Come Home for Christmas

For many years, probably dating back to my late twenties, I have tried each year to write a Christmas poem that embraces the reason for the season. The poems have been short, long, epic, comical, serious, whimsical but most of all, celebratory in nature. After all, the Christmas season is about celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have written about this holy season from almost every vantage point…from the donkey that Mary rode upon to the little angel in charge of the Heavenly Host, announcing to the shepherds the birth of Jesus….but this year, in light of all that is taking place in our country and around the world, my vantage point is a little different.

So many of our families have their loved ones spread across the globe, standing in harm’s way as they defend the sacred values and ideals that we as Americans hold so dear. It is to these brave, courageous men (and women) that I would like to dedicate the following poem …it is my prayer that God will watch over, protect and defend and under His great mercy, provide safe passage home to many of our military men and women this Christmas season. I ask that each of us do something measured and on purpose that will signify to our armed forces the value and dignity we bestow upon them….MAY THE GOD OF AMERICA PROTECT EACH OF YOU AND ANSWER THE PRAYER OF YOUR HEART. MAY YOU BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS WITH THE ONES YOU LOVE,
Amen.

Come Home for Christmas
It seems like many years ago that you went away
I was just a tiny tot that loved to run and play
But, Mom says that it was only about a year ago
When you were called to go to war…my, but time is slow.

I can’t believe that its time for Christmas once again
And you’re not here to celebrate with our family and friends;
To lift me on your shoulders; to place the star upon the tree;
To bounce me up and down on a bronco-buckin’ knee.

Today, we climbed into the attic with all the spiders, bugs and such
And Mom said I was really brave for helping out so much.
We gathered all the boxes of lights and Christmas stuff …
And that floppy-eared old hound dog that you and I named, “Ruff.”

Grandpop carried down the tree in that dusty old trash bag
And Mom started cleaning with her trusty dusting rag…
But, I was very quiet as I fought back all my tears
‘Cause Mom said you’re not coming home for Christmas this year.

Now, I know that you told me that I must try hard to be brave
‘Cause there were other kids just like me you had to go and save;
You had to go and fight in a war where valiant men would die
You told me to be “a brave soldier” and do my best not to cry.

Daddy, I’ve been trying to do just as you ask;
So I could kneel at my bedside with one simple task.
To pray that Jesus would keep you out of harm’s way
So He could send you home to us before Christmas Day.

Yes, I made this promise that I’m trying to keep;
That’s to pray for you every night until I fall asleep.
So I’ll obey all the grownups and do just what they say,
If Jesus will bring you back to us before Christmas Day.

I promise that I will be brave and not cry at all
If God will help my daddy and his men to stand tall;
To fight for all our freedoms and our American way
And let Daddy come home and celebrate this Christmas day.

I won’t ask Santa for anything even though I’ve been great,
If you’ll bring Daddy home to us not one minute late…
And so, dear God, if it’s okay to make one more request of you
Could you let all the other daddies come home for Christmas, too?

W. Patrick Queen
November 2009P

Please feel free to share this with others you know….especially if they have a loved one in the military this Christmas season…May God Bless each of you as you reach out for Him….


WPQ

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…

Today is a very special day in the life of my family for our daughter, Alyson, is twenty years old. Her youth is a precious gift and she is making the most of it. In fact, her wisdom and emotional experiences place her well beyond her years. As her immensely proud father, I can say without prejudice that she is one very exceptional young woman.

In fact, it was just this morning, with coffee in hand, that her mother and I took a walk down memory lane. I was quickly and pleasantly reminded of that age-old truth…A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I remember that during those long months of expectancy, I took a simple note card and in my rudimentary calligraphy wrote the following and placed it in Alyson’s crib….

COMING SOON…..ALYSON TAYLOR QUEEN.

As a father, expecting his first (and in my case, only child), I was filled with fear, trepidation and anxious moments as I anticipated this new arrival….would I be a good father? Would I know what to do and how to protect this small child? Would I, could I and should I filled my every thought, for as I have mentioned before….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I’m sure that was true on that first Christmas night, two thousand plus years ago, as Mary and her betrothed husband unloaded the donkey and began to make a birthing bed for Mary. They probably waited in silence, huddled together to stave off the cold night air as they awaited the miracle of birth. The cattle stirred and the bleating sound of the sheep interrupted their thoughts of what had happened in days past ….and look where they were now…for we all know….

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…..ESPECIALLY WHEN HE IS THE SON OF GOD!!!!

And now, in just a few more days (and 2,000 plus years later) the same is true….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING….for that was God’s intent all along. Through His prophet Isaiah, God foretold, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

God came to us in a form and in a way that we could understand….He came as a baby and through His birth, His life, His death and His glorious resurrection, HE HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. No longer is God mad at us, hell bent on our destruction because of our sin and disobedience….He has shown His great love for each of us because He sent His son…His only Son to take our place; to pay our debt; to forgive our sins; to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; to make us a new creation; to give us eternal life as a free gift from Him….and it all started with a baby.

It is my hope that you know the Christ-child of Christmas not only as the babe in the manger, but as the Christ on the cross. I pray that the babe of Bethlehem lives in your heart and is the Lord and Savior of your life. I trust that for you this baby, God’s son, is the BABY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR YOU.

If not, why not?

Don’t let another day go by without the acknowledgement that you need a savior. Accept today that the baby born to Mary and Joseph so very long ago is the baby that changes everything …and if you are willing to confess that He is Lord and that His death on the cross paid your sin debt, you will have eternal life… and that forever life in the presence of the Heavenly Father starts the moment you invite this baby into your heart.

Trust your heart to the babe, God’s Son, EMMANUEL….GOD IS WITH US!


Be Blessed and Know that He is God,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Christmas comes but once a year
And though it last but a single day;
When we give with open hearts
That Christmas feeling never goes away.

So in this special season
When love and joy abounds;
Remember that the Christ –child
From heaven did come down;

To give His life a ransom;
To save us from our sins.
For we shall live forever,
If Jesus lives within.

W. Patrick Queen 2011

Traditions…Our Treasures Shared

It is at this special season that many of us bring out some of our greatest treasures, as well as some of our most treasured traditions…..special ornaments that have been passed down through the family for generations; special holiday cookie or cake recipes that are loaded with all things fattening and lots of love; a time-honored gathering on Christmas morning to read the Christmas story before turning our attention to the mounds of presents under the tree.

Whatever your traditions …whatever your treasures…..they are always amplified in their meaning and symbolisms when they are shared with those you love most….so in the mindset of sharing one of my traditions, I give you a poem written for Christmas 2011.

For approximately the last 20 years, I have been writing a Christmas poem to share with my family and close friends….some years the message came quickly and with great ease; other years provided a true test of imagination and arduous effort; but nevertheless, God always provided me with a new thought of the Christmas celebration.

The following is my poem for the 2011 Christmas season….As I share this tradition with each of you, I pray that God will richly bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas,
WPQ


The Heartbeat of Heaven

The hallowed halls of Heaven were quiet on that night
When the multitude of angels took off in heavenly flight;
Bound for earthly realms and there in one voice to sing
Their praises to the Christ-child….Heaven’s newborn King.

There was no celebration on that night so long ago
When the heartbeat of Heaven gave up His throne to go;
To save a lost and hopeless world; they hardly noticed then
That God had sent His only Son as ransom for our sin.

The cherubs were not gleeful; they each choked back their tears
For the heartbeat of Heaven would now be gone for years.
For as He took the form of man, the Creator now born a babe
This tiny child from Heaven now sent for all mankind to save.

To live a life of obedience; to answer the Father’s call….
Born that night in Bethlehem in a lowly cattle’s stall.
No trumpet sounds or blaring horns were there to greet His birth
As the heartbeat of Heaven silently came to earth.

For there in the manger lay Heaven’s righteous, Holy One
Born to a virgin so meek and mild ….God’s gift of His only Son;
A precious gift so freely given….sent from Heaven above;
A gift of God’s great mercy and His never-ending love.

So in this Christmas season, let us each rejoice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, our King;
For the heartbeat of Heaven gave up His royal throne….
He gave his life as a sacrifice so we would never walk alone.

Walking with Jesus today…tomorrow…and forever!!!!!


W. Patrick Queen@ December 2011

The Man and the Birds

Each year at Christmas, I eagerly search across my radio dial trying to find the story of the Man and the Birds, as told my Paul Harvey. I find that in listening to that story, I am so wonderfully reminded of the love of God for each of us. On many occasions, I have been forced to pull off on the side of the road to listen to the conclusion of the story…it’s so hard to drive when your eyes are water-logged and leaking.

I hope and pray that during this Christmas season, you will have the wonderful opportunity to hear Mr. Harvey’s captivating telling of this timeless story…of Emmanuel, God with us. If not, then please read on and be forever blessed to know that the love of God was expressed…in human form…in a manager in Bethlehem…in a baby named JESUS.

