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This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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“Hey Peter and John.  We just were at the tomb and Jesus isn’t there.”
“What?  You have to be joking?”

Off they ran to see if the report was true.  Sure, enough the tomb was empty.  Where did he go?

Mary went back shortly after and saw someone near the tomb.  She thought it was the gardener.  “Where did you put him?” she asked?

What if the “gardener” would have replied, “April Fools!”  And directed Mary to the body of Jesus?

At first, Easter morning and perhaps other elements of Holy Week seem like a practical joke. 

You would think things that happened would be stopped with a simple, “Ha! April Fool’s Day!”

Things like…

“We know Jesus is innocent, but we’re going to crucify him anyway.” (Ha, April Fool’s Day!)

“Hey, go to the temple, the big curtain just tore in two.” (Ha, April Fool’s Day!)

“Today you will be with me in paradise!” (Jesus to the thief on the cross) (Ha, April Fool’s Day!)

Each one of these phrases in the moment are believable…but seem so far out that one might have a tinge of doubt…is all of this a big joke?

Today is April Fool’s Day.

Did you know there is a potential connection between Easter and April Fool’s Day?  No foolin’! A post on Britannica.com states:

Some have proposed that the modern custom originated in France, officially with the Edict of Roussillon (promulgated in August 1564), in which Charles IX decreed that the new year would no longer begin on Easter, as had been common throughout Christendom, but rather on January 1. Because Easter was a lunar and therefore moveable date, those who clung to the old ways were the “April Fools.” Others have suggested that the timing of the day may be related to the vernal equinox (March 21), a time when people are fooled by sudden changes in the weather. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day)

Whatever the origin of April Fools Day, there is no joke about the message of the cross and the empty tomb.  The Gospels were not fiction, but fact.  What happened wasn’t just a cruel joke on Jesus and/or his followers, but it was the power of God at work to assure us that our relationship with God is restored.

However, we must admit.  Sometimes this whole thing might sound like foolishness.  God coming to this earth to die on a Roman cross and then rising again giving us access to God and the promise of eternal life?  Are you joking?  Nope.  Not at all.

Ironically, since the event happened people have found it foolish and questioned how anyone in their right mind could believe and follow Jesus.  The Apostle Paul wrote, 

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. … 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. … 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 

So, I guess if we are to be found a fool by the world around us the day after Easter for believing the truth about Easter…I guess that’s good.  A blessed Easter to you…and with the meaning of 1 Corinthians 1, Happy April Fool’s Day!

 

Apply: What part of the Easter story seems hard to believe?  What impact does the entire truth and reality of Easter have on you?

Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for doing all you did for us and proving it complete by your resurrection from the dead.  To many, your work seems foolish.  To me it’s the greatest gift one could ever receive.  Thank you!  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

There is a phrase in these verses which I have probably said hundreds of times but never really paused long enough to reflect on it.  It’s a phrase that indicates the timing of the Lord’s Supper with an even that completely contrasts yet at the same time richly highlights the gift that Jesus gave.

“…on the night he was betrayed…”

Paul in instructing the Corinthians of the Lord’s Supper could have said, “the night before Jesus died,” or “the evening of the Passover celebration” but instead chose to mark the evening Jesus gave the gift of the Lord’s Supper by the event of Judas’ betrayal.

What would you do on a night you were betrayed?  How would the phrase end for you?

“On the night I was betrayed…I plotted revenge for the one that betrayed me.”

“On the night I was betrayed…I fumed at the gall of a friend to treat me that way.”

“On the night I was betrayed…I was ready to write off all of my friends.”

Yet Jesus didn’t do that on the night he was betrayed.

He took bread and gave it to the disciples with the promise, “This is my body.”

He took wine and gave it to the disciples with the promise, “This is my blood.”

Did Judas receive this?  We don’t know for sure, yet Jesus knew Peter would deny knowing him and the rest of the disciples would desert him.

Yet Jesus didn’t withhold himself from them, but rather gave himself for them.

