Miracle of the Temple Veil

Good Friday Text from Matthew 27: 45-51 (NIV)
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”  50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 

                    THE MIRACLE OF THE VEIL
To understand this miracle, we must first know something about the presence of God.  Throughout the Old Testament, the heavenly being had a "no admittance" sign hung over the gates of heaven except at the very beginning.  Why?  Let's go back to the garden of Eden.  Here we see God walking in the garden with the sinless new prototype human beings.  Creation was capital G Good. Things were perfect. The perfect holy God walked with His first innocent creations.  But something happened that changed that relationship between God and humans. Sin happened. And at that very moment the "no vacancy" sign went up as the garden doors slammed shut.  

Throughout the Old Testament and into the days of Jesus, God had the Israelites put a very thick veil in the temple that separated the holy place where only priests would perform their duties and the Most Holy Place, where it was the place of God's presence. But God still loved humans and promised to make a way where God and humans could walk together again and the veil would be removed. 

When Jesus died on the cross, it was God's way to open wide the gates for humans to once again enter into His presence.  The miracle of the veil is God's message to the world that THE WAY happened at the very moment when Jesus breathed his last. Sin was defeated for us. 
Remember what Jesus said of Himself, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  He was answering the question posed by the disciple Thomas, "Lord, how can we know the way?" John 14:6

But... another veil exists. It's the veil of self.  You and I still get to choose to either accept or reject Christ.  Upon choosing to accept, we acknowledge that Jesus is our Saviour.  And as we remove the veil within ourselves, we open the doors of our hearts with a welcome sign for Jesus to enter and we are graced by a series of miracles.  By His shed blood, He forgives us.  He invites us into the Holy presence of God.  He begins to heal us and transform us to become what we were created to be in the first place. 

On a personal note... I never again want to take what Jesus did for me for granted.  By His amazing grace, he has made a way for me to personally know God.

Good Friday Prayer.  Dear Father, thank you for Your Son, Jesus, my Lord and my Saviour.  Fill me today with Your Spirit that I may know you better, that I may feel Your healing touch deep within my soul, and that I will never, ever, take for granted that you love me and want me with You forever.  All praise and glory be Yours.  Amen.

Maundy Thursday

Reading:  Luke Chapter 22 
The events of Jesus' final night 

• Judas agrees to betray Jesus
• The last supper
• Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives      
• Jesus is arrested
• Peter disowns Jesus
• The guards mock Jesus
• Jesus before the chief priests & the teachers of the law

This single chapter in Luke is jammed full with so many details and emotions. It is Jesus' final night before his death and He takes the opportunity to teach his disciples. The evening begins with the traditional Passover meal commemorating the exodus from Egyptian slavery and Jesus constitutes the meal to now be for remembering what he is about to do to free people from the slavery of their sins. As the body and blood of a lamb was used during the passover meal, so now Jesus is referring to Himself as the Lamb of God; His body given and His blood poured out for the washing of sins from our lives.

This night is sometimes called Holy Thursday,or Maundy Thursday. But what does the “Maundy” in “Maundy Thursday” mean? It’s certainly not a commonly-used word or something you’re likely to hear outside the context of Easter. What did this term mean, and where did it come from?  The word comes from the Latin word Mandatum which is translated as commandment.

In the context of Holy Week it refers to the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples while washing their feet, as recorded in John 13:34-35.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How amazing it must have been for those disciples of Jesus to have Him humble himself to become their servant and wash the grime from between their toes.  "Love one another as I have loved you" is a powerful command from our Lord. The sacrificial love of Jesus wasn't just for His disciples but for all of us.  The disciples first needed to be washed by the Lord and then to follow his example to love others.  This is absolutely true for us as well.  Let us remember to take time this day to let Jesus wash the grime from our lives and then live love the way He has loved us.  There is no greater sermon than loving others unconditionally. They will see Jesus in us.  

Good News!

At a time in our lives when we are hearing so much sad and alarming news, isn't it nice to hear how humanity is caring for humanity. It may be the first time (at least in my limited knowledge) that the human race stands together to do battle.

