The Irony of Good Friday

“Irony.” The dictionary defines it as the “incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.” Life and literature abound with it. Consider several examples:

*“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winder of despair.” So Charles Dickens began A Tale of Two Cities with its bloody background of the French Revolution. But, ironically, threaded through the depiction of violence and hatred is the story of one man’s sacrificial love for his friends, a love so strong he gave his life for them.

*A Hanoverian countess, known for her disbelief in God and her mockery of the resurrection, issued explicit instructions that after her death, she was to be put in a tomb and the corners were to be fastened to the granite by massive iron clamps. When she died, the instructions were carried out and the inscription she had chosen etched into the granite: “This burial place, purchased to all eternity, must never be opened.”

The countess had been sure that her inviolate tomb would never be opened. However, she didn’t reckon with the root of a small birch tree which made its way beneath the slabs. The tree slowly but surely forced its way through the casket, snapped the iron clamps and pushed open the granite lid. The stone cover with its taunting inscription finally rested against the tree trunk, its words an ironic falsehood.

*An old Hebrew legend tells the story of a man’s journey through a desolate area. He rode his mule and carried his rooster which served as an alarm clock to wake him for his morning devotions. Near dusk the first night of his journey, he approached a small village and decided to spend the night. But the inhospitable villagers turned him away. The only shelter he could find was in a cave nearby. He made his bed and lit his lamp, but a gust of wind swept into the cave and blew out the light. While he slept, a wolf killed his rooster and a lion devoured his mule.

The next morning he surveyed his losses and began to wonder why he was the object of such misfortune. He walked to the village to try to buy food but, to his amazement, he found no one alive. During the night, bandits had plundered the town and massacred the inhabitants.

The man said to himself: “Now I understand my troubles. If the townspeople had received me, I would have joined them in death. If my rooster and mule had not been killed, their noise and the light from my lamp would have revealed my hiding place. God has been good to me.”

*The day was called “Good Friday”– an irony in itself. The Greeks called it “Great Friday.” But Jesus’ disciples didn’t believe it was good or great as they saw their leader arrested and taken away to be crucified.

Good Friday—against a background of violence and hatred, it was the ultimate sacrificial love story. To look at it then, it was the worst of times. It was the season of Darkness; death had seemingly triumphed. It was the winter of despair; all that was bad had conspired to conquer all that was good. Jesus was dead and the tomb was sealed and guarded to make it inviolate.

Easter—with the dawn came understanding. Suddenly, it was the best of times. It was the season of Light; the sealed, guarded tomb had not been able to hold the Life within. It was the spring of hope.

A great irony. Out of death came life. God has been good to us.

Vicki Huffman

* from the Mentoring Moments archives

Easter and the Girl Next Door

The house behind us long sat empty as a FSBO. I called the owner a few weeks ago before trimming back some overgrown shrubs on his side of the four-foot tall picket fence that runs the length of our mutual property line. The overgrowth had killed the grass on my side. “Be my guest,” was his reply. “I’ve sold the house and the new residents arrive next month. I think he’ll replace the fence with a new one anyway. Oh—they have a six-year-old daughter.”

Their six-year-old daughter has become fast friends with my eight-year-old daughter, Caley Kate. With her Autism-spectrum developmental delays, Caley Kate relates much better to younger kids. She had no real friends in our neighborhood until the little girl behind us moved in.

Most every afternoon after school, and different times on Saturdays and Sundays, we’ll see this girl from the house behind us standing on a chair on her side of the fence. She doesn’t call out for Caley Kate to come outside. She merely stands there on her chair and waits to be seen. One of us in the family will alert Caley Kate to this and she will run outside, stand on a chair on our side of the fence, and there the two girls talk, draw with chalk on the fence, or show each other their favorite story books and toys. There’s no gate there (yet), so their friendship is mostly an over-the-fence conviviality. They get to play with each other in their yards. But so many times they are content to stand on their chairs on each side of the fence and enjoy each other’s company that way.

