Another day with Jesus

                                                                         Walking with Jesus Zung Gang nach Emmaus, Robert Zund 1877. If you could meet Jesus on your journey home from the city, would you recognize him?       Why is he historically significant?       What difference does it make if you recognize him?      Is he the promised Messiah, God’s Son?       And why was he crucified?      Did he actually rise again?     If he is who he claimed to be, why didn’t he overcome his enemies, prevent his death and deliver Israel from the Romans?   Three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, two disciples, Cleopas and his companion, left Jerusalem for Emmaus. Jesus’ gruesome death had shocked and bewildered the...

  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22. Dear Friend and Reader,   Did you ever recite the children’s prayer? Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon this little child. Pity my simplicity Suffer me to come to Thee. Charles Wesley.   When we think of Jesus, his gentleness and self-control are foremost. He showed it by his lovingkindness. We respond to his gentleness when he invites us to rely on him. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28,29.   Jesus not only said he was humble, but he lived it. At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts among the gathering, and he sat down to teach them. The law teachers and the Pharisee...

            Who do we depend on      in uncertain times?   A couple stood at the altar, vowing to remain faithful to each other until death. Love radiated from their eyes as they walked arm in arm down the aisle of the old stone church. The congregation greeted them with knowing smiles, nods, and warm congratulations. They were a perfect match. Yet even the happiest marriages must end. Where do we find a friend who nourishes our souls and greets us beyond the grave?  And in our day, people don't trust governments because they often promise services, but they fail to deliver. War rages at the whim of powerful men, greedy for resources and land. The future feels rocky.  Or is it? Where do we find security?  During previous episodes, we’ve pondered the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus exemplified these wonderful traits, both in word and in his actions.   Let’s think about  what it means to be faithful....

                    The  fruit  of the Spirit is love,  joy, peace,  forbearance, kindness, goodness...Galatians 5:22 Every Easter, Christians remember the brutal crucifixion of an innocent man, Jesus Christ. Why? Because we prize justice, decrying the evil that placed him on that Roman cross. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, a ‘crime’ the authorities labelled as blasphemy. Yet he is the Son of God who lived among men, proving his identity by his selfless, pure life. Perhaps the contrast between his goodness and their sin convicted them, and they hated him for it. Jesus exposed their pride, their adherence to rules that concealed indifference to the needy.  Who doesn’t feel inadequate or guilty in the presence of someone greater?  Jesus told a parable to those who prided themselves on their goodness. A Pharisee and a tax collector approached the Jerusalem temple. The Pharisee prided himself on his goodness b...

       Alone on the Cross     On that cross alone, forsaken,       Where no pitying eye was found       Now to God’s right hand exalted               With thy praise the heavens resound.                                                                                                   E.M.C. Thompson, c. 1881.        The cross of Jesus Christ pre...

                                                                             Jesus is so very kind   The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… This is Jesus, who is   also purposeful and generous   During his earthly ministry, Jesus traveled from Judea to Galilee by the shorter route. Jews avoided this road because they would pass through Samaritan towns, where residents of mixed descent lived. The Jews despised them. By midday Jesus, under the scorching sun, grew thirsty, and he rested in Sychar at Jacob’s well while the disciples went into town to buy food. A lonely woman arrived to fill her water pots during the hottest hours of the day, avoiding local gossip.  Jesus seized the opportunity to befriend her.   “Will you give me a drink?...

                         The Patience of Jesus: going the extra mile Meg swept the floor and scrubbed it until the bronze and white patina glistened in the sunlight, before stepping back to admire the sparkling mosaic of the tiles. The clean floor filled her with pride and appreciation for this gorgeous feature of her home. Bang! The door flung open and hubby strode past her, leaving behind the corrugated imprint of his muddy boots and sticky grass cuttings across the floor. Her jaw dropped as she stared after him.   “Do you mind? I’ve just washed the floor!”  But he’d already grabbed his spanner from the garage, and with a furrowed brow, stomped another trail of mud and clippings in his path before disappearing outside.   “Jerry!”   “Huh? The mower’s broken down. I’ve got more important things to deal with than mud on the floor. Get your priorities straight, Meg...

                                                                 Peace: resting in Jesus                                                            On a mountain beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sat with his disciples, telling them about his Father’s kingdom as he comforted them. If they felt sad, or were humble or merciful, they were blessed. The pure in heart and the peacemakers were God’s children because they represented his family by their attitudes and love for him. They would enter his kingdom, the realm of eternal peace.   Sometime later, Jesus, wishing to reach the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, boarded a boat with his disciples. He rested his head on a cushi...