What makes this phrase profound is on an evening when even his closest followers would abandon him, Jesus was giving himself for them.

Before the action even was committed, Jesus was assuring them of his love and grace.  His body and blood was for their forgiveness.  The impact of the Supper was felt perhaps more after a betrayal, a denial, and desertion…Jesus was giving himself for those that would sin against him.

The same is true for you.  Perhaps we change the phrase from “on the night he was betrayed” to things like the following:

“On the day after acting unloving toward my spouse…Jesus gave his body and blood for me.”

“On the night my heart was filled with greed…Jesus gave his body and blood for me.”

“On the week I was chasing my career and forgetting my Savior…Jesus gave his body and blood for me.”

How profound is this gift of the Lord’s Supper that it is given to us EVEN WHEN we sin against the one who gave it.  How amazing is the Lord’s Supper that it FORGIVES US even when we don’t deserve it.  How loving is the Lord’s Supper to assure us that ALL has been done to secure our relationship with God when our sin is certainly enough to separate us from him.

Tonight is the night we remember that “on the night he was betrayed…Jesus gave himself for you and me.”

Apply: How would you react if someone betrayed you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving your self for us even when we sin against you. AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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Wednesday of Holy Week fall silent amidst a week of activity.  Sunday Jesus rides into Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna!”  Monday, Jesus enters the temple and clears the money changers.  Tuesday Jesus spends time teaching about the end of the world and his second coming.  Wednesday…not much.

But in the silence of Wednesday, the plan of God was allowed to continue under the cover of “secrecy.”  Most commentators suggest that Wednesday is when Judas negotiated the betrayal of Jesus for the 30 silver coins.  

Matthew 26:14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

What is interesting about Judas’ response was not just the thirty pieces of silver, but the fact that Judas now thought he was in control of the fate of Jesus and “watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”  This was his agreed upon deliverable for the payment of silver.  What is also interesting is that this was the mindset of the leaders, Matthew 26:3 “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

The leaders did not think that the Passover celebration was the “opportune time.”  They sensed the loyalty of people toward Jesus would cause a rift and riot among the people.  They had to balance the need to get rid of Jesus with the need to have secrecy.

So I am sure when Judas met with them, they communicated three stipulations:  1) Help us get Jesus, 2) Find a secret time, and 3) not during the Passover.

The leaders felt they had their perfect partner for the deed, a follower of Jesus and one who had the inside scoop of his movements.  Judas thought he had an easy 30 pieces of silver and was on the look for the perfect time to hand Jesus over.

But neither the leaders or Judas was in control of what they thought.

Matthew 26:1-2 records (before the words quoted above), “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Jesus was in charge of the timing and timeline.  On Thursday night he would call out Judas and invite him to do what he must do.  He knew that the Passover celebration was not a time to avoid, but the perfect timing for his crucifixion to fulfill the picture of the Passover lamb observed for centuries.  He was not the victim of a nefarious plot that caught him off guard, he was the Son of God deliberately carrying out his mission to save the world.

The secrecy of silent Wednesday is the reality of the subtlety of God to carry out his plan in spite of and with the help of sinful human beings for sinful human beings.

The plot of the Jewish leaders and the agreement of Judas led to events that put Jesus on the cross.  However, the actions of Judas and the Jewish leaders didn’t put Jesus on the cross, the sins of their heart did.

And for that reason, we can all relate with Judas and the Jewish leaders.  In the silent of our heart, we allow sin to brew that may or may not manifest itself, but it is equally the cause of Jesus’ death on the cross.  And his death on the cross is equally sufficient for the forgiveness of your sin and mine.  And for that reason, I am thankful for the silence of Wednesday to contemplate the profound sacrifice Jesus was willing to undertake for me.

