Isaiah 52:13--53:12br...
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Isaiah 52:13--53:12
"Only the willingness to suffer conquerors suffering," wrote David J. Bosch. Several centuries before Jesus' entrance into the world, Isaiah foretold his suffering and the glory of the servant as he would come and take away the sins of the world.
John Stott said that few men of the past century have understood the inevitability of suffering than clergyman Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Standing in defiance of the Nazi regime, he preached the Christian faith. He was threatened on many occasions until finally the Nazis put him into the Flossenburg concentration camp where he was separated from his family, interrogated endlessly, and tortured. Still he kept his faith and would not waver. Finally on direct order of Heinrich Himmler in April 1945, only a few days before Flossenburg was liberated, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed. Stott writes, "Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Following Christ means passio passive suffering because we have to suffer … Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering of Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer." We do not invite suffering, but if suffering comes, we must be willing to accept it like those who have gone before us and like our ultimate example … Jesus.
Derl K.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Many, many years ago, the Welsh practiced a ritual called sin-eating. When someone died, a "sin-eater" was called to the place of death. Food and drink were passed over the body of the deceased, and the food and drink were then consumed by the sin eater. With this food and drink, the sin eater supposedly took on the sins of the deceased, allowing the deceased to rest peacefully in death. The sin eater, on the other hand, was paid six pence for his services. The sin eater was usually a social outcast. In our reading today, Isaiah gives us a view of Jesus as a sin eater: a broken, beaten, burdened, hardened traveler, carrier of the sins of all.
Leah T.
Hebrews 10:16-25
Duane was living out his dream -- working for a large company earning a good salary. His parents were proud of his accomplishments. He only worked a couple of months before he discovered that his company was involved in an illegal activity. Duane was not in any way involved in the crime. He debated what he should do -- should he report the illegal activity to the authorities or remain silent continuing to earn a good salary? What would you do?
Duane decided that the best thing would be to speak with the authorities, risking his job. He could not remain silent any longer. As a result he lost his job. The company he worked for was brought to justice with widespread reform taking place. Duane did the right thing, yet there was a cost involved.
On Good Friday we realize the cost that Jesus paid on our behalf. Jesus did not remain silent at the many injustices he saw. Jesus was not afraid to confront the religious authorities either. Over and over he did the right thing -- and he was killed. As we know that was not the end of the story. God would raise Jesus to new life on Easter Sunday.
The author of Hebrews claims, "since we have a great priest over the house of God" we are able to live out our faith, "in full assurance of faith."
Tim S.
Hebrews 10:16-25
Security is a major issue for everyone, from government institutions to major corporations to homeowners. Gone are the days of simple locks and keys; security is now rising from complicated computer algorithms to biometrics, where even your iris and voice pattern can be part of your security system.
The author of Hebrews reminds us today that we now have access to the holy places of God, the Holy of Holies, and we now have access to what was once inaccessible through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.
Craig K.
John 18:1--19:42
An effective novelist or screenwriter knows that pacing is important in a story. To increase the pace, a writer will write a series of short scenes, switching between characters frequently to ratchet up the tension and energy of the story. The technique of contrasting two story lines is called juxtaposition. We see juxtaposition all the time, especially in movies. Think of the movie Titanic, which juxtaposes the subdued elegance of first-class passengers with the rowdy parties in the dirty steerage class. This technique not only increases the pace by switching scenes, but can also create suspense by leaving the audience hanging until the scene switches back.
Leah T.
John 18:1--19:42
Christ died that he might occupy the hearts of people. I heard a minister tell about a Sunday morning in Baltimore as people were driving into the church parking lot that they heard a snapping, groaning, popping, tearing, grinding sound. Without warning a telephone pole snapped and the upper portion fell to the street leaving about half of it standing. A crowd gathered, wondering what could have caused that pole to snap. Someone began to climb the stump to investigate. When he reached the top he found that right where the pole had broken was a scooped-out place where a pair of woodpeckers had cut out their nest, and there in the nest was a poor little woodpecker frightened half to death.
Unobserved from the world outside, the woodpeckers had dug their way into the heart of the great, strong telephone pole stroke after stroke. Finally their constant pecking sapped the pole's strength and it snapped.
Sometimes people come crashing down. Their outer lives have seemed strong and round and respectable. The whole world admires them; but after a while their "secret" sin has eaten into their very heart of strength and sapped their spiritual energy causing them to fall.
Christ came to reside in our hearts and to keep us completely holy, but only if we don't allow the birds to hollow out our hearts!
