Easter is like the parable of the Prodigal Son: “This son of mine was dead and is alive again! This brother of yours was dead and is alive again!” (Luke 15:23&32) and so they celebrated with feasting and rejoicing. What was lost had been restored.

The job of Christ in coming at all was for this very thing, to restore to our Father the children, whose own ways had separated them from their Father. Jesus came to bridge the gap, to reunite the family of God, and to make a pathway for more and more reunions.

Easter is also like the parable of the Lost Sheep: “And when he finds it he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.” (Luke 15:5) When Jesus rose from the dead he carried all of humanity on his shoulders and for over two thousand years we have responded to his direction: “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”

Jesus made it possible for each of us to turn to him for forgiveness to be restored to his Father and our Father at any moment. We can consciously put aside our “own way” and experience a reunion with Him that makes our hearts sing and rejoice. Easter can occur in us at any moment in time because it happened to him in both time and eternity.

On the morning of his resurrection Jesus told Mary Magdalene, “Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to y God and your God.’” (John 20:17). From that very moment we became brothers ad sisters of Christ, children of his Father God; and, as Paul has told us, “if children, then heirs.” (Romans 8:17)

Once at a church picnic I saw the two year old son of the pastor following my father around. I asked Dad who he was, and he answered, “He’s my grandson.” I was surprised that Dad’s heart desired a grandson, and was delighting in a surrogate for that time.

I believe God’s heart delights in His children and looks forward (in eternity!) to more and more fellowship with his “little ones.” Jesus’ death and resurrection opened the door for that fellowship. On Easter we can rejoice and acknowledge our wonderful Father God.

Happy, Happy Easter!

Love in Him,

Prue

Recently PBS presented a program called “Magnificent Beast”, the subject of pigs, their history , their characteristics, and their role in the religious life, especially of the Jews. During an interview, a rabbi said, “ Not eating pork or pork products is part of who I am. It’s part of my identity.” I couldn’t help thinking that “not eating pork” was also part of the identity of Jesus of Nazareth.

The program explored many theories for the cause of the “taboo”, acknowledging that it had Biblical origins, and finally concluding that it was a device for separating the Hebrew people from all others and ensuring that they retained their unique identity.

As I watched I wondered why no one suggested that it was also an opportunity to relate to and ,in fact, obey a direct order from their Father God. Searching high and low for some natural and feasible explanation, the writers of the show seemed to miss the most simple and obvious explanation. The rabbi identified with the Torah, the Word of God as he knew it, the very thing God asks His people to do: “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach; it is not up in heaven, so you have to ask, ‘who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?. . . No, the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.. . . For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands” (Deut. 30:11-16).

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill them.” (Matt. 5:17). In the Cross Jesus fulfilled the law by offering himself to his Father. Because of who he is, God’s own son, God accepts his obedience as worthy of covering all the disobedience of the entire human family. As Oswald Chambers once wrote, “Redemption is so easy for us, because it cost God so much.”

I believe that whether we eat pork or not, either way should lead us closer to the love of God.

Love in Him,

Prue

Try as we might, we can never replicate the events of Palm Sunday, for they are followed by the cataclysmic events of the crucifixion. The joy that was expressed in the streets of Jerusalem when people waved palms and threw their garments on the ground, is not the same as our joy, for ours is augmented by the knowledge of the Resurrection.

Nevertheless, the crowds who celebrated Jesus’ entry into the city were a foreshadow of the parades and demonstrations that would continue for thousands of years in Easter celebrations. In those precious moments of Jesus’ journey are shown the spirit of a people in recognition of the presence of their God in the person of His son. It was a spontaneous display that even the disciples did not foresee.

“Centuries earlier, though, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. . . and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” (Isaiah 40:3&5)

The incident we now call “Palm Sunday”, when people cried out, “Hosanna to the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!” (Luke 19:38), remained in the consciousness of Christians everywhere since the scriptures were written. It has enduring meaning because God intends it to have eternal meaning.