The good news we all want to hear, however, was said to us through a face time chat from our granddaughter who said, "I just want this to be over."  That would be amazing good news that something so dreadful has finally stopped.  And we pray it will very soon.



As we approach another Easter season, let us consider that there is another virus attacking humanity. This is also deadly and it is called sin.  So we long for a remedy to be cleansed and made right with God and each other.  Good news....God has responded by having Jesus come to this earth....to give us an antidote for the "virus" of sin.   John the baptist called it, when He introduced Jesus saying, "Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  John 1:29

The day Jesus died on the cross is called Good Friday because that's the day of good news.  Sin has been defeated. Good news!  By receiving Him as Saviour we are forgiven.  Good news!  In Christ, we are given new life.  Good news.  And then to top it all off, the best news ever.... He rose again!   Jesus has defeated death.  Amazing news!  In Christ, we too shall be raised to eternal life. 
AWESOME NEWS!!!

INVITATION TO SHARE YOUR GOOD NEWS ITEMS

So brothers and sisters in Christ, Easter is a time for GOOD NEWS!!!   Now, I'd love to hear from you about how you are finding good news in your day to day lives.  For example, you might have found more time to be with your family, caught up in your reading, helped someone or had someone help you or time to prepare and enjoy a delicious meal, or things your kids are enjoying, or talked, emailed, texted, or face-timed a loved one or a friend.  We all would like to hear good news so I'm inviting you to email me at pastordonmac@gmail.com and share your good news items however big or small.  After Easter Sunday, I will include your good news reports (without your names) on my blog or email them out for our readers to be encouraged.  I look forward to hearing where you have found good things through this isolation and social distancing of ourselves.   My good news is spending quality time with my wife. Having the time to do a 1000 piece puzzle.  Reading God's Word (not just for a sermon) Doing some woodwork.  Calling/emailing/texting a number of people.  Looking forward to hearing your good news.  Easter blessings.  Love, P.D.

What God Sees

      "He hangs the earth on nothing"     (Job 26:7)

On December, 1968, Appolo 8 astronaut Frank Borman viewed the troubled world from 853 miles into space. Peering through the spacecrafts window, he thought to himself, "This must be what God sees." (Robert Kurson, Rocket Men)

Seeing this picture from outer space makes us realize how amazing it is that this planet we've been given is hanging on nothing as the text states from the book of Job.  It is a reminder, as we approach Easter weekend, that "God loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Jn. 3:16

I know we can become absorbed and discouraged by our present situation, but I believe it's helpful to see our world as God does and view our lives with an eternal perspective. We need to look at the problems we are facing and know God isn't just 853 miles away, but is most certainly here with us.  How marvelous that He sent His Only Son to be one of us on this planet He created.  And what an amazing gift that Jesus came to show us the extent of the Father's love, by dying on a cross so that all who believe may receive forgiveness and be with Him forever. 

Remember, Friday is good, but Sunday is awesome. Hallelujah!

He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got you and me sister in His hands

He's got you and me brother in His hands

He's got the whole world in His hands.

Words of Comfort (do not be discouraged)

Monday, April 6

Text:   Deuteronomy 31:8
"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged."

No matter what lies ahead, we can rest assured that the Lord Himself will go before us.  Friends, as we continue to quarantine ourselves to stop the spread of the coronavirus, most of us have to deal with the fallout of daily tension from isolation and social distancing. For some, they face job loss and financial stress.  And there are those who face the loss of family members and friends or those who must endure not being able to be with loved ones who are in hospital or retirement/nursing homes.  Still others, risking exposure, are those on the front lines of keeping us safe and healthy and providing the necessary things to sustain the needs in our lives.
We know this virus attacks the body but it also has a fallout of causing us to live in fear, frustration, discouragement and anxiety.
This is a time for the strength of the human spirit to deal with all of this in a positive way. But we also need what the scripture reading told us; that God will make a way through this dark time. Through every trial you and I may be facing, we can know that God walks with us. Our job is to remain in-step with His Spirit, so that discouragement and fear will not take over our lives.
Prayer.
Gracious God, help us to recognize the need for us to be in step with You.  Help us to trust You to lead the way, to go before us, with us, and behind us. May we hear again those words of Jesus as he prayed in the garden, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”  
Lord, thank you for choosing to place your life in total surrender to the Father's will, help us to do likewise, this we pray in Your most holy name.  Amen.

