Month: April 2025

And in Him, we were also chosen. We were destined to live to the glory of God, His purpose, by His will, so that we who were the first to set our hopes on Christ might live for the praise of His glory. Epheisians 1:11

This past week, the world resounded with shock as we woke up early Monday morning and learned of the death of Pope Francis! Just the day before we saw him ride through the crowds on the “Pope mobile”, touch the hands of many, and give an Easter address in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican. He seemingly ignored the advice of his doctors to avoid crowds and rest. Although he appeared visibly weak, his determinationto do God’s will and bless these people one last time was foremost on Easter Sunday. It is reported that his only regret was not being able to wash the feet of prisoners during his final visit.

We make all kinds of assumptioms as to the timing of his death. Many say it was a coincidence, maybe it was fate, or just luck that he died after he had taken, what I call, a “victory lap” on that Holy Day.

We tend to use words to try to explain things we don’t understand, however; there are three words that should never be in a Christian’s vocabulary: luck, coincidence, and fate. We should replace them instead with the word, Providence, which means to see in advance and to provide for. The word generally refers to divine guidance or care, and it usually describes prudence and fore sight. I think God’s providence was at work in his life and in his death.

The Westminister Confession of Faith written in the seventeenth century states: God, the great creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things from the greatest even to the least by His most wise and holy providence. Basically, God is in charge – not us!

Many of us can look back on our lives and see the hand of God’s providence in many situations. It could be a road taken, a decision that was made, or even an incident that had the profound hand of providence upon us. Peter Marshall was saved by tripping on a tree root when he was walking near a cliff on a foggy night, Randy changed his life’s path after a near death car accident, and a handful of people stepped out in faith to build a new church. These are situations where we see God’s providential hand.

God’s providence stands over and above our actions. Even Joseph was the recipient of God’s providence when he was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. His brothers tried to destroy him, but instead their efforts put him on the throne of Egypt and fulfilled God’s will. Later Joseph said, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result.” Genesis 50:20

Then there is the most heinous act of Judas’ betrayal of Christ which turned out to be about the best thing that ever happened – Christ’s atonement for our sins on the cross.

We, as human beings, have a limited perspective of the providence of God. Paul points out that we know “only in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). When we get to heaven God may explain it all – or not. Until then we are left to just trust Him.

Often I have not known where I was going until I was already there. I have had my shares of desires and goals, but my life has come to me or I have gone to it mainly by ways of mistakes or surprises. Often I have received better than I deserved. Often my faintest hopes have rested on bad mistakes. I am an ignorant pilgrim crossing a dark valley. And yet, for a long time looking back, I have been unable to shake off the feeling that I have been led. Wendell Berry from his book, Jayber Crow

When we look back over our lives, I think the paths we have taken will be full of the providential hand of God. Rest in peace, Pope Francis, and thank you for being a man of faith and compassion.

He is not here. He has risen! Mark 16:6

Peter Marshall was a Scotish-American preacher who began his short, but remarkable career in a rural Presbyterian Church in Covington, Georgia. Although, he was quickly called to Westminister Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, then to New York Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, and ended up as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, I’ve always felt a kinship with he and his wife, Catherine. Our first appointment was in that same small rural community on the outskirts of Covington just a few miles from his first church, and I can identify with the bonds that are formed in these small communities as well as the trials.

It was this connection that prompted me to read some of the sermons preached by Dr. Marshall, and the book, A Man Called Peter, which was written by his wife, Catherine after his death at the young age of 46. The movie by the same name was released in 1955, and it was nominated for an oscar.

Dr. Marshall always ended each day by saying to Catherine, “See you in the morning!” rather than just the typical good night,sweet dreams, or sleep tight.   On the night on which he had his fatal heart attack, and the EMT’s were loading him into the ambulance, he held Catherine’s hand and said  his final words to  her which were, “See you darling!  See you in the morning.”

