It is the Feast of the Cross. A remarkable contradiction in the words we use marks the uniqueness above all else of the events surrounding the death of Jesus. A feast of death? We know of other festivals that celebrate death. In Mexico Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a well-known parade of people in…
Tag: cross
260. After all…what do you want?
Over many years of study and leading women’s Bible study groups, I have increasingly emphasized the core importance of the invisible Kingdom of God, the Church of Jesus, His Body. It is a grand concept in the unseen realm. It is a gathering of very special people whose hearts are stayed on the Nazarene, focused on the Cross,…
259. The Bread, the Wine, the Cross
[Passover 2024] We celebrate our Christian Passover-feast. It might sound like a contradiction in terms because the death of a person is not a reason for celebration. Nowadays, people conduct a funeral as a celebration of life. The nature of such a ceremony has changed significantly over the years, from a very somber occasion to something that one would…
157. The sound of the trumpet
This time span before the Passion (traditionally called Easter, which we will refer to as The Passion) is important to find depth of meaning in a tradition spanning thousands of years. A tradition of this kind runs the risk of becoming stale and clichéd, even if the significance of the event it commemorates reverberates over…
137. The cross and the grave.
[John 19:17-42] THE CROSS There was no death more terrible than by way of crucifixion. Even the Romans trembled by the thought and found it despicable. No Roman citizen could be crucified. For a Roman, execution was mostly beheading or forced suicide by drinking poison. Crucifixion was for slaves and criminals. The cross was originally…
37. C.h.u.r.C.h.
It is unavoidable that the word church is received with a whole bunch of emotions and reactions. For some the negativity comes unrestrained, fuelled by hurt and disappointment over many years. The pain permeates into the conversation about church and leads to sharp rejection of people and organization in the hearts of individuals. I am…
Pebbles of Perpetuity 