Foundation of Easter.

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 3:11

I don’t know where you happened to worship on Sunday, but it was probably in a beautiful, comfortable Sanctuary.  And, unlike in Haiti, your pews most likely are padded and are not also used for a classroom during the week for school children.  I have visited congregations in North America where a congregation holds their worship service in a gymnasium on Sunday, but even there, padded folding chairs and that large room cannot compare to what takes place in Haiti churches and schools.

The attached photo taken in 2001, is of the Lutheran church in Los Cacos which is just a few miles from the border with the Dominican Republic in the Plateau Central in Northeast Haiti.  This small wooden building with a tin roof is about the size of a Sear’s aluminum shed that stores priceless ‘stuff’ in the backyards of many North Americans; it was about 12’ x 16’ when I stepped off its width by length.

The pews are wood boards nailed onto cut branches dug into the dirt floor and light is provided by opening three wood shutters on the windows and the door.  School children sit in the pews during the week and children and parent’s worship there on Sunday.  It is God’s house.  Hymns are sung acapella and please don’t be tempted to send them an electric keyboard.  It doesn’t matter how small, how plain or simple it may be, it is God’s house and the work of saving soul’s is taking place within the wooden walls.  And the Good News from within goes on outside it’s walls.

I listened to Alexa play the song “the Church is one Foundation” when I had asked to play ‘Church music’ recently.  The words for this song were written by Samuel J. Stone in 1866 and it seems like a good time to share them with you today.

“The church has one foundation, tis Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation, through water by the word.  From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.  Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation; one Lord, one faith, one birth.  One holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food; and to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.  Long with a scornful wonder men saw her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed.  Yet saints their watch were keeping to hail a brighter day, when God should stop their weeping, take their reproach away.  The evening sun is shining, the cloudy day is past; the time of their repining is at an end at last.  The voice of God is calling to unity again; division walls are falling, with all the creeds of men.  Back to the one foundation, from sects and creeds made free, come saints of every nation to blessed unity.  Once more the ancient glory shines as in days of old, and tells the wondrous story; one God, one faith, one fold.”

This Haitian Church is complete; it was built by Lutheran Haitians on the firm foundation of Christ.  The members constructed this church and school; it is alive preparing the people with hope to share the Gospel with the hopeless.  No walls left unfinished by well intending North Americans, no unfulfilled promises and nothing for the vodou priests in the community of Los Cacos to question why their God did not complete building their church.  Thank you for continuing to add to your daily prayers, the children attending Christian schools in Haiti.

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Un-finished business.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  1 Peter 3:15

This passage from first Peter encourages each of us to always, no matter where we may be, to be prepared to share the reason for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, and only in Him.  That message holds true for us living in North American and for His people living throughout this fallen world.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday going through literally hundreds of photos that either I took while living in Haiti or somebody else captured while visiting Haiti with a mission team.  The three girls in the attached photo attend the Lutheran school at Torbeck which is in the Les Cayes District.  I am sure that I’ve shared them before but their facial expressions are timeless.  They are standing behind an un-finished wall, something North America began but did not complete.  There are a lot of unfinished walls and buildings in Haiti; the money ran out and the construction halted.  There is unfinished business all over this world.

You and I and these three girls from Torbeck are all un-finished business.  Easter Hope addresses un-finished business.  Our Creator has had plans for us from the beginning of time and now the Holy Spirit is working in us to go out into this world and connect with a soul that is waiting to hear the reason for our hope.  I listened to the song ‘Shout to the Lord’ this morning on my laptop and the lyrics really seem to go well with the message that we are called to share in Haiti and throughout the corners of this world.

“Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing power and majesty, praise to the King; mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name.  I sing for joy at the work of Your hands, forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand, nothing compares to the promise I have in You.  My Jesus, My Savior, Lord, there is none like You; all of my days I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love.  My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength; let every breath, all that I am never cease to worship You.  Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing power and majesty, praise to the King; mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name.  I sing for joy at the work of Your hands, forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand, nothing compares to the promise I have in You.”  Thank you for continuing to support the ‘un-finished’ business attending Christian schools in Haiti, may their lives shout to the land their love for their Lord.