The Man and the Birds by Paul Harvey:
The man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge; he was a kind decent, mostly good man. He was generous to his family and always upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound...Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud...At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them...He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms...Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me...That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them… But how?....since any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

"If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand." At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. As he stood there listening to the bells ….listening to the bells pealing forth the glad tidings of Christmas, he understood …. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

I trust that this Christmas, when you hear those church bells ring or the sounds of carolers lifting their voices in praise to the newborn babe, you too, will understand the message of Christmas….Jesus Christ is born and God is forever with us!

Merry Christmas….Happy Birthday, Jesus!
WPQ

Change ...for a Dollar?

Please take a moment, in this busy season as we all rush around with too mucn to do and to little time to do it, and spend the next ten minutes in front of your computer screen....I promise that if you view this entire video presentation, it will be the best ten minutes you have ever spent in front of your computer.

You WILL be blessed and it just might help you be a blessing to someone else in need this Christmas season....Christ said, " if you did it to one of the least of these, then you have done it unto me." Matthew 25:45

http://www.flickspire.com/m/share_this/ChangeForADollar#.Tt-WTEfA2Jo.mailto

May God's Hand of Mercy and Grace be extended through you and yours in this Christmas season.....

WPQ

Praise Him, Praise Him!

I remember as a small child learning the following song when I was about 3 or 4 years old….

Praise Him, Praise Him; All you little children.
God is good; God is good.
Praise Him, Praise Him; All you little children …
GOD is GOOD…GOD is GOOD!!!!!!

This little song should ever be on our lips as believers especially as we enter a season of praise and thanksgiving. Scriptures says it best in Psalm 107:1-2, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

Did you catch that? The act of gratitude and thanksgiving falls to those of us that are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb….for if anyone has a reason to be thankful, it is surely those that God has forgiven and adopted into the family of righteousness.

The problem for all too many of us is that we are often filled with gratitude, but fail to express it….to our spouse, our family members and especially to our Heavenly Father. It is like picking out a great gift, going to the trouble to wrap it in the best paper, placing an awesome bow on top…..and then sticking it in the closet, never to be given to our intended recipient.

Gratitude that is not shared is not really gratitude at all….it fails to give us that warm, fuzzy feeling that one would expect when shared ……and it leaves our object of affection feeling cold, sullen and unappreciated.

So this Thanksgiving, let’s start at the top of the list with those to whom gratitude and expressions of love are due….Our Savior for His gift of eternal life…our spouses for their affection, tenderness and support …our children for their honor, obedience and admiration….our church, its staff and those who give unselfishly in loving acts of service…..

Let’s unwrap our gifts of gratitude and tell everyone we meet, “Thank you and God Bless you for all that you are and do for those that you love.”

If we, as the Redeemed of Christ, can not express our thanks and show our gratitude to those we love…what does that really say about our relationship with Christ?

A serious question that needs your attention as you Praise Him, Praise Him…. for God is Good!

Happy Thanksgiving,
WPQ

Poem for the Day:

In this season of thanksgiving,
Best watch your attitude;
So share with all your loved ones
Your thanks and gratitude.

Don’t leave them in the darkness
Wondering if your care
Just thank them for their support
And always being there.

WPQ 2011

Getting What You Deserve?

With all the turmoil that exists in our country today, there seems to be one recurring theme that is constantly being bantered about….and it deals with the mindset of those that are bent on getting what they deserve.

Now, I don’t know about you; but for me personally, I am not the least bit interested in getting what I deserve; especially when talking about my former relationship with God.

Throughout the scriptures, we are constantly reminded of our sins, failures, shortcomings, disappointments and overall lack of worthiness to be loved by God. In fact, we are told that even our best is “filthy rags’ when presented to the Almighty. We are told that the wages of our sin is death and that we are totally cut-off and separated from God by our sin….in simple words, if we got what we deserved, it would be separation and annihilation from and by God.

But our God is a God of mercy….and God’s mercy is not getting what we deserve. We deserve to be despised and loathed by our Creator but as we read in Romans 5: 8, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners (MERCY), Christ died for us (GRACE).”

It is so simple to run around with our chest puffed out and demand we get the things in life we think we deserve; however, when we view our lives through the eyes of our Heavenly Father, it is easy to see how that kind of thinking brings about ruin and a life lost forever.

God has shown each of us mercy by loving us in spite of our sin and He has bestowed His grace on us by allowing His only Son to pay the price for that sin. We deserve death but God’s mercy and grace have provided a way out….and I, for one, am grateful for His mercy shown and His grace bestowed.

Do you really want God to give you what you’ve got coming to you…. or are you FOREVER GRATEFUL that God’s mercy and grace supersedes your sins ….in this season of thanksgiving, here's a great place to start praising the God of the Universe.

Why not enter this Thanksgiving day with a thankful heart....acknowledge to all of those that you interact with that you serve a God that loves you and has bestowed His grace and mercy upon you....He has purchased you with the blood of His only Son and given you not what you deserve but rather a gift of immmeasurable proportions.

My question for you this Thanksgiving.....where do you stand in this "getting what you deserve" debate?

It is a question that demands an answer….after all, one day you WILL bow before Jesus and receive all that you’ve got coming to you…..reward or retribution…..the choice is yours!!!!!

If you need to meet my Jesus, contact me…. I’ll be happy to make the introduction!

Bathed in His mercy….clothed in His grace,
WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Christ love has no limits.
His grace knows no measure;
He lives forever in my heart
He alone is my greatest treasure.

WPQ 2011

A Thankful Heart in Trying Times

Here’s a new twist to an old saying: Due to the recent financial difficulties, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off!

Now, I know that things are not as good as they could be; but, heaven knows they could be worse. So as we approach the upcoming day that we as Americans set aside to give thanks; well, let’s do just that….GIVE THANKS!

In fact, if truth be told, we find in God’s word that giving “THANKS:” is an imperative …a direct command from the Great I AM.

Throughout the Psalms, David continually wrote to praise the Lord and to give thanks. In Chapters 106 and 118, he begins each psalm with this admonition, “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Time and time again, David reminds us to give thanks…to let our hearts overflow with thanksgiving. In fact, in over 33 passages in the Bible, we are commanded to give thanks to our Father who is the giver of every good gift.

So, on this Thursday as you gather with friends and family members and recount all God’s blessing during this past year……. Don’t look at the shrinking balance in your checking account and lament how poor you are…rather; remember if you have any spare change just lying around the house, you are already wealthier than 75% of the world’s population. Comp template on this…..if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back and shoes on your feet….. And you eat at least one meal a day; you are living above the poverty level of 85% of those in third world countries.

Yes, times are hard for many of us here in America, but that does not relieve us of God’s command to obedience as we bestow our praise, honor, adoration and gratitude on Him who has given us all that we have and more that we need.

However, we should not give thanks to God because it our duty or just to be obedient to his Word, but rather out of love and gratitude for the immeasurable blessings of God on this great nation.

Times may be hard and they may become harder…but we, as followers of Christ, are called to a higher standard of thanksgiving…we are to praise him and give thanks in ALL things…the good and the bad…in the best of times and the worst of times.

Begin today your celebration of this Thanksgiving season by doing the following….set aside some time to make a list of the things for which you can give thanks and after each one, BLESS THE NAME OF JESUS….tell Him, personally, what and why you are thankful and how, even if that blessing were striped away, you would still give thanks and bless his name…..for scripture tells us, “What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul.”
This Thanksgiving do the one thing that will honor God, praise Him and bring glory to His name….Tell others how thankful you are that you belong to Jesus. This simple act of telling others that you are a child of the King will elicit praise from your lips and will demonstrate a heart filled and over-flowing with thanksgiving.

It is in every act of worship that we demonstrate our love for our Heavenly Father and in our praise and works of obedience that we show a humble and thankful heart. SO GO AHEAD AND HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING this week…and

May God bless you as never before….
WPQ

Poem for the Day:

In harmony with one voice we raise
Our grateful songs of thankful praise
In song and dance we do proclaim
That we are blessed in Jesus’ name.

May all creation spend each day,
Praising Jesus in every way…
And may the very rocks cry out
The valleys sing, the mountains shout

And echo through each humbled heart
As all who know Him do their part….
To sing and worship all our days
With hearts filled with eternal praise.

WPQ 2011

Being A Friend

The story that follows is one that has been circulating on the Internet for sometime…I know that my wife has sent it to me on at least two occasions.; however, the message is so poignant that I believe it bears repeating. I have added my own conclusion and trust that you will do the same….please share this with someone who is in need of a friend…….

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying every single book he owned; so I found myself thinking, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.'

So I shrugged my shoulders and went on. Besides, I had quite a weekend planned with some parties to attend and a football game with my friends’ tomorrow afternoon.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him... He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses and I’m sure I saw tears forming in his eyes. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.' They really should get lives.' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'

There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me. When I asked him why I had never seen him before, he said he had been going to a private school and had just recently transferred to my school Now, I would have never have hung out with a private school kid; but as we talked on the way home, I realized that he was a pretty cool kid….so, I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with me and my friends and he said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him and so did my friends. The weekend flashed by and Monday morning came and there was Kyle with that huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!” He just laughed and handed me half of his books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that as close as we had become we would always be friends regardless of the miles that might separate us. He was going to be a doctor and I was going on a football scholarship to major in business.

