Joy to the World: Finding Christ in the songs of Christmas

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can come out of the closet. I can admit the truth to people besides my daughters who were guilty accomplices right along with me.

Here it is – the Christmas music started early in our house this year. The first Christmas carol rang out from our iTunes Christmas playlist at least two weeks before we roasted the Thanksgiving turkey.

I worked around the house one day while “Silent Night” lulled out through the speakers. The second verse caught my attention – especially the last line of the verse.

How many times have we sung these words penned centuries ago? So many times, perhaps, that their power now falls on desensitized ears. The Christ – the Savior of our souls – is born! Four thousand years of prophesied waiting climaxed in the cry of a newborn baby!

I decided it’s ok to listen to Christmas songs early. Geez, listen all year if you want. These are some of the greatest praise and worship songs ever written! Why limit them to a couple weeks of the year?

“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…” along with those of us who are adopted in as children of Abraham.

“Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free…” for we long to live set free from sin – to live free in relationship with You.

“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head…” Creator of the universe – humbled in a manger. The Word made Flesh – limited to the cries of a newborn.

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…” for we have fallen so far away from the life of joy and triumph promised to the faithful.

“Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King: Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled...’” because right now as always, we need to know your peace. We need to see sinners reconciled with holy God as only Jesus can do so they too may know peace.

And my personal favorite,

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come: Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room” for we need to receive Him more than any other gift this holiday season. He came – He gave all so that we might finally find the joy that nothing else in cursed creation can offer us.

Priorities: Finding a way to give thanks in a messed up world

As a family, we give thanks before each meal. We bow our heads and one of us – we take turns – prays a simple prayer of appreciation for the meal. I remember when my youngest could barely speak. She’d pray, “Baby Jesus, for this food. Amen.” We never figured out why she prayed to Baby Jesus, but she’s outgrown it now.

I doubt if any of us send up a prayer of appreciation for our clothes before we get dressed each morning. Or how about every time we get in the car and it starts? What about when we pay bills and the money doesn’t run out before we pay the last one. Do we think a prayer of thankfulness every time a thought of a loved one comes through our minds?

It seems so odd to me. We can be so rigid about the necessity of giving thanks before a meal but not express any appreciation the rest of the day.

What are some other things for which we can be thankful?

A lot of conflicting stories abound on every issue out there. I’ve learned to rely on Scripture to help me prioritize what’s important. Based on that, in no particular order, I’m thankful for…

• The transforming power of the Word of God; 1 Thessalonians 2:13. (ß Spend some time in God’s Word; read the verses to help you prioritize your season right now!)
• God’s gift – the sacrifice of His Son; 2 Corinthians 9:15.
• The peace of the Messiah; Colossians 3:15.
• The privilege to enter the presence of God; Psalm 100:4.
• Victory, because it is all about winning when it comes to eternity; 1 Corinthians 15:57.
• God’s grace and the privilege to pass it along; 2 Corinthians 4:15.
• The hard times God uses to help me grow; 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
• The part I have in God’s eternal kingdom; Colossians 1:12.
• Wisdom and power of God that are available to me; Daniel 2:23.
• Prayer that conquers worry; Philippians 4:6.
• God’s eternal goodness and love; Psalm 106:1.
• The amazing works of a loving God; Psalm 107:8.
• God hears us, answers us, and saves us; Psalm 118:21.
• The righteousness of Holy God; Psalm 7:17.
• The unlimited power and eternal nature of Almighty God; Revelation 11:17.
• The faith of believers all over the world who do their part in God’s kingdom; Romans 1:8.
• The teaching of Christ who points us to all truth; Romans 6:17-18.

You see, it’s ok if you burn the turkey or dump a pie on the kitchen floor (already had that one happen this year). It will even be ok if one of your relatives isn’t able to be with you this year. News of riots, wars, and nuclear talk failures can't even stop thankfulness. Why? Because even in the midst of daily stresses, relationship difficulties, and world turmoil, we have much for which to be thankful. We are thankful because God reigns, He gave His Son to restore our relationship with Him, and He and His kingdom will stand victorious for all eternity.