I love the fact that good-byes were never in his vocabulary because he knew there was no reason to bid another Christian a final good bye.  He was comfortable with the certainty of death, and he was confident that we will see each other in the presence of Jesus one sweet day.  

I also love the mental picture of seeing Jesus in the morning when the dew has fallen, the air is clean and sweet, and everything is quiet and still.  Could there be a more perfect example of heaven?

We have just experienced the glories of Easter, the hallelujahs, the hymns of resurrection, the flowers on the cross, and the large congregations gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  It has been such a celebration, but I wonder how many of us really think about the significance of the day.  Jesus fulfilled his promise, rose from the dead, and says to us, “See you in the morning.” Imagine thinkiing someone dear to you has died only to discover they are alive!

On February 27, 1991, Ruth Dillow was at her home in Kansas when she received the bad news from the pentagon that her son, Private First Class Clayton Carpenter had stepped on a land mine in the Persian Gulf and was dead.  Ruth was feeling a lot like the women who came to the tomb on that Easter morning with their hearts full of sorrow.  Three days later, Ruth got another call, and the voice on the other end of the line said, “Mom, I’m alive.”  Just like the women at the tomb who heard the words, “He is not here.  He has risen.  Jesus is alive!” Ruth witnessed a miracle!

We, as Christians, have just witnessed the miracle of Easter. Those that have left us already and arrived in heaven are witnessing a powerful display of His love. They are experiencing a sense of joy and peace, comfort and support, grace and forgiveness, and a sense of belonging which we can only imagine at this point.

The songwriter Charles Austin Miles wrote the beautiful hymn In The Garden in 1912. He was inspired by the Biblical account of Mary Magdalene’s visit to the empty tomb of Jesus and her encounter with the resurrected Christ “in the garden.”

The words give me a picture of what the words, see you in the morning might mean to us. I come to the garden alone; while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses: And He walks with me, and He talks with me; And He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, no other, has ever known.

This Easter promise is given to every Christian, and it says, see you in the morning.

It is true! The Lord has risen! He has risen indeed! Luke 24:34

This week we, as Christians, experience Holy Week. The week takes us from the Last Supper to the arrest of Jesus and subsequent mock trial,through the crucifixion, and finally to the resurrection.We experience a roller coaster ride of emotions as we walk through the week.

Many times, but especially during this time of year, I am extremely aware of things in this world that tangibly show the presence of Christ. Early Friday morning as I looked out the kitchen window, I saw the first hummingbird of the season. He drank from one feeder and then quickly buzzed by the others on his way to inform his friends of the find! These small creatures are poof of God’s presence in this world!

These “presences” remind me of the great sacrifices Jesus made on my behalf, and the crown He has for all of us in glory. Only one man who promised to rise from the dead kept his promise, and that man is Jesus. There are countless examples of others who made this claim, but Harry Houdini, the magician, is one who promised he would come back from the dead and talk to his friends. Some of his friends actually consulted mediums to see if there was any word from him from beyond the grave! There never was!

In order to keep His promise to us, Jesus suffered a horrendous death on the cross. The nails which pierced him represented all of our sins. He took on and felt the pain of our envy, anger, shame, discouragement, guilt, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Through all the suffering, not once did Christ use His powers for personal comfort. With just a word, He could have transformed the hard earth into a soft bed, hurled the spit of His accusers back in their faces, and paralyzed the hands of those who drove the nails into his flesh, but He didn’t. Instead, He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by His suffering and death on the cross.

Satan set God up in order to bring him down, and for three days, it looked like Satan had won. Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and turned Satan’s plans upside down. He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities and shamed them publicly by His victory over the cross. The resurrection is ultimate proof that He is Lord!

The greatest proof of the resurrection is found in the transformed lives of people all over the world. The story is told of the first world meeting between Bush and Putin where President Bush wanted to be sure they connected on a personal level. In order to do this, Bush brought up a story he had read about Putin. The story goes that Putin’s mother had given him a Christian cross, and Putin had it blessed while he was in Jerusalem. Bush had been touched by the story.