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Post Easter.

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.  I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me; the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22-24

Easter celebrations have concluded here in Normal.  I can only imagine that the vodou priests and rara bands in Haiti have settled back into their normal routine until Ash Wednesday next year.  Where do believers go from here?  Christ is RISEN!  He is risen indeed!

As we read from the above verses found in Acts, we are prayerfully finishing the race set before us and testify of the Good News; Christ is RISEN, He is risen indeed!  We pray for Trinity HOPE donors, workers and the 62,400 school children in the 277 Christian schools in Haiti, their parents, teachers, principals, cooks and feeding program directors.  We continually pray that the Good News will bring souls closer to Jesus throughout this fallen world.

I am closing today with the words from the song that I heard recently on Alexa; ‘HE does’ that were sung by Greater Vision from their ‘As we speak’ album.  These lyrics are so good and probably could have been sung in my Church on any Sunday but they aren’t in the Lutheran Service Book…and so I was instead moved by them while sitting in my recliner. 

“If anyone ever felt as though his sin was deeper than grace would go; I have.  If anyone ever thought his prayer was a waste of time, 'cause no one cares; I have.  If anyone believes that he's gone too far, then my friend I have been right where you are.  You're not alone, no, you're not alone.  I have good news to share with you; what you're feeling now is far from true, so keep hanging.  Cause if there is one who loves beyond the sad mistakes that we've all done; He does.  If there's a soul who understands and longs to heal the hurts we have; He does!  Jesus does!  He walked the road to Calvary.  He suffered pain and agony because He knew there'd come a day when you would need to call his name.  If there is one who wants to be the one and only friend you need; He does!  If anyone has a right to say ‘Thank you Lord for another day’; I do.  If anyone has a reason to sing a song, when gray skies hide the blue; that's me.  If anyone can stand and testify, you can count on me and I'll tell you why; He set me free, oh, He set me free!  When the guilt and shame from my own sin sought to rob me of the joy He gives; He reminded me!  Cause if there's one who loves beyond the sad mistakes that we've all done; He does!  If there is a soul who understands and longs to heal the hurts we have; He does!  Jesus does!  He walked the road to Calvary.  He suffered pain and agony because He knew there'd come a day when you would need to call his name.  If there is one who wants to be the one and only friend you need; He does!  Jesus does!”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Trust.

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”  And having said this he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46

Without a doubt, “Trust” is a very important word for us.  From birth, we place our trust in our relationships and in what we are taught.  However, when we are confronted by a crisis, an illness, and especially death, where do we place our trust and how strong is that trust?

Throughout my years in the ministry, I have noticed that the majority of people fear death more than anything else.  Death is feared because it deals with the unknown.  From our own personal experience, we simply do not know what happens at the point of death.  Of course, Jesus most definitely did not feel that way.  Yes, the realization of carrying the sin of the world and suffering through the agony and torture of hell on the cross led Him to pray, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me.  Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done”. (Luke 22:42) It was that torment and not death that made His sweat become like great drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44).  For Jesus, death itself was simply a doorway to experiencing life to its fullest.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe (trust) in God; believe also in Me.  In My father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) Even during His crucifixion, Jesus told the criminal next to Him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42) Jesus knew what was beyond death. So, even as He was nailed to the cross, experiencing the total absence of the Father, His trust did not waver.  His final words express this beautifully, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:46) Jesus trusted that in His death His Father would receive Him into His loving hands.  Understand though, this trust was not just some weak resignation, as if it was His last hope.  Instead, this was His witness to the world.  Look at the entire verse. “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice said, ‘Father into Your hands I commit My spirit.”  Shouting out these words with His final breath was His proclamation to the world that His life, His spirit was in the hands of His father.