May some of these be added to your list of thankfulness this holiday season. 

Keep Going: Not giving up when we mess up

Children stood in a curved line on a festively decorated stage. Boys looked dashing in their dress pants and button up shirts; girls sparkled in satin, glitter, and lace. Many hours of practice had brought them to this point…lyrics and melodies had been learned, lines of dialogue had been memorized. Now the performance of their Christmas musical was here.

As the concert progressed, the time came for one adorable little girl to step up to the microphone and deliver her line. She held back, bashful and shy to step forward. The director coaxed her forward; she hesitantly took two tiny baby steps. The director whispered her first few words to help her start. Looking ever so coy, she hesitantly let the words come from her mouth.

“Glory to God in the highest…”

Her face started to crumple as fear revealed itself in her eyes.

“…and on…earth…peace…”

Her precious face scrunched up into a full-fledged cry as fear overwhelmed her. She never finished, “…to men on whom His favor rests.”

Our pastor, watching from the front pew, was the closest adult. He hurried on to the stage, rescued the terrified girl, and took her to sit with him in the pew. Within moments, her mama had made her way to the front of the sanctuary to finish the rescue of the poor girl.

Meanwhile, the director offered words of comfort from afar and helped the rest of the young children continue with the next song. For a moment, the whole choir appeared as if they might burst out in tears. Under calm leadership, however, they kept it together and started singing Angels We Have Heard on High.  

She wasn’t the only one who faced adversity during that performance. As I watched – entranced by the simple beauty of their performance, amazed by their strength to continue on – I thought about all the things we as adults could learn from these children.

Sometimes we get scared

This story of the little girl reminds us that we all get scared sometimes. Situations, opportunities, and problems loom in front of us with every bit as much intimidation as an audience awaiting a memorized line. We get scared. We need the comfort of a familiar friend and the confident leadership of a director to keep our show going.

Sometimes we don't know what to do

While some of the older kids knew to sing their songs and recite their lines, some of the younger kids only stood there throughout the performance. They did a fabulous job at being cute. But when a situation, opportunity, or problem is new to us, we stand there like the kids. We don’t know what to do. We need the example of someone who’s been there a few times to keep our show going.

Sometimes we mess up

Even as an older child, one little boy messed up on his solo in one song. Can’t really blame him, though – even the director messed up on the lyrics she lip-synced along to help him keep on track. It doesn’t matter if our experience in the show is a few years or a few decades, we all mess up situations, opportunities, or problems sometimes. We need the grace to say, “Sorry, I messed up. Let’s try that again from the beginning” so we can keep our show going.

And that’s the point

We keep going. Our life isn't a show; it's real. Part of the reality of it is we don’t give up. All of us as God’s children work together providing comfort, leadership, a positive example, and grace until He returns and says we're done.

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5). 
 

All About Jesus

The more I study, the more I read, the more I learn and grow, the more I realize...

It's all about Jesus. He's the love of life.

He divides us from the way of the world and unites us through grace.
He created in the beginning and will destroy in the end.
He split time between what was and what will be.

In light of that, I've been looking over some of my past articles on Jesus and want to share them with you.

How to Not Stink
I was riding in the car with my husband when the song “Come, Now is the Time to Worship” played on the radio. The song says someday every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord and every knee will bow before Him - based on Romans 14:11. As I contemplated the lyrics, I said, “That stinks. That would just stink.” After he looked at me questioningly, I continued... (Read more).

She is a... a... Sinner!
There are three kinds of people in this world... (Read more).

Having Loved His Own
Many, if not all, of us can look back at an event in our lives and realize it was the last time we did something significant. Often those thoughts are accompanied by wishes of things we could still say to that person or do in that place... (Read more).

