John 19:17-27 Were You There; Would You Have Been

John 19:17-27 NIV
Who was there? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Who had the courage to witness the crucifixion of Jesus. The two criminals who were crucified with Jesus were with him. The soldiers who nailed him to the cross were there. Many of the Jews may have witnessed his crucifixion, from a distance, as Golgotha was not too far from the city. They were able to read the sign. Did they read the words "JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS" as he struggled to carry his cross to his death?

The three Mary's were there to witness his death; Jesus' mother, Mary, and her sister Mary and Mary Magdalene were there. Where were the close disciples whom he had called? Peter was probably still in hiding. But, John was there. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was there.

Every year at Good Friday, a very small crowd gathers at Zion to remember our Lord's death with a Tenebrae Service. We sing a verse of "Were You There?" with the snuffing out of each candle. It causes me to wonder how many would have been there at his death. Would we have made it to his crucifixion had we been there? Would we have been too afraid of being found a sympathizer to be found near him at his death? Or, would we have found something more pleasing to ourselves to attend instead?

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 6:25-58 Eat This Bread

John 6:25-58 NIV
The crowd has followed Jesus to the other side of the lake. Maybe you thought that they followed him in order to be closer to their LORD. It really doesn't appear that way. Jesus knows what's going on in their hearts and minds. They follow him because they want him to continue blessing them with food for their stomachs. They don't want Jesus. They want supper.

Well, we all have to eat. But, bread made of flour will not sustain us for eternity. There is only one bread that can do that. It is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Whoever, in faith, eats of His Body at the Lord's Supper will be sustained for eternity. He is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

Today is a Sunday. I will be leading three Worship Services as most congregations worship on Sundays. Please remember to attend Worship somewhere so that you might receive the Word of Life; the Bread of Life, and may the peace of God be with you for all eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Just in case you didn't read the scripture that is attached above here is another reminder to feed on the Word and the Sacrament often!: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”  (John 6:56-58)

John 6:22-24 Finidng Jesus

John 6:22-24 NIV
What are you looking for? How hard would you look to find it?

The crowd was looking for Jesus. They knew he hadn't left in the boat with the disciples. They had not see him walk on the water to join the disciples in their boat. They wanted to find him. They wanted to see him. They wanted to hear him. They wanted to be healed by him. So, the whole crowd got into boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. They were trying hard to follow him.

How far would you go to find Jesus? You really don't have to go far. It's not that hard to find him. He is with you now and always. You just have to open your eyes and ears and heart and let him in.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 23:1-25 Bowing to the Crowds or Standing Up for Jesus

Luke 23:1-25 NIV
Seems like just about everyone wanted Jesus dead. Well, probably not everyone; but, our reading does say the whole assembly. Everyone wanted him dead, except for Pilate. He wasn't real thrilled with executing an innocent man. He tried to hand him over to Herod and get Herod to do the deed. That didn't work. Pilate gave the people the choice of executing Jesus or the murdered Barabbas. The people chose to let Barabbas free and have Jesus crucified. Pilate didn't want a riot on his hands so he bowed to the assembly's desires and ordered the execution of an innocent man.

How often do we go along with the crowd simply because we don't want to take a stand alone? Will you stand up for Jesus or will you bow down to the desires of humankind?


God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 6:12-19 - Disciples and/or Apostles

Luke 6:12-19 NIV
I have often encountered the misperception that Jesus had only twelve disciples and with it comes the misperception that only pastors are disciples of Jesus. The reading today dispels that myth. It tells us that the disciples were actually many. They were a large crowd. After a night of prayer; out of the many disciples, Jesus designated twelve to be apostles.

Those who were his disciples were those who followed him. In Luke 9:23 we hear Jesus say to the people: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."  It is not just your pastor who is called to follow. It is not just a small group, but a large crowd, who are called to follow. Out of the crowd, God calls and designates some disciples to serve the whole community (the whole world) for the glory of God, according to God's will.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 15:1-32 The Horror Of It

Mark 15:1-32 NIV
Words cannot adequately describe the horror of how the world turned against God the Son the day that Christ was crucified.

He had been deserted by his friends; the church turned against him; the people wanted him crucified; the soldiers and even the criminals hanging with him mocked him. "The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews." (vs 26)

What do you want done with this one whom you call your king, Pilate had asked. Crucify him, the people replied. Indeed he was; he is, a King. He is our King. What would we do with this one we call our King? Often, we, as they did the day of his crucifixion, continue to turn our backs on him. There are days when it is as though we would rather have him hanging on a cross than interfering in our worldly lives. Our king, our gods, are of this world and Jesus is just in the way. Crucify him! Oh, I know you probably don't think in those terms. But, how often do we act as though he is not our King. After all, aren't we suppose to honor our King in all that we say and think and do?

Crucify Him, the people shouted. What would we say (what do we say) when he calls us to follow Him today? Crucify him? Words cannot adequately describe the horror of how the world (even His followers) have turned against God the Son; the Son of God, this day. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 46 - Move Forward; Not Backward

“When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate." (Ezekiel 46:9 NIV)

Sounds like God is even managing the worship traffic... Imagine instructions for getting up to the altar during Holy Communion in your congregation. Go up the middle and back to your seat by going around the side. Stay on the right side of the aisle as you go the altar and return on the left. I'm thinking that crowd control is the basic reason for this direction from God.

Have you ever found yourself on a one way street going the wrong way? It does cause a bit of a problem, doesn't it? It delays your arrival at the place that you were intending to go. God reminds us to keep going forward in the way that that He's set before us. As you worship the LORD, keep moving forward. Do not take side roads. Do not go backwards. Keep your heart and your mind on the goal that has been set in front of you. One step at a time, move forward to receive the Kingdom of God.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

And... may the peace of the LORD be with you on your journey, as you press toward the goal of the Kingdom in Christ Jesus.  Pr. J