So, how does our trust in the Lord compare with this?  I kind of think that our trust is more like a roller coaster, where sometimes it’s easy to trust and sometimes it’s not so easy.  What I mean is that, at times our trust in ourselves is much greater than our trust in the Lord.  This makes it difficult to let go of that control that we want in our life, especially when we are facing a life-altering or life-ending circumstance.  You see, it all comes down to where we place our trust.

The question remains, is it even possible for us to have the kind of trust that we see in Jesus?  To answer that, I look back to Jesus’ words here.  He was actually quoting from Psalm 31 where David writes, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” (Psalm 31:5)

When David wrote this Psalm he was surrounded by his enemies.  In fact, the threat was so powerful that all of David’s friends abandoned him.  So, David with all this turmoil and uncertainty going on in his life, committed his life and his spirit into the Lord’s hands.  David affirmed his total trust in the Lord as Jesus did.

What about us though?  Can we do the same?  To answer that I want you to answer a question I’ve asked of others countless times; “Do you want God in hand or do you want to be in God’s hand?”

Unfortunately, many prefer to have God in hand because it is so convenient.  With God in hand, you can bend and shape Him, kind of like a Gumby doll that I used to play with many years ago as a child.  This way He becomes the kind of God that you want Him to be, where it is your will that matters, not His.  There are so many people and even mainline Christian denominations who want this kind of god.  However, understand this god is very small and very weak.  This most definitely is not the god that David or Jesus wanted.  The God they wanted is the Almighty, Holy and Loving God, the God who is fully capable and willing to hold them in His hands.

This is the God that you and I desperately need in our life.  However, placing our life and our spirit in His hands means that we need trust as David did.  This means letting go of that control that we want and handing it all over to the Lord.  Then, with our trust, fully in our Heavenly Father, we also must commit our life and our spirit into His hands.  Daily, we need to strive to consciously let God take the controls.  This calls for us to trust, not with a weak resignation, as though we feel there is nothing else we can do, I might as well give it a shot.  But instead, having a very real trust in God, with a full conviction that our God is big enough, strong enough, and loving enough to hold us in His hands through anything, even death itself.  I pray that every one of us would open our life and our heart to the Lord in this and truly know this trust.

Father, even with His last breath Jesus proclaimed His trust in You by placing His spirit in Your hands.  By Your Spirit’s power, help us to know to the depth of our soul, that You are our loving God who is big enough and strong enough to hold us in Your hands.  Give to us the strength to surrender to You our spirit, our life, our concerns, our future, and our hopes into Your hands.  Through Christ You have shown us Your life, Your forgiveness, and the life that You freely want to give to us.  Enable us to cling to this truth, that our trust in You would be complete.  We pray this in the name of Your Son, our Lord, and our Savior. Amen.

Keith Enko

It is finished.

“A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.  When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:29-30

Michelangelo, who is considered one of the greatest artists of all time, would often begin a project, only to abandon it.  Amazingly, when he died, he left more unfinished works than ones that were completed.

We all have some unfinished business in our life.  Maybe it’s a place we never visited or a book we never finished.  It seems to me that there must be only a handful of people who could come to the end of their life and say, “I have finished exactly what I set out to do.”  In fact, I can only think of one who could say this, Jesus.  I think He is the only One who could say with absolute truth, “I have accomplished everything I set out to do.”  That is exactly what He said from the cross, “It is finished.”  (John 19:30)

In the New Testament Greek this phrase is just one word, “Tetelestai”.  It comes from the verb “teleo”, which means, “to bring to an end”, “to complete”, “to accomplish”.  It means a successful end to a certain course of action.  It’s the kind of word you would use when you reached the peak of Mt. Everest, or when you made your final payment on your mortgage, which can also be a lot like climbing Mt. Everest.  It simply means, “I have accomplished what I set out to do.”

Another interesting point about “tetlestai” is that it is in the perfect tense.  This means that it speaks of an action which has been completed, with the results continuing into the present.  It is different from the past tense, which simply looks back at an event and says, “this is what happened”.  Instead, the perfect tense says, “this has happened and is still in effect today”.  So, when Jesus said, “It is finished”, He was saying, “It is finished in the past, today, and will continue to remain finished in the future.”  What Jesus was saying was that, the work of redemption was now complete.  The price of sin, our sin has been paid in full for all time.  This is what He accomplished.