Who are we? Who is He?
I am. You are. She is. We are. They are. The verb “to be” is the most basic sentence structure; it's one of the first things you learn in a foreign language class. It is also one of the most complex names of God... (Read more).

We've Got Troubles
I stumbled across something that troubled me in John 13. In verse 21, I came across the phrase, “Jesus was troubled in spirit…” Jesus was troubled? He is the Rock. He is the Alpha and Omega. What could trouble Him? (Read more.)

Shoutin' at Jesus
A lot of shouting is going on in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All that shoutin' boils down to four basic messages... (Read more).

Do You See the Miracle?
The birth of a child is a miraculous, life-changing event. At the same time, births happen every day, all over the world. They have since the beginning of time. One birth, however, was miraculous on a scale that the world had never seen before and hasn’t seen since. (Read more.)

A Divine Appointment
Jesus was leaving Judea and going back to Galilee but the region of Samaria was between His place of origin and His destination. It might seem logical that He had to go through Samaria. However, I can think of three reasons why it was odd that He had to go through Samaria... (Read more.)

That Name
Believers can do great things in the name of Jesus... (Read more).

The Tomb isn't Finished...Yet
I spent some time thinking about the experience of visiting the Garden Tomb; I struggled to come up with some words for it.  While doing this, I had a new insight into the Garden Tomb that I am so excited to share with you! (Read more.)

My Bridegroom Cometh...Home from Africa
The preparations to have both the house and myself look nice combined with the text of his impending arrival reminded me of another Bridegroom who will return soon... (Read more).

The Word of God
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). So, “in the beginning,” when “God created the heavens and the earth,” the Word was with God and was God. The fullness of the Word of God already existed at the creation of the universe. Mind-blowing. (Read more.)

I hope you've enjoyed this focus on Jesus. May He also be your love, your joy, your reason to live.

Satan is Vanquished

"I was sexually abused as a child."

I listened to a friend share his testimony when these words came out of his mouth. He didn't embellish them; he didn't use them as a tear-jerker. It was a statement in the middle of many other difficulties of his life. A statement I'm confident was preceded by years of spiritual healing to even get to that point.

Anger flared up within me as I thought, "How dare you, Satan - another child you tried to drag down into your pit."

Hours later I sat curled up on a couch talking to another friend. She shared her struggles in raising two adopted children. Again, no embellishments, no graphic details; just statements of fact. Again, my anger flared as I heard her talk about the children's icyness toward Christ; their cold-hearted rejection that revealed Satan was clinging tight to their souls. His claws were dug in deep and he had no intentions of loosening his grasp anytime soon.

The next morning I heard the song "Sing to the King" by Charles Silvester Horne. The line "Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King" struck me. I thought of my friends' stories from the night before. I can get angry about the lies that Satan twists into the minds of people and the pits in which he traps them. I can fight against their alternate realities with the power and truth of God's reality. The battle against Satan is a righteous war to wage; even Christ Himself became angry when He encountered the workings of Satan within the Holy Temple.

But here's the deal - Satan has been defeated. Jesus' resurrection sealed the deal on that battle. All of Satan's lying efforts to pull you away from that truth are only an attempt to take you down with him. His deceptions keep you from the freedom and abundant life found only in Christ. If he can do that, he may have already been defeated by Christ but he will still win the battle within you.

And another part is this - even in the ugliness of sin and spiritual attack, God is glorified. Let me repeat that - God is glorified. When you wage that battle and come out victorious with Christ on the other side, His power, His truth, and His glory radiate to all around. My friend would never be where he is today if he hadn't fought through that spiritual battle. My other friend wouldn't feel God's unsurpassable comfort during her struggles if she wasn't in the struggle. And through all of it, God is glorified and we can say Amen. 

Our God is the Fire

Permit me to set the stage a little for today's post. I received an email a few days ago from a missionary friend in West Africa. He told the story of Komlan and his wife who recently accepted Christ as their Savior. Under the Spirit's leading and protection, they desired to burn the idols of their former beliefs.

