Genesis 16:1-2, 15,16 ~ the angel of the Lord found

El Roi - God Sees

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Genesis 16:1-12

1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.

9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [God hears]
for the LORD has heard of your misery.

12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers."

Genesis 16:15-16

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Everyone can identify being in a less than good situation, everyone can understand wanting to flee away from it. But Hagar comes back having felt and been found by the goodness of God, being understood and loved. Hagar returns knowing a promise from God and understanding the path will be difficult. God gives her the strength to fufill her purpose.

A lot of the people in the old Testament are kings, queens, judges and prophets. But Hagar is a maid. The Lord sees fit to promise Hagar, just as Abram was promised, her descendants will be too numerous to count. Abram might have wanted a legacy, a son, but Hagar must have felt very alone being a maid from another country. God hears her misery, he doesn't just judge between Sarai & Abram, but sees further and with more compassion. Hagar feels God is trustworthy and she can return without the hopelessness she left with.

Slavery isn't always about being put in shackles and locked up, it is being in a situation without the ability to change or go forward. With God all things are possible, and Hagar is told to stay in the same situation; this is what God wants for her. Glorious promises are made for Hagar and God asks her to just continue, but with hope and the new knowledge of the love and compassion in God for her.

Colossians 3: 10

put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

1 Corinthians 7:17-23

17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

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Psalm 15:2-5 ~ speaks truth from his heart

Psalm 15: 2-5

2 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
4 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

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Acts 6:1-15 ~ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6


In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.


~ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.


Recently, I was wondering about prayer. A lot is in the bible on prayer, but last night two passages were brought to my attention and here they are:

Psalm 8
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [or God]
and crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalm 115
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.

and then:

9 O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless the house of Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.
14 May the LORD make you increase,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,the Maker of heaven and earth.

Prayer is the conversation we have with Father God. He asks us to be constant in prayer and He wants that communication. Father God always wants you to remember He is here for you, a loving Father. He is not far away and condemning, but loving and wanting to bless us.

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1 Corinthians 1:1-17 ~ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

St. Paul painted by Doménikos Theotokópoulos. Doménikos always signed his whole name, but known by his nickname The Greek or El Greco - characterized by modern scholars as an artist so individual he belongs to no conventional school. Painted in 1604, found today in the City Art Museum, St Louis. Paul holds a letter, but is carrying a sword or a cross, you decide.

1 Corinthians 1:1-7 Bible in Basic English

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother,

To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give praise to my God for you at all times, because of the grace of God which has been given to you in Christ Jesus; So that in him you have wealth in all things, in word and in knowledge of every sort; even as the witness of the Christ has been made certain among you: So that having every grace you are living in the hope of the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ


My father once said something to me that every occasionally I think of and, more recently, the Christian book club in our church read a book about; what if God wanted the apostle John to live until Jesus returned, what would it be like - to be able, in this life, to meet an actual apostle of Jesus Christ?

What would Paul say to us today? What would it be like to receive a letter in the mail from Paul? This letter begins to tell us what Paul would say to you, a child of God, adopted by Jesus.

Paul would let you know, right away, where he stands; Paul works for Jesus Christ’ purpose. He’d write to you, to tell you, God has called you to be a saint. Only because God has personally chosen you. But you aren’t called to be a lonely saint; just as Paul has Sosthenes, his friend, (who is as close to him as a brother) you will have others who join you to give honor to Jesus Christ.

Paul says you have: love, you’re given forgiveness and peace, you can give forgiveness. Not from Paul, but given from Father God and Jesus.

Next, Paul says you are a new beginner in Jesus, so take things carefully.… Nope, this isn’t said at all. No. Paul says you are God’s, Paul is grateful for you. Paul says you live in the hope of Jesus’ gift of eternal life and eternal forgiveness, living faith, hope and love, living God’s purpose for you – you have all the spiritual gifts you need.

Paul tells you, you are a workman approved by God, you are God’s own child. When you don’t do something correctly, because you are human and need a Savior, God’s grace is coming to you.

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

2 Timothy 2:10-14
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

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Judges 2 ~ I will never break my covenant with you

Our Church, Hope Pointe, had a wonderful Pentecost Sunday last week. Many, many people experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in powerful ways. Marriages were renewed, physical pain was taken away - spiritual awakenings; people who had never felt the power of God before felt drawn closer to Him. And instead of just going home, there was fellowship, and a huge BBQ and covered dish lunch.

