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EASTER SUNDAY – “Christ, Our Lord, is Risen, Alleluia”

We proclaim together, “He is Risen!”, “He is Risen Indeed”.   The joy of Easter is the seal of the completion of Lent, and the opening of a New Season where all are invited to come to Christ Jesus, and drink of his mercy and grace.   I would like to write a magnificent treatise on Easter, but I will defer to a master who was called “The Golden Mouth” – St. John Chrysostom, from the 4 th century.  He was a Church Father who was considered to be one of the greatest preachers of the early church.  Read this and we realize why: The Easter Sermon of John Chrysostom Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Are there any who are grateful servants? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord! Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward; If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast! And
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Day 40 – (Holy Saturday) – “Beginnings”

  Today is “Holy Saturday”, a day of silence, rest, and prayer.   Christ was laid in the tomb, and all is quiet.   The early church understood that there was a silence that was leading to a new beginning.   An unknown author once wrote of today: “What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.” [1] God concealed himself, as if a Divine Pause was occurring, and our hearts were at rest, awaiting what was next.  It was as if a “new creation” was about to begin.  This Holy Saturday is sort of like the way all Creation in Genesis had begun: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The darkness b
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Day 39 (Good Friday) – “Good Friday - What Jesus’ Death Means”

On Good Friday, the Church solemnly celebrates the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ.   Churches around the world set aside time to worship, reflect upon Christ’s words on the cross, and remember that Jesus gave his body and blood as a Paschal sacrifice for our Sin.   We come to Good Friday, and realize that Jesus closed the book on Paschal sacrifices when he declared – “It is finished”.  Yet, the question we should ask is:   What is finished?   What is the “it” that is finished?” Jesus was not declaring his death, as if he were saying, “ I am finished”.   We know from the Gospels that Jesus "gave up his life", it was not taken from him. We also know that Jesus was doing the Father’s work – his focus was not on himself, but on the Father’s purpose for His life to be fulfilled. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). Among one of the most amazing statements any person could try to make was in Jesus’ prayer on
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Day 38 (Holy Thursday) – “After Jesus’ death, part 2”

Jesus died on Good Friday, and in between the death and his resurrection, things occurred!   We saw a bit of this in yesterday’s writing, but today, I want us to take a different view.   As Jesus died on the cross, some things were set in motion and made a huge difference. First, Jesus died on Friday at 3:00 p.m.  Almost immediately Matthew’s Gospel records the Temple Curtain torn in two and graves were opened: “…Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.  And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:50-53). Jesus’ death was no ordinary death.  It was as if Heaven shook the earth and gave a foretaste of what was to come as many bodies of those who had died came alive.  Yet, t
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Day 37, Wednesday – “After Jesus’ Death, Part 1”

The Bible gives us a glimpse of what happened after Christ’s death on the Cross, and what it meant for the Church, and in Heaven.  In Part 1, I want to look at what happened on earth and the netherworld, after his death.  We have some biblical references, and also some creedal statements that the Church confesses.  We learn from this that Jesus’ death wasn’t the “end” as we think of the earthly life we live.  For now, we’ll pass over the resurrection, saving that for Easter Sunday.  There were some immediate physical things, and there were also some mystical things that followed. “Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It
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Day 36 (Tuesday of Holy Week) – “Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

Yesterday we began to look at – what I believe – were two simultaneously spoken words of Jesus as his dying words on the cross.   The first of these was from the disciple John, who heard Jesus’ words “It is finished” .   John records that Jesus then “ gave up his Spirit”. Luke, probably in interviews with various people – maybe Mary Magdalen, or Mother Mary - adds to the final words from one of those who was also standing there and connected Jesus' words to a dramatic event that demonstrated the finality of Jesus’ work on the cross. “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,  while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46). In our journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, we witnessed his resolve to finish the work of redemption that His Father sent
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Day 35, (Monday) – “It is Finished…Father, Into Your Hands, I Commit My Spirit”

We began last week to look and ponder, Jesus’ final words while he hung on the cross.  Traditionally called “the Seven Words”, these are seven statements Jesus made from the cross. His first words were for various people: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” – to the Jews and Romans who are crucifying him.  “Truly I say unto thee, This day you will be with me in paradise” – to one of the thieves hanging next to him who asks Jesus to remember him in Heaven.  And finally, to his mother, and the disciple John, who Jesus chooses to care for his Mother, Mary – “ Woman, behold thy son! and Behold thy mother!”  Then Jesus’ words express his deep suffering, and he speaks to His Father quoting from Psalm 22, which both expresses his pain, but also speaks of his triumph – “ My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”.   He is humanly expressing his suffering and follows that with a simple statement – “I thirst”. It is very near the end of Jesus’ suffering, and there are two w
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