As you might expect, Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare to deliver his speech for graduation and I remember thinking that I sure am glad that it’s Kyle up there instead of me.

Graduation day came and there stood Kyle….prim and proper in his cap and gown…. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and even looked good in his glasses. In fact, he had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous!

Today was one of those days…..

I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.... ‘Thanks,’ was all he could say.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began... 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends....I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.

I am going to tell you a story.'

I just looked at my best friend with disbelief as he told about the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker and was carrying his stuff home so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.'

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile…… Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse, God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some special and distinct way….so open your eyes and look for those who are searching for hope, longing for peace, praying for deliverance ….you might just be their answer to prayer,

Christ said….NO GREATER LOVE DOES ONE MAN HAVE THAN TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR A FRIEND……who is God calling you to befriend today…remember,


'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have forgotten how to fly.'

Today is a gift from our Heavenly Father….open it wisely and share it with a Friend.

Blessed in the Friendship of the Father,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

A truer friend can never be
Than one who walks life’s path with me
And you my friend are tried and true
In all life’s trials you’ve seen me thru

You give without a second thought
Asking nothing in return
And through your love and kindness
In God’s wisdom you discern

That you have all that you will need
For God’s provision is ever sure
For in each friendship you have found
His everlasting love endures.

WPQ 2011

R U a Counterfeit Christian?

This past Saturday, I was standing in line with my wife at the Dollar General store as we watched the cashier examine the $20 bill my wife had given her. She held it up to the light and looked through the paper searching diligently for the watermark and the embedded thread that is reported to be there.

Then she placed the bill on the checkout counter and ran her marking pen across the bill…nothing happened ….which is a good thing! She went on to explain how one of the stores in the vicinity had taken over two hundred dollars in counterfeit twenties on Friday…and she was bound and determined not to let that happen in her store.

I admired her resolve which got me to thinking….how do you spot a counterfeit Christian? On the outside, they say the right things, profess the right theology and attend the required functions and formalities of their religious affiliation; but are those traits enough for one to be considered the “genuine article”…..a True Christian.

I THINK NOT!!!!!!

In fact, in the first epistle written by the apostle John, he writes: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” I John 2:4-6 New International

So there you have it……if you a true and bona fide Christian the “proof will be in the pudding”….your inner life (where the Holy Spirit dwells) will manifest itself in your life. Your thoughts, deeds, actions and more importantly, re-actions will let others see you living as Jesus lived….not in lip service but in a wholly committed relationship to walk as Jesus did; to serve others without complaint, concession or compromise; to speak boldly in actions and words that you belong to the King of Kings and that your are striving, in the strength and grace of the Holy Spirit, to love unselfishly all those that God places in your sphere of influence.

These are the days for real men (and women) that love Jesus to boast about what Jesus has done in their lives …to show genuine love and compassion for those around us who are lost and without the hope of Jesus…..to live as REAL Christians and put away any thing that would tarnish our witness or have others suspect us of being a counterfeit.

When Jesus uses the marking pen of life on you, what will he uncover? Will he find the REAL DEAL or just another COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIAN….you are what you profess to be WHEN YOU WALK THE WALK AS WELL AS TALK THE TALK….

So start walking each day with Jesus as your guide…..He’s the only way to go!!!!

Blessed to be His….Walking His Way,
WPQ

Poem of the day:

The entire world is watching
Each day, hoping to find;
A person who loves Jesus
Who is true and genuine.

Whose actions will speak volumes;
Whose empty works are few;
Because their love for Jesus
Is evident in all they do…

So be the one they’re searching for
In Christ, you’re the perfect fit.
Let His love show through…in all you do;
DON’T BE A COUNTERFEIT!

WPQ 2011

Are you a Bargainer with God?

I sat down last night to view one of my favorite TV shows, NCIS, but about midway through I became a little peeved with the writers and directors.

There was a scene where Tony Denosoe, one of the NCIS federal agents finds himself alone in the chapel on the Navy base. He starts down the aisle of the chapel carrying on a flippant conversation with the” BIG GUY” regarding his lack of staying in touch (Tony’s been SOOOOO busy) as he continues to plead his case that “he is doing the best he can down here.” Now, here’s where I kinda wanted to plant my size nine squarely on Tony’s posterior region. He matter-of-factly queries God to see if God still intends to hold up his end of a bargain that Tony had made with him on a previous tough occasion…..of all the unmitigated gall.

He’s made a “deal” with God and he wants to know if God can deliver …or I guess through the implication; then if not, the deal is off!

I was perturbed on so many fronts, I really don’t know where to start….first with the writers who once again have chosen to represent God as a giant genie in a bottle…we rub it and our wish is his command,

Secondly… the only way to get something from God is to promise Him something in return….like we have anything that God wants, needs or can’t get or do for himself.

Thirdly….if you believe in God and trust in Him, you must be a moron. Besides, how can you believe that God is really going to keep his end of any bargain that you might make with Him?

Once again, those that bring us entertainment think that God or even the concept of an Almighty being is just to ludicrous for words…so they paint Him and all of those who might profess to follow Him as idiots….and then, it hit me as the words of Christ rang true in my head and then my heart…”You have heard it said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:43-44

Although the above scene left me feeling anything other than loving or forgiving for the blasphemous way in which our God was portrayed, I must admit Tony’s diatribe with the Father set me to thinking…do I bargain with God in order to somehow try and influence His answers to my petitions….have I made some vows or promises that I have failed to keep in my daily walk with the Lord….do I hold back my obedience to His will waiting to see if God comes through as He has promised in His Word?

So, let me be honest and admit that this show got me to thinking about two very important issues for me as a Christian……am I loving those that persecute me because I am a follower of Christ and eager to display my heritage as one of God’s chosen…. or am I all too eager to give them a swift kick in the pants as punishment for their treatment of me?

And, when given the opportunity to petition God for an answer to my needs, do I put myself in the position as a “deal maker” or a “faithful follower”?

Two pretty serious questions that definitely bear some more self scrutiny…and prayerful consideration in the light of God’s Word.


Holding to His Truth….Loving as He Loves,
WPQ

Poem for the Day:

May I faithfully follow you, O Lord;
In your service make my spirit meek…
And when others put me down, O Lord
May I turn the other cheek?

May I show your heavenly love O Lord
And never doubt your caring ways
May all who I encounter Lord
Be filled with joy and praise.

WPQ 2011

Are you a “Sweet” or “Sour”?

Down here in the South, we are known for many things….our gracious hospitality, our genteel manners and our ability to can or “pickle” just about anything that comes our of the ground, grows on a tree or hangs from a vine…..and my favorite object of pickled perfection is the cucumber.

Now the cucumber is mighty good on its own….thinly sliced for a salad or finely diced and served with tomatoes and onions on a hot dog; but, its crowning achievement as a delectable delight is after it has been subjected to days, weeks or even a month in high fructose corn syrup and special spices.

Yes, I’m talking about a PICKLE….but for a moment; join me in the journey from garden to your grocer’s shelf.

First of all, the pickle is a cucumber that is selected for its firmness, color and size so that it can do what it does best…..ABSORB! Yes, a pickle is nature’s sponge from your garden ….ready, willing and able to become your pickle of choice.

Now, if you place your cucumber in a solution of high fructose corn syrup, vinegar and sweet spices, you will end up with a sweet, satisfying morsel of heaven that can put a smile on your face ( my favorites)….on the other hand, if you use a mixture of less syrup, more vinegar, dill, garlic, pepper and loads of salt, you will end up with a SOUR DILL that can remove the enamel from your teeth (at least that’s what it feels like to me)….and I have said all this to say….

WE CHRISTIANS ARE A LOT LIKE PICKLES….SOME US ARE REALLY SOUR AND SOME OF US ARE REALLY SWEET….Which one are YOU????....That’s all determined by what you absorb.

If you spend your time in God’s word, seeking His guidance and direction…if you are constantly looking for ways to help others…if you surround yourself with genuine believers …if you make the worship, praise and adoration of your Savior the main thing in your life; odds are you’ll turn out on the sweeter side of the pickle meter.

But, if you frown more than you smile….if you believe that whatever your are doing it is “all about you” …if you never give until God says that’s enough…if you spend too much time in front of the “BOOB TUBE”….if your Bible is the biggest dust collector in your home….Well, I’m sure you can see the correlation…..you’ll end up a SOUR Christian with little joy and even less desire to change.

Why not follow the advice of the apostle, Paul, who when writing to the Philippians penned these words, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8 Today’s NIV

Yes, where you spend you time in thought, prayer or meditation will determine what you are absorbing in your daily walk with Christ. It can be pure and noble or it can be devious and despicable …it will produce the SWEET or SOUR disposition by which you will be known.

So why not immerse your self in the only true and righteous one…Jesus…..the more you absorb of Him, the more you will be like Him ….and that will be really SWEET!