Joseph's story reminded me of the stories of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and the disciples. I had studied these biblical stories the day before receiving the email. In each one, God appeared as a fire. Inspired by their story, I sensed God leading me to sculpt Joseph's letter into a poem - my first attempt at poetry in twenty years. I hope you are inspired by it...

Our God is the Fire
by Joseph Akakpo and Kathi Woodall

Praise the Lord, Amen!
It was done for God;
done for God's glory.

Brother Komlan stood,
stood before the Lord,
stood with gods in hand.

Komlan’s wife, she came
to know the New Lord,
Lord of her husband.

I am ready too;
ready to follow
Lord of my husband.

For this year I pray
freedom for our souls.
We suffer too much.

Suffer too much in
the hands of Satan
I… I want freedom.

Her declaration,
our praise to the Lord,
give Him the glory.

Our God can do more –
abundantly more –
more than what we think.

Brother Komlan brought,
brought his fetishes.
Gods dug from the ground.

He had many gods
for such a young man;
too much at that age.

Psalm one fifteen speaks,
Not to us, O LORD
Your Name be glory

Why do nations say,
Where, where is their God?
God is in heaven.

Idols made by men.
Eyes but cannot see;
Hands but cannot feel.

Pow’r in Jesus name,
put fire on these gods.
Gods became ashes.

Abram testifies
Near a flaming pot,
Our God is the Fire.

Moses testifies
Near a burning bush,
Our God is the Fire.

Elijah proclaims
Near to Baal’s altar,
Our God is the Fire.

Disciples proclaim
Under tongues of flame,
Our God is the Fire.

Cast your idols down.
Throw them in the fire.
Our God is the Fire.

My partner in pray’r,
My holy fam’ly
Of our one Great God,

Lord Jesus the Christ –
One consuming Fire –
Jehovah is God.

An Out-There Story: What if I created my own religion

My mind can come up with some pretty “out there” stuff but I don’t think I could ever come up with a belief system like Christianity. It’s bizarre.

What if I created my own religion? How would I determine a way for people to have a relationship with God? What would they have to do to earn His favor?

I would make love and obedience mandatory; I’d require substantial life-altering gifts and sacrifices. People would have to work – work – WORK to prove they were worthy of the relationship.

Never in my wildest imaginings would it occur to me to make up a story like the plan presented in the Bible. I’d never define love as God being the One to make the sacrifice instead of the people. I’d never have the gall to say “God has to send Jesus to die because of all the wrong we’ve done” – if I created my own religion.

That’s one reason – among many – why I know Christianity wasn’t dreamed up in the mind of a person. Christianity’s unique plan of salvation must have originated with Someone who could see the whole picture instead of just the sliver of time each individual person gets to see. Christianity's plan must have come from a Being whose ways are not like human ways. Believe me; no person could make up this kind of stuff.

A New Heaven; A New Earth

Life in Christ is all about new stuff. We looked at some of it in my previous article.

Grow Barefoot is also getting ready to release a new book, “Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better.” I know many of you are looking forward to this release; please bear with us (and pray for us) as we work through some technical difficulties that are holding back the release.

In light of our focus on all things new, below are excerpts from the study where we discuss the new heaven and earth of eternity. Let your imagination wander and enjoy…

New Heaven and New Earth

Let’s enter the new heaven and the new earth together and see what awaits us in eternity. Other than some final closing remarks, the last two chapters of the Bible are dedicated to its description. The current heaven and earth may be good reference points for our imaginings of the new heaven and earth but we can’t limit ourselves to the nature of the current system. For example, we will read about a tree in these chapters. I see no reason to think the tree isn’t like a tree we have now. I also see no reason to limit its size, the intricacy of the leaves, the grandeur of its shape, or the vividness of its colors. We can’t know any of these things for sure, but we are free to imagine!