Back in the 1st and 2nd centuries this verb, “tetelestai” was also used in referring to paying off a debt.  Often “tetelestai” appeared on receipts.  In this case “tetelestai” was translated as, “Paid in Full”.

The term, “paid in full”, means that once something has been paid for, you never have to pay for it again.  Well, if this is true, wouldn’t you agree that it would be incredibly foolish to try to keep paying for something again and again and again when it is already paid for.  Yet this is what so many people continue to do.  They continue to carry their sin around with them, along with guilt, shame, doubt and fear and think they have to do something about it.  No matter how many times they hear or read that Jesus has paid that debt for all time, they still feel that there is something more that they must do in order to make things right.

Look at your own life.  Is there some sin(s) that you keep trying to pay for?  Are you listening to a voice deep inside of you that says, “You have to make things right!  You have to pay for what you have done!  You must take responsibility for your sins!”

If you are listening to that voice, knock it off!!!  There is another voice that you are ignoring, a voice of the One who loves you more than you can imagine, the voice of your God, your Shepherd, your Savior.  What this voice is telling you is, “It doesn’t matter what your sin is!  It doesn’t matter how many your sins are!  It doesn’t matter how guilty you feel about those sins!  It doesn’t matter how awful a person you think you are!”  None of that matters because of one word, “Tetelestai”, “It is finished”.  For all those sins that you cannot forgive yourself for”, “Tetelestai”, it is “Paid in Full for all time!”

Now, you can either accept this truth or reject it.  However, if you accept it, then understand, this calls for you to live in this truth and in this hope that is yours in Christ Jesus.  You are to live each day clinging to the truth that because of Jesus, it truly is finished, all of your sins are paid, for all time.  Please, open your life to this truth and live in the peace, joy and hope that this truth brings.

Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  When we hear Your words, “It is finished,” help us to cling to this truth that the debt for our sins has been paid in full for all time.  Give to us a trusting, thankful and joyful heart because of this Good News of salvation and life, that we would live each day as children of God and Your brothers and sisters.  We pray in Your Holy Name Jesus.  Amen.

Keith Enko

Thirst.

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28

I’m sure all of us, at one time or another, have experienced what it is like to be extremely thirsty, and how refreshing it is to drink some nice cool water.  Jesus also experienced what it is like to be thirsty, as we can see from His next word from the cross.  He simply said, “I thirst.”  This is the shortest of all the words that Jesus spoke from the cross and yet, they were powerful words.

Obviously, after all that Jesus went through, He was quite thirsty in the literal sense.  Research has shown that those who were crucified experienced extreme thirst.  In Jesus’ case, He was flogged, beaten repeatedly, carried His own cross, and then hung there for nearly six hours.  His body was screaming for fluids.

However, Jesus’ statement was so much more than just about a physical thirst.  In John’s Gospel it reads, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture) ‘I thirst.’” John 19:28. The passage that this is speaking of is from Psalm 69 where it says, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” (Ps 69:21)

What this all shows us is that Jesus’ thoughts were still on His Father and on completing His mission.  Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels tell us that Jesus said this right after He cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  As this phrase suggests, Jesus was experiencing the total absence of the Father, which was the judgement for taking our sins onto Himself, literally becoming sin itself.  He felt lost empty and alone.  It was at that moment that He said, “I thirst.”

I think it’s obvious that this wasn’t just about a physical thirst, but a spiritual one as well.  The Bible speaks of spiritual thirst in many places.  For example, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” (Mt. 5:6) Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well said, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) At the Feast of Tabernacles, as they were pouring the water out at the base of the altar, Jesus cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38).  Also, in Psalm 42 it reads, “As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God.” (Ps 42:1-2a).

