Maundy Thursday?

Easter . . . we all get Friday (the day Jesus was crucified) and we all get Sunday (the day Jesus rose from the dead) but what is Thursday and that wierd word in front of it; maundy? Recently I learned that the word itself is derived from a latin root meaning ‘mandate’ or command. So what about the Thursday before Jesus crucifixion was mandated?

Look carefully for the humble little house among the ruins

To answer that question we must recall what Jesus said and did the day before. It was the last supper. And during that time Jesus washed the disciples feet and then said as that situation is recorded in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” This is the ‘maundy’ or mandate that Jesus gave us. Jesus referred to this as the sum of all the law and prophets. Paul says in Galatians 5:14, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” He was quoting Leviticus 19:18. Yes, Leviticus. So what is new here? What is new is the fact that the disciples will now have more than an example of what living for others looks like. It is because of the cross that the “Helper” or Holy Spirit who bears witness of Who Jesus is through a person’s life will now also empower those same people to live as Christ for others.

Mandate Thursday . . . without it the gospel is just words. May a humble life for others spring up from the ruins of our proud selfishness as we surrender to Jesus at the cross and let His Holy Spirit spir us on to love and good works.

Happy Easter my friends.

Loosen Up the Schedule

I’ve been so busy lately that I have not had time to write a post. Do you ever feel like you need to free up some time? Sometimes we need to slow down in order to hear what God is saying.

Faith and Valleys

The journey of faith comes alive when we walk the valleys

The journey of faith really comes alive when we walk the valleys. Faith is designed specifically for that purpose. If we hopped from mountain top to mountain top faith would be of no value. The valleys in life should not be rejected. We must resist the temptation of self-pity. The valleys are there to show us that we are sinful, weak and miserable. They are there to reveal our ongoing need for Christ. They are there to show us our selfish tendencies, our anger, our anxiety, our pride, our wilfulness, our sense of fairness, our desire for power, our hate, our lust, and every other thing that stands in the way of a life that is one with Jesus Christ. The valleys push us to excel in our holiness if we let them. The valleys force us to die to the world, to the part of ourselves that feels at home in this world. The valleys reveal Jesus in us when we surrender to His will and walk the way He wants us to.

The valleys can come in many forms. They can come in the form of depression, a bad mood, the bad mood of others, things not going right at work, a disobedient child (’tisn’t the neighbors they’re taken after), the death of a spouse, or any number of a thousand different circumstances that make us uncomfortable. When confronted with these many daily difficulties, if we will allow it, our faith in God’s sovereignty, His control over all things, will lead us to ask the question, “What part of myself is God showing me must die here that Christ may live through me.” 

Jesus died on the cross not so that we could have a nice example to follow. Jesus died on the cross in our place so that we could die to ourselves and live in the power of His resurrection. Paul says in Galatians 6:8-10: “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”