HOLY CITY

To get our imagination started, please read Revelation 21. A city may seem out of place in eternity but that is exactly where the description of the new earth begins. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2). Scripture first mentions the current city of Jerusalem in Genesis 14:18 by the name Salem. Later, the name changed to Jerusalem. God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem. The city itself was also the home of the kings of Israel, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and the capital of the modern-day country of Israel. Hopefully you can see that God didn’t randomly select Jerusalem as the name for the Holy City. The new Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of the final King of Israel, the resurrected Jesus Christ. Indeed, John, the author of Revelation, records a voice from the throne in heaven saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

GOD'S DWELLING

The new Jerusalem is also the place where God will once again dwell among His people. He did so in the Garden of Eden; after He restores all things, He will do so again. The Garden of Eden was a place of paradise before the curse of sin, death, pain, oppression, thorns, and unfruitful labor. Likewise, in the new heaven and the new earth, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

INHERITANCE

We studied several verses in this book which refer to our inheritance as believers in Christ. Even one of our key verses says that we “may know…the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). The inheritance promised Abraham in the book of Genesis, which we share in as his spiritual children, finally comes to fruition in the new heaven and new earth. John was inspired to write, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:7).

END OF THE PATH

The outcome of the two paths we have studied throughout this book is also completed. A few verses earlier, in Revelation 20:15, the lake of fire awaits those who chose not to follow God’s path. Therefore we read in Revelation 21:8 that “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars” have no place in the new heaven and earth. God created the lake of fire “for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan attempted to exalt himself above God, and thereby lower God’s position. Neither angel nor man will lower God; therefore, He condemned Satan and the angels who followed him to the lake of fire. Every man since who, in effect, does the same thing by rejecting His need for a Savior, receives the same destiny. Those who reject are those who have no place in eternity with God. Those who believe and follow have a place in the new heaven and earth. Later, in Revelation 21:27, John reiterates again, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

THE BRIDE

I’m sure many of us, if not all, have attended a wedding ceremony. In many cultures around the world, nothing compares with the beauty and elegance of a wedding. In an American wedding, the tension and excitement mount when the music shifts to Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” Heads tilt and necks stretch as attendees strain to catch a glimpse of the bride as she enters the room. Adorned in the most beautiful gown she will probably ever wear, she is stunning as she slowly proceeds down the aisle to her waiting groom. In this passage, one of God’s angels says to John as part of his revelation, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9). John describes what the angel showed him, “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). If you skipped the reading of Revelation 21 earlier, you’ve got to go back and read this part now. Verses 11-21 describe the bride in all her beauty; you’re missing out if you don’t stretch your neck so you might also catch a glimpse of the bride.

THE TEMPLE

Throughout history, the temple has dominated Jerusalem’s skyline. Virtually nothing surpassed the grandeur and beauty of the temples built by Solomon and Herod. Even now, with no Jewish temple, we recognize the city by the Temple Mount. Yet we read in Revelation 21:22, “I did not see a temple in the city.” The lack of the temple must have surprised John’s first-century mindset. Earlier I wrote that God allowed the Romans to destroy the temple in AD 70 because Jesus’ crucifixion was the final sacrifice and God the Spirit now dwells within man. Likewise, in the new heaven and earth, the temple is non-essential; God Himself is the temple.

THE LIGHT

Many of us are probably used to a city with no temple. However, I guarantee this next omission will be new and amazing for all of us. The city has no need of a sun or a moon to light the way. “The glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23). God created light and darkness, day and night, on the first day of creation. He didn’t create the sun, moon, and stars until the fourth day. Similarly, John separated the sun and moon from day and night in this passage. Later, in verse 25, he wrote, “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this excerpt from “Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better."

Grace for Gravy

“Mom, what’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?”