Our little neighbor girl’s quiet waiting for her friend is remarkable to me. It’s like a faith statement: she knows Caley Kate will eventually emerge from our house and run to the fence because they want to be with each other. That’s how it is with friends. But I love that our neighbor child realizes she doesn’t have to draw attention to herself waiting, or climb our fence and knock on our door to ask if Caley Kate can play. It would be fine if she did. But instead she stands on her chair at the fence—possible because I cut back the tangle of brush that would have prevented it—and waits on Caley Kate. And her waiting is always rewarded.

We don’t think of the return of Jesus at Eastertime, usually. The focus is on His resurrection. But He rose to return. The same power that shook that tomb will someday crack the sky. And I don’t have to draw attention to myself awaiting Him, or otherwise try to clamber over “things too wonderful for me” to know, like how or when or where. It is enough to stand by faith on His promise, watchful and waiting, anticipating the Friend from Heaven who loves me as I am and will come to me soon.

Cole Huffman is Senior Pastor of First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife Lynn have five children—and one dog who thinks he’s a kid. Cole’s messages can be listened to on the church website: www.firstevan.org and he blogs at Where is the Fourth?

Hallelujah! Jesus is Alive

It is a memorial, a remembrance, a snapshot from the past, yet so very much more. It is the living reality that Christ did not just die for mankind—He rose again from the dead and He did not just rise again—He sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts whereby we can cry ‘Abba Father’ and are changed by the Love of the living God.

His voice still echoed around Calvary Mountain as the blood flowed down. The veil was rent, the earth shook, the rocks split, the tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life—all this before Christ was buried or raised again from the dead. Then after the resurrection those that rose from their graves went into town and appeared to many people. Glory to God many surely believed the message from dead men walking—how come in this day man won’t believe the living witnesses? The women gave the first shout of victory, but the disciples didn’t believe it—they had to go and see for themselves as every man does.

The naked Cross, the empty tomb, the angelic host—none of these are present to the eye today but when those who call themselves disciples of Christ begin to live as dead men walking, the resurrection power will open the eyes of the blind and stir the hearts of men to believe!

In his book Crying in the Wilderness Desmund Tutu writes: “Nothing could have been deader than Jesus on the Cross on the first Good Friday. And the hopes of his disciples had appeared to die with his crucifixion…And then Easter happened. Jesus rose from the dead. The incredible, the unexpected happened. Life triumphed over death, light over darkness, love over hatred, good over evil. That is what Easter means—hope prevails over despair. Jesus reigns as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Oppression and injustice and suffering can’t be the end of the human story.”

May His resurrection power fill your hearts to
overflowing this glorious Easter season.

Because of Easter

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

A few years ago, shortly before Easter, I took my daughters to see their adopted Grandma Aunt Rae one last time. The girls and I had longed to say “goodbye” but had been prevented from visiting because of our various illnesses. When we finally arrived, Aunt Rae had just slipped into a deep sleep. Nine-year-old Christine pulled out her violin and began playing a chorus by Handel as we all watched for any flicker of awareness.

When Christine finished playing, she turned back to us, tears streaming down her face. She had quietly sobbed while she played, futilely hoping her Grandma would acknowledge her last notes. My heart broke for Christine and for my seven-year-old daughter, Julia, who both longed to say “I love you” again.

But because of Easter, someday they will.

On the way home, we discussed how we would see Aunt Rae and talk to her again. Because she died before Easter, she would spend a glorious resurrection day in heaven. We may not always get to say all our earthly goodbyes, but we look forward to an eternity of hellos. All because of Easter.

The One who conquered death can also bring us life anew. All because of Easter. The same God who rolled away the stone can roll away unmovable stones in our lives.  “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and we will raise us also.” (1 Corinthians 6:14)

What seems dead in your life? What needs healing or reconciliation? Bring it to the Lord in consistent and committed prayer. Because of Easter you can have a heart full of hope and joy. Alleluia!

