As I awakened this morning, I pondered the early morning
hours for Jesus on Good Friday – after being arrested late Thursday night, and
dragged to various places, his fate was still being decided on Friday morning.
Now, nearly 2,000 years later, His victory has been won, and my life is forever
the beneficiary of his sacrifice. As I sit on my comfortable couch, with a gas
fire burning and raindrops gently falling on my skylight, I am so very thankful
for this day, for the horrific torture Jesus endured, the death he died, and
the life he gave for mine.
Exodus 30 describes the instructions for the incense
altar, the wash basin, funding for the tabernacle and formulas for the anointing
oil and incense. I note that God tells Moses that these formulas are
specifically for the oil and incense used at the tabernacle, holy, set apart
and that neither Aaron nor his descendents are to use this or a similar formula
for their personal use. It is so important for people who serve God through the
church be especially careful with boundaries.
Tonight we will have 2 Good Friday services at Wesley (7 pm Sanctuary, 9 pm Gym),
with a very special time of commitment for our confirmands at 8:00 pm. Tomorrow
we have the baptism service for the confirmands. I will invest today in
spiritually preparing to lead these weekend services, including the preparation
of my Easter sermon. Typically I dedicate Friday to working on the sermon.
Last night I saw Jim Bakker on television. Audrey recorded
a portion of his current program. There was a Jewish man describing the Passover,
and the last supper. Bakker has white hair and a white beard, as he is now 73. I continue to read his autobiography I Was Wrong, and I am up to the point where he is in a minimum
security prison called Camp Jessup. He writes about experiencing real Christian
Community among the inmates, who truly care for one another in tangible and
practical ways. They are especially gracious in the way they welcome newcomers
to the institution. The church can always improve the genuiness of community,
the substance of service, and the welcome of those who are new.
No comments:
Post a Comment