This Sunday, our sermon was about the nature of mankind after experiencing the overwhelming gracious love of Father God. In the Scripture, people meeting the messengers of Lord are frequently overcome. Mankind hasn’t changed much since the days of Moses and Joshua. How blessed we are to live in the time of Jesus’ blessings; we are like the words of the old hymn, “prone to wander – Lord I know it.” But in Jesus Christ, we overcome.

Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 28:20
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Judges 2 (English Standard Version)

1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim. [Weepers] And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people has transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

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1 Peter 4:7-13 ~ rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed

1 Peter 4:7-13 (Today's New International Version)

7 be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 11 If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

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Psalm 135 ~ The Lord is great and our Lord is above all gods

Psalm 135 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise Him, O servants of the LORD,
2 You who stand in the house of the LORD,
In the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightnings for the rain,
Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 He smote the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and beast.
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He smote many nations
And slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
And Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
13 Your name, O LORD, is everlasting,
Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.
14 For the LORD will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.
15 The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
You who revere the LORD, bless the LORD.
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

~ For I know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.

Exodus 33:19
And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Exodus 34:6,7
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Psalm 16:2
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

Psalm 104:31
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works -

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Psalm 145:9
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 8

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

Romans 8:20,21
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Luke 2:12-14

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

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Psalm 52 ~ for ever and ever

St. Botolph's Church, UK. Early English legends say the original church was founded by Botolph, in 654, with the source being the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, it is disputed. Archaeological records show a Norman church also existed on the location; a Norman stone pillar and a number of coffins from the period. The size of such a small church was inadequate for a booming town, in the 14th century, the church was built as a much larger building.

Psalm 52

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.

3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,

7 "Here now is the one
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"

8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.

9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.


People grow weary of hearing the church has been under the same management for 2,000 years. People get tired of the cliché ‘Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven’. People search and look for a way to make their lives prosperous, comfortable and to have meaning.

We’ve been taught, culturally, greed is good and gives us stability. We learned this in the 1980’s, the movie ‘Wallstreet’ proclaimed with gusto, “Greed is good!” If you look at this theologically, the temporal joys of here and now are the only joys. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

In the early 100s, Christianity was spreading rapidly, even under the threat of death. Temporal – no. In the 400s, Christianity was mainstream, but written history is scarce. About the 1000s, history is recorded and regarded less as myth and hearsay. Starvation was the largest reason of death, 1 in 3 until the late 1500s.

Using England as an example: in 1086, William the Conqueror gave England the first stability from invasion against foreign cultures. He created the Domesday Book, meaning accounting or reckoning, to find out what was prosperous for taxation. It’s the largest historical document supporting serfdom or feudalism. People were, literally, dying to become part of the circles supported by a castle. To be part of the workings of a lord prevented starvation. When timber castles were ruined, people built stone castles and tremendous effort was put into holding on to this community of the castle.

We watched a terrific documentary on the outcome of these castles and outcome of the generations of work. The timber castles were huge, with plenty of people living in them, they lasted about 150 years. Fire became a weapon of choice and stone castles were built in the same site or moved to higher ground, same community.

The castles, and the castle families, are the temporal part of the history. What remains today after 1,000 years, and after 1,200 years, are the churches. If you travel to the UK today, you can see a handful of the castles remaining, but 1,000 year old Churches are plentiful.

The Churches were, at first, round tower churches which were beautiful and fairly simple; built with local materials. Later, as the community prospered, the Church became amazing buildings men spent their lives putting their time and talent into. But the Church wasn’t just a building, the communities created by this fellowship became secure enough to move out of patrolled walls. The Churches made the communities grow and remain today.

We hear all the time about the failures of the body of Christ called Church. We are taught the failures in grade school, high school and college. We see them in comedy, in movies and in people truly hurt by the Church, but how often do we have the opportunity to take time realizing the hope and joy given to us by the community created by Jesus called Church? A large part of the compassion and hope allowing mankind to take the time and care to have the effort to educate others, came from a desire to give the love of Christ. The printing press was created to bring the Scripture forward into knowledge and love.

Feudalism is gone. Castles are mostly gone. Churches remain, some are being pulled down and sold bit by bit. The family farms are diminished. The corporations don't remain. The love of the Lord is a pendulum, on a downswing. Yet the faith (I believe!), the hope (He means me!) and the Love (all there ever was and will be - towards me!) leads nations and multitudes the Scriptures tell us will praise Him in Eternity. As Handel's Messiah tells us... Forever and Ever..... Hallelujah!