The Irony of It All

“Irony.” The dictionary defines it as the “incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.” Life and literature abound with it. Consider several examples:

*“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winder of despair.” So Charles Dickens began A Tale of Two Cities with its bloody background of the French Revolution. But, ironically, threaded through the depiction of violence and hatred is the story of one man’s sacrificial love for his friends, a love so strong he gave his life for them.

*A Hanoverian countess, known for her disbelief in God and her mockery of the resurrection, issued explicit instructions that after her death, she was to be put in a tomb and the corners were to be fastened to the granite by massive iron clamps. When she died, the instructions were carried out and the inscription she had chosen etched into the granite: “This burial place, purchased to all eternity, must never be opened.”

The countess had been sure that her inviolate tomb would never be opened. However, she didn’t reckon with the root of a small birch tree which made its way beneath the slabs. The tree slowly but surely forced its way through the casket, snapped the iron clamps and pushed open the granite lid. The stone cover with its taunting inscription finally rested against the tree trunk, its words an ironic falsehood.

*An old Hebrew legend tells the story of a man’s journey through a desolate area. He rode his mule and carried his rooster which served as an alarm clock to wake him each dawn for his morning devotions. Near dusk the first night of his journey, he approached a small village and decided to spend the night. But the inhospitable villagers turned him away. The only shelter he could find was in a cave nearby. He made his bed and lit his lamp, but a gust of wind swept into the cave and blew out the light. While he slept, a wolf killed his rooster and a lion devoured his mule.

The next morning he surveyed his losses and began to wonder why he was the object of such misfortune. He walked to the village to try to buy food but, to his amazement, he found no one alive. During the night, bandits had plundered the town and massacred the inhabitants.

The man said to himself: “Now I understand my troubles. If the townspeople had received me, I would have joined them in death. If my rooster and mule had not been killed, their noise and the light from my lamp would have revealed my hiding place. God has been good to me.”

*The day was called “Good Friday”– an irony in itself. The Greeks called it “Great Friday.” But Jesus’ disciples didn’t believe it was good or great as they saw their leader arrested and taken away to be crucified.

Good Friday—against a background of violence and hatred, it was the ultimate sacrificial love story. To look at it then, it was the worst of times. It was the season of Darkness; death had seemingly triumphed. It was the winter of despair; all that was bad had conspired to conquer all that was good. Jesus was dead and the tomb was sealed and guarded to make it inviolate.

Easter—with the dawn came understanding. Suddenly, it was the best of times. It was the season of Light; the sealed, guarded tomb had not been able to hold the Life within. It was the spring of hope.

A great irony. Out of death came life. God has been good to us.

Vicki Huffman

He Has Risen! Rolls

These are easy, fun, and very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick of butter (melted)
• 1 can of large refrigerated biscuits
• Large marshmallows (8 of them)
• A bowl of cinnamon and sugar mix

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Take the white marshmallow. Jesus was pure and sinless like this marshmallow.

Roll marshmallow in butter and then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The butter represents the anointing oil and the cinnamon-sugar mixture represents the spices–both items were put on Jesus’ body before they laid Him in the tomb.

Wrap the biscuit around the marshmallow and seal the dough around it. This part is very important–make sure the dough is completely sealed around the marshmallow. After they put Jesus in the tomb, they rolled a large stone in front of it to seal it.

Roll the ball of dough in butter and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place on the cookie sheet. Tip: I sort of wrapped the dough around the marshmallow and pinched the dough together. Make sure that the side that you did the most “pinching” and “sealing” becomes the “bottom” of the tomb/roll. This will help keep the roll sealed.

Otherwise, this will happen (see below). The roll will bake apart, exposing the marshmallow.

Place the tray of rolls in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until done.

Let the rolls cool and then serve.

Encourage your little sprout to break open the tomb to look for Jesus. Where is He? He has risen!

