Today, You Will Be With Me in Paradise
Today, we read
Luke 23:32-49 and Pastor Amy talked about when Jesus told one of the criminals next to Him on the cross, "I tell you the truth, today, you will be with me in paradise." This might make us think of the parable in
Matthew 20 in which a landowner paid the same amount (a denarius) to the man who only worked for the last hour as the man who worked for him all day. Jesus has a different view of getting what we deserve. God wants us all to live with Him in paradise, but none of us deserve it. We can't earn it or buy it. It is only by believing in Jesus' life and death that we can deserve this paradise.
What do you imagine paradise to be like? Why do you want to be there?
Labels: Lent
Father, Forgive Them...
Today, Pastor Jason talked about one of Jesus' last words on the cross... "Father, Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." We read the context of these words in
Luke 23:32-41 and saw that Jesus said these words in the midst of being sneered, mocked and spit upon. Jesus forgives these awful, hateful things and it might make us wonder what we did that was so bad that needs to be forgiven. But we have a tendency to want to make our own rules for our lives which drives a wedge between us and God, and for this we need to be forgiven. And the good news is that God forgives everyone who accepts this prayer of Jesus on the cross.
What things in your life are driving a wedge between you and God?
Labels: Lent
Why?
Today at MCC, we started a series for Lent focusing on the last words of Jesus on the cross. Pastor Henry read the story of the crucifixion from
Mark15:1-41 and talked especially about verse 34, "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? '--which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"
Pastor Henry talked about how the answer to this question could be found in Psalm 22. In the Jewish tradition, when someone would refer to one line of Old Testament scripture, others would know that he was referring to the whole text from which it came. Thus, when Jesus said, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?", He was referring to
Psalm 22. In this Psalm, we see that this question was also asked by Israel's greatest king who in the end was delivered. And at the cross, we would see that though horrific, this is not the end.
Question of the week: What do you hear when Jesus cries out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" When we hear this cry of desperation, I think we can also hear how great Jesus' love for us is since it was our sins that put him there so we wouldn't have to suffer what He did.
Labels: Lent
How Do We Experience God?
In the last of a series on "The Shack", Pastor Amy talked about the picture we have in our minds when we think of our experience of who God is in the last sermon in the series on "The Shack." God is infinitely beyond our comprehending, He is beyond our comprehension, yet parts of Him are knowable. The image of Him that we carry around with us affects our relationship with Him.
We read
Psalm 18 together which gives an excellent view of how David pictured God. The Bible gives us the most accurate picture of who God is since it is His inspired word.
Question of the Week: What aspect of God was new to you today?
Labels: "The Shack"
Forgiveness
Today at MCC, Pastor Henry read
Colossians 3:1-17 and talked about the challenge of forgiveness, one of the themes in the Shack. Verse 13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Forgiveness is not about forgetting, it's about letting go. People are responsible for their own actions and God says, "it is mine to avenge, I will repay." (Romans 12:19). If we don't forgive people, soon the weight of bitterness crushes us.
Question of the Week: Who do you have to forgive? What makes it so difficult to forgive them?
In a way, I think we have to continually be willing to forgive other people for not being God to us and fulfilling all of our needs. When people hurt us, we should remember that they are broken too.
Labels: "The Shack"
and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Forgiveness is not about forgetting, it's about letting go. People are responsible for their own actions and God says, "it is mine to avenge, I will repay." (Romans 12:19). If we don't forgive people, soon the weight of bitterness crushes us.