Derl K.
"Only the willingness to suffer conquerors suffering," wrote David J. Bosch. Several centuries before Jesus' entrance into the world, Isaiah foretold his suffering and the glory of the servant as he would come and take away the sins of the world.
John Stott said that few men of the past century have understood the inevitability of suffering than clergyman Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Standing in defiance of the Nazi regime, he preached the Christian faith. He was threatened on many occasions until finally the Nazis put him into the Flossenburg concentration camp where he was separated from his family, interrogated endlessly, and tortured. Still he kept his faith and would not waver. Finally on direct order of Heinrich Himmler in April 1945, only a few days before Flossenburg was liberated, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed. Stott writes, "Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Following Christ means passio passive suffering because we have to suffer … Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering of Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer." We do not invite suffering, but if suffering comes, we must be willing to accept it like those who have gone before us and like our ultimate example … Jesus.
Derl K.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Many, many years ago, the Welsh practiced a ritual called sin-eating. When someone died, a "sin-eater" was called to the place of death. Food and drink were passed over the body of the deceased, and the food and drink were then consumed by the sin eater. With this food and drink, the sin eater supposedly took on the sins of the deceased, allowing the deceased to rest peacefully in death. The sin eater, on the other hand, was paid six pence for his services. The sin eater was usually a social outcast. In our reading today, Isaiah gives us a view of Jesus as a sin eater: a broken, beaten, burdened, hardened traveler, carrier of the sins of all.
Leah T.
Hebrews 10:16-25
Duane was living out his dream -- working for a large company earning a good salary. His parents were proud of his accomplishments. He only worked a couple of months before he discovered that his company was involved in an illegal activity. Duane was not in any way involved in the crime. He debated what he should do -- should he report the illegal activity to the authorities or remain silent continuing to earn a good salary? What would you do?
Duane decided that the best thing would be to speak with the authorities, risking his job. He could not remain silent any longer. As a result he lost his job. The company he worked for was brought to justice with widespread reform taking place. Duane did the right thing, yet there was a cost involved.
On Good Friday we realize the cost that Jesus paid on our behalf. Jesus did not remain silent at the many injustices he saw. Jesus was not afraid to confront the religious authorities either. Over and over he did the right thing -- and he was killed. As we know that was not the end of the story. God would raise Jesus to new life on Easter Sunday.
The author of Hebrews claims, "since we have a great priest over the house of God" we are able to live out our faith, "in full assurance of faith."
Tim S.
Hebrews 10:16-25
Security is a major issue for everyone, from government institutions to major corporations to homeowners. Gone are the days of simple locks and keys; security is now rising from complicated computer algorithms to biometrics, where even your iris and voice pattern can be part of your security system.
The author of Hebrews reminds us today that we now have access to the holy places of God, the Holy of Holies, and we now have access to what was once inaccessible through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.
Craig K.
John 18:1--19:42
An effective novelist or screenwriter knows that pacing is important in a story. To increase the pace, a writer will write a series of short scenes, switching between characters frequently to ratchet up the tension and energy of the story. The technique of contrasting two story lines is called juxtaposition. We see juxtaposition all the time, especially in movies. Think of the movie Titanic, which juxtaposes the subdued elegance of first-class passengers with the rowdy parties in the dirty steerage class. This technique not only increases the pace by switching scenes, but can also create suspense by leaving the audience hanging until the scene switches back.
Leah T.
John 18:1--19:42
Christ died that he might occupy the hearts of people. I heard a minister tell about a Sunday morning in Baltimore as people were driving into the church parking lot that they heard a snapping, groaning, popping, tearing, grinding sound. Without warning a telephone pole snapped and the upper portion fell to the street leaving about half of it standing. A crowd gathered, wondering what could have caused that pole to snap. Someone began to climb the stump to investigate. When he reached the top he found that right where the pole had broken was a scooped-out place where a pair of woodpeckers had cut out their nest, and there in the nest was a poor little woodpecker frightened half to death.
Unobserved from the world outside, the woodpeckers had dug their way into the heart of the great, strong telephone pole stroke after stroke. Finally their constant pecking sapped the pole's strength and it snapped.
Sometimes people come crashing down. Their outer lives have seemed strong and round and respectable. The whole world admires them; but after a while their "secret" sin has eaten into their very heart of strength and sapped their spiritual energy causing them to fall.
Christ came to reside in our hearts and to keep us completely holy, but only if we don't allow the birds to hollow out our hearts!
Derl K.