Taking Sweet to New Levels….Absorbing the Savior,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

My outlook may be fuzzy,
Life’s trials may make me sour;
But the time I spend with you
Will make me sweeter with each hour.

So as I read your Holy Scriptures
And I bow my head to pray…
May the time we spend together
Be the sweetest moments of my day.

W. Patrick Queen

He’s Forever the Same

With all the bad news that seems to be circulating in our papers and on our TV sets, it seems that the world is caught in a whirlpool that is taking us down the proverbial drain…there is scandal, fraud, lying, cheating and all types of sexual sins that have allegedly been committed by those in positions of power, trust and influence…and these are the things we normally see on the sitcoms, not in those in pursuit of the nation’s highest elected office. And with all of the talk and speculations surrounding these recent events, the great consensus seems to be …..OOPS, I guess he got caught …or UHH-OHH, he should have been more careful….Thankfully that is one sound or phrase that you will NEVER hear coming out of our Lord’s mouth….

OOPS or UHH-OHH…….. That is a sound that is made by man not by our God on High…for nothing has EVER caught our God by surprise. He has never had to “go with Plan B”, search for a “better alternative” or even questioned “if this was good for all concerned.”

HE IS GOD… and His ways are higher and better than ours. We can not begin to fathom the depths of His ways nor understand the “whys” of His heart; but, we can trust who he is and we can find great comfort and hope in the desires of His heart.

His word says in Hebrews that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and tomorrow.” In other words, GOD NEVER CHANGES … and in a world that is in constant flux and seemingly unending change, this knowledge should give us hope and peace in spite of our circumstances.

You may be dealing with a job change or loss…aging parents and how to care for them…teenagers that are hell bent on self destruction….facing retirement with limited funds…or a myriad of who knows what….but that’s okay, because

GOD KNOWS WHAT… AND HE STANDS READY WITH HIS HEAVENLY HOST TO COME TO YOUR RESCUE.

None of the calamities that may befall us ever catch God off guard…He is prepared to deal with each one. He just needs your permission…for God will not force himself or His will on you. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

He is waiting just outside your door. Do you hear him knocking …are you listening for his voice…are you willing to ask Him to come in and take control of your heart and soul and make your life better in surrender to His will?

Help is just on the other side of the door. If you open it and invite God in, He will make your path straight; he will guide you beside the still waters; he will restore your soul…..and he will give you the abundant life for which you were created.

God can deal with any problem, forgive any sin and cleanse the blackest heart …He can and will make new that which is dead…the choice is yours!

Why not invite the Master to be the Lord and Savior of your life…why not do it today? He will not stand at the door and knock forever…he will not continue to call your name and be ignored, shouted down by the cares of this material world. One day, you will draw your last breath and this life will be over…… But, your eternity will have just begun!

Where will you spend eternity…. Forever with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…Or forever separated from the One who loves you and gave himself for you?

Start living for and serving the Most High God and you too can drop OOPS and UHH-OHH from your vocabulary!

WHY NOT OPEN THE DOOR AND INVITE THE SAVIOR IN ….IT’S A DECISION THAT WILL CHANGE YOU …AND YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY…STARTING TODAY!!!!

Changed Forever….By the One Who Never Changes,
WPQ

Poem For the Day:

If life is filled with strife and stress
No peace for the troubled heart
Just listen for the Savior’s voice
Then your fears will soon depart.

He’s standing at your heart’s door
If you open it, you’ll find….
The Father will come into to you
And bring sweet peace of mind.

W. Patrick Queen

Thirsty….Go to the Well

Well, it’s good to finally be back at home and to be seated at the keyboard…It’s been quite some time since I have been able to write, but God has kept the ideas coming and today, I would like to pose the question, “Have you ever been really thirsty?”

Now, I’m not talking about a little dry mouth or nervous anxiety that tends to make the moisture in your mouth retreat like General Lee’s army…I’m talking about the kind of thirst that comes from down in your soul…the kind of thirst that makes you think it could never be quenched…an eternal thirst.

Jesus met a woman with that kind of thirst as he was passing through Samaria and the little village of Sychar. He sat down to rest, parched from the noon day sun and the journey that he and his disciples were on as they headed for his home in Galilee. He had nothing with which to draw water from Jacob’s well when he noticed a woman making her way to the well…an odd occurrence for this time of day. He asked her to give him a drink and her reply, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) John 4: 9

Then Jesus did what He did best…..He met her at the point of her need as we read, “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4: 10-15

This woman knew a good thing when she heard it… No more long, hot trips to the well and NO MORE THIRST….but Jesus wasn’t through with his ministry to this woman….He had piqued her interest but her eternal soul still hung in the balance.

Let’s read on….He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4: 16-26

This woman had been given all she needed to know regarding the Christ…she had just met the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world….what should she do if she wanted to have the thirst of her eternal soul quenched by the LIVING WATER….she had confessed, now it was time to profess….so she left her water jugs behind and went into the village and told those that she very seldom ever talked to that she had met a man that had told her everything that she had ever done…and she posed to each of them the eternal question, “CAN THIS BE THE CHRIST?

And the best part of this story….So many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony. (My emphasis) John 4: 39

She came to draw water but left with a heart overflowing with love, forgiveness and the desire to have others met this man named Jesus ….the Spring of Living Water welling up to eternal life.

How thirsty are you today? Have you met this man named Jesus and come to know him as your personal savior….if not, WHY NOT?

He‘s waiting to meet you at the well …but He won’t wait forever!!!!!!

Thirsty No More,
WPQ

Poem for the Day:

COME TO THE WELL

When life seems too much to bear
And its fears you can’t dispel;
You will find the Savior waiting
When you come to the Well.

Though your life is wrought with pain
So intense you want to yell;
You’ll find release in the Savior’s peace;
He’s waiting at the Well.

For all your life though your sin and strife
Has cast on you its spell;
Know you’ll receive when you believe
His mercy at the Well.

In your disgrace accept the Father’s grace
That saves the lost from Hell.
Then you will know, His love overflows
When you meet Him at the Well.

For you long to be, alive and free
In your heavenly home to dwell;
To be forever blest in eternal rest
With Jesus… at the Well.


W. Patrick Queen
November 2011

Are you going to be ….LEFT BEHIND?

With all the economic turmoil that exists in our world today, it is easy to see why there is increased interest in all things of an “End Times” nature. From movies of the last several years such as Terminator Salvation, The Book of Eli or Legion, our American movie-makers have racked in over $10 billion at the box office with movies regarding the end of the world….. And let’s not forget the all-time best selling Christian fiction series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, LEFT BEHIND, which sold over 63 million volumes in a period of fifteen years.

Why all this interest in the apocalyptic outcome of mankind….because everyone knows, deep within their heart, mind and soul, that we were created for so much more than this temporal existence……

We were built for GLORY….not ours but to display God’s Glory!!!!!

Now, many of the people I know are trying to live a good and moral life….reasonable, BUT WRONG. Our “good life” will not get us into heaven and the realm of God’s glory…rather our dependence on good works will accomplish only one thing…it will insure that we will be LEFT BEHIND.

It seems to be a forgone conclusion for most of us living in this world today that tomorrow is a “sure thing”; however, Scriptures paints a different picture according to Luke 17:26-35. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

There is only one reason that you will be left behind…..YOU DO NOT KNOW JESUS AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR…..Today you can change that with this simple prayer:

Jesus, I am a sinner and today I ask you to forgive me of my sins, come into heart and become my Lord and Savior. I believe that you died for me on Calvary and from this day forward, I want to be a new creation and live for you. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, tell someone else what Jesus has done for you, then find yourself a Bible-believing church where you can grow and become all that God wants you to be…..they will help you live each day for Jesus as you anticipate His glorious return…..He promised that He was coming back to gather all those who are called by His name and take them to their heavenly home to reign forever with Him…

So don’t get LEFT BEHIND!

Watching the Eastern sky….Anticipating His Glorious Return,
WPQ


POEM FOR THE DAY…He’s Coming Back!!!!!

Holy Father,
How great must be your love
That you would send your only Son
From His Heavenly throne above.

You watched Him wear the crown of thorns
As the crowds shouted, “Crucify!”
You watched the holy Prince of Peace
Nailed to a cross to die.

The sky grew black; the earth it shook;
The vale was split in two.
The precious child of Mary’s womb
Had seen His journey through.

Then taken from that deadly place,
Laid in a borrowed grave;
The Son of God, His blood now shed
For all mankind to save.

But soon would come the dawning
And on that blessed morn
Once again the King of Kings
To the world was born.

So doubt not the Father’s love
Rejoice; Trust and obey.
For Christ our Lord is coming back
To take us home someday!

WPQ 2002

Cleaning Up Your Act!

There are a lot of things going on in our world today that many of us find irreprehensible; however, for most of us, we would rather remain silent than make a fuss and call out the guilty parties.

I guess a lot of that mentality stems from the scripture where Christ tells his disciples to “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”…..however; a closer examination of the scripture in Luke 6:41-42 reads as follows: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Brother let me take the speck out of your eye” when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite; first take the plank out of your own eye and then, maybe, you will see clearly to remove the speck form your brother’s eye.”

