In Jesus eyes, we are all little lambs. Thank you to Yes, Amen Photography
In just three weeks, we Christians will celebrate Resurrection Sunday, the day when Jesus came back from the dead after three days in the tomb. It is the most important day of the year in our faith, for it was the day that his sacrifice culminated with his return on earth to be seen and spoken to before his Ascension into heaven about six weeks later.
Now many of us don't give it the same attention as Christmas which is, of course, when we celebrate the birth of Christ. After all, He had to be born in the human form to live life and live it into adulthood so that he could fulfill God's plan with His death on the Cross. Christmas, however, has for many of us become more of a time when we eat well, have parties and exchange presents wherein materialism often seems to be more prevalent than what the season is meant to be. Later, with the arrival of the Lenten Season, which is a much lower key time and even up until Resurrection Sunday itself, we do enjoy the tradition of Easter egg hunts and special meals, yet the service where we celebrate His being born again takes center stage. We celebrate the fact that at the moment He gave up His last breath we were all forgiven for our sins. All we have to do to accept that forgiveness is to open our hearts, believe in Him by faith and follow Him. It sounds easy but it isn't, but we can do it successfully if we focus on it, pray about it, read the Word and worship Him as King of Kings.
I think it is interesting the way Our Lord used the little lamb so prominently in his teachings as did his Disciples and other followers. First, God offered Him up as the Lamb of God, but as He fulfilled His mission, we became His little lambs. And think about it, for even back in the Old Testament sheep were prominently used to depict our dependence on God's grace, as in the twenty-third Psalm. Little lambs and their adult version, sheep, need a shepherd to nurture and protect them from the dangers they face. When Jesus fulfilled his duty to die for us, He became our Shepherd, offering us protection from evil just as a shepherd in the field guards his flock from wild predators. And, of course, the principal source of the evil we face comes from the temptation of the Evil One who looks for our weakness and tries to lead us astray with it. The protection Jesus offers is given by breaking the chains of sin which enslave us and it comes when we accept it and His offer to be a member of His flock, thereby inheriting real life, Eternal Life, a life that won't end when we depart our mortal state on this earth.
Over the next few weeks, this blog will have considerable postings about the fun and joys of the Easter season, many with a look at the nostalgic past. But make no mistake, what is really important are two events directly connected over three days, from the death which gave us the forgiveness we need to the born again in life as represented through His Resurrection which followed. Never forget the meaning and the love associated with those events. They were earth changing. Although evil is still present around us, it can never win if we stand for Him.
Dear Lord, We thank you for the gift of forgiveness and the real life which it offers to us. Help us all to keep our hearts open and believing in you so that we may inherit the Kingdom due to your love and grace for us. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.
Now many of us don't give it the same attention as Christmas which is, of course, when we celebrate the birth of Christ. After all, He had to be born in the human form to live life and live it into adulthood so that he could fulfill God's plan with His death on the Cross. Christmas, however, has for many of us become more of a time when we eat well, have parties and exchange presents wherein materialism often seems to be more prevalent than what the season is meant to be. Later, with the arrival of the Lenten Season, which is a much lower key time and even up until Resurrection Sunday itself, we do enjoy the tradition of Easter egg hunts and special meals, yet the service where we celebrate His being born again takes center stage. We celebrate the fact that at the moment He gave up His last breath we were all forgiven for our sins. All we have to do to accept that forgiveness is to open our hearts, believe in Him by faith and follow Him. It sounds easy but it isn't, but we can do it successfully if we focus on it, pray about it, read the Word and worship Him as King of Kings.
I think it is interesting the way Our Lord used the little lamb so prominently in his teachings as did his Disciples and other followers. First, God offered Him up as the Lamb of God, but as He fulfilled His mission, we became His little lambs. And think about it, for even back in the Old Testament sheep were prominently used to depict our dependence on God's grace, as in the twenty-third Psalm. Little lambs and their adult version, sheep, need a shepherd to nurture and protect them from the dangers they face. When Jesus fulfilled his duty to die for us, He became our Shepherd, offering us protection from evil just as a shepherd in the field guards his flock from wild predators. And, of course, the principal source of the evil we face comes from the temptation of the Evil One who looks for our weakness and tries to lead us astray with it. The protection Jesus offers is given by breaking the chains of sin which enslave us and it comes when we accept it and His offer to be a member of His flock, thereby inheriting real life, Eternal Life, a life that won't end when we depart our mortal state on this earth.
Over the next few weeks, this blog will have considerable postings about the fun and joys of the Easter season, many with a look at the nostalgic past. But make no mistake, what is really important are two events directly connected over three days, from the death which gave us the forgiveness we need to the born again in life as represented through His Resurrection which followed. Never forget the meaning and the love associated with those events. They were earth changing. Although evil is still present around us, it can never win if we stand for Him.
Dear Lord, We thank you for the gift of forgiveness and the real life which it offers to us. Help us all to keep our hearts open and believing in you so that we may inherit the Kingdom due to your love and grace for us. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.
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