 

Apply: What are the secret, silent sins of yours that Jesus took to the cross for you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for carrying out your plan in your way and in your time to bring me and all people full forgiveness for all our sin.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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Zechariah 9:9-10 See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

It’s easy in our world to look at what is happening around us and what is happening to us and want to get away from it all. If you look at the headlines of any major news site, you see challenges in foreign affairs, you hear politicians bickering with one another, you see senseless tragedies and accidents.  It’s rare that the news chooses to report good news and one may think every aspect of the world is coming crashing down.

If God would just do something about it.

No one would argue that it would be nice to change the narrative of news organizations to not just spin stories to lead to fear and unrest, but rather to communicate the positive and uplifting too.  We want to believe, but don’t always see, that the world can be a better place.

I wonder what people thought when Jesus was done teaching the Tuesday of Holy Week?  Was their impression of the man who rode into Jerusalem on Sunday changing when they heard him teach on Tuesday?

What would you think of Jesus’ message and purpose when you heard him say:

Matthew 24:9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved

Or perhaps when you heard him say:

Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days 

         “ ‘the sun will be darkened, 

         and the moon will not give its light; 

         the stars will fall from the sky, 

         and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

As Jesus taught about the end times and his second coming, it may not have been the battle plan some were wanting to hear.  But it was the message they needed.  Jesus was a king who would bring salvation, Zecharaiah said.  But the salvation Jesus brought would be the deliverance we all need, not from the problems of this world, but from the problems of personal sin.  His mission was to ensure as many people as possible will hear him say, Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Jesus came to provide deliverance from sin. Even in his last teaching moments, he didn’t proclaim world peace or the end to every problem.  Instead he came to orchestrate and communicate the deliverance we really need…the forgiveness of our sins.  Only  with this gift of grace will we be ready for his return. Even though our earthly challenges may not disappear, our heavenly home will be ready because Jesus came to bring YOU salvation!

 

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for being the Savior I really need!  AMEN!

 

PS _ This may be a bit longer, but for all who prayed for our Easter event…here’s how God has and is answering those prayers…

 

To all our devotion readers,

THANK YOU to all who prayed for our Easter Eggstravaganza Event.  The prayers of God’s people are heard and answered by our gracious God.  After the dust has settled on a very busy week, let me share with you how the Lord chose to answer these prayers so that you too may give thanks! 

As you may remember, last Friday we were making final preparations for our annual outreach event, Easter Eggstravaganza.  The Lord blessed the event with 814 guests that registered…perhaps a few more that didn’t!  Below are the prayers you prayed for us last Friday with the ways God has chosen at this point to answer them…

• • Ask the Lord for his Spirit to work conversations and connections at the event for the advancement of the Gospel in the hearts of people.

• In ways we will have to wait on these conversation.  Personally I spoke with a woman from Iran of the Bahai faith and a person of the Seventh Day Adventist.  These gave opportunity to share the focus of grace we are privileged to preach.

• • Ask the Lord to move individuals to seek deeper connection with him through the Gospel ministry of Crosspoint.

• 44 families indicated a desire for more information about the ministry of Crosspoint.

• 23 families indicated they were actively looking for a church home.

• 37 families are interested in receiving a daily devotional email

• • Protect all participants from any harm or danger.

• While we had a brief scare when a parent couldn’t find her son, he was safely enjoying the bounce house without telling his mom.  God kept all safe.

• • Give strength and health to all who are volunteering.

• Everyone slept well Saturday night, but with one exception, all who volunteered were able to come and serve.

• • Curtail any evil or anyone wishing evil at or on the event.

• No one of evil intent was among the group.

• • That people would find more than eggs, but find a connection to their Savior.

• We had a booth where people could ask faith questions and post a prayer on a cross.  62 people posted a prayer.

• • That the hundreds of invitations to Easter would be received and individuals attend worship on Easter Sunday.

• Easter Sunday is a few days away, but we had three families visit yesterday as a result of the event and fliers the mission team distributed around us.  Please pray they will return on Easter!  We had 77 in worship for Palm Sunday – almost double our usual Sunday of around 40!