When Isaiah wrote “Make straight a highway for our God” he wasn’t calling on the government to build more roads, but upon believers to open their hearts and minds more fully to the divine life of their God.

Jesus knew the importance of the celebration of his presence in the midst of his people. He said, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:40).

Palm Sunday starts the roller coaster of events of Holy Week at a high place, only to plunge into the somber events of the Last Supper , the arrest, and Crucifixion of Christ. Palm Sunday is a distant glimmer of Jesus’ identity and greatness, intended to cast a light on all subsequent events, and for us and all believers to see in the palms and branches the prophesy of Isaiah and the promise it contains for all generations. It’s a long light that reaches into both the past and the future. Like all else in Jesus, it draws us toward his own eternal life.

Love in Him,

Prue

Never Dated

Reclining in the dentist’s chair watching a home renovation program on his overhead T.V. , I learned that the kitchen back splash, identical to the one in my own kitchen, was “dated, and had to go”. It was in good condition, as is mine, but its “datedness” made it impossible to live in the house. It was a shock to see it and process the thought that my kitchen, of which I’m quite fond, is utterly unacceptable as a living space, because the back splash is out of date. I had been living with the comfortable illusion that some things were inherently good, and that my back splash was one of them.

I began to think that “datedness” could be an evil that could be applied to virtually everything around us: our clothes, hair styles, furniture, choice of books and entertainment, cars, houses, and especially our Bibles!

There is unlikely to be an older book in our collections than the Bible, and there is probably a mindset that considers its age an entirely disqualifying fact. After all, what can possibly be gained from reading (and re-reading) material that is thousands of years old, even before the age of indoor plumbing?

What would it mean to encounter the mind of a bronze age man such as Abraham? What would it mean to worship the same God that he worshiped? What would the unfolding of the stories of centuries of individuals who followed and communicated with the same God that we Worship? Would we have a perception of timelessness, that would make a difference in our lives? Every voice in the Bible says that it does: “You believe in Him, and are filled with an inexpressible joy” (1 Peter 1:8). “I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. (Song of Solomon 2:3&4). “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (Psalm 63:3-5).

The voices of those who have faith in an eternal God are never “dated”, for they come from the Spirit that is timeless, and always new. “Behold, I make all things new!” (Rev. 21:5) The newness of God is eternal and for believers it is the promise of a lifeline to Him. Instead of being “dated” in Him, we are eternally loved.

Love in Him,

Prue

Open the Book

On Easter Sunday much of the Christian world will stand and sing the hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”, a song written by Charles Wesley in the 18^th century.

Charles Wesley was a Methodist minister who wrote in his journal of his own conversion: “May 13, 1737. I waked without Christ, yet still desirous of finding him.” He continued by telling of a visit of some friends to his apartment, as he had been ill. He and his friends practiced the custom of “opening the book”, which amounted to literally opening the Bible at random, and reading the first passage on which their eye rested. On Charles Wesley’s second attempt his eye rested on, “He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:3) “I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in hope of loving Christ,” he wrote in his journal. “My temper for the rest of the day was mistrust of my own great, but before unknown, weakness.”

The fruit of this conversion was six thousand , five hundred hymns, including “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, and “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”, composing an average of three hymns a week for the rest of Charles Wesley’s life.

Both Charles and his brother John Wesley were preaching from Christian pulpits before their conversions, without experiencing the peace and joy they observed in others, and even discerned in the Scriptures, Their conversions were remarkable by human standards, but the fruits of them testify to the presence of a supernatural God who shared His very Spirit with both brothers. Charles’ songs joyfully testify that Christ shares his life with us all. The morning after Charles “opened the Book” he wrote:

He left his Father’s throne above

(so free,so infinite his grace!),

emptied himself of all but love,

and bled for Adam’s helpless race.

”Tis mercy all, immense, and free,

for, O my God, it found out me!

