Happy Passover and Temple Tuesday

What timing! Medical and essential services personnel are on their call of duty. The rest of us are all snuggled in at our homes. Those of us in Christ, don’t work the frontlines or snuggle in fear – we carry on into each other (while apart) and into our Lord – our Place of Refuge (“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms” Deuteronomy 33:27) and our Hiding Place (“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7) No fear – there!

I had seen the 1956 movie “The Ten Commandments” many times over the years. In fact, it was the first “theater” movie I ever saw. Of course, I remember it – it was scary – especially the part when the “death” clouds (or death angel) rolled in that killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians after Pharaoh would not let God's people go. The movie was aired a few nights ago and I watched it again.

Tomorrow begins the Jewish holidays of Passover, April 8th -16th. This holiday is about the Passover sacrifice when God passed over the houses of the Israelites during the 10th plague on the Egyptians. God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts. It represented the power to protect their families. And it did. In the movie you could hear the wailing coming from the Egyptian homes, but not the Israelites.

Amidst this pandemic, I somewhat followed applying the blood, by placing a picture of Jesus – Divine Mercy – that represents the blood and water poured out for us on Calvary – with the words: “Jesus, I trust in You” on my front door. Even more effective than a lamb's blood is my Lord's blood and I declare: “I am covered by the blood of Jesus, and 'no evil shall befall me or plague come near my dwelling.'" (Psalm 91:10).

I’ve seen where other Christians put red ribbons on the doorposts of their homes declaring the precious blood of Jesus to wash, purify, heal, guide, and protect them from evil, harm, sickness, and bless and make them holy. I love this symbolism – but more so, the faith in God’s Word and Christ’s blood that was as an atonement for our sins and our salvation.

Today is Holy Tuesday. We read in Matthew 21 how Jesus spent His entire day in the temple – teaching and using parables to make His points to religious leaders who doubted Him. Jesus knew this was His last week leading up to His death, so I suspect He was determined to leave an unforgettable “last impression”. He answered them so successfully that "no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions". Matthew 22:46

As we continue to journey during this Holy Week, on Thursday, we'll remember the Passover, the Last Supper and Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. Then on Good Friday, He was tortured, suffered, shed His blood for our healing and our redemption, and died. He was our Lamb that was slain. As despicable as it was....we can REJOICE! It is really good news! We know the end of the “The Ten Commandments” movie. God set His people free. And OUR movie expresses freedom, too!. DON"T lose hope! Just when we think the "movie" could get no worse, our Champion, Jesus Christ wins on Easter Sunday aka Resurrection Sunday……so, we win, too! So, why should we worry or fret? God has got this. God has got us!

The Twilight Zone on the Monday of Holy Week

Yesterday was a most unusual Palm Sunday and 25th birthday celebration with my grandson. I wasn’t at church and I wasn’t in Austin celebrating with my family. But, I was still present for both. I watched four beautiful church and mass celebrations via livestream and I was on FaceTime with my family. The day before, my Canadian cousin FaceTimed me so I could meet her two-year-old foster child. Tonight, and tomorrow night I will be on Zoom calls which provides for many of us to see each other, be together – while apart. Isn’t this something?

It is amazing to be in tumultuous yet tremendous times and be provided with far greater innovations than what any other generation has ever experienced when they encountered plagues, epidemics and pandemics. I’m providing a little motivation for us, lest we forget to be grateful for the blessings we have been afforded.

In the 60s there was a TV series called “The Twilight Zone”.Rod Serling welcomed us on a journey into the Twilight Zone. Each episode presented different stories where characters found themselves dealing with disturbing or unusual events, an experience described as "entering the Twilight Zone". It often had a surprise ending and a moral. Now, the phrase “twilight zone is used to describe surreal experiences -- like these surreal times we are in today.

Speaking of surreal, I think about Monday of this most blessed Holy Week of our Lord’s passion. The predominate happening on this day was Jesus chasing out the money changers from the temple. He was on purpose with every act, healing, and teaching. If we knew it was our final week of life, wouldn’t we be taking care of “loose ends”, like getting some things right that were very wrong? Wouldn’t we be giving family and friends some of our wisdom from life, encouraging and giving clear thought-out messages to help them carry on? If He knew He would soon lay down His life for us, then wouldn’t He make sure that everything He did was for our good to be used as visual references for us to follow?

On this day of Holy Week, Jesus returned to Jerusalem and came upon the shameful, greedy practices at the Temple. He was so passionate about His Father’s House of Prayer being abused. Formerly, it had been where the blind and lame came when they heard Jesus was in the Temple. As the children saw Jesus standing there and teaching, they began to shout again, “Hosanna, to the Son of David.”

On this Holy Monday, He cleansed the temple. Back to the “surreal” time we are in right now. The churches, temples, and synagogues have been cleansed, so to speak. Not only are the stores inside many of the mega churches closed, but so are the places of worship – everywhere. My take on this season that we’re in – is God is setting things straight – setting His people straight – getting His house in order. That the principal thing isn’t really about the church building. It is about His Body – THE CHURCH – being set right. Getting down to the nitty gritty of what really is most important to Him. Jesus will soon come back for His bride without a spot or wrinkle or blemish. He cares more about us than He does brick and mortar.

