No Easter. . .No Holidays

(A repeat from 2013)

There is a sweet lady who lives at the retirement facility where we do services who shared with us last week "If there was no Easter, there would be no Christmas."

 (Photo credit: WillowGardeners)

This statement is indeed true.  As miraculous and wonderful as the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ was, if it had not been followed by His life of sinless perfection, His death on the cross in accordance with prophecy and the resultant Resurrection on that first Easter Sunday, we would not have anything to celebrate as "Christmas."

Today I began thinking about Mrs. Marie's statement and realized if there was no Easter, we also would not have Thanksgiving.  Many of those Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation were Christians who had fled to the New World seeking religious freedom.  If there had been no Easter, they would not have been Christians in need of a new place to worship in freedom.

If there had been no Easter it is likely there might not have been an Independence Day, a Veteran's Day nor a Memorial Day.  Our country may not have been founded in the same way, on the same principles, with the same Constitution.  We certainly wouldn't have President's Day.

If there had been no Easter and our country had not been founded by the same men and built on the same Constitution with the same value for the citizens and their hard work and effort, there might not be a Labor Day.  We might not value mothers or fathers and celebrate their days either.

Since even our years are marked by the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, using BC and AD, perhaps even our calendars and timing mechanisms would be different if there had been no Easter, and we would not have a New Year's Day.

Considering how monumental to the whole human race that one day, that one moment was in the history of mankind, isn't it amazing how quiet, how solitary it was?  No camera crews, no crowds, even the guard assigned to the tomb "trembled and became as dead men."  

As we look toward tomorrow, which our society has enshrouded with bunnies and eggs and chocolate (although I like the chocolate), let us remember that this day was perhaps the most important day in the history of the entire human race.

Matthew 28:5-7

"But the angel said to the women, 
'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  
He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. 
Come, see the place where He lay.   
Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead' "

Some Pictures DO Lie

We have two wedding pictures which don't actually show what it looks like they show.  

The first is the obligatory cake eating picture.  This is not one taken by the photographer, but was snapped by a relative at the same time from a different angle.  

At the time of our wedding, I had a bad burn on my right index finger, so when I fed Glen his piece of cake, I didn't use that finger to hold the cake.  Instead I held my sore finger out straight to avoid bending it.  The resulting picture from the family member's angle looks as if I am trying to feed Glen the cake and scratch his nose simultaneously.  I am absolutely certain this wasn't the case, but you wouldn't be sure of it just looking at the picture.

The second was the picture when the garter was thrown.  You can see the groomsman who

actually is catching the garter, but another, shorter gentleman is beside him, also reaching for it.  The picture gives the impression he is holding the groomsman's arm up to help him catch the garter.  Knowing both men, I also know this was not the case, they would have been in fierce competition for the little piece of lace and ribbon.

These pictures, taken 34 years ago, long before the days of digital photography, show that even then you couldn't trust what you see.  In these days, it is especially true, you should never trust a photograph!

The Bible calls us to be just as careful about other appearances as well.

"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."  John 7:24

As Christians, we are called to have discernment, to utilize that quickening power of the Holy Spirit to discern between the spirit and the flesh, between truth and error.  Not everything that appears to be of the Spirit is of the Spirit.  Not every thing that calls itself of God is of God.  Not everything that is named Holy is of the Holy Spirit.  

In the  book of James the Bible says that if "any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given Him," (James 1:5.)  Lacking wisdom is no excuse since the Lord is more than willing to give to all, all we must do is ask.

We must be sure that we balance all our judgments not only by how we feel about things, our experience of them, but also by what the Word of God has said.  The Lord will never lead us to do something apart from or against what He has already directed in His Word.  Our judgments must be righteous, or in accordance with God's character, nature and Word.  

"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: 

the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."

Psalm 19:9

What Kind of Nut Are You?

Yesterday my husband and I met our son for coffee and he had with him our granddaughter, Emma.  While Emma was eating her ice cream, I was asking her questions about her day at school.  At one point her father teasingly told her, "You're a nut, that's what you are!"

I picked right up on that subject and asked her, "Emma, what kind of nut are you, are you a peanut?"

"No," she said.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"Are you a cashew-nut?"  We have made enough trips to the Peanut Shoppe in our town which sells all varieties of roasted nuts, I knew she was well aware of what cashews were.

"No, ma'am."

"Are you a pecan?"   I thought perhaps she considered herself more of a Southern girl!

"No."

"Well," I was running out of nuts I thought she might know, "Are you a hazelnut?"

"No."

"Well, what type of nut are you then?"  I was very curious as to what her answer would be.

She sat for a minute with a thoughtful look on her face and then said very definitively, "A doughnut!"

What a perfect answer!  I would want to be a doughnut too!

Her father had told her she was a nut and she picked out the nut she wanted to be, she just picked out something none of us expected.

The Lord has a calling for each of His children.  Not everyone is intended to be a preacher, in fact, very few will be preachers.  Not everyone is called to be a teacher, or a singer. Maybe your calling is to perform a simple act of kindness for someone on a routine basis.  I know a gentleman in the retirement community where we do services who cuts out particular newspaper articles for one of the other residents there who doesn't get a newspaper, then brings them to her each week.  This is an example of something the Lord may call us to do.

In the Nursing facility where we also do services there used to be a resident named Liz.  Mrs. Liz used to ride through the halls on her electric wheelchair and when she would pass another resident she would make a point to stop to talk to them and to try to encourage them and cheer them up.  Often she would sing "Jesus Loves Me" with them because she felt that it always seemed to make everyone feel better.  She had a definite calling of encouragement to the other residents where she lived.

It may be your calling is just to have a sweet countenance and a cheerful attitude toward others you see.  At first you may say, "That is too little a thing to be a calling!"  but think of it this way.  If a recipe called for pecans and we left those out, you would surely miss those nuts, wouldn't you?  They are little things, but with a big impact. Why some recipes call for only a pinch of salt, but without that pinch -- such a tiny little thing -- the recipe is ruined.

 If the Lord calls you to something it matters not how "big" the thing appears.  He may well call you to that little thing because He knows how important the little thing is.  The main thing is, whatever He calls you to do -- do it.  Do it heartily, with a joyful heart, unto Him, not unto men.  Think not if it is big or small, a peanut or a doughnut, just do it

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

Welcome Home Children

We had the pleasure this past weekend of attending the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration for my sister and her husband.  All of her five children were in attendance and almost all of her seventeen grandchildren.   I enjoyed seeing family members I hadn't seen for many years and to have so many gathered into one place for such a happy occasion.

I know that as my sister and brother-in-law looked out over the crowd of well wishers and saw their children and grandchildren, siblings and cousins, it must have made their hearts swell with pride and love.  My husband commented Sunday in our chapel service it reminded him how it must be for the Lord when He welcomes His dear children home.

That reminded me of this song which was very popular in the years when my husband and I first began dating.  A very talented young woman in our church used to sing it quite a lot and it always seemed to touch my heart.  I hope this version sung by these two little girls touches yours today.

Welcome Home Children

A great day is coming

Heaven's gates will open wide

and all who love the Lord will enter in

To join with their loved ones

Who in Jesus Christ have died

Their eternal life in heaven will begin

And the Lord himself will greet us

Oh what joy will fill that day

When with the voice of the proudest father

He'll look at us and say

Welcome home children this is the place I've prepared for you

Welcome home children now that your work on earth is through

Welcome home children ye who have followed so faithfully

Welcome home children, Welcome home children!

Here where I am you shall always be, Forever rejoicing with me!