( “And can I Be”, vs. 3)

The history of salvation is rich with the richness of creation itself, for each soul is uniquely known to God. Charles Wesley demonstrates the truth of Jesus ‘ words, “Seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

(Matthew 7:7)

Love in Him,

Prue

“Now then”,said Joshua, “Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God out Israel” (Josh. 24:23).

For a long time I believed that Joshua was asking too much of his people to adopt tunnel vision in relation to their God and turn away from all the “souvenirs” they had collected over the years from Egypt to their entering the Promised Land.. Those objects undoubtedly brought comfort and familiarity to a homeless people for forty years.

Then I read, “He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. The Lord God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your hear and all your soul and live.”(Deut.30:5)

It seemed to me that in light of this promise, that giving up “other gods” was like giving up a pasifier in the process of. Growing up. So many things that we cling to tur out to be “other Gods”: relationships, entertainment, games; it’s Impossible to list all the “other gods” in our lives.

The amazing thing about Joshua’s order to “throw away” is that God has prepared the way, and turned the command into a promise.

During Lent we can throw away those things that blurr our vision of the Lord who promises to “circumcise our hearts”, enabling us to love Him.

Even the smallest movement in our spirits toward the God of the Old and New Testaments is noticed and welcomed by God: “ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God’”. The young man’s “wisdom” lay simply in agreeing with Jesus that the most important command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” ( Mark 12:34).

When there is the smallest movement toward yielding to such a command, we, too, “are close to the Kingdom of God.” Every day in Lent we get closer to Easter Sunday when we celebrate the fulfillment of all these promises. We are not far away.

Love in Him,

Prue

The “mind of Christ” is displayed most clearly in Jesus’ conversation with Satan after forty days of fasting in the wilderness. It is there that logic and persuasion are employed by Satan in order to sway Jesus to transfer his loyalties to himself. The powerful tool the enemy uses is the Scripture itself, and Jesus responds in Scripture. It is a wonderful display of the mind of Christ in opposition to the mind of Satan, but more importantly it is a window for us of the mind of Christ: “It is written that man shall not live on bread alone,” and, “It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test,’ and “For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

The “mind of Christ” that Paul tells us belongs to all Christians (1 Corinthians 2:16), is full of the Word of God in Scripture. It is Scripture that Jesus resorts to when he is alone and weak and hungry. Scripture fills his mind and provides him with the strength he needs to fend off Satan. It is the priceless gift of the written Word of God that is the “mind” we can share with the son of God.

The Scriptures have never been more accessible than they are today, and perhaps they’ve never been more neglected. Pope St. John Paul II wrote: “ Yes, the heart is to be a library of the Word of God, uttered in the Scriptures.” (In God’s Hands, the Spiritual Diaries, Pg. 172).

In Christ both his heart and mind feed his spirit through the scriptures. The Scriptures ground him in his ministry as they form the framework for his appearance among the Hebrew people. Jesus quotes Scripture even on the cross. (Ps. 22:1, Ps. 31:5)

Lent is the time to draw close to Jesus by reading Scripture, sampling the passages we love, reading and re-reading the Psalms to drink in the written word. As Holy Week draws near we can re-visit the events of the crucifixion as all four gospels give us accounts. When we try daily Bible reading we find that our Lord wants it of us even more than we do. Scripture is a strong link to our God, and it is written for us.

Love in Him,

Prue

When I took violin lessons I learned more about life than I did about the violin. My teacher said that I must learn to focus, concentrate, and relax, simultaneously. I argued that concentrating and relaxing were mutually exclusive. She answered, “Nevertheless, you must achieve this, or you will never play the violin.” As she was an accomplished violinist I had to believe her, and so I launched myself on a program of self discipline that I hoped would achieve my goal of successfully playing the instrument.

What I really learned was that many, maybe most of the limits we place on ourselves are truly artificial.