My mind started sorting through each of the holiday favorites. The sweet potatoes with the crunchy nut topping? The juicy turkey slices? The sweet pecan pie – no wait, maybe the creamy pumpkin pie. I had a hard time choosing only one until I realized exactly which one is my favorite.

The beauty and perfection of the Thanksgiving meal is…

The thing that makes us look forward to it for the whole month of November is…

…all of it.

All of the foods come together on your plate in a symphony of tastes. A bite of turkey with a little bit of mashed potatoes on it. Follow that bite with a taste of stuffing or your dinner roll that soaked up a little juice from the cranberry fruit salad.

The Thanksgiving meal has to be complete or it just isn’t quite as satisfying. Sweet potato casserole on any old Thursday night is still good – but not as good as it is on Thanksgiving.

As I finished making pies for our feast this year, I thought about this conversation with my daughter and realized its similarity to one of my favorite parts of heaven.

The beauty and perfection of heaven is that all who believe in Christ as there Savior will be there. Every nation. Every tribe. Every race and every people group will represent before the throne of God.

“And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation’” (Revelation 5:9).

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).

The scene won’t be complete unless we’re all there.

I told my brother about the conversation with my daughter regarding our favorite Thanksgiving foods. I liked his answer, “Gravy – because it goes over all of it. You pour it on the turkey, the stuffing, the potatoes, and it makes it all good.”

I laugh as I think about that now. Maybe gravy is the grace that Christ poured out over each one of us who follow Him. Maybe gravy is the grace that covers us all with His righteousness so He can present us faultless before the throne. The gravy makes us good.

Have a blessed and gracious Thanksgiving.

Dear Lord... A Prayer for Today

Dear Lord,

What do you have in store for me today? Do you want me to …

• help Your friend? Help me to see the hurting person.
• study Your Word? Help me to understand it in truth.
• give Your dollar? Help me to not hold back.
• proclaim Your Name? Help me to be bold.
• raise Your children? Help me to be merciful yet firm.
• care for Your Earth? Help me to be responsible.
• teach Your lesson? Help me to be clear and speak the truth.
• ponder Your majesty? Help me to glimpse a fraction of who You are.
• fight Your cause? Help me to be wise and strong.
• behold Your creation? Help me to see intricacy and grandeur at the same time.
• sing Your praises? Help me to focus on Your glory.
• enjoy Your presence? Help me to stop and rest in You.
• clean Your house? Help me to do so to honor You.
• serve Your people? Help me to love them as You do.

Jesus' Tomb: Why it isn't finished

Last week I wrote Visiting the Mount of Olives and the Garden Tomb because visiting those sites in Jerusalem had an important spiritual impact on me. I didn't write much about the Garden Tomb; however, after I posted it I spent some time thinking about that experience and trying to come up with some words for it. While doing this, I had a new insight into the Garden Tomb that I am so excited to share with you! 

Before I go there, however...

At church yesterday, my pastor spoke on "The Whole Package." The focus of Easter isn't the crucifixion. It's not even the crucifixion and resurrection. The whole package of Easter is believing in the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. I won't go into the importance of all three here, but we must recognize that you can't pick to believe in one or two. They all go together. 

His sermon had one more focus - believers are spiritually crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ. "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." (Romans 6:1-7)

Which brings me to my insight regarding the Garden Tomb...

The Garden Tomb has different sections as you can see in this picture showing the blueprint of the tomb. Visitors are only allowed into the Weeping Chamber (6). From there, an iron fence has been added to separate you from the loculi, or the places where the bodies would have been laid (4 & 8). I say bodies because the tomb was hewn to hold two bodies. Matthew 27:59-60 records for us that Joseph of Arimethea asked for the body of Jesus after He had died on the cross. Joseph wrapped the body in cloths and placed it in his own, new tomb. At the time of our visit I joked that the Unfinished Loculus (8) must have been meant for Mrs. Joseph of Arimethea. 

