The Hands with the Nails

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Imagine if you will, for a moment, you are in a market and you come across a vender who you’ve seen before.  You recognize this man because he was in the gathering of the new sect of Judaism called Followers of the Way.  What is more, despite the man’s old and wither exterior, he still carries himself as a veteran of the Army.  A soldier of the Roman guard never loses the stature.  There is an intangible way in which he stands and presents himself so that you know he served his country well.  But today he serves you by selling you fruit from his stand.

He Rides a Donkey

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I want tell you a story.  Specifically, I want to tell you the story of when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey.  I want you to turn on your imagination.  What would it be like that day?  What would you be doing?  Where would you be standing?  What would you be shouting?  What would the road feel like on your feet?  What would the crowd smell like?  What would the shouts of hosanna and crucify him sound like to you?  How would they sound as the came from your mouth? 

Peter is Sifted

In this specific moment we find Peter, wondering through back allies of Jerusalem.  Evening has turned into night. He is trying not to be seen. He is following a raucous crowd.

Ahead of Peter stood Caiaphas' house.  The high priest had summoned this mob, and they were returning with their prize.  Peter quietly stow away in the pack.  He had to see, he had to know.  What was going to happen to his Lord?  The one he declared to be Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

In this horrible turn of events, the Passover meal was supposed to end in celebration, deliverance, salvation.  How did this one turn into a lynch mob.  Surly no salvation can come from this. Peter still had the taste of bread and wine in his mouth, the body and the blood of Jesus Christ.  “But at the Passover the blood of the lamb is to be spilled for the salvation of the Jews.” Peter thought, “What did Jesus mean His body broken his blood, the new covenant, spilled out?”

God is Laughing at Me

God is laughing at me and my family.  They say the quickest way to make God laugh at you is to say, “I have a plan.”  I believe that this is very true.  Except, God’s laughter is not a mocking or jeering laughter.  It is the warm inviting laughter of a father who is watching his beloved child discover, for the first time, the delight of eating ice cream with sprinkles on a summer’s eve.  There is a joy and an invitation in God’s laughter. 

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

Reckless Treasure Hunters

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What is your treasure?  What is it that you pursue above all else?  What your treasure is will determine how you live and give.  When we talk about The kingdom of God, giving looks a little different than what we tend to think.