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Acts 6:8-15 ~ before the Sanhedrin

Acts 6:8-15 (New International Version)

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Have you ever tried to find an image of Stephen with the face of an angel? If you find one that is reasonable, let me know. The early church didn’t have to guess what angels looked like, they knew. Angels surrounded the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the 40 days Jesus walked on earth after the resurrection.

Maybe Stephen’s face was radiant like Moses in the presence of God; Stephen was seeing God. Or was Stephen’s face strong like the Angel of the Lord, who wrestled with Jacob? It’s part of conversation to say a child has the face of an angel, is this the innocence angels project?

What did the people see when they saw Stephen? We can’t see with our eyes, but Father God wanted you and me to know, to understand, what they saw in Stephen: He was one of the first seven Christian deacons, of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom. Stephen - a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6).

In the book of Acts, following the gospels of Jesus Christ, Stephen was known for doing “great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” That’s a great statement in the book of Acts. We, as Christians today, have days of knowing discouragement; events do not always give us the immediate victory. We wonder where God is when we aren’t winning the victory. Stephen did not have to win all the battles to have fought the good fight and found favor with God.

Stephen knew that day, in front of the Sanhedrin, wasn’t going to be a personal victory; he found strength to have faith. The light of Christ was going to continue to shine.

Stephen continued to look and see God.

Acts 7: 59
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

The light of Jesus Christ continued to shine.

Acts 7:58
Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

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Psalm 134 ~ Come, bless the Lord

Psalm 134

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

Every single person on earth wants blessings from the Lord.

Deuteronomy 11:25-27
25 No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse- 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

Jesus told us He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Look at the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

In the Old Testament, there are a lot of blessings! Look at Genesis. Deuteronomy, one of Moses’ books giving the law (and is so avoided as a bible study) is an overwhelming outpouring of God’s blessings. The Old Testament blessings speak of prosperity, overcoming worldly difficulties and being blessed to be part of Israel – the promised land.

In the New Testament, one word is used more than any other when describing God’s blessing to people. This word, makarios, means “blessed.” It’s used 44 times in the New Testament, mostly as descriptions of righteous behavior or characteristics God considers desirable. The blessings of the Sermon on the Mount encourage us when circumstances are difficult; God is with us.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 should be our guide for our Christian living in this world:

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

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John 17:20-26 ~ You love them even as You love Me

Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.


John 17:20-26

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Just as the Trinity is God, who is one; the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, tells us God loves us even as He loves Jesus, His Son.

Psalm 51:11
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Matthew 3:11
I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one (Jesus) who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Matthew 12:32
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Mark 13:11
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:22
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Acts 2:1-3
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

Acts 8:15-17
When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.


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Psalm 6 ~ The Lord has heard

Christian pilgrims carry the cross in the Holy Land.

Psalm 6

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?

4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.


Philippians 4:6
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

God promises us He cares for our needs in all situations. He promises us to forgive us for our sins. We only have to ask for His mercy, forgiveness and call upon His name.

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1 John 1 ~ God is light, in Him is no darkness at all

The Rylands Library Papyrus P52, also known as the St John's fragment. The front is lines from the Gospel of John 18:31–33, and the back contains lines from verses 37–38. The papyrus was found in Egypt. Recently dated again, the oldest date is 125 AD, not the late part of the 2nd century, as previously thought. During the apostle John's lifetime. Housed at John Rylands University Library, Manchester, UK.

1 John 1

Suggestion for today’s reading - Listen

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.


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John 21:1-14 ~ Simon Peter climbed aboard

Reconstucted 1st Century fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee ( also Lake of Gennesaret, Lake Kinneret or Sea of Tiberias).

John 21:1-14

1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.

6 He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."

11 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.


~ Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish.

Maybe you read the Newsweek cover article about the United States now living in a post-Christian era. The two areas of greatest unbelief, according to the article, are the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast. In these two areas in the country, 10% are now more agnostic compared to 10 years ago. The article says agnostics now number twice the number of people in the Episcopal church. It seems to be confined to specific areas, so it seems what one neighbor says to another is important.

It’s interesting to contrast the Christmas polls saying “89.5 of the United States believes in God, believes prayer is helpful and part of that faith belief.”

The Newsweek article caused all the nightly television news programs to call up famous evangelical preachers and grill them on worldly standards during Holy Week.

