E. — Encounter the dead Jesus who now lives
A. — And reveals Himself to humble hears.
S. — Stand in awe of His glorious Presence
T. — Taking the time to
E. — Experience His
R. — Reality!
Come and E.A.S.T.E.R. with us on Easter Sunday at The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center — 10:45 am., 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207.
Crucifixion is one of the cruelest forms of execution ever invented. Its purpose was not just to put a man to death. It was to bring extreme public shame and to cause the greatest possible amount of physical suffering.
Crucifixion had been in occasional use among the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and others, but it was the Romans who made it a common means of execution. Men hanging on crosses became a familiar sight in the conquered territories of Rome.
In order to produce the greatest amount of shame and pain, crucifixion was almost always publicly preceded by both lashes and mockery. Then the condemned man was made to carry the crossbeam along public roads, amidst the jeers and insults of the people, to the place of execution.
The victim was then stripped of all his clothing and hung completely naked on the cross. A sign giving his name and sentence was put at the top of the cross and he was the object of continued mocking from people who passed by.
The physical torture of the cross was greatly increased because the process of crucifixion damaged no vital part of the human body. Death could take days.
The victim was attached to the cross, either by tying his hands and feet to it or by the crueler way of being nailed to it. Thus, he was held immobile, unable to cope with heat or cold and insects.
The pain of his wounds, his thirst and exhaustion, would gradually leave him so weak he could no longer support himself with his legs and he would hang limp. His body weight pulling against his arms would gradually cut off his air supply and death would finally come by suffocation. The process could be sped up by breaking the victim’s legs.
The cross was looked upon with such horror and scandal, that it was considered bad manners to even mention it in the presence of respectable people. To quote Cicero: “Let even the name of the cross be kept away, not only from the bodies of the citizens of Rome, but also from their thought, sight, and hearing.”
Then one day, a carpenter was crucified and instead of bringing shame, His death conquered the cross. Early in the Fourth Century, Roman Emperor Constantine banned the practice of crucifixion, in honor of Jesus Christ.
Jesus took the cross, the cruelest of all human implements and made it a universal symbol for the love of God for human beings! Now you know the best of the story.
Why do we hide the shocking concept of Jesus of Nazareth coming back to life never to die again, behind the weak words, “Happy Easter,” and then weaken it even more by throwing in eggs, a bunny, baskets, shopping, decorative candy, and fancy clothes?
It reminds me of the time that the death-defeating Jesus was walking with two of His disciples and although they where having a conversation with Him about the empty tomb, they didn’t even recognize Jesus. Even so, we in the 21st Century make much ado about a day that we claim is in honor of Jesus coming back to life, while we focus on puny distractions ignoring the living, ever-present Jesus in our midst.
Billions of people go through the Easter season doing the holiday stuff yet missing out on the reality of life-changing intimacy with the living Christ. It’s like having a smartphone while believing that it is nothing but a paper weight. The samrtphone that can give almost unlimited access to the cyberworld is trivialized as a meaningless lump. Even so, in our society, the risen Jesus Christ is ignored and/or trivialized by a holiday that claims to honor His resurrection.
Let’s break out of the mold; move beyond the trivial, the words, the distractions; and let the resurrected Jesus confront us with His awesome Presence and reality! (Perhaps a better name for this holiday would be Dead Man Walking Day) Let’s personally experience the life-transforming power of these words:
Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o'er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever With His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
If you are looking for a non-traditional Easter worship experience, visit The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center on Sundays @ 10:45 am., 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207.
Since the 1970’s abortion has been a deeply felt political issue. Every now and then a political candidate will talk about finding a compromise on this issue, as candidate Obama did during the 2008 presidential campaign. Can there be a political compromise on abortion?
I’ve often wondered, how can their be a compromise when the two sides look at the issue so differently? One side sees it as a basic human right. The other side sees it as unjustly taking an human life. So where is room for compromise?
Last night I saw the movie, October Baby, which is a heart-moving example of the hidden human costs of the abortion choice. Go see it (if you dare)! Beyond the arguments for and against, beyond the politics of abortion, this story of a 19 year-old woman who discovers that she is an abortion survivor, gently brings the unseen pain of devastating decisions to life. It is a riveting film. At the end of the picture, everybody in the theater sat stunned through the entire credits.
This morning I woke up early with an idea for compromise in my mind. Why not treat abortion like suicide?
Suicide isn’t illegal. At least people don’t go to prison for attempted suicide. However, suicide is seen as a tragedy. Society frowns upon it and does everything it can (short of criminalizing it) to persuade people not to commit suicide and to prevent them from it.
In this compromise, the left would give up the idea of promoting abortion, treating it as a form of birth control, and playing down the pain and destruction that it causes; while the right would give up the idea of criminalizing abortion.
What kind of society would we be if we promoted suicide as the right to choose? If the act of taking their own life is something that society (out of concern, not out of judgment) tries to persuade people not to do, why not put the same emphasis on the act of taking their unborn child’s life?
It’s Easter week! What should we be hunting for?
1) Eggs? or
2) The risen Jesus Christ?
Well, if the resurrection is merely a myth, then I guess the only things we have to hunt for are eggs, or fancy clothes, or baskets, or nice meals, or family time, or a well decorated church service.
However, if Jesus is really alive and if He is present in the 21st Century, we have something far more important to hunt for. We have a living Person who loves us and wants an intimate relationship with us who says: “Come unto Me all you who are weary and burdened.”
How can we turn that invitation down? It’s time to hunt for the Resurrected One this week.
I’m looking for more of Jesus!
Since all Christian denominations claim and proclaim that Jesus Christ is actually risen from the dead and is still alive, shouldn’t Christ be allowed to control and direct an Easter Sunday church service? In other words, should an Easter Sunday church meeting (and any other church meeting for that matter) be:
1) A musical program and informative lecture, remembering Christ, organized and presented by a religious leader? or
2) A gathering where the living Christ, Himself, is allowed to personally control the meeting and manifest His glorious, risen Presence?
At The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center in Nashville, TN our desire is to experience #2. We want to decrease so that the living Christ can increase. We want to give up our agenda, control, and programs so that the resurrected Jesus can, Himself, direct and run the meetings when we gather.
How do we do that? We express enthusiastic praise and worship to God and then we allow the people present to share and do whatever Christ tells them to. The results are always amazing. Christ, Himself, shows up in our midst.
Come and experience the risen Jesus Christ with us: Thursday nights @ 6:30 and Sunday mornings @ 10:45 — 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207. Happy Easter and may you encounter and surrender your life to the living, resurrected Jesus!
Should church consist of:
A pre-arranged program or a pervading Holy Presence?
A man-made message or God-breathed spiritual life?
Passively watching a pastor or priest perform or people passionately pursuing God’s Presence and Person?
Religious head-knowledge or radical heart-transformation?
Being conformed to a corrupt culture or being conformed to Christ?
Hearing human explanations of the idea of God or having a personal encounter with God, Himself?
The exaltation of one human being over everybody else or the entire group coming together as equals to experience and to exalt Christ?
Ritual or revival?
Human manipulation or the mighty movement of God?
Routine or revolution?
Irrelevance or going viral?
The church is the people of God. Let God’s people wake up and be what God has called us to be! Have the guts to be godly, the courage to be Christ-like.
We have seen what a church organized and run by humanity can do. Now let us put down our programs and personal agendas and let God directly control His church. Let God do whatever He wants, whether we like it or not! What will happen if we do? A church controlled by God is demonstrated in the New Testament Book of Acts. I dare you to read it this week.
Perhaps the denial of God is the real anti-intellectualism
Has science discovered the spiritual world? Read about “spooky action.”