So, on the cross, Jesus, who is the fountain and source of living water, was made so dry and desolate by our sins, that He was extremely thirsty for God, for the living God.  He just wanted to be in communion with His Father once again, to know His presence, His love, and His peace.

Have you ever wanted that same thing?  Have you ever felt so far away from God, so empty, so dry, so desolate?  Have you ever been that thirsty?

This is exactly how Jesus thirsted.  Yet look at what they gave Him.  “A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to His mouth” (John 19:29).  Why did they do this?  According to Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels, this was amusing to the people there.  They wanted to keep Jesus alive just a little longer to see if Elijah would come to save Him.  They simply wanted the entertainment to continue.  It was one final act of cruelty that this world could inflict upon Him.

The reality that is seen so clearly here is that the only thing this world can offer us is sour wine.  There is no fulfillment, no peace, no comfort that comes from this sinful world.  There is only sour wine.  So many things like money, prosperity, fame, sex, power, and entertainment says, “Drink me!  Taste me!  I will make you happy!  I will bring you fulfillment!  I will quench your thirst!”  However, when you taste it, it’s just sour wine, and so you go on thirsting for more.  The same thing that the world offered Jesus it offers to you and I, sour wine.  On the other hand, what Jesus offers us is so much more.  We all know what it is like to thirst.  We know what it’s like to feel the absence of God in our life and the emptiness, the void that sin creates in us.  We thirst for the presence of God.  We thirst for His love, His forgiveness, His comfort, and His peace.  We thirst for a joy that is lasting and a hope that fills us with great confidence.  We thirst for life.  We thirst for the Living Water that only our Savior offers us.

Therefore, let each one of us truly grab hold of this great truth, that through Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross and His triumphant resurrection He pours out for us an abundance of His living water of love, forgiveness, restoration, peace and life.  This is the water He offers so that we will never thirst again.  So, answer His invitation and take a good healthy drink.

Lord Jesus, You have said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”  Please, give to us that living water so that we will never thirst, but be filled with streams of living water and know Your presence, Your love, Your forgiveness, and the life You alone bring to us.  In Your Holy Name we pray.  Amen.

Keith Enko

Faithful.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:45-46

Have you ever felt lost, empty, alone, even abandoned by the Lord?  It’s almost like there is a thick darkness that surrounds you, and there really isn’t any hope of escaping it.  In fact, it’s almost as though it is a tiny taste of hell.  Well, if you would magnify those feelings thousands of times, I believe you would have a little taste of what Jesus endured on the cross.

In Matthew’s Gospel it states, “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli lema sabachthani?’, that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:45-46)

Matthew describes the darkness as being thick.  Of course, some believe that the darkness was an eclipse or thick cloud cover.  However, the Greek word “skotos” implies that this was more than just a physical darkness.  This was a dark place where darkness reigns.  In other words, the sun was obscured by a supernatural act of God.

Darkness has always been associated with the judgement of God against sin.  So, here we see the judgement of God against all the sin of the world, the collective guilt of all of us, aimed right at Jesus.  There, on that cross, Jesus became legally guilty of our sin, and for that He was judged.  In the eyes of God, Jesus was guilty of genocide, child abuse, abortion, rape, all immoral acts, and so much more.  The sinless One was made sin for us.

It is interesting that in Egypt, centuries earlier, the plague just before the final one, the one we know as Passover, was in fact, darkness.  It reads, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’” (Exodus 10:21).  “A darkness to be felt”, that was the darkness of God’s judgement that was falling on Egypt.  And now, just before the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God was slain, darkness, a darkness that could be felt, covered the world like a blanket.  Of course, darkness also represents the absence of God, who is Light.  Because Jesus had literally become sin on the cross, the Father turned His back on Him, because the Father could not stand the sight of sin.  It was from this thick darkness of judgement and abandonment that Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

Jesus was quoting here from Psalm 22, which really is a prophetic portrayal of a crucifixion long before crucifixion was even invented.  Jesus was actually living and dying this psalm.  As Jesus hung there on that cross, the fellowship between the Father and the Son had been broken.  That is what sin does.  Jesus was experiencing the full impact of God’s judgement.  He was receiving what you and I deserve.  He was indeed forsaken by God Himself.  Why?  Because the indescribable sin that Jesus became, clashed with the infinite holiness and justice of God.  When that happened, you better believe that there was hell to pay, and Jesus paid it all in full.