In other words….CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!!!!!

We need to hold other brothers and sisters in Christ accountable for their actions; but we must first make sure that we are living as God intended and in accordance with his will for our lives.

We can easily judge the sins of the world for the Bible spells them out in no uncertain terms….and we are called as salt and light to shine God’s holy light on the sins that would befall and hinder someone who does not know Christ….but our lives MUST be HOLY and WITHOUT REPROACH…..WE MUST LIVE AS CHRIST LIVED…..and let our actions point others to Jesus. Once they compare His life to their own, they will see that they did Him as their Lord and Savior.

Jesus told us not to judge unless we were willing to have the same “measuring stick” used to judge us ….and He told us NEVER to condemn lest we be condemned….

So where does that leave us in the greater scheme of calling “sin”…..SIN?

Simply put; make sure your life is in order and pleasing to your Heavenly Father before you set out to help someone else “clean up their act!”

The following poem was sent to me today from my beautiful bride and that’s what got me thinking about this …..Read on and enjoy…..and remember; if you know Jesus personally, then God has already judged you and found you blameless by the shed blood of His Son, JESUS CHRIST.


BEST POEM IN THE WORLD

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

John, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,
'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

God Bless and Stay Strong...The Battle Rages On

WPQ


!

Where Is Your Faith?

If you’re alive and breathing in our world today, you have been, you are currently or you soon will be involved with trials and tribulations that will have you searching for an answer to the question above…..so, let us take a moment and search the scriptures for an answer to this perplexing question…..WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

Christ asked the same question of his disciples as told in Luke 8: 22-25 which reads as follows: “One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So, they got into the boat and set out. As they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake so that the boat was being swamped and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown.” So he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters and the storm subsided….AND ALL WAS CALM. “Why are you so fearful? Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “who is this that even the winds and the water obey him?”

In our story above there are several things that need to be considered as we wrestle with this poignant question…First, who was it that decided that they should go to the other side?

JESUS….for when Jesus leads then we can follow with great confidence. It is a fore gone conclusion for those of us who are believers that if Jesus is with us, then we have NOTHING TO FEAR!!!! Jesus had already ordained the successful crossing to the other side for he said, “Let us go over to the other side.” He said they were going….so nothing would keep them from making a successful crossing. Remember…
What God ordains….God completes!

Secondly, what can possibly keep us from our destination if Christ is in the boat with us?

God is always with us in all our troubles; however, even as Christ slept and had to be awakened by his disciples, we need to assess our situation and be prepared to call out to the Master. God knows our needs and is just waiting to help us in any and every situation; but we must call out to him and ask for his intervention….He is not sleeping…rather he is just waiting for our cry for help before he begins to alter our circumstances.

And thirdly, where is your faith?

Is your faith in the sturdiness of your craft….the tenor of the wood and riggings ….the knowledge and experience of the crew or its captain….or is your faith based on the sight of some lighthouse on the distant shore?

The disciples had sailed these very same waters as fisherman for most of their adult years and they had probably encountered storms of this magnitude before….but what made this storm so different?

THE MASTER WAS ON BOARD…..AND HE WAS ASLEEP!

I am sure it was beyond their human comprehension to understand how anyone could sleep through a storm that was about to capsize the boat and drown them all….but Jesus knew that they would reach the other side because his trust was in the Father ….and God never forsakes his own!!!!!!

So no matter what storms of life come against you….as a child of God know this….HE WILL SEE THAT YOU MAKE IT SAFELY TO THE OTHER SIDE.

In fact that is EXACTLY where Christ is at this very moment…..Just waiting for you on the other side. So no matter what winds may howl or how tempestuous the seas may be during this season of your life, you can sleep and rest peacefully….just like Jesus did…with the secure knowledge that He is in the boat with you …rebuking the winds and calming the seas….waiting with outstretched arms ….safely on the other side.

If you will hold on to that picture in your heart and mind, you will always know the answer to the question…..where is your faith?....For your faith will not falter nor fail when you call on the name of the Lord and trust in His infinite power and promise….God is with you and HE WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!

Setting sail with the Savior,

WPQ

The Road Home....

It had been three days since that horrible crucifixion. My brother, Cleopas and I had been in Jerusalem for the Passover Days; in fact, we had been part of the crowd that welcomed Jesus as we laid down our cloaks and spread palm branches before him. I still remember the shouts of “Hosanna to the King” as the welcoming throng of worshippers ushered Jesus into the Temple courts…and now, just a week later; he is dead and buried….killed as a common criminal…crucified upon a cruel cross.

We had stood along the twisting road that leads to Golgotha and watched as the soldiers beat him and spat upon him as he struggled to carry his cross. I wanted to help but my brother pulled me back into the crowd and in a moment, Jesus and the Roman guards disappeared into the angry mob that kept shouting “ Crucify him, Crucify him!”

It was now about midday as we began our trip back home. We left the East gate of the city and started the seven mile journey that would take us to Emmaus and the comforts of family and home. We had barely cleared the shadow of the city when our thoughts and speech turned to the events of the past three days….Jesus, the beloved teacher, healer and prophet had been killed; his disciples seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth and only a handful of the women who followed him remained behind; brokenhearted and uncontrollable in their anguish.

As we were discussing these events, we were joined by a man who asked us what matters of such great importance could have us so preoccupied. My brother looked at him in amazement and asked him if he was a visitor to Jerusalem….surely he must have heard of the tragic death of the man from Galilee name Jesus. We told him how the chief priests and the Pharisees and other religious rulers had Jesus put to death and how our hopes that this man was the redeemer of Israel had died with him….we shared with him the amazing story, told to us just hours before, of the return of the grieving women who went to the tomb to anoint his body and found it empty. They spoke of angels, arrayed in dazzling white, who told them that Jesus had risen and was alive and was going on to Galilee to meet the disciples. In fact, we ran with some of them to the tomb and although we did not go in, we saw the look of utter amazement on the faces of Peter, James and John.

At that moment the stranger spoke…. “How foolish you are and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken of the Christ and how he must suffer all these things and then enter his glory.” And then, as we continued our journey, he explained to us all that was written in the scriptures regarding the Christ, starting with Moses and all the Prophets….our hearts seemed to be set afire as we listened to and hung on his every word as the Scriptures seemed to come alive on the road home.

Before we knew it, we had reached Emmaus and it was late in the day…the stranger was set to go on, but my brother and I insisted that he join us for a meal and spend the night. We gathered everyone at the table and as we passed the bread, the stranger took a piece and as he blessed it and gave thanks….a miracle happened….like scales falling from the eyes of a blind man….our eyes were OPENED WIDE AND WE SAW JESUS….and in a twinkling of an eye, He vanished from our sight….the Messiah had truly RISEN and we, two discouraged followers from Emmaus, had seen the risen Lord…the Savior of Israel.

We got up from the table immediately and although it was almost dark, we quickly returned to Jerusalem …it seemed as though we ran all the way. When we got to the home of Simon, we rushed in and shared with the Eleven and all those present how we had seen the Lord and all the many things he had taught us that day…the day that our lives we changed on the road home.

Are you like these two men on the road to Emmaus …headed home and discussing the things that have occurred but not making an eternal connection to the events of the Resurrection? They pondered and were perplexed by the outcome of Jesus …a good man who was a healer and a prophet but somehow they missed his true identity….until, on the road home, he opened the word of God and introduced them to the Savior…word by word he told them about himself and how all things must be fulfilled as told by the prophets….and then, the veil was lifted from their eyes and they saw Jesus as he was and is and will always be…the Savior of mankind.

Jesus has done the work….paid the debt….given His all… for us all; but you must open your eyes and see him as the brothers from Emmaus did….as the RISEN LORD. Are you blinded by the charlatans of this world and fooled by cheap imitations or are you truly searching for the Savior? If so, OPEN GOD’S WORD….THE HOLY BIBLE….and there you will meet your maker, creator and Savior of mankind….JESUS.

You need to know him personally before it is time for you to take your road home …the road that leads to eternity with him or without Him....FOREVER separation from the God who loves you and gave his only Son to redeem you…

I trust I’ll see you in heaven because of your relationship with Jesus ….for He is the Way, the Truth and the Light…and HE IS RISEN!

On the road home… to meet my Savior,
WPQ

The Cast of the Resurrection…Mary Magdalene

My name is Mary Magdalene and I had never been this broken-hearted. Even in the midst of my demon-possessions, when all seemed lost, I somehow managed to go on. But now, since the death of my beloved Jesus, I can’t quit crying …and sleep; well, that’s certainly out of the question.

It’s been two whole days since that horrible crucifixion. I still see him hanging there, the thorn of crowns pressed deeply into his head; his beautiful hair, matted and blood-stained. He is missing parts of his beard that were ripped out by the Roman guards as they mocked him. His back is laid open and the muscles are torn to pieces from the scourging that he endured…Oh, Jesus, why did you not die before you were lead down the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha’s Hill?