• • Gratitude for the many dollars that have been contributed

• I’m not sure the amount, but close to $2000 above regular offerings.

• • Gratefulness for dedicated volunteers and willingness to serve.

• We had 55 volunteers total serve on Saturday.  Each one was and is a gift from God!

• • Thankfulness for our four mission team members from Wisconsin who came to serve the Lord on their spring break.

• Ally, Ian, Josh & Dylan – a great team, strong in their faith and dedicated to their Lord.  They enjoyed a week of service, fun and lots of food!  They arrived back on campus early Monday morning, greeted by a snow storm after leaving 75 degrees here in Texas.

• • Ask the Lord to bless the event as he sees fit…opening doors he wants open and closing the ones he wants closed.

• We yet to see all the blessings God provided through this event.

• Any other prayer the Lord prompts you to pray!

 

Would you be so bold as to pray…

• Prayer of thanks for all the blessings listed above.
• For continued connection with the people who came on Easter and beyond.
• New guests on Easter to hear the glorious Easter message again or for the first time!

 

Lord, thank you for all your faithful people who prayed for our outreach efforts.  We thank you for blessing them in your way.  Hear our prayers as ones redeemed by Christ and purified by your Spirit.  We anticipate your blessing in many ways, ones maybe we expect and ones we didn’t.  For each, we are grateful! AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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I may have had the wrong impression.

If I were part of the crowd that lined the street waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” I may have been thinking something very different than what Jesus was really doing.  Jesus was riding on a donkey into the city of Jerusalem…a perhaps odd way to enter, but the buzz was he was the Messiah.  But…

I may have thought, “This is the end to the plaguing occupation of the Romans!”

I may have thought, “This is the beginning of a rule greater than King David!”

I may have thought, “All my problems are going away because Jesus is making his entrance today.”

The prevailing thought in the nation of Israel at the time of Jesus was that the Messiah of which the Old Testament spoke of was going to be an earthly ruler and provide deliverance from earthly problems.  He would establish a political kingdom like King David.  He would bring healing to the sick and food for the hungry.  Even Jesus’ followers seem to have this idea.  

Perhaps we have the same, but wrong, impression too.

It’s easy to think that if we proclaim allegiance to Jesus, all our earthly difficulties will go away. We kind of want Jesus to be the earthly king that establishes a kingdom of peace and absence of problems.

I spoke to a gentleman a number of years ago who thought “God owed him” something positive in his life because he didn’t feel he deserved the life challenges he was going through.  In recent political cycles, it seems common among Christians to seek a political “savior” who would help legislate Christian morals into the law of the country.  It’s easy to want problems to disappear, illnesses to be completely cured, and broken relationships restored.  Perhaps none of these is completely a bad thought, they just are mistaken realities of what Jesus came to do.  .

Even today, it’s easy to have the wrong impression.

Jesus didn’t come to be an earthly king.  He made that very clear when on trial before Pilate when he said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”  He didn’t come to free us from every physical ailment, relational challenge, or financial worry. Rather he came to be the Savior we really need and solve the biggest problem we really have…the problem of sin.

Holy week is the culmination of his work on our behalf.  Zechariah prophesied this way in chapter 9:9-10

         9      Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! 

         Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! 

         See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, 

         gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

         10      I will take away the chariots from Ephraim 

         and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. 

         He will proclaim peace to the nations. 

         His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Perhaps at quick read, Zechariah seems to be speaking of an earthly king and reign…but when you read him slowly, you realize no earthly king or earthly kingdom can be or bring what Jesus brings.  The Savior we need is righteous, gentle, brings salvation and peace.  Nothing any earthly king can bring, but is exactly what Jesus does.

Jesus is the Savior we really need…and we’ll unpack that this week!

 

Apply: What misguided impressions have you held about Jesus?  What helped to clarify them?

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for riding into Jerusalem to be the Savior I really need, not the Savior in my mind I really want.  Clear out the misconceptions and replace them with the truth of who you really are and what you came to do.  AMEN.