When Peter swam eagerly to the Lord Jesus Christ that morning bringing many, many fish; it was the dawn of the Christian Church. “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus invites.
Jesus could have said a lot of things to Peter. It could have been an altar and a heavenly chorus of all the angels. Jesus could have been sitting, beautifully and impressively arranged as God. Jesus, as God, had a lot of options for the meeting.

Jesus chose to sit beside Peter, in Peter’s life and at Peter’s side. For us, it could be an office, a den, or a car. He reminded Peter to love, to care for, to feed his neighbor. And Peter was eager to do this because Peter was far from perfect himself.

Why isn’t today’s church like the early church? Probably because Christians expect a different life than Christians of 100-300 AD. It was a harsh life with slavery, starvation, small wars, robbers and cruel government. Suddenly a light in the world shone: people saw miracles, people really changed, people expected God to care. Imagine being a low part of society, hungry and cold. Suddenly someone offers a warm coat, food and tells you of their changed life and because the love of God touched them. Lives touched other lives.

Today, the good news is still Good News. But sometimes sarcasm follows goodness and principles of sharing and love feel naïve. Christianity has been proclaimed as the crutch of the weak. Has the good news become old news? No. Don’t believe it. The world hasn’t become a warmer place when we all learn to only look out for number one – ourselves.

When Peter swam out to meet Jesus, it wasn’t the first pope offering to do all of the work himself. One of the best lay person responses when asked how we can BE the church of Jesus Christ, was this: “understanding that the caring, loving, patient reply we give, might be the only kind words the hearer hears all day.” The man giving this reply (he does live up to this ideal in a great Jesus manner) learned it from someone else he remembers with love.

Jesus reminded Peter to love, to care for, to feed his neighbor. And Peter was eager to do this because Peter was far from perfect himself.

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Psalm 18:1-20 ~ I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies

Psalm 18:1-20

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.


This Psalm of David is rejoicing with an overflowing heart in the mercy of God. It remembers the deliverance of the children of Israel. Written 1,000 years before Jesus’ death, verses 8 to 14 describe the earthquake & events after Jesus forgave us and dismissed His Spirit. Because Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit, the psalm is about us, individually. In our day of trouble, we call out to Him and He saves us forever.

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1 Samuel 27 ~ each man had his family with him

In England, Canterbury Cathedral began restoring broken windows in the 1880s. Some of the replacements are quite modern; this window is from the 1950s. No explanation of this window was found; some travelers noticed some windows look a bit like cartoons. This unusual window has the cross shining at the top of the window.

1 Samuel 27

1 But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."

2 So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

5 Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

6 So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7 David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) 9 Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

10 When Achish asked, "Where did you go raiding today?" David would say, "Against the Negev of Judah" or "Against the Negev of Jerahmeel" or "Against the Negev of the Kenites." 11 He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.' " And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. 12 Achish trusted David and said to himself, "He has become so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever."

It’s a popular concept today to determine God’s purpose for our lives. Proverbs would agree with the idea of seeking God’s wisdom. Our church did a bible study called “Essential 100s”- knowing these 100 chapters gives a good basic understanding of the bible. We discovered something interesting from each chapter. Evil men promote God’s will; sometimes by acting as a force of evil trying to stop God and sometimes just as self-interested humans. Good men try to do God’s will and sometimes cannot, but God’s will is always accomplished. Sometimes in weakness, God’s will is best displayed as His strength and His love prevail.

1 Samuel 27 is an excellent example of God’s will working through the intricacies of man. Our generation hates the violence of the bible and refers to the barbaric God of the Bronze Age. But this last century is one of the most violent in the history of the world. David was told in 1 Samuel 22 to remain in Israel. God didn’t seek the violence David brought about.

David is displaying his desire to disobey God and create a safe place for himself. The other side of David, his leadership, creates a safe place for the 600 men following David. Allowing them to have families, and lives based on families, instead of running from cave to cave. God sees David’s leadership and allows David’s departure from Israel to create the final conclusion between Saul and the Philistines.

Saul did not grant David a place to live in peace, but the Philistine king gives David a Judean city that remains in David’s care for a lifetime. Achish had self-centered interests and God used them to allow Israel to have a coming time of peace.

The stained glass window today has darkness in some areas, people seemingly intent on climbing upward without really paying attention to each other. But the top is the light shining from God’s cross. What today’s chapter shows us, again, is man intent on his own purpose, but the greater purpose is God’s.

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

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Genesis 1:20 2:4a ~ God saw that it was good God blessed them

Genesis 1:20 2:4a (New Revised Standard Version)

And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

What is a day to God?