And where are your disciples, those cowards? They have all fled and are hiding from the centurion’s guard….only a few of us, the women who loved and cared for you deeply, remain. Even the darkness that fell across the land could not hide the great sorrow that was etched in every line upon your face….the sorrow; the shame; the humiliation and degradation that you endured before that barbaric crowd. And those religious hypocrites, those Pharisees, calling out for you to come down and prove that you are the Son of God. Have they no shame….jeering at the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world?

May God deal ever so severely with them and heap coals of fire upon their foolish heads; yet, I know that you died for them, too. How often I listened as you taught your disciples to turn the other cheek and to forgive and to love those that persecute us. Even in your dying breathe I heard you plead with God to forgive them for they had no idea of what they were doing….Oh, how great a love you have shown for us.

It still makes me sick to my stomach as my mind replays the hammer’s blows as the soldiers nail you to the cross. I hear your anguished cry for mercy as it falls on deaf ears and the blows continue…CLANG…CLANG…CLANG…as the hammer drives the nail spikes through your feet and hands….please let it stop; I can’t bear to think of your precious body torn and mutilated for my sins….but you told us all this must happen if we were to belong to you.

And then, your body, now limp upon the cross, the last signs of life vanished. The guards approach to break your bones but instead, thrust their spear deep into your side as water and blood gush forth….I turn and leave with John and your mother and the other women…but we are lost and without hope.

I try and try to put these terrible images out of my mind and get some sleep…we will be going to the tomb in just a few hours to anoint your body….please Jesus, help me rest.

THE SABBATH MORN…..A Few Hours Later

It was not yet daylight when Joanna and Mary, the mother of James arrived. We gathered our herbs, expensive aloes and fresh linens and made our way through the Mount of Olives to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea…the tomb where Jesus had been laid. Along the way, we discussed how we might get the Roman guards to roll back the stone so that we could get into the tomb….otherwise. all would be for naught and we would be unable to provide Jesus with a proper burial.

When we arrived….WE COULD NOT BELIEVE OUR EYES ….THE GUARDS WERE GONE AND THE STONE WAS ROLLED AWAY….we ran full speed into the tomb, but there was no body. We were totally dismayed and wondered who could have taken our Savior’s remains when suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from the sky, the entire tomb was filled with this glorious light and two men, dressed all in dazzling white garments, stood before us.

I will never forget what they said to us as we hid our faces and bowed before them.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? HE IS NOT HERE; HE IS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID. Come and see the place where he lay. Now, go and tell his disciples: HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him”……and then, they were gone….and my heart leapt into my throat…MY LORD IS ALIVE!!!!!

What about you today? Is your Lord alive or do you worship a God that is dead and powerless? Do you know the crucified Christ as the Redeemer of the Resurrection or are you still searching for a life of meaning and purpose? Have you gone to the tomb; found the stone rolled away and heard the words of the angels….HE IS NOT HERE FOR HE IS RISEN….JESUS IS ALIVE!

Why not become a Mary Magdalene today and hurry to the tomb and find it empty....Rejoice with her that Jesus is alive …in fact, there’s more to Mary’s story in John 20:10-18….Take time to read this passage and you will see the personal encounter that Mary had with her Lord….it's the same kind of personal encounter He wants to have with you.

Then, do as Mary. Go and tell others that your Lord and Savior is alive… Forevermore!

Seeking the Empty Tomb…Praising the Living Lord,
WPQ

Arturo …The Guard of the Tomb

At last this horrible crucifixion was over, so I gathered my men and began the march back to the guard’s barracks. It had been a harrowing night and day leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus…and now we all deserved some much needed rest…but alas, that was not to be.

We had barely made our way back to the Palace walls when I was summoned by Pilate. He had been petitioned, by a follower of Jesus named Joseph of Arimathea, to have the body of Jesus released to him for a quick and hasty burial before the start of the Jewish Sabbath. So, I gathered a small detachment of my men and headed with him back to the Hill. We arrived and quickly took the body of Jesus down and wrapped him in some linen sheets for his transport to the tomb….at last we were done with this man…whoever he was….Son of God or Galilean lunatic….he was no longer my concern…or at least that’s what I thought.

We marched back to the garrison and I set the guards for the rest of our duty and then, I went to bed. I was dogged tired yet, I could not sleep. I could not get the face nor the words of this man Jesus out of my mind; “Father, forgive them” and “It is finished”….what was finished and how could a mortal man endure such pain and agony and ask that his executors be forgiven?

I finally seemed to drift into an uncomfortable and fitful sleep when I was abruptly awakened by one of my men; seems I was being summoned to Pilate’s court again. I dressed hastily and hurried to the courtyard where I was ushered into the presence of my liege. Pilate was surrounded by the same yammering mob of Pharisees that had clamored for the death of Jesus and now, they wanted a Roman guarded posted to keep out his disciples…they were afraid that his disciples would steal his body within the next three days and make claims that Jesus had risen from the dead. They listed several times that they say Jesus had made such claims and somehow, they had convinced Pilate that such a commotion would be bad for him and the keeping of the peace during the Passover days.

Pilate gave me my orders and instructed me to go with 11 of my men to post a full watch over the tomb…that meant 24 hours of guarding a dead man…and for what…..to appease a group of malcontents that hated our very existence in their land….but, I had my orders.

I posted the first watch and then went over to the hillside there in the garden. I found a grassy knoll that peered across the valley of Kidron and settled in for the hours that lay ahead. I checked on the guards periodically and made sure that the tomb was secure and that the seal had not been broken. Now, all that could be done was to spend another night and the three days would have passed….and then, maybe, I would be finished with this Jesus once and for all.

I set the mid-watch and fell asleep for what seemed like only minutes when, I was awakened to the violent shaking of the ground …it reminded me of that day…just days before at Calvary when the ground shook and was split open. There was a bright light and I saw standing before me, a man or some angelic being, clothed all in white. I turned away for I feared that he had come to take my life. I threw myself on the ground and felt it tremble underneath my shaking body…it was hard to tell who was shaking more; me or the ground. I dared not look up in fear that I might be blinded by such a fearsome light.

Now, I have been in many great and ferocious battles in my life…and I have been frightened many times before; but never in my life have I been this terrified of what was about to happen. Was I about to die at the hand of this man robed in white or was there some escape from this doom that was set before me?

I lay perfectly still, hoping that this being might think me already dead….I kept my head still and lay motionless, afraid to look around. I could sense that my men had deserted their post and fled in terror at the first sight of this creature. I was all alone…awaiting my eventual doom….but as I lay there, still and lifeless, I heard voices ….women’s voices.

I decided to risk it all; so, I slowly rose to my feet and looked up. The great stone that my men and I had rolled into the mouth of the tomb was now rolled away…and sitting upon it was the same man of white brilliance. He spoke softly to a small band of women…the same women that had been at the foot of the cross of Jesus …I heard him say that Jesus was not there….that He had risen and was alive and was going before them and would see them in Galilee…and then he commanded them to go and tell his disciples that He had risen from the dead…. a moment later, this man robed in white was gone.

I stood there motionless, as the women peered into the tomb and then rushed by me as they hurried from the garden. I inched slowly toward the tomb, the huge stone rolled over twenty feet from the mouth of the grave; then, I walked inside.

I can hardly describe what I saw next….nor my astonished reaction….the tomb was empty…except for the neatly folded linen and face napkin…Jesus was indeed…GONE!

As a soldier, I knew what this meant….I had failed my assigned duties and I would pay dearly for my dereliction of duty (and so would my men); but, as a mortal man who was in complete control of my intelligent faculties, I knew a miracle had taken place.

My men and I had guarded this tomb with our lives and no one had breached our security…BUT THE TOMB WAS EMPTY…and I had seen with my own eyes, the stone rolled away and a being, not of this realm, seated upon it….and he proclaimed, in no uncertain terms.... JESUS WAS ALIVE!!!

For me that left me with only one conclusion... the same conclusion that I uttered at the time of his death…..

Truly, this man was the son of God!

Today, you are faced with the same unequivocal evidence that the Roman centurion saw as he stood before the cross of Jesus and then later, as he peered into Christ’s empty tomb….Truly, This Man…This Jesus so despised by the maddening throng….This man of sorrows… is the son of God.

Now, we may never know, this side of heaven, if that centurion’s declaration of Jesus as the Son of God sealed his place in God’s eternal home; but today, you can know for yourself….if you will accept His blood shed for your remission of sin and if you will peer into that empty tomb and believe that Christ has been raised from the dead….then, Easter is your time of thanksgiving and eternal celebration….Jesus said many times, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Are you listening today for the voice of the risen Savior as He pleads, "O Sinner, come home?"

Declaring the Risen Lord….Savior and Friend,

WPQ

Arturo Augustus….Captain of the Guard

In all my years upon the battlefields of the world, I have never been as fearful as I was on that Sabbath morning; but, I get ahead of myself. My story really begins on Thursday evening, when I, and 24 of my best men, encircled a band of misfits in search of the Nazarene, Jesus of Galilee.

We had been lead to the Garden of Gethsemane by one of his inner circle, Judas Iscariot, with orders to arrest the man that he kissed. After a brief skirmish, one of the servant’s of the High Priest had his ear cut off …and this man, Jesus, reached out and touched his wound…and he was immediately healed. We bound him and lead him away.

In the courtyard of the High Priest, Jesus was beaten, kicked and spat upon as my men and I sat silently by…totally amused by these pitiful, rabbinical guards. After their mock trial and its shallow proceedings, Jesus was given to us to be taken to Pilate. We gathered our prisoner and made the short march across the open city square, followed closely by the High Priest and his entourage of Jewish malcontents.

At the palace of Pilate, I entered and asked permission to present the prisoner and in a short time, Pilate appeared. It was clear by his countenance that he was not happy to see this crowd and I reasoned that this matter would be over quickly. He engaged Caiaphas and upon learning that Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, the local Roman administrator of the Jews.

Herod had his fun with Jesus as he had his soldiers dress him in a purple royal robe. They spit upon him, kicked and punched him, then blindfolded him to see if he could tell them who it was that was beating him. They amused themselves for sometime; then Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.

Pilate was not happy as I marched Jesus back into the great hall, followed closely by the mob of Pharisees. One by one they brought forth witnesses that condemned Jesus for inciting the crowds with his magic and miracles and speaking out against Rome. Pilate heard the trumped up charges and then turned his attention to Jesus. He asked him many questions and gave him every opportunity to defend himself; but Jesus just stood there and offered no defense. It was clear to see that Pilate had grown weary of the whole proceeding and so he gave his verdict… he found no fault in this man but to please these peasants, he would have Jesus flogged.

He instructed me to administer his sentence…39 lashes with the cat of nine tails; a Roman device of torture that had killed many a man after only half as many lashes. My men and I took Jesus out into the courtyard and began to take turns beating him with the whip of chards of glass and bits of metal. Some how, in some way, Jesus, though mangled and bloody from this ordeal, was still alive….then once again, with his purple robe and crown of thorns, he was lead back to Pilate. The crowd became enraged that Pilate purported to release Jesus; instead they demanded that Barabbas be released and that Jesus be crucified. Pilate called for a wash basin and there, before all the gods of Rome, he washed his hands of the innocent blood of this man…then he ordered me to carry out his execution upon a Roman cross.

Now, I have followed many an order to execute a prisoner by means of crucifixion and I have hardly ever given it a second thought; but this time, I felt very uneasy as I prepared my men to obey this order. We gathered the other two prisoners set for execution that day and gave each their wooden beam to carry to the hill known as Golgotha. We flanked the prisoners on each side as we made our way through the burgeoning crowds …many still chanting, CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM…as the lowly carpenter of Galilee passed by. The women that had been had his trial followed closely; they kept crying out for us to let him go for he had done nothing wrong…and somehow, in my heart, I knew they were right. But, I am a soldier and captain of the guard and I follow orders no matter what!

We had barely begun our march along Golgotha's Way when Jesus stumbled and fell; it was clear that he could not make it on his own, so I grabbed a man from the crowd and made him carry his cross. At the summit, we placed Jesus and the other two criminals on their cross beams and began the torturous process of nailing them to the wooden cross. As captain of the guard, it was required of me to deliver the first blows and to see that the spikes were driven through the flesh and into the hardened wood. Once this was complete, I gave the order to raise the cross beams and lower them into the prepared holes…the resounding THUD and the ensuing cries of pain let me know that the dance with death had begun.

I took my place at the peak of the summit, just a few feet from the cross of Jesus. I ordered one of my men to hang the sign that read, JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS and listened to the angry response from the Pharisees. The crowd was still large for such an early morning hour and they continued to mock him and jeer at him…even my own men joined in as they called for him to save himself, if he was indeed the son of God.

I watched as my men took his garments and divided them among themselves… and because the purple robe was one piece, they cast lots to see who would become the owner of this fine linen. The day wore on and slowly, many of the accusers and the riotous crowd began to disperse…only a few of his women followers remained, along with his mother. I watched as he tenderly asked a man standing there to see to her care…and then, he uttered the unthinkable….that His Father should forgive those that had sent him to such a horrible death….. And I thought to myself, could he possibly mean me?

The next few hours are really almost a blur as the clouds began to gather and the sun seemed to be blackened from the sky…it was high noon, but for the next three hours, it seemed as dark as a starless night. The wind began to blow and torrential rains began to fall and in one defining moment, Jesus raised himself up and cried in a loud voice, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” …. And with that cry, the earth began to shake; the sky was pitch black and the rocks upon Golgotha’s Hill were split open …and Jesus, this innocent man, breathed his last breath.

I literally shook in my sandals and I could hear my armor rattle as the son of God died on Calvary ….my men lay prostrate on the ground, daring not to move for fear that one of the cracks in the hill would open up and swallow them whole. We were all fearful and yet our orders were not complete. We were to guard the body and to make sure that each of the criminals were dead. We broke the bones of the other two, but since Jesus appeared to be dead, one of my men stuck his spear in his side and watched as water and blood gushed out. It seemed to be finished and yet, it was only beginning.

There’s more to my story….if you care to hear it.

Are you like the Roman centurion…the evidence of Christ as the Son of God is presented and you believe ….at least in your head; but the real message at Calvary has not yet touched your heart.

Arturo proclaimed, as the earth shook and Jesus died…”Surely, this man was the son of God;” but Arturo believed in many Gods and so he felt safe in making such an exclamation of fact…he had head knowledge based on what he had just experienced, but his heart was far from convinced…..

How about you? Do you believe in Jesus or ….DO YOU KNOW JESUS? The answer to that question makes all the difference….ETERNAL DIFFERENCE!!!!!

Come by next week and hear the rest of Arturo’s story and meet the Characters of the Resurrection….you’ll be blessed as you celebrate with each of them the Risen Lord, JESUS CHRIST.

HAPPY EASTER,

WPQ

The Manger…The Cross….The Tomb

Mary, Mother of the Condemned…

I stand here at the foot of this hill to see my son, my firstborn, hanging on this cruel cross and my heart is torn from my body. It only seems like days ago that I birthed him on that blessed evening and laid him in that manger while the cattle were lowing in the stillness of the night. I knew he was Heaven’s child as I held him in my arms and sang a mother’s lullaby. Oh, how my heart leapt for joy as Joseph and I stood over our son and prayed for God’s blessing and faithfulness. As I nursed and nurtured him, he grew into a strong and well-mannered child. I still remember the visit from the Magi with their precious gifts, our trips to the synagogue for his Bar Mitzvah and the Passover sacrifices. I remember the panic I felt when we could not find him for three days …and the look of peace and serenity on his face when he told us that he must be about His Father’s business. Though puzzled by his remark, I was so happy to have my precious Jesus in my arms again that I even failed to scold him. Even now, as he labors to breathe, his thoughts and concerns are for me…to give me to his beloved friend, John, so that I may be cared for in the days that are left for me. He told me, so many times, that this day would come…a day when sinful, deceitful men would triumph and he would give his life as a ransom for many….and for me….my Jesus….my son….my Messiah.

Artemas, Thief among Men…..

I have been dreading this day and yet, knowing that it was inevitable. It gave me a sense of strength and purpose, killing that Roman guard after what he did to my mother and my sister…well, he got what he deserved…and now, according to Roman law, I will get what I deserve. But, this man, Jesus? I can’t believe that he is hanging next to me? What crime are they punishing him for….healing the sick, making the lame to walk or the blind to see? My death; I get it! And I would do it over again to avenge my mother and sister. But why Jesus? I heard their accusations; watched as Pilate had him beaten beyond recognition, then washed his hands of this whole fiasco. And these religious hypocrites clamoring for him to be crucified…they should be the ones hanging next to me, not Jesus. Even now, they scoff at him and beg the soldiers to take now the sign hung there by orders from Pilate…”Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” The soldiers have stripped him naked and cast lots for his purple robe and yet, I heard him say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Who is this man that even on this cruel cross he pleads for those that would kill him? And you….you vile serpent ….you are getting just what you deserve…a sentence to death and damnation….do not mock this man. For He is innocent and does not deserve the same fate as you and I. Do you dare mock God and fear Him not? Leave him alone and let him die without the haunting screech of a condemned man ringing in his ears….but King Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom and do not count my sins against me. And then, He did the unthinkable; he raised himself upon the nail and looked at me with his loving eyes and said, “It will be so. Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

By now, it was near noon and I was beginning to lose some of my strength and my will to live was beginning to falter. The sky began to darken and it became like night…the sun seemed blotted from the sky. The women at the foot of Jesus’ cross kept reaching up to touch Him as they held on to each other, sobbing and calling out for God to save His Son. Then, as the darkness seemed to deepen, Jesus called out in a voice that shook the heavens above and made the foundations of the earth quake. He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The sky grew darker still and the heavens opened up with torrential rain. The rocks seemed to split open as the whole earth shook. Then he shouted again, “Father, It is finished! Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

And in that last breath, He was gone. I heard the centurion who had stood guard at His feet, turn and tell all those who were still there, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Then I turned and looked away…. for I, a guilty, sinful man, was not worthy to gaze upon the Son of God.