What we need to hold on to as tightly as we can is that, Jesus was forsaken by God so that you and I might be accepted by God.  Jesus was cursed, that we might be blessed.  Jesus suffered through that darkness, so that we might live in the light of God’s love, forgiveness, and peace.  Jesus did indeed endure hell, so that we might enjoy heaven with Him.

Jesus was faithful to you and I, and He was faithful to His plan of salvation  We need to cling to this great truth when we are going through the darkness of our spiritual struggles, or when our marriage or family seems to be falling apart, or in times of illness, or crisis, or in times when we feel so alone, so lost, and so empty.  Because Jesus was faithful, we will never be alone or abandoned or forsaken, and praise God every day for this.

Lord Jesus, there are times when we all feel alone, abandoned and forsaken.  At those times Lord, help us to look to the cross and see that You are Faithful.  By becoming sin itself and putting sin to death in Your sacrifice, You have opened that door that leads to forgiveness, reconciliation, wholeness, peace and life.  Thank you for this and help us to cling to this truth, this freedom, this light, even on the darkest of days.  Thank you, Jesus.  Amen.

Keith Enko

Care and compassion.

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”  And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:26-27

In 1990 a song came out entitled, “From A Distance,” in which the chorus states, “God is watching us, God is watching us, God is watching us from a distance.”  The truth is many people do indeed feel that way.  When they are struggling with something or going through a crisis, and they cry out to God for help, they feel abandoned and forsaken when there appears to be no answer.  They just don’t see the care and compassion that they read about in the Bible.

However, to say that the Lord doesn’t care about what we are going through couldn’t be further from the truth.  The truth is that Jesus loves us body and soul, and He cares deeply about what is happening in our life.  We can see this clearly from the words that Jesus spoke to Mary and John from the cross.

First of all, Jesus showed great compassion for His mother.  If you are a parent, think about what a gut wrenching experience it is to watch your child suffer or possibly even die.  I truly believe that there is no pain that goes so deep as having to stand helplessly by while your child is suffering.

This is what Mary experienced.  Her heart was ripped apart as she watched Jesus suffer so deeply on that cross.  Her son, whom she dearly loved, was dying, and there was not a thing she could do about it.  She had reached the deepest depth of sorrow.

Then there was John, who was not only Jesus’ disciple, but one of His best friends.  Who could bear to watch their best friend die such a horrible death.  Jesus hung there broken, beaten, bleeding, dying.  As John stood there utterly helpless, that pain deep within him had to be unbearable.

The good news here though is that, even though Mary and John could do nothing, there was something Jesus could do even as He hung there in incredible agony.  John’s Gospel states, “when Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’  Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’”. John 19:26-27

Jesus was deeply concerned for His mother’s welfare.  So purely out of love, He entrusted Mary to John’s care.  John did indeed take Mary into his own household as the rest of verse 27 states.  In fact, tradition tells us that they eventually lived in Ephesus until their deaths.

There is something more here though, that we need to understand.  Jesus referred to Mary as “woman” or “dear woman”.  This was not showing a lack of respect, but rather that Mary was something more than Jesus’ mother.  The relationship between mother and son is very close.  However, a relationship between a believer in Christ exceeds that of a mother/son relationship.

Jesus wasn’t just Mary’s son, He was her Savior, who redeemed her and who would never forsake her.  This is the ultimate family relationship, and this is what Jesus accomplished in His sacrifice.

This is also the great news for us, because not only is Mary part of Jesus family, but we are as well.  In his letter to the Galatians Paul writes, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3:26-27).  Later he writes, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6)

So, we who have clothed ourselves with Christ in our baptism are now part of God’s family.  That means that the Lord is very concerned about our welfare, His family, as He was concerned about the welfare of Mary.  He truly cares about what we are going through right here and now, because we are His family.