2 Peter 3:8
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

If you are one who ponders creation or evolution, who is the creator?

John 1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.


Psalm 30:12
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.


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Mark 16:4-7 ~ just as He told you

Mark 16:4-7

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "


"He planted the only durable hope amid the widespread despair of a hopeless world."
Dr. Carl F. Henry

Hope Sermon, by Reverend Ray Steadman. Edited and condensed

There Mark ends his story. You notice the resurrection begins after the darkest day in human history -- that black Saturday when Jesus lay in the grave. But it ends with the women who had come to the tomb leaving filled with such joy and awe and exploding hope that they dared not breathe a word of it to anyone.

It is this that sent them out to establish a rumor of hope in the midst of the hopelessness of mankind. I want to look with you now at this brief account from Mark, to see what it was that made these women change like this.

The account opens with the words, "And when the sabbath was past..." The other gospels do not mention the Sabbath, but Mark gives us this brief account of it. If we have any imagination at all, it would be easy to understand that that Saturday before the resurrection must have been the darkest day these disciples had ever experienced. What a dreary, interminable day it must have been! A day of shattered hopes, of broken dreams, of desolated spirits, and of wounded and frightened hearts. A dark and dreary day indeed, a day in which the future was grim and foreboding. All their brightest hopes had collapsed around them, all their choicest dreams had perished with the death of Jesus. These disciples, crushed, their hopes dashed, their dreams demolished, tried to live through that dark Saturday with no hope for the future, no belief in the resurrection. Every act on that day must have been torture for them, with every fiber of their being crying out, "What's the use! Why go on?" It was a day they would never forget as long as they lived.

I think some of us have felt something of that. And you know, there are more human beings today who live constantly in the despair and hopelessness symbolized by that dark Saturday than have ever lived in the drama of Friday or the victory of Easter. Someone has called our present generation "Saturday's children," and it is an apt term.

Saturday's children - an increasingly godless world, despair grips people's hearts everywhere. Hopelessness and meaninglessness come crushing in on us from every side.

When the proper hour arrived for the disciples to sit down and write their accounts, this dark day had so dropped into the background, was so lost in the joy of resurrection, that the most they felt it necessary to say is only: "And when the sabbath was past..." Their hope had swallowed up their despair. Why was this true?

The first thing was that the stone was rolled away from the tomb. They came concerned and worried about that stone. Any of you who have been to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, where I think this event indeed took place, know that the stone is no longer there, but that you can see the narrow grooved platform along which it was rolled, right in front of the tomb. And the entrance into the tomb itself is almost as tall as a man. The stone which covered the entrance to that tomb must have weighed at least a thousand pounds. It was indeed a very large stone, as the account tells us, and these women were naturally concerned about how to roll it away so that they might anoint the body of Jesus with the spices and ointments which they had brought. But when they arrived, the stone was already rolled back.

Matthew tells us that very early, long before daybreak, an angel had come and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightening bright and shining, so that he dazzled and dismayed the guards who had been detailed to watch over the tomb. They fell as dead men on the ground, and, then, as they recovered their senses, stumbled off into the darkness in fear. All of this had happened before the women arrived.

Then, when they went into the tomb, the body of Jesus was gone!

And the words of the angel to these women contain the answer to all the skepticism of twenty centuries. For the angel said some things to them which answer most of the claims which have ever been raised in questioning the actuality of the resurrection. The first thing the angel said was, "This Jesus of Nazareth, this One who was crucified, this same one whom you seek, has indeed risen from the dead."

He says to the women, "This very same Jesus, the One you knew from Nazareth, whom you accompanied about the hills of Galilee and Judea, the Jesus who was crucified, whom you saw on the cross with the nails in his hands and the blood running down his side, that same One whom you are seeking, is risen from the dead." That establishes the identity of Jesus. So the angel underscores the claims of Scripture that Jesus is alive, that he rose bodily, and that he is available in specific places.

The third thing the angel says is put in these extraordinary words that only Mark records: "But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee." That is a wonderful touch. What a gentle, tender word that is! The last time we saw Peter in this Gospel account, he was standing in the courtyard of the high priest during the trial of Jesus. Peter kept denying Him; three times he denied Him. Peter denied it with curses and oaths: "No! I don't know him! I've never met the man."

What a tender thing it is for the angel to say to these women, "Go and tell the disciples and Peter that he goes before you to Galilee." It puts him right back into the apostolic band.