This weekend, as I thought about the distinction between the finished and unfinished loculi, I remembered Jesus' words as He hung on the cross. "It is finished" (John 19:30). My next thought was this - the loculus for the bride wasn't finished. That was my light bulb moment. Joseph of Arimethea may have planned the tomb and had it hewn in his garden but he and his bride were never buried there. The tomb was Jesus' tomb; the unfinished loculus is for His bride. His bride isn't finished yet. "'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.'  This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:31-32).

For two thousand years, many of us have spiritually shared in His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Our work isn't finished though; more are still to be called! The bride isn't complete. Once the bride is complete, those of us who have spiritually shared in His death, burial, and resurrection will also physically resurrect. "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).

For me, this thought challenges me to help get the work done! 

• What area of my life do I need to work on to become more like Him?
• Who can I share His message with so they may put their faith in Him and help bring the Bride to completion?
• Who can I disciple that they may grow in their faith and knowledge of Him?
• What ministry can I support so that others may share the Word of God with those who haven't heard?    

Perhaps there are others...what areas can you think of where we need to help get the work done that the Bride may be finished? Please leave a comment!

If you want to read more about the our spiritual and physical resurrection with Christ, you can read Romans 6 and 1 Corinthians 15.

Worship Jesus: Remembering the Mount of Olives and the Garden Tomb

Isn't it amazing how a certain physical location can affect you spiritually, even years later? While traveling through Israel in 2008 I had not one, but two, such experiences. This weekend we celebrate Passover and Jesus' resurrection; and the holidays remind me once again of that trip. 

I remember standing on the Mount of Olives and becoming too emotional to continue singing praise songs with our group.

Notice my clenched lips (trying not to cry)
and the Temple Mount in the background.

Throughout our trip, we visited many locations which were probably where a biblical event happened. "We think this is where the angel visited Mary.” Or, "This might be where Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount."

However, when we stood on the Mount of Olives, I had no doubt in my mind that Jesus had spent some of the last hours of His life in that location. Jesus spent the night before His crucifixion eating the Passover meal with His disciples. Scripture tells us that after the meal was finished, "When they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30). It was there that He said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). In those hours He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). It was on that ground that He knelt "and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44).

On that mount, He fought and won the spiritual battle to bring salvation to mankind. From this point forward, Jesus fought the physical battle - His death on the cross - with resolve and focus. 

Standing in the location of those moments should have been enough to bring me to tears. Indeed, recognizing my own sinful state before Holy God and the gravity of His sacrifice has brought me to tears many times. However, on that chilly, windy day, my reflection on the history of that location didn't bring me to tears. It was the location's future. "On that day [the day of the Lord], his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south" (Zechariah 14:4).

I was standing in a spot where Jesus fulfilled prophecy; even more, He is going to do it again in that same spot. For me, I became part of the plan in a very real way. I was standing between two defining moments of history.

I saw that I have a part to play in the here and now, in the gap between His sacrifice two thousand years ago and His return sometime yet future.

The second physical location of spiritual impact was the Garden Tomb. I've had four years to mentally process that moment and, even as a writer, I have yet to think of words to describe it. I walked through the stone opening with a high level of cynicism. Cynicism grown from the high number of religious sites we had visited thus far. As I entered the natural sanctuary, though, my heart was hushed and my spirit humbled. Someday, perhaps God will grant me words to describe it but for now it was a holy moment between him and me.

Despite their differences, these two locations had a common outcome. God never called me to worship the places; He used them to draw me closer to Him. They became a pathway to worship, not the object of worship. They were a sign of our relationship; not a source of relationship.

I'm sharing them with you today because both places are part of the reason we celebrate this weekend. Jesus spent the hours before His crucifixion on the Mount of Olives and the days between His crucifixion and resurrection in the tomb. Not just history but all of eternity changed in those days. God had denied us access to heaven from the time Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Jesus’ death restored access. The vile and wicked can be pure and righteous. The condemned were set free. Life conquered death.