April 13, 2017

Greetings My Friend Sunday is Easter the hope we look forward to as a believer in Jesus. The Disciples did not know Sunday was coming, they knew the confusion of their Savior being arrested,scourged,beaten and crucified. Jesus told them but they did not "hear" what He was telling them. The Disciples were in fear for their own life and confused because they saw all that Jesus had done, the miracles He did and now He was dying on the cross, that did not make sense in their minds. For many years I loved the Maundy Thursday service it is my favorite service and the church reads the accounts of Jesus' last hours of life, His death and then in the darkened Sanctuary a loud cymbal crashed. We left the service in silence. To me I could understand the fear and confusion the Disciples had. I was only able to attend Good Friday Services for a half hour of the 3 hour service because my job only gave me so much time to attend service and eat lunch. But that period of time did speak to me as well, we heard sermons of Jesus' last hours so it also helped me focus on the gift of the cross. Sunday came and I feel the awesome gift that Jesus rose from the grave. These days are how I process the gift of Easter, I don't do the Lenten studies so much or give up something for Lent. Last year I did but I did not do it this year. I am grateful for the gift of Jesus in my life, He is very real in my heart and I have experienced the love of a Savior who has died for me. After living 40 years without a true walk of faith today I appreciate the gift we have been given. This gift is open to everyone no matter how awful of a life we have lived or are living. Junior has challenged me this past year with a statement and I have begun to absorb the depth of it. First you have to believe that God is who He says He is or more specifically you have to believe Genesis 1, "God created..." God spoke the world into existence, next we have to believe that Jesus is God's Son, came into the world to take on our sin and pay the price for us and accept this gift Jesus has given us. If we do it with a genuine heart then we can enter into a relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit will dwell in you to guide you in the Father's ways, the way we were created to be in the beginning and we can expect to live in eternity with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. The three in one is hard to understand and I liken it to my life I am a wife, a mother and a grandmother. I am one but I have 3 different parts to my life as well. For the longest time I did not understand the Holy Spirit's role in the God head so I started talking to Him in my prayers like I did with the Father and Lord Jesus, one day I understood His role in my life. I find we have to believe even though we do not understand that is faith and again I liken faith like the way I can't see the wind but I know it is there just as I know God is there. My desire for Easter is those that do not know Jesus will ask Him into their lives. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet