Christ is Risen! Risen Indeed!

Was it a Morning Like This?

By Sandi Patty

Was it a morning like this
When the Son still hid from Jerusalem?
And Mary rose from her bed
To tend the Lord She thought was dead

What is a morning like this,
When Mary walked down from Jerusalem? 
And two angels stood at the tomb,
Bearers of news she would hear soon.

Did the grass sing?
Did the earth rejoice
To feel you again?
Over and over like a 
Trumpet underground,
Did the earth seem to pound:
“He is risen”

over and over
in a never ending round
“He is risen, alleluia, alleluia!”

Was it an morning like this,
When Peter and John from Jerusalem?
And as they raced for the tomb,
Beneath their feet was there a tune?

Was it a morning like this,
When my Lord looked out 
On Jerusalem?
He is risen, alleluia, alleluia.

An Unexpected, Life-changing Encounter

Good Friday is a very special day. A day when we remember the heavy price our Saviour, Jesus Christ the Son of God, paid for our salvation and redemption. His precious blood is what cleanses us from our sins and gives us eternal life. Without the events of that day all humanity would be in hopeless misery and darkness now and for all eternity. Neither you nor I would be able to know God, love Him, and approach Him. Thank you, Lord for the cross and the great price you paid for my salvation.

Now, on that Friday long ago, an suspecting man was thrust into the greatest event in history. It was then that He encountered Someone who changed his life forever.
The Gospels tell briefly of that encounter, but in it one could read a lifetime story. 

'And they compel one Simon of Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.' (Mark 15:21)
'And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.' (Luke 23:26)


In his book, The First Easter, Peter Marshall imagines the scene of the procession to Calvary and that special encounter between Christ and Simon of Cyrene.   

It was an ugly situation as the procession went slowly along this way that will for ever be known as the Via Dolorosa [way of suffering or sorrow]. Meanwhile - Simon of Cyrene was approaching the city gate. 

He had just arrived in Judea, and was about to enter the Holy City, as a pilgrim for the festival. 

He had spent the night in some village just outside, and, rising early in the morning, had bathed and dressed himself carefully...with a tingling excitement because soon he would be in Jerusalem. The wonder of Jerusalem, that exiles had described, he would now see with his own eyes...the sounds of the Holy City...he would hear with his own ears. Yet He tried to keep calm, and as he set out on the short walk that lay between him and the city, he was very thoughtful. 

He walked along the winding path that sometimes ran through the fields...Sometimes along narrow roads between hedges where there was the fragrance of pomegranate trees and honeysuckle... Sometimes along the torturous course of the dried-up river bed where the earth was cracked with the heat of the sun.

       Sometimes it wound up the jagged hillside to twist down among the giant boulders and huge rocks behind which many a robber might hide. He walked along beside the tall rushes, where he frightened conveys of birds that flew wheeling, diving... 

And he walked through the divided crops, ripening in the sunshine. 

He could hear the sheep bleating on the inhospitable hillside, while the morning sun climbed higher and chased away the mists that lay in the hollows, trailing down into the ravines like tulle scarves.  

As he walked along, he was thinking of the temple and its glories, the history of his people and the worship of his fathers... 

Already he could see ahead of him the domes of the temple gleaming gold in the sunshine, could hear the pigeons that had their nest in the cupolas and gables, and he thought of his own city looking from her height over the blue waters of the Mediterranean. 

Then as he neared the city gate he began to hear shouting that grew louder and louder. 

There seemed to Simon to be a sort of chant running through the noise... 

        a refrain that men's voices made clearer and clear er until he thought he could recognise the word 

        "Crucify 

crucify 

      crucify...."  

They met right at the city gate ... Simon of Cyrene and the crowd. He found that the procession was headed by some Roman soldiers; he would recognise them anywhere... 

          the insignia on their shields... 

       and their uniforms... 

He could tell a legionnaire when he saw one.  

He had little time to gather impressions, and as for asking questions, that was impossible. He could not make himself heard in all the rabble. 

The noise and confusion with its sinister and malice made Simon shudder.  

Simon was aware of two moving walls of Roman steel. There was something strange about it all but, before he could understand it, Simon was caught up in it - sucked into the procession, and swept out through the gate again. 

Simon was excited, afraid...He was puzzled and ill at ease. He scanned face after face quickly, looking for some light of pity... 

          of friendliness, 

                 of welcome... 

But he found none. 

He felt the drama of the situation, the cruelty of it...And its horror crept over him like a clammy mist - and he shivered.  

He was captured by the procession, stumbling along, tightly wedged in the very heart of the crowd. 

Then he noticed that there were three men who staggered under the weight of crosses of rough, heavy wood on which these unfortunates were going to die.  

Each man was bent beneath the burden he carried, and perspiration moistened his drawn face. 

One of them was strangely appealing, His face was arresting. Simon felt his gaze returning again and again to that one face. He noticed that blood was trickling down from wounds in the brow. 

On His face there was a twig of long-thorned brier, twisted around in the shape of a crown and pushed down cruelly on His head.  

Simon watched with beating heart as they shuffled along, fascinated by the look in those eyes. 

He could see nothing else. Everything was forgotten, even why he had come to Jerusalem. This public execution had driven everything else from his mind. 

Forgotten for the moment were the temple and its services, 

         messages he brought from friends far away... 

               things he had been asked to get... 

Everything was forgotten as he watched this Man carrying the cross.  

And then He looked up! His eyes almost blinded by the blood that trickled down from under that grotesque crown that was on his head... 

Why didn't somebody wipe His eyes? 

And as Simon looked at Him, He looked at Simon...And the eyes of the two ... met! 

How did Christ know what was in Simon's heart?What was it that made Him smile, a slow, sad smile that seemed to still Simon's wildly beating heart and give him courage? 

The look that passed between them Simon never forgot as long as he lived, for no man can look at Jesus of Nazareth and remain the same. (my emphasis)

As these two looked at each other, the Man with the cross stumbled, and the soldiers, moved more by impatience than pity, seeing that the Nazarene was almost too exhausted to carry the cross any further, laid hands on Simon and conscripted him to carry it.

He was the nearest man. 

He was strong.

His shoulders were broad!

Simon's heart almost stopped beating; he tried to speak, but no words came.

A few minutes before, he had been a lonely pilgrim quietly approaching the Holy City. And now, there he was in the midst of a procession of howling men and women, walking between two moving walls of Roman steel, and carrying on his shoulder a cross on which someone was going to die!

The look of gratitude and love that flashed from the eyes of Jesus as Simon lifted the load from those tired, bleeding shoulders did something to the man from Cyrene, and in an instant life was changed. (my emphasis)

Simon never could explain it afterwards - how it happened! 

There are moments of spiritual insight that defy the limits of syntax and grammar. 

There are some things too deep for words.

But all at once he saw the meaning of pain...

          understood the significance of suffering...

The meaning of prayer was unveiled...

          and the message of the Scriptures.

He saw prophecy take form and live before him. 

He remembered words of the psalmist and the prophets of old, words that until now had been without sense of meaning, but now... he saw ... and understood. (my emphasis)

Yes, the one who meets Jesus of Nazareth will never be the same again. No-one can remain neutral. If you haven't yet had such a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, ask Him now. He is near and always ready to heal and forgive. If you have had that wonderful encounter already, take a moment to thank Him for His sacrifice and ask Him to refresh that relationship. This is what I pray. Amen.

God Bless, 
 

_________________
Reference: 
Peter Marshall, The First Easter, (ed.) Catherine Marshall, London: Hodder and Staughton, 1959, pp. 54-59 

Via Dolorosa

Be blessed by this lovely song about the passion of our Saviour. Sung by Sandi Patti. It is one of my favourite Easter songs. Sometimes I think, it would feel like Passion Week or Good Friday without hearing it.

VERSE 1:
Down the Vía Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary

VERSE 2:
He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death

CHORUS:
Down the Vía Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

VERSE 1 (Spanish):
Por la Vía Dolorosa, triste día en Jerusalén
Los soldados le abrían paso a Jesús.
Más la gente se acercaba,
Para ver al que llevaba aquella cruz.

CHORUS (Spanish):
Por la Vía Dolorosa, que es la via del dolor
Como oveja vino Cristo, Rey y Señor,
Y fue Él quien quiso ir por su amor por ti y por mí.
Por la Vía Dolorosa al Calvario y a morir.

BRIDGE:
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem.

CHORUS:
Down the Vía Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Vía Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

God bless, 

Hall of Faith Series: Abraham and Sarah (Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19)

Well, it's time I did another 'Hall of Faith Series' post. It's been a while, hasn't it?  But, here I go now!

Today's Hall of Faith characters are Abraham and Sarah. They are indeed one of my favourites. However, I cannot adequately convey by a long shot the faith of these great characters, considering that the Bible places them as the father and mother of the faithful. Probably, that's why I've delayed so long in writing this post. 

They were not without failings and weaknesses, of course. The Bible records several of these. However, in spite of this, God's grace was made truly manifest in them, with everlastingly glorious consequences in their lives and history. 

Hall of Faith: Noah (Hebrews 11:7)

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Today's Hall of Faith character is Noah. Yes, Noah and the Ark! Everyone knows about that! You know, the ark, the animals, the Flood, the rainbow, etc... Since childhood we've all just loved it. But guess what! I think I love this account more now than I probably ever did when I was a little child. That's because I know now how deep and serious it was, as well as amazing.

After Cain killed Abel, God gave Adam and Eve another son. They called him Seth. He grew up to be like Abel - a man who feared God. Now there were two main family lines on earth: the line of Cain (representing those who were of the world, who were ungodly) and the line of Seth (representing those who were children of God). The entire Bible is full of that tension between the sons of light and the sons of darkness. This also continues till today. 

The years pass and those of the line of Cain grew more and more wicked. For several generations there was a difference between the Cain Line and the Seth Line. As time went on, however, the Seth line began to intermingle with Cain's line. They took on their ways and soon became like them. They lost touch with God, their Creator. They forgot God's instructions. They became violent and wicked (see Genesis 6). The only person on earth who kept himself and was not defiled by all of this was Noah. The Bible says that God saw Noah was just, 'perfect in his generation', who walked with Him (Genesis 6:9). What a wonderful thing for God to look and see us perfect in His sight. He sees that when we are clothed with the Righteousness of Christ. Amen! 

When God saw the wickedness, He regretted that He created man (see Genesis 6:6)! However, He wanted to save Noah. So He told him He was going to destroy the whole earth with a Flood. God told Him to build himself a huge ark and take with him his wife, his three sons, and their wives, as well as, two of every kind of animal, male and female, and seven from the clean animals. 

In Hebrews 11:7 it says that 'By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.' 

Noah believed God and obeyed Him when it was not the popular thing to do. Can you imagine! He was the only really Godly man on earth! It reminds me of the words of the song: 'Though none go with me, I still will follow'. 
Noah really had faith in God. He built the ark contrary to all human reasoning. Building a ship on dry land! Yet, he feared God and trusted His Word and that's what saved him, his family, and all mankind. He did not look to the seen and visible, rather he looked to the unseen, which is eternal (see II Corinthians 4:18).


Give us Lord that faith. To trust you and obey you without wavering and always look to that which is unseen which will last forever. Amen!

Learn More:

I highly recommend watching this classic movie about Noah. It follows the Biblical account closely. Though, I think the actual ark was much bigger, and perhaps a little bit more orderly:) 

Hall of Faith Series: Abel and Enoch (Hebrews 11:4-5)

Welcome to the first post in the Hall of Faith Series. 

I hope you'll be blessed.

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Abel offering a
'more excellent sacrifice than Cain'

The list of characters in the Hall of Faith of Hebrews 11, starts from the early beginnings of history with righteous Abel, who was the first one on earth to ever experience death and death by violence. 

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4) 

As we all know the account from Genesis, he was the second son of Adam and Eve. Unlike his brother Cain, Abel took heed to what his parents said God required of them after their fall in the Garden of Eden. This was now the only way to approach God as sinners - offering a blood sacrifice. It was, of course, looking forward to Christ, the Saviour, who was to come and be '...the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). God gave Abel true saving faith. 


Abel was a shepherd, but Cain was a farmer (see Genesis 4:2). The Bible say in Genesis 4 that one day Cain and Abel decided to offer a sacrifice to God. Cain decided to offer fruits and vegetables he has grown. This does not sound too bad at first. However, he totally missed the whole meaning of the offering. He had no faith in it. It is was just a duty to him.


Abel on the other hand understood by faith what the offering represented. The blood of the blameless lamb was to be his substitute before God for his sins. Through faith he saw his Redeemer. That was what he brought to God - '...the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof' (Genesis 4:4). It was also his best. The Bible says that 'the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect' (Genesis 4:4-5). God looked into Abel's heart and found faith and saw him as righteous. But He did not find it in Cain. 


Cain, of course, was angry with God and Abel and so, murdered his own brother! In 1 John 3:12, it says why he slew him: 'because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.' Even in his death he still speaks faith to us. 


May the Lord give us the faith of righteous Abel! 

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The next character in the Hall of Faith is that of Enoch. We know so very little about him, except for these precious words: 

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him:  for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Hebrews 11: 5). 


Enoch and Elijah, were the only ones on earth to ever experience this: not tasting earthly death.


God did this for Enoch because he pleased Him. That is indeed a precious thing to have that said about you. But without FAITH it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6). When we approach God we must believe '...that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him' (11:16). Therefore, Enoch was full of faith in God. 


The only other place in the Bible where we know something more about Enoch's faith is in Jude 1:14-16, where Enoch is said to have prophesied, saying that '...the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him...' 


This is just a glimpse of the godliness and faith of this man of God. 
May the Lord grant us the faith of Enoch that causes us to please God always. 


Thank you for joining me on this journey. My presentation here is very poor. But I know it will be a learning journey for me and am being blessed with it as I hope it will bless you, too. 

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Learn More: 
Genesis 4:1-16
Hebrews 11: 4-6