The God of Miracles

Welcome to the beginning of Holy Week as we seek the Lord for this time in our lives.  

Today, let's look at Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and find encouragement from God's Word.

Matthew 21:9:

“The crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

John 12:13:

 “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’”

I want to point out that 'Hosanna' is a word used in the scriptures for two specific purposes. 

In Psalm 118:25, it means, “Please Lord, save us. Please, Lord, give us success”.

In the New Testament, from Matthew 21:9, The word was used for Jesus’ triumphant entrance to Jerusalem as King. Listen again to Verse 9, “Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, ‘Praise God (hosanna) for the Son of David!’ Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God (hosanna) in highest heaven!”

This use of Hosanna was used as a proclamation of a new salvation.

It is interesting to note that there are two completely different uses for the word “hosanna." One use is pleading for help, while the other is showing heart-felt praise and gratitude for what God has done. They perfectly represent two places of spiritual well-being we all find ourselves in. We are either crying out to God for help, or we are thanking God for what He has done for us.

Which use of Hosanna are you using today?   Like me, you likely are praying the use of the word to mean “Please Lord, save us”.  After all, God has shown through Jesus that He is quite willing to perform miracles and He has proved that He is most able to do so.  I suggest that we do pray for God to save us from the Covid-19 virus. Pray for yourselves, pray for your family and friends. Pray for those who are presently ill, pray for those who grieve the loss of loved ones and for those in isolation.  And pray for the world. Yes, Lord Jesus, save us.

Perhaps today, we may be saying, please Lord, save us.   But my encouragement for you today, is for us to also use the second use of Hosanna, praising Him for what He has already done for us.  As we begin Holy week, let’s acknowledge that God has provided a miracle through Jesus.  Jesus is that miracle through his gift of salvation, by way of the cross and his resurrection.   In John 10:10, Jesus told his followers, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

The miracle is not only that God became one of us.... but that God also understands our fears, anxieties and grief.  He hears us call out 'please Lord save us' and he also hears our statement of faith, 'praise the Lord for He has brought us salvation.'  Jesus told us that He has come to give us life... of peace, joy, love and hope and the fullness of life that leads to life with God forever.

If you know the chorus of Because He lives, 

let it be an inspiration for you as we journey in isolation/together.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living, just because He lives

Next Post
Good Friday
"THE MIRACLE OF THE VEIL"

The God of Miracles

We serve a mighty and powerful God. A God who has done the miraculous throughout history. In the Bible, we see moment after moment where God intervenes in a miraculous way. What about now? 

We continue to use this year's theme of "Seeing God With 2020 vision".  However, with how the Covid-19 virus has effected us, we can easily lose sight of God or maybe it makes us sit up and really seek God. Little did we know when we chose this theme that we would be facing such a world-wide destructive force.  Pastors everywhere are seeking ways to help their people find God in the midst of their fears.  And that is my intention as well.  

 Next, throughout April, I would like for us to look at the theme 

"The God of Miracles!" 

Today's Message

NO FOOLING!

April 2020 begins with April Fools Day 

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved 
it is the power of God.

You have heard it said, "I believe in miracles".  I don't say that anymore. It's not that I don't pray for miracles to happen.  I do.... but I've changed my faith-focus by stating more emphatically, "I BELIEVE IN THE GOD OF MIRACLES"!!  

The world might see this as blind faith and as foolishness just like Paul told the Corinthian church about how powerful the message of the cross was.  This Easter and the remainder of April, I invite you to look at the God of Miracles  with me and delight in our Miraculous Saviour, "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20

I continue to pray for all of you to stay safe, healthy and be wise to see more clearly the God of miracles.  No fooling!! Stay tuned as we walk together and learn from God's word. I end this devotion with this quote.