How do the He Has Risen! rolls taste? “Taste and see that the Lord is good…” Psalm 34:8

The rolls taste sweet, of course. Easter is a time to celebrate the sweetest gift of all–our salvation through Jesus. Although He was blameless, He died on the cross for our sins; was buried in a tomb from three days; then rose from the dead.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Jodie, who sent me great ideas for Easter (like these rolls).

Janna Widdifield: I’m a writer by trade, a crafter by choice, and a mother by God’s plan. I combined those gifts to create a blog called Mustard Seeds—Growing a Big Faith in my Little Sprouts. The blog was born out of my desire to teach my children about the Lord though creative activities and crafting. It reflects our daily life–sometimes mundane and routine, sometimes creative and inspirational. I live with my husband and three young children in Colorado where I enjoy camping, gardening, crafting, reading Golden Books, watching Mary Poppins and making pie.

Nothing but the Blood

We’ve been letting the kids pick our songs for family devotions this week. Six-year-old Colin loves “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Little C frequently chooses “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

One morning as we were singing these surprisingly upbeat songs, one of the boys started retching. He was imagining an actual fountain, like the one downtown on the square, filled to overflowing with blood. As he thought about swimming in that giant fountain of blood, it made him feel sick.

My first reaction was to chastise him for being disrespectful during worship and to tell him not to think about it so literally. My husband had a different response. He encouraged the children to reflect on Jesus’ death, and to remember that His blood was spilled to pay for every sin that they commit. That fountain of blood was drawn from Jesus’ veins to purchase their salvation, but it is only effectual for them if they are washed in it.

So often we try to gloss over the gruesome events of Jesus’ death with our children, focusing only on the Resurrection. We do it to “protect” them.

Those who came before us in the faith were not so squeamish. They rightly understood that without the shedding of Christ’s blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22

Breathe In, Breathe Out

During lambing season, my husband Will helped with “pulling” a lamb. At last he freed a near-lifeless lamb and began sticking straw up its nose. The lamb snorted with disgust and irritation but would not breathe on its own. Will then picked it up and swung it in a circle around his body. Afterwards, he pushed the lamb’s chest to see if it would start breathing, but nothing worked. Finally Will opened the lamb’s mouth and breathed into it. Not once but twice, he exhaled as the lamb drank in life. Slowly the lamb began to breathe on its own.

I’m never bored with life on the farm and the miracle of birth. There is always another lesson to learn. Today it was about our Good Shepherd, the one who literally breathes life into our very souls. And it reminded me about the need to breathe out whatever is troubling us and to breathe in God.

My good friend Jannine prays aloud to herself, “Breathe out Jannine, Breathe in God, Breathe out Jannine, Breathe in God” so often that when our mutual friend Jodie was needing a moment of spiritual refreshment, Jodie found herself saying, “Breathe out Jannine, Breathe in God! Breathe out Jannine…” Oops! Whoever you need to breathe out today, be sure to breathe in God!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Eggstra Special Easter Party

Theme: Jesus makes Easter eggstra special–a party for elementary-age children.

Invitations:
If you are planning to hand-deliver them, consider putting your invitation inside a plastic Easter egg. If you are planning to mail your invitations, use Easter eggs made from construction paper and decorated by children.

Front: Come join us
Inside: For an eggstra special egg hunt
Date:
Time:
Place:
RSVP:
Please bring a basket and a dozen plastic eggs.

Decorations:
The decorations for this party can be anything having to do with Easter. Put the cross and Christian symbols in a prominent place. Tie the traditional decorations, like the eggs, to Christian themes. For example: If you have a basket of eggs, why not have a small sign that says, “I’ve put all of my eggs in one basket and given them to the Lord.” Another way to tie in Christian themes may be to use verses of Scripture or spiritual sayings on small cards. An example of this may be to place a sign beside a grouping of bunnies that says “Creatures great or small, God created them all.”

