|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Women At The Cross (Reflections On The Death And Resurrection Of Jesus)
The women at the cross. Have you ever thought about them? Why not drift into a comfortable - and meditative - position on a coach or in a chair and read verses 40 and 41 in Mark, chapter 15? When I read those words, one of my first thoughts was "Gutsy!" I would not have wanted to watch. Some folks that day watched because they were cruel and insensitive people. Not these women. They were there because they cared. They did not know the answer to his cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" * They were "just there." There... Watching. Caring. Grieving. And probably wondering "Why?" along with Jesus. Another thought I had as I reflected on this passage was this: it is good to spend time "being there" with these women. It is an ugly scene. Brutality. Hatred. Sounds of suffering. Death. Yet, in the midst of the horror, hatred and cruelty there is a great deal of beauty. It is the beauty of God's love. God's love for me. And the love of these women for Jesus. Yes, it is hard - but good - to spend time there and "watch" with this caring group of women. It is good to stop and reflect. I WONDER WHAT THEY WOULD SAY TO ME? While meditating on the entire scene, I wrote down the following question: "I wonder what they would say to me now as I sit in my office and reflect on this? What would Mary Magdalene say? And Mary, the mother of Jesus - what would she tell me?" The following is what I wrote down in answer to the question I posed. I imagined that these women - the women at the scene of the cross - would say something like this to me: "Lee... You can't imagine the agony. You just can't imagine. We could hardly look. Unbelievable. It was too awful for words. We felt so helpless and hopeless. But, we are on 'this side' of the cross now. Like you. And we say to you: 'Spend some time here, Lee.' Don't breeze past these few short lines in your Bible. He suffered for a purpose. Never let your heart stray too far from that one great truth. You see, we heard him. We heard him cry "Why?" We also heard him ask the Father to forgive those in front of him. Take strength in his love. To be sure, you should allow the pain of those moments to bring pain to your heart. But be quick to pray to him and ask him to guide you through the process of seeing him there. Then, ask him to give you a deep, abiding sense of his being with you here... In your world. In your heart. On this side of the cross. And pray for your world, Lee. Don't forget that. Let our Savior's agony be your motivation to pray for people. People like us. We needed him - more than we realized at the moment. More than a person we loved. More than the one we called "the Messiah." We needed him as our Savior. The people of the world need him, Lee. Where you were raised. The city where you received your education. Where you were in Viet Nam. They *all* need him. Think about that - and embrace him. Embrace him with all your heart. Believe us. You will never regret that. You see, Lee, we're with him now. We see him in a much different light. We cannot even begin to describe him to you as we see him now. But you will know - someday. So hold on. Come here often to take a look. But also look beyond the agony of the cross, his death, and his burial. Be sure you see something else we saw: the empty tomb. We'll look forward to 'seeing' you there with us. Standing in awe. Worshipping. And growing to love him more there before the empty grave. May our wonderful, living Savior bless your day, brother. Saved by his love, The women at the cross." YOUR TURN... May I encourage you to read Mark 15 and 16 -- stopping long enough at the cross to think about what happened on that sad day? But, please don't stay there. Move on from the cross to the resurrection. And your reflections are...? Maybe a few key words? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Yours for a day filled with hope in Jesus, Lee ____________________________________ Avoid pain/create pleasure. For A Beautiful Moment In Time
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
Energy Work Basics Part 2: What Lifts Your Spirit? Remember, everything is made of energy. Each of us has an energy field. How to Scare Fear Out of Your Life A reader asks: "Many times in my life I have let fear rule me and stop me from doing something I wanted to do. Do you have any suggestions for how to handle fear?"There are many successful strategies for dealing with fear in your life. Withstand the Test of Time As I drove home from work late one wintry afternoon, chilled from the freezing temperatures, I noticed the beautiful trees aligned on both sides of the road. Amongst the evergreens and the pine trees, one tree in particular caught my attention as it majestically stood, with its strong branches extending outward. Letting Go and Letting Be In Corrogue it is frosty.The earth is hard and unyielding. Inspiration: Some Things Ive Noticed Along the Way So Far Let's file this one under the heading of random musings and observations, or what I like to call "things I've noticed along the way so far."Of the many things we tend to forget about in our fast paced culture, two of the most important are how to play and how to rest. Two Drops Of Water Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 17, 2002My problem is that I am falling in love. My friend and I are both 23. Using Appreciation to Make a Difference When in 1996 a local Secondary School opened, the staff decided to create a tradition to prepare Christmas Hampers for those in need. Each advisory class (of around 18 students G9-12) would adopt a family to help out. Succeed by Whistling While You Work Mark Twain (1835-1910) believed that having fun is important if you want to be successful."The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation. Go Where No Man Or Woman Has Gone Before "It`s life Jim but not as we know it." -SpockIn Corrogue there is a starry, starry night. Is Transformation Worth the Effort? Soaring 700 feet above the forest floor is a granite dome two miles long and a mile wide. Stone Mountain, 16 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia, was the ideal site for a memorial to General Robert E. Four Words that Make Life Worthwhile Over the years as I've sought out ideas, principles and strategies to life's challenges, I've come across four simple words that can make living worthwhile.First, life is worthwhile if you Learn. The Fighting Father This man is an Anglican priest but with a difference. You would not want to offend him put it that way. You Dont Find All Drunks in the Gutter: The Story of a Functional Alcoholic! Today, August 22, 2005, I am clean and sober for eight years which simply means today I am still an alcoholic and on this day I will choose not to pick up a drink. If you look at me today and compared my appearance to eight years ago you probably would not notice much difference (with the exception of a few more wrinkles). The Power of A.S.K.ing Have you ever had the opportunity to follow-up on a sales lead? Recently, I had such an opportunity to reconnect with an organization that I had been trying to secure as a client. Due to some new events and after multiple unreturned phone calls, I decided to ask for the decision maker within the department. Following Through Direct Answers - Column for the week of March 24, 2003My final divorce papers sit in front of me waiting for my signature. In fact, they've been sitting on my desk for five days now. Tsunamis in the Bible? I have always wondered how the Red Sea parted as described in the Exodus story of Moses.The recent Tsunamis that happened in West Sumatra and the tremendous destruction that came with it got me thinking - was this what really happened to the Egyptian army when they were pursuing the Hebrew people while they were led out of Egypt by Moses?On the internet, many eyewitness accounts can be obtained very fast. Searching for the Meaning of Life! Are you looking for the meaning of life?You work all day long, doing the right thing, caring for others, never breaking the law and generally being a pretty decent person.At the same time everything seems to go wrong, relationships just don't go the way you had planned, the boss has a nasty streak, petrol prices go up, you have an accident, the landlord tells you he wants you to move for no real good reason, yes, it goes on & on!How do you turn things around?I'm sorry but I don't have the answer too what is the meaning of life and why there a times when nothing seems to go right for you, however, I do believe that what we think directs our focus to achieving our thoughts, so negative thought, negative result, positive thought, positive result. Computers and Internet: Inspiring Us to Create The Internet is sometimes criticized (usually by parents who think their kids need to be outdoors more often) as leading people to be sitting in front of their computers all day growing bulbous, lethargic and (depending on who you talk to) stupid. I think that the opposite can often be true. Ask the Angels - Get Specific ! There are Angels for everything and they are just waiting for us to ask for their help. They can't help if we don't ask. The Right Approach Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 9, 2003I grew up in a happy, loving, stable home. My fiance was not as lucky.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Interesting sites: site map- eu news- haba legetøj- V2 snus- Las Vegas Rejse |