Today He desires to cleanse us and purify our hearts and minds so that we are more like Him – in our thoughts, our words and our actions. Maybe, this surreal time is about our Sovereign Lord getting His Body in shape for bringing the family home – sooner than later. Today I take this message personally. It is taking this cleansing of the temple as cleansing of my temple. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 10:19) The Lord cares more about the “stuff” that has cluttered up Who we are and Whose we are. It’s time to get the temple squeaky clean! This Monday of Holy Week is a really good day for cleaning house!

Truth-Filled Temple Talk

As I sat waiting for my doctor to come in the room yesterday, I sucked my tummy in and thought “Yep – still carrying my baby boy on this tummy!” I was in for my annual physical and blaming my son for the extra inches. How silly of me! Back in my day we weren’t as prone to exercising after the baby’s birth as women are today. I see you slim, trim mamas who jump into the gym as soon as you get your doctor’s clearance “All systems GO!” Ours were something like: “You had a baby -- you deserve those extra inches with you!” But, for a lifetime??

A flashback of me before my baby boy filled my mind. I was so skinny that I was called “Bean Pole”. I took Weight-On tablets with the desire to catch up with the others my age who had "blossomed" much faster than I did. But, oh my -- everything changed with the birth of one innocent baby boy.

Over the years I struggled with a poor body image. Here I was, a Jesus-loving girl thinking those negative thoughts. The truth is, God saw and sees me very differently and even tells me who I am: His daughter, the apple of His eye, a pearl of great price. Here’s my wake-up moment: When we are poor-mouthing our bodies or the way we look, we are speaking disparagingly about “our temple”. The apostle Paul spoke intentionally when he used the word temple. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19. Just think of it – our bodies are temples that carry the very Spirit of God.

That’s mind-boggling. Truly, I pray for a filter that keeps me grateful for this skin I’m in. Paul knew temples -- there were plenty to compare to in Corinth with their domed ceilings, majestic columns, exquisite woodwork overlaid with gold and silver. (BTW, this photo is St. Paul's Cathedral in Rome that mildly compares, I'm sure, to those Corinth temples.) Wow! We are those temples of the Holy Spirit. That is true for you, me and Christ followers everywhere.

Whether we feel like a temple or not, it is still God’s truth to us. In Christ, when we ask for forgiveness, we become a clean, pure temple — no matter what impure, unimaginable things we’ve done. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and His mighty resurrection, we can obliterate the trash-filled thoughts from our past and redecorate our mind with God’s truth. So now I’m careful about my “temple” talk. No more “trash” talk or “smack” talk about this temple God gave me.

No matter the size, age or agility, our temples are sacred, good and holy and have infinite value. God is incredibly interested in what we do with them, and how we treasure them. It’s time we ask God to give us truth-filled temple talk.

Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Holy Tuesday aka Temple Tuesday

Temple: a place regarded as the dwelling place of God; house of God, house of worship, shrine, sanctuary, church, cathedral.

Tuesday of Holy Week could be called "Temple Tuesday," because in Matthew 21 we read how Jesus spent most of the day in the Temple -- teaching and using parables to make His points. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus had returned to Jerusalem to go to the Temple. As I mentioned in my post, yesterday, Jesus knew this was His last week leading up to His death, so I suspect He was determined to leave an unforgettable “last impression”. He was constantly confronted by religious leaders who challenged his authority to teach the people, and lambasted him with unreasonable theological questions. He answered them so successfully that "no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions". Matthew 22:46

Jesus was the master of story-telling using illustrations (parables) to make His point. He used parables on this day: the parable of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33-46); the parable of the wedding banquet, (Matt. 22:1); the teaching on paying taxes (Matt 22:15) and the rebuke of the Sadducees who denied the resurrection (Matt. 22:23). Then Jesus and His disciples left the Temple and went to the Mount of Olives where He delivered the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem if the inhabitants would not come to faith in Him. He warned that not one stone will be left on another (Matt. 24). Jesus always "packed a punch" in delivering a message with authority and truth.

Sunday night my Frisco family and I went to see “Paul, an Apostle of Christ”. I don't like movies that leave you hanging, or have a disappointing ending. I LOVE the happy ending ones! Though the tragic state of Rome and the plight of Christians is portrayed in shocking reality, Paul dictates a letter to Luke to pass on to the followers of Christ that gives them hope. You and I were included in those writings. I felt it as I watched this compelling movie that in the worst of conditions and circumstances, our foremost responsibility is to LOVE. That’s what Jesus did for us.

As we continue to journey toward the ending of Jesus' life on this earth...on Thursday, we'll remember the Passover, Last Supper, and Jesus washing his disciples feet and then on to Good Friday, when He was tortured, suffered and died. As despicable as it was....we can still REJOICE. It is really good news! We know the end of the "movie". Our Champion, Jesus Christ wins on Easter Sunday aka Resurrection Sunday……so, we win!

Right now, life may be tough for you. You might have health issues or experienced the recent loss of a loved one. There may be strife in your marriage. You might not have enough money to make ends meet. But, DON"T lose hope! Just when you think the "movie" could get no worse, our Champion will be there because HE LIVES! And in the end, we win in a big way. There will be no more tears. No more mourning, or pain or even death, but life eternal. Everlasting. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah destroys the enemy once and for all. Just hang on. The end of the "movie" -- the last chapter recorded for all to read is such a "and they lived happily ever after" ending. No, actually, it is THE BEGINNING! God wins and those who love and believe in Him will live with Him forevermore! Oh Happy Day!