhood he noticed a woman come out of her house and begin to put up her flag. He knew her next door neighbors were in Florida. 

He said "Hello," and asked, "When will your neighbors return? 

She replied in a whisper he couldn't hear, so he walked up the driveway. The woman apologized for not being able to speak louder and said with a grief-stricken voice, 

“I lost my husband yesterday. He always loved to have the flag up, so she I’m putting it up.”

He helped her raise the flag. He learned they had been married for 45 years. He figured her husband was a veteran.

When he continued his walk he was surprised by tears rolling down his cheeks. He hoped his presence and help raising the flag comforted her. The class prayed for the God of all comfort to comfort her. 

  

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4


Blessings, Dottie