What does this say to us? Well, that says that Jesus is available to individuals -- not just to the crowd at large, not just to the world in general, or the church, but to you. Put your own name in there.

This accessibility to individuals has been the hallmark of Christianity ever since. Each one of us can know Him personally, intimately -- not just as a figure of history, nor as a coming King, nor in a general sense, as we know about the President of the United States, but in that intimate, personal, real, conscious sense of knowing which we share in the most intimate communion. He knows us as we know ourselves.

The last thing the angel said was, "He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you." That is, these are faithful words. Jesus had already promised He would do this. This ought not to have taken them by surprise, because He had said He would go before them to Galilee when he rose from the dead, and there he would meet them. The angel is here underscoring the reliability of the words of Jesus. He is absolutely trustworthy; He does what He says He will do. His promises can be believed. Whatever He said, He also fulfilled, and you can rely upon it to the very last letter.

Now, this is what changed the people who knew Jesus. This is what filled them with hope, brought them from the very depths of dark despair to trembling ecstasy, so that they went out with gladness to spread this rumor of hope throughout the world -- the only durable hope the world has ever known.

John 3:1616"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Isaiah 12:2-6 ~ Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously

Isaiah 12: 2 - 6

2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."


Romans 6: 3 - 11

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
7 For he who has died is freed from sin.
8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.
9 For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
10 The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 55: 1 - 11

1 "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.


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Father forgive them, they know not what they do

Peter Paul Rubens painted Descent from the Cross many times. It was a theme he returned to over and over. This painting is c. 1617. Jesus Christ is supported in silent grief by Joseph of Arimathaea, Nicodemus and the young John the Evangelist. Mary, gently holding her son for the last time, symbolises the Christian virtues of love and hope. Mary Magdalene has fallen to her knees, the personification of repentance.

Matthew 27:49-54 (American Standard Version)

And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him.

And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.

And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.

Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Front page, Houston Chronicle online:

1 Corinthians 15: 12-20

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead

Article by Kurt Wise

The central tenet of Christianity is that by His resurrection from the dead Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God (Rom. 1:4). In 1 Corinthians 15 stated that if Christ is not risen then Christian's are without hope. He recognized that Christianity stands or falls on whether Jesus was actually raised from the dead. No other religion is founded on this kind of an historically grounded miraculous event. In his defense of the fact of the resurrection, Christian scholar Gary Habermas points to several generally accepted historical facts surrounding the Christ's crucifixion and the birth of Christianity that indicate that Jesus was truly raised from the dead.

These facts include: 1) Jesus died due to the rigors of crucifixion and 2) was buried. 3) A Praetorian Guard, which consisted of four hardened soldiers was left at Jesus tomb. 4) Sanhedrin Council documents record the trial and death, as well as discussion of Jesus while alive. 5) The historian Josephus records Jesus, the facts of His death, the continuation of his disciples, conversion of his brothers and acknowledges His followers grew into a church after His death. 6) Jesus’ death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope. 7) Many scholars hold that Jesus was buried in a tomb that was discovered to be empty just a few days later. 8) Critical scholars even agree that at this time the disciples had real experiences that they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus. 9) Because of these experiences, the disciples were transformed from doubters who were afraid to identify themselves with Jesus to bold proclaimers of his death and resurrection, even being willing to die for this belief.

10) This message was central in the early church preaching and 11) was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem, where Jesus had died shortly before. 12) As a result of this message, the church was born and grew, with Sunday as the primary day of worship. 13) James, the brother of Jesus and a skeptic, was converted to the faith when he also believed he saw the resurrected Jesus. 14) A few years later Paul the persecutor of Christians was also converted by an experience that he, similarly, believed to be an appearance of the risen Jesus. (Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? The Resurrection Debate, Terry L. Miethe, Ed.; Harper and Row: San Francisco, 1987, pp 19-20)

The significance of these facts rests in the transformation that took place in a group of Jewish disciples made up of fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and even women (a negative in that culture). The impact of these events in their lives was such that they were willing to give their lives to proclaim a message that could have been disproved by the simple evidence of a rotting corpse. But it was not only the disciples who were impacted by encounters with a resurrected Christ, it was also skeptics and even enemies of the faith.

While there is much more evidence to be examined regarding the resurrection, the facts listed above serve as a foundation for the veracity of the Christian claim that Christ is risen!

~ In the 8th century BC, the prophet Isaiah, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, told us of God’s plan for us to become children of God. To be cleansed and made holy by giving us His Son.

Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.


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