“My Father’s house has many rooms. . . (John 14:2). In the same way our souls have many rooms. We’re only dimly aware of the contents of those rooms until we undertake something new. Then we learn of some of our own weaknesses, selfishness and strengths. When we open those rooms to the One who also has many rooms, and who loves us more even than we love ourselves, the parameters of the limits we place on ourselves are shifted, and we grow.

St. Paul wrote, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love”

(1 Corinthians 13:12&13) Three of the rooms that exist in all Christians are these three. During Lent we can visit each room and witness the shrunken parts and be forgiven for the withered, dusty rooms that we have neglected, knowing as we do, that the light and fresh air of Easter lay ahead of us.

Our Father also allows us to see the flashes of grace in each room, and recognize that He has been present in our rooms of faith, hope, and love. Our time to to stay in the wilderness of Lent is shorter and shorter. Now is the time to visit the many rooms of our inner lives and prepare for the expansion and light of Easter.

Love in Him,

Prue

Once when I was sitting on a bench in a nearby park I met a young man from Bosnia. He was accompanying his two nephews who were playing nearby. He had immigrated after the Bosnian war and spoke very clear English.

He told me that, though the park wasn’t really like his home, it reminded him of home and he enjoyed coming there frequently. He showed me pictures on his phone of Bosnia, of beautiful forests and a waterfall. This young man had escaped from some great horrors that had happened to his own family. Visiting the park seemed to help him. He had a buoyant spirit.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1&2).

When God created the earth he pronounced it “very good!” (Genesis 1:3), and from then on, men and women have recognized “goodness” in the natural environment. When we receive a restorative spirit, a movement toward goodness or joy in nature, however dimly , we are in touch with the Creator of that nature, the reality of goodness: “ He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:4).

Believers and unbelievers both experience the restorative quality of nature. It is a powerful reality. Some have stopped short of recognizing the Creator and have worshiped His creation. Nevertheless, for those who know the Creator, nature becomes one of the great evidences of His presence and His healing and restorative character.

“Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28-30). As nature was declared good, and we experience good from it, we participate in the very character of God when we receive the restoration nature affords. That goodness we experience catching a breeze on a hot day, the sweet smell of fresh air, the sight of hills and trees and water, birds and animals, extends to us the timelessness of God. We experience a glimpse of eternity that both restores our souls and gives us rest. Jesus reminds us that it is his work toward that end. During Lent, allow the fresh air to speak of Him.

Love in Him,

Prue

For forty days Israel and her enemy the Philistines were at a stalemate, the two armies facing each other across a valley with a stream running through it. Aggressive arrogance on one side met fear and trepidation across the valley. It was a forty day stand-still that was close to erupting when young David approached Goliath and , undeterred by the giant’s taunts, answered, “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands,. . . all those who are gathered here will know that it is not by sward or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” (I Samuel 17:47).

The enormity of David’s words and action could hardly be measured. Not only did he secure a great victory for Israel and freedom from the Philistines, but he successfully reaffirmed the presence of their God in the midst of their lives as a nation and a people with a history of God as their very identity.

This story is thrilling for children and adults alike. It touches the yearning we all have of participating in a wholly righteous cause and successfully reaffirming that righteousness.

From the time when Samuel anointed David, and perhaps even before, David had “tunnel vision” (I Sam. 16:13) , the capacity to focus so thoroughly on God that he saw God in circumstances that others found obscure. David never doubted who really enabled him to kill bears, lions and Goliath. He saw through almost every tunnel to the light at the end, and he recorded this in his many psalms: I love you, Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my

fortress, and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I

take refuge. (Ps. 18:1-2).

David’s love for the Lord sank deep into his spirit. In the rest of the forty days of Lent we could imitate David’s “tunnel vision”, and seek God in the most adverse times and conditions. It won’t be hard to find such conditions in our world; the challenge of Lent is to seek out the “tunnel” and find the light that lights our paths today. Simply reading David’s words daily in Lent is a good way to reach for the light.

Love in Him

Prue