Think about this; there is a familiar saying that states, “Blood is thicker than water”, referring to the fact that family ties are stronger than anything.  Well, I believe that Baptismal water runs even thicker than blood, for it binds us to the Almighty God and to each other.  The bonds of blood end with death.  However, our unity in the Body of Christ, the family of God, goes way beyond death and the grave, all the way to the resurrection and life.

So understand, if in the midst of His agony and suffering, Jesus didn’t forget His mother, now that He is risen and sits at the right hand of God, with all power and authority, do you really think He is going to forget you?  You are family.  He will never leave or forsake you, and praise God for that.

Lord Jesus, even as You hung there on the cross, Your heart was filled with compassion for Your mother.  We thank You that through Your saving work, You have shown that same compassion to us in making us Your brothers and sisters.  Please, as Your family, help us to reach out to others with that same compassion and love that You have shown to us, that we may all be one family.  We ask this in the power of Your Holy Name.  Amen.

Keith Enko

Hope.

“And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” Luke 23:43

Throughout my years in the ministry, whenever I wanted to take the “Spiritual temperature” of someone who I was talking with, with their permission, I would ask them two questions, which have come to be known as diagnostic questions.  The first one was, “If you were to die tonight, are you sure you would go to heaven?”  The second one was, “If you were to die tonight, and were to stand in the presence of God, and He were to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven’, how would you answer?”

In response to the first question some have said, “yes”, they are sure they would go to heaven, and some have said “no”.  But most people answered that they were unsure.  In response to the second question, some have said that it wasn’t because of themselves and how they lived, but rather, it was because of Jesus and all that He did for us.  A few have said they wouldn’t know how to answer.  But the overwhelming majority responded by saying they would tell God that, although they are not perfect, they were basically good people who lived a good life.

 I believe that is the main reason why so many people are unsure about their salvation.  You see, when they focus on themselves and depend on themselves to go to Heaven, there is a lot of uncertainty there.  Deep inside every person, they know they are not worthy because of their sins.  This then creates worry, doubt, uncertainty and fear about their future, and that is a lousy way to live life.

This is why Jesus’ second word from the cross is just so important for us.  Jesus turns to the repentant criminal and says to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Understand, the man to whom Jesus was speaking was a convicted criminal.  He was a bad dude, one who truly deserved to be put to death.  He even admits that.  When the other criminal shouted out insults at Jesus, this man responded, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)

It is obvious that this man was not saved by how he lived his life and what he did, because what he did was pure evil.  So why did Jesus say to this man, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”?

Well, the answer is grace, God’s grace, absolute unconditional love.  For his whole life this man trusted in himself and felt no need for the Lord.  He said what he wanted to say.  He did what he wanted to do.  This man was his own god.  But now, with everyone there speaking against Jesus, mocking Him, cursing Him, swearing at Him, this man dared to stand up for Jesus.  Something happened here.  Something touched the heart, the soul of this man.  Somehow, the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to the truth and he knew he was in the presence of the King of kings.  So, with a repentant and remorseful heart he rebuked the other criminal, and having made his confession of sin and faith, he turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42).  His faith, his confidence, his hope was not in himself anymore, but in Jesus.  Because of that, Jesus turns to this awful, horrible person and says to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”  Is that grace or what!

How often have you felt like that criminal?  How often have you trusted in yourself rather than the Lord?  How often have you realized that your prayers are half-hearted, and your faith is lukewarm?  How often have you done your will rather than God’s will?  The truth is you are guilty of many, many sins, just like that criminal and just like everyone of us.

Thank God that your salvation and mine does not depend on us, but on the King of kings who faced God’s ultimate capital punishment on that cross so that we might be freed from all those sins that condemn us to death!