Just for Fun:
Eggstra special egg hunt will be lots of fun.  There will be twelve special eggs that should be numbered 1 to 12 and filled with the contents listed below. Put the special eggs in with the eggs your guests have brought for a wonderful egg hunt. At the end of the hunt, you may want to have a special gift or prize for those who turn in a special egg. Collect the special eggs in a basket to be used in the devotion portion of the party.

Decorating Blown Eggs:
Depending on the ages of your guests, you may want to have the eggs blown before the party. To blow the eggs, take raw eggs and pierce the ends with a pin or sharp object.  Your holes will need to be big enough for air to force the yolk through. Then blow the  egg yolk out. Children can decorate the eggs using markers or paint. Again, take the age of your guests into consideration as you make these plans. You may also need adult supervision.

Creative Cupcakes:
Cupcakes can be made at snack time. Prepare cupcakes ahead of time, having icing, green-colored coconut for grass, jelly beans for eggs, and other things available for decorating the cupcakes that are edible and fun to decorate with.

Devotion:
The devotion for this party is to tell the Easter story using the Eggstra Special Eggs. You can buy devotional egg kits like our Eggstra Special Eggs in Christian bookstores, or you can make  own using the directions below.

You will need twelve plastic Easter eggs, the items listed below, Bible verses on separate slips of paper, tape to seal the eggs shut, and a permanent marker to number your special eggs.
Egg 1: A perfumed card. Mark 14:8
Egg 2: Small portion of cracker. Mark 14:22-25
Egg 3: Paper with “Abba, Father” written on it. Mark 14:36
Egg 4: Three dimes. Matthew 27:3
Egg 5: Feather. Mark 14:72
Egg 6: Purple fabric or thorn vine. Mark 15:17-18
Egg 7: Small nail. Mark 15:25
Egg 8: White cloth. Mark 15:46
Egg 9: Cinnamon stick or cloves. Mark 16:1
Egg 10: Rock. Mark 16:4
Egg 11: Empty. Mark 16:6
Egg 12: Cotton ball. Mark 16:19

Scriptures for the Eggstra Special Eggs: Print out scripture and include in corresponding egg to be read during devotional time.
Mark 14:8
Mark 14:22-25
Mark 14:36
Matthew 27:3
Mark 14:72
Mark 15:17-18
Mark 15:25
Mark 15:46
Mark 16:1
Mark 16:4
Mark 16:6
Mark 16:19

To tell the Easter story to your guests, open each egg in order, one at a time. The numbers will help you keep them in order and give you the verses you will need. Ask guests to read the verses at the appropriate time in the story. Your story time might go sometime like this:

Today I would like to use our Eggstra Special Eggs to help me tell a story. I may need some help from my friends.

Egg 1. (Open) Our story is about a man named Jesus. He was a man who never did anything wrong. He was God’s Son. He came to save the world by giving His life. Our first egg has a card in it. I would like for you to smell this card. (Pass it around.) This card reminds me of something special a lady did for Jesus. ______, would you read Mark 14:8? Jesus knew that He would have to die so that we could have forgiveness of the wrong things we do. He was perfect and was the only one who could pay for our wrong. This lady used some expensive, sweet-smelling perfume to anoint Jesus to prepare Him for burial.

Egg 2. Jesus wanted to eat one more time with His friends. They had a special meal. A part of the meal included eating some  bread. Jesus told them something special.  _________, would you read what Jesus said in Mark 14:22-25? Every time the friends would get together from then on to eat, they were to remember what Jesus did for them.

Egg 3. After they ate supper, Jesus went away to pray. He knew difficult times were ahead. _______, would you read Mark 14:36?

Egg 4. As soon as Jesus finished praying, some guards took Jesus away to kill Him. Judas, one of Jesus’ followers, had told the guards where to find Jesus. Later he was very sorry he had done this. _____, would you read Matt. 27:3?