Joseph of Arimathea, Disciple of Silent Action….

I had to hurry for the day of preparation would soon be over and the Sabbath would be upon us. I had all the necessary things for a quick burial. There would be time later to return and finish the process after the Sabbath. But, first, I had to get before Pilate so that I might claim His body or Jesus would be given a criminal’s burial in the Potter’s field.

I knew I would take some punishment from my fellow members of the Sanhedrin; but if only there had not been such a rush to judgment, Nicodemus and I might have been able to talk them into something less than death. I know Jesus spoke out against them and their deceitful ways, but He only spoke the truth…and that’s what brought about his death… for evil men do not want the light to be shone on their evil deeds.

I hurried off to see Pilate. When I arrived at the palace, I asked the guard to tell Pilate that Joseph of Arimathea would like an audience with him to plead for the body of Jesus. He quickly returned and said that Pilate was sending one of his personal guards to insure that Jesus was dead and that I should wait here. I sat down and began to think on the events of the last 24 hours …the mock trial before the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin; the confrontation with Caiaphas; the trial and subsequent sentence to death by Pilate; the long road to the cross… and the pounding of the hammers as they drove those spikes into His hands and feet. I knew that I would never get that sound out of my ears….and I knew it was time for me to do something that let others know that I loved and believed in this man Jesus.

I had been a coward and afraid of the Jews for far too long…that’s why I had to do this for Jesus …I had to give him the burial that he deserved. The guard returned and not a moment too soon, for the sun was setting and I had to have his body in the tomb before the Sabbath began.

I had told Nicodemus to meet me at the garden, not far from Golgotha’s Hill, and to bring the burial spices and some additional linen. I ran to the cross and the guards, though visibly shaken, helped me remove Christ’s body. My servants and I hurried to the nearby garden and to the new tomb that had just been dug. There, Nicodemus and I bathed our Lord’s body, washing away the blood and the torn flesh that clung to his lifeless corpse. We wept uncontrollably as we saw the pierced hands and feet; taking our time, we placed aloe leaves in the holes and rubbed the myrrh and spices all over His beaten and bruised frame. We began at his feet and gently, lovingly wrapped his entire body in the fine linen, laying more of the aloe leaves and spices in each fold or crevasse of the cloth.

When we had finished, we each kissed him on the cheek and placed the napkin over his head. I looked over my shoulder, to see standing in the doorway, His mother and the other women from Galilee. They stood there sobbing but could not come in … for contact with a dead body would defile them on the eve of the Sabbath. We left the tomb and with the help of Nicodemus and several of my servants, we rolled a stone in front of the doorway to keep out the grave robbers. I told the women that I would come back with them after the Sabbath so they could finish what we had not….and then, with once last parting glance, I left the garden and the place where my Jesus lay…in a cold, dark tomb.

I had done in His death what I had failed to do in His life….tell my Savior that I loved Him. God forgive me for my unbelief!

The Manger, the Cross and the Tomb….three different places…three different experiences…one Loving Savior. Today…HE IS CRUCIFIED ….he hangs upon that cross for his mother…the criminal ….Joseph of Arimathea….and for you and me.

Don’t be like Mary and love a nostalgic Savior ….for He is alive and waiting for you to confirm Him in your life today.

Don’t be like the criminal and wait until the very last second to meet Jesus…he will save you, but that’s a risky way to live…or then die without Him.

Don’t be like Joseph and be too afraid of the “established” powers in your life to let others know that you love and serve a risen Savior.

Today, proclaim that Jesus is yours and you are His….and then you will enjoy the glory and the blessings that belong to Jesus and those that follow Him….and you will celebrate His Resurrection as a new creation in Christ.

Hallelujah…He died for my sins, yet….. He Lives Forevermore,

WPQ

Pilate…the Desire to Believe?

I hate this desolate, barren land. It is worse than a boil on the backside of their wretched camels. Why would I, a captain of Caesars’ very own Elite Guard, end up in a place like this? What could I have possibly done to displease him that would merit such punishment? Governor of this region is certainly not what I was hoping to have as my reward for my last great victory. Surely, my time here will be short and my interactions with these Jews will soon be over.

And yet, here they are again….these weak, insignificant peasants; religious pontificators whining about some homeless prophet that they can’t control. It’s barely daylight and already they would summon me from my slumber to decide the punishment for this Jesus. I should have them all dragged into the palace and made to bow at my feet…it is of no consequence to me that they would be unfit for their Passover feast. My only desire is to make this situation go away as quickly as possible so that I can get back to more important matters ….like leaving this wretched land and all its pettiness to the goat herders and the Jews.

Once in the courtyard, I listened as they brought witness after witness to regale how this Jesus had excited the crowds to follow him; had turned out the moneychangers and the livestock from their beloved temple…so I told them to take him and judge him by their puny Jewish laws. They refused since for them it was unlawful to crucify anyone. I found no fault in him; but better to let the local ruler have this on him than me …so I sent him to Herod….and in only a matter of hours, Jesus was standing in front of me again.

So I asked him, “Tell me, are you the King of the Jews?” ...and his answer puzzled me; “Are you asking this of your own accord or have others told you about me?” I told him that I was not a Jew and it didn’t matter to me…. That it was his own nation and High Priest that had brought him to me and that I had the power to have him killed or let him go. He told me that His kingdom was not of this world and when I questioned him about this, he told me that he was here to testify to the truth…whatever that meant, I really wasn’t sure. So, I sought to return him to the Jews for I found no legal grounds on which to condemn him….but they shouted me down and called out to release the rebel, Barabbas, according to the custom of the Passover to release one criminal from bondage.

I sent Jesus away and had the captain of the battalion beat and flog him…they placed a crown of thorns on his head and wrapped a purple cloth around him, all the while mocking him, punching him and asking, “if you are a prophet, tell us who hit you.” I then brought him back before the assembly of the Jewish leaders and the ever-growing crowd and told them once again that I could find no grounds to merit a conviction.

He stood before them, wearing that purple robe and his kingly crown of thorns and I said, “Behold, here is the man!” I was really not prepared for this angry mob as they screamed out … “CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM!” I silenced them and told them to take him away and kill him according to their laws for I found nothing in this man that deserved his death by crucifixion ….but they would not be silenced.

What happened next gave me great pause for concern…they told me that he must die according to their rabbinical law…for he had proclaimed himself to be Son of God. Now, I am a god-fearing man that worships many Gods and I was not willing to take the chance that this man might actually be the son of one of them, so I brought him back into the inner chamber and asked him once again, “Where are you from? Who are you? Are you the Son of God?”…but, he just stood before me and offered nothing in his defense. I reminded him that it was within my powers to release him or to have him crucified, yet he told me that I had no authority over him had it not been given to me from above.

This was not an ordinary man and I did all within my powers to release him…I truly desired to let him go with the beating that he had endured and a strong reprimand not to appear before me again. I took him back to the courtyard with every intention to silence the Jews and to let Jesus go, but they cried out even louder that if I did such a thing, I was no friend of Caesar. I could not let this anarchy go on any longer, for word might return to Rome that I was unable to control these weak-minded Jews…so I presented them with the King, yet they shouted even more, “Away with him. We have no King but Caesar. Crucify Jesus!”

So, I did what was expedient. I called for a basin of water, and there before this angry mob and the gods of Rome, I washed my hands of his innocent blood…then, I gave Jesus over to them so that he should be crucified.

It had to be done. I had no choice. I had sworn an oath to Rome and to Caesar to protect this horrible land and to keep the peace. If I failed to give this mob what they wanted, many would probably die trying to restore order and I would be held responsible for their deaths…but my conscience was clear; I had tried to release Jesus …I had done all that I could to let him go, but my duty to Rome came first. After all, I am a soldier and soldiers follow orders no matter how unpleasant they might be. I did all that was possible that day…his death was not my fault!

Today, is that what you have been telling yourself….that Jesus’ death was NOT YOUR FAULT? It was not your decision to send Him to his death… to have Him bludgeoned to within an inch of his life, nailed to a rugged tree and hung between two thieves. Have you tried to wash his innocent blood from your hands and declare that you, too, have a clear conscience?

If so, you have missed the meaning of the cross….Christ may have chosen the nails, but it was your sins that swung the hammer…you and I were the ones that drove those spikes deep into the flesh of Jesus. God requires that we come to Him, holy and acceptable; Jesus accomplished that for us by giving himself as a blood sacrifice on the cross. Now, we must accept our part in His death….it was our sin that put Him there; it is our pride that keeps us from accepting the fact that WE NEED A SAVIOR!!!!

Don’t let pride keep you from knowing Jesus and accepting what He accomplished for you on Calvary…He is just a heartbeat away ….and so is eternity without Him!

Sorrow-filled for My Part … Forgiven and Forever His,

WPQ