No matter what you are facing, there is absolutely no reason for you to worry or doubt or be uncertain or fear anything about your future.  Because of God’s amazing grace, you just need to be like that criminal and with a repentant, faithful, loving and grateful heart, simply say to your Lord, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  His promise of forgiveness is true, salvation is true, paradise is true.  This is what gives to you such a joyful and confident hope that nothing can take away, not even death itself.  All Praise to the King of kings!

Father, it is by Your grace that we become righteous through the blood of Christ.  And it is this grace that enables us to stand before You fully acceptable in Your sight.  For this grace we praise You with our whole heart.  Please, through Your Spirit, fill our hearts with a living faith that cannot be shaken, and a love for You that remains strong in the face of a world that mocks You and turns away from You.  Work powerfully in us that we may be at peace and filled with hope in that promise of paradise that Jesus has made to us.  For we pray in the name of the King of Kings. Amen

Keith Enko

Forgiveness.

“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  And they cast lots to divide his garments.” Luke 23:34

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive.”  Lewis was simply stating something we know all too well, forgiving others can be an extremely difficult thing to do.  Throughout my years in the ministry, I have seen that people have struggled with forgiveness more than anything else.  Why?  Because they are looking through the eyes of “self”.  “Look at what they did to me!”  “Look at how they hurt me!”  People’s inability to forgive has destroyed marriages, families, friendships, as well as fellowship amongst Christians.

In fact, if you think about it, Jesus is the only One who is justified in not forgiving, with that in mind, let’s look at the first words He spoke from the cross.  Those people were killing Him!  Jesus was arrested, put on trial, condemned, insulted, spit upon, whipped to the point of having His flesh ripped off of Him, beaten up and nailed to a cross where He would face the most painful form of capital punishment ever invented by human kind.  Yet, the first words that He spoke there were words of forgiveness; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).  He was not looking at them through the eyes of “self”, but rather the eyes of grace.

Of course, this shouldn’t surprise us.  Throughout His ministry we see that same grace.  When Jesus taught His disciples what we know as the Lord’s Prayer, He prayed, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)  He went on to say, “For if you forgive others, their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Later on in Matthew’s Gospel, when Peter wanted to limit his forgiveness to a very generous seven times, Jesus said, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22)  In other words, we are to forgive an infinite amount of times.  In these Scripture passages and in many others, Jesus made it clear that forgiveness is not optional, nor is it merely a suggestion.  For us who belong to Christ, forgiveness is to be a way of life.  How then, can forgiveness be a lifestyle for us?

Look back to the cross of Christ.  Jesus offered up a prayer of forgiveness for those people who hated Him so much that they wanted Him dead.  He did so because His focus was not on Himself, but on others, including you and me.  He took Himself out of the equation and saw those people through the eyes of grace.

That is the key!  We are called to stop looking through the eyes of “self”, where it is all about “me”, and look through the eyes of grace.  That same grace that Jesus shows to us.  When we look through these eyes, we can see very clearly that you and I were the ones who put Him up on that cross.  Our anger, out hate, out lust, our self-centeredness, our unfaithfulness, our laziness, our immorality, our sins nailed Him to that cross.  And yet, it wasn’t those nails that held Him to the cross, it was love, unconditional love.  It was through this grace that Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Out of this grace Jesus reconciled us with the Almighty God.  He freed us from every last one of our sins.  He made us whole.  He brought us peace and gave us life, true life, eternal life.

When our eyes are on Jesus and not on “self”, that changes everything for us.  It changes how we see our Lord and Savior, and it also changes how we see others.  This is what enables us to surrender every part of our life to Him, and to say what the Apostle Paul said; “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by Faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

When we stop seeing through the eyes of self and start looking through the eyes of grace, we can indeed, let go of the anger, the bitterness, the emptiness and the pain that others may have caused us.  That’s when the walls come down and we open our life not only to the Lord, but to others.  And that is when we can pray with a genuine and loving heart, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Lord Jesus, from the cross you looked upon the people there, as well as us, through the eyes of grace, and You prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Please, help us to look through those eyes of grace to receive what You have promised and to forgive as we have been forgiven.  In Your most Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Keith Enko