Egg 5. Judas was not the only one of Jesus’ followers who did something he should not. Peter, one of Jesus’ friends, was afraid of the people, and when they asked him if he was Jesus’ friend, he said no. Jesus had told Peter that he would say he did not know Jesus three times before a rooster crowed. Peter loved Jesus and could not imagine that happening. But when Peter got scared, he did just what Jesus said he would do. _____, would you read Mark 14:72? This feather represents the rooster that crowed.

Egg 6. Jesus was being questioned by the leaders, who were saying, “Are you God’s Son?” Jesus answered that He was, and the guards and leaders got very angry. They put a purple robe and a crown of thorns on Jesus because they were mocking Him and saying He was not really God’s son. ______, would you read Mark 15:17-18 to us?

Egg 7. Soldiers took Jesus to a cross and nailed His hands and feet to that cross. _______, would you read Mark 15:25?

Egg 8. It was a sad time. Jesus died on that cross though He had done nothing wrong. He died to pay for the wrong things that we would do. Another word for our wrong doing is sin. Jesus paid for our sins. Joseph of Arimathea came and took Jesus down from the cross and put Him in a cave to bury Him. ______, would you read Mark 15:46? In those days they would wrap the dead in cloth and put them in a cave and seal the cave with a large rock. They would put spices in the cloth to make the body smell better.

Egg 9. The spices might have smelled something like this. ________, would you read Mark 16:1?

Egg 10. These ladies came to put the spices on Jesus’ body two days after He had died. When they got there, the big stone that was used to keep animals out had been rolled away from the opening of the grave. ______, would you read Mark 16:4?

Egg 11. When the ladies looked inside, they were upset because Jesus wasn’t there. They thought maybe someone had stolen His body. An angel assured them that Jesus had not been stolen, but that He had risen, or come back from being dead. _____, would you read Mark 16:6? Jesus had told His followers that He would die and then come back from the grave. His followers knew that was impossible for a man to do. But God’s Son could and did do just that. With God, all things are possible. Jesus paid for our sin by dying on the cross, and God gave Jesus new life by raising Him from the dead. God can give you new life, too. If we believe Jesus was God’s Son, that He died to pay for our wrong doings, that He can and will forgive us if we ask, we too can live forever with Jesus. Jesus’ friends saw Jesus here on earth for forty days after He had been raised from the dead. Mark 16:19 tells us what happened next. _____, will you read that for us?

Egg 12. I have put a cotton ball in this egg because it reminds me of the clouds. God took Jesus up into heaven. He probably disappeared from His followers’ sight up into the clouds. In John 14:3 Jesus told His followers, “ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” That is what Easter is all about. Jesus lived a perfect life, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and right now is in heaven just waiting for those who choose Him. If you would like to know more about how you can choose Jesus, please talk to me later.

Taking it Home:
Eggstra special eggs kits, with the 12 eggs and Scriptures, can be prepared for each family. Prepare these ahead of time and give them to your guests to be used for years to come. Be sure to insert the verse strip inside each egg.

Blown eggs allow children to take home the eggs they created.

Eggstra Special Easter is excerpted from Page Hughes’ book, Party with a Purpose: Creative Ways to Share the Love of Christ
.

The Blood of Christ Covers Us

We just watched one of our favorite movies, Cecil B. DeMille’s film classic, The Ten Commandments.  Despite its epic budget, elaborate sets, and cast of thousands, it still comes short of capturing the truly incredible event of the first Passover in Egypt.

The entire Passover event was a foreshadowing of the future sacrifice of the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  Because of His shed blood on the cross, God now “passes over” our sins and spares us the penalty of the second death.  As a family, our hope is in the blood of Christ made as a sacrifice to cover our sins.  It’s our daily prayer that the shed blood of Christ will cover our home and family. Like the ancient Israelites, we are forever grateful that a Lamb’s blood has given us life when we deserve death.

“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” Exodus 12:13

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.

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