Putin told a story in response. He said that he had taken to wearing the cross, and one day he set it down in a house he had been visiting. Strangely, the house had burned down and all Putin could think about was that his cross was lost in the ruble. He visited the site after the fire, and he motioned for a worker to come to him so that he could ask him to look for the cross. The worker walked over to Putin, stretched out his hand, and showed him the already recovered cross.

Putin said to Bush, “It was as if “something” meant for me to have the cross,” inferring that he believed in a higher power. Bush replied, “President Putin, that’s what it’s all about, that’s the story of the cross.”

The story of the cross is that God intended it just for us.

The songwriter A.J. Ackley puts it like this: “You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart.” Today Christ is working in this world. The thing Satan feared the most, the birth of the church with the power to change the world through the gospel has come to pass.

As we anticipate the celebration of Easter, I encourage you to look for the presence of God in the everyday things of this life.

Happy Easter!

The disciples brought a donkey and a colt, laid their clothes on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their own cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the tress and spread them on the road. The crowd went ahead of him, and those that followed shouted “Hosannah to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosannah in the highest.” Matthew 21:7-9

There are many things I think about when I think about a parade. The parades in this day and time usually are led by a band. Loud music is played while onlookers cheer and clap. There are probably majorettes and flag twirlers who stop to do a small routine along the way, and the crowd goes wild!

Dignitaries and other important people ride by in convertibles or on floats and throw out candy to the crowd. The children in the crowd race to catch a glimpse of them and try to grab as much candy as possible. There is constant cheering and excitement!

The crowds for our parades these days are made up of many different people. There are parents, children, friends, school mates, grandparents, and many different onlookers who come for many different reasons.

Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem makes me try to guess what it was like for Him. He rode on the back of a donkey, covered with cloaks of the disciples, and witnessed the crowd waving their branches and laying their own clothes down for the donkey to walk upon.

Although there were no bands, the Bible says there were “Hallelujahs”, “Hail the King,” and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” being shouted from the crowd. The whole town threw a party complete with a parade when Jesus came to Jerusalem on that day.

The people were much like the little boy who missed Palm Sunday at church because he was sick and had to stay home with his mother. When his Dad returned from church, he was carrying a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Dad what are you doing with that palm branch?” “You see,” said the dad, “when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor Him, so we got palm branches today.” “Oh man, ” the little boy said, “the one day I miss church, Jesus comes to town.”

In the above scripture, the people praised Jesus, but many of them praised Him for one of two basic reasons. First, they praised Him because of His miracles. He had healed the sick and raised the dead. These praised Him because He was serving them.

The second group of people praised Him because they saw in Jesus a way to be politically delivered from the Romans – to be set free as Israel had been set free from Egypt. They were all about the attitude, “What can you do for me, Jesus?”

The crowd on that day was made up of different people who had different agendas. Many gathered, threw down their coats, their palm branches, and shouted praises because it was the popular thing to do. It was trendy. Some were there with sincere motives, but on that Friday, there motives disappeared as they joined the mob shouting “Crucify Him.”

Jesus was the only one in that crowd on a mission, and that mission was to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of those he saw around him that day. The cloaks spread on the ground were only for the donkey – Jesus’ feet never touched any of them. I can imagine His agony as he thought how many times He had tried to get through to these people by sending prophets, working miracles, and preaching. He knew they were cheering because they needed him to tend to their agendas.

Jesus closed his day by visiting the temple there in Jerusalem. The scriptures say “He looked around and then left with his disciples to Bethany to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus” to spend one of his last nights with close friends. He had fulfilled the scripture.

As we celebrate Palm Sunday this week, we should all be careful not to come to worship with any kind of personal agenda, but rather come with the mission of worshipping our Lord and leave with the mission of telling others about the sacrifice that He has made for us.