Snapshots and Synapses

I’d been looking forward to this weekend for weeks… no months! It had been too long since I was able to hang out with my college friends and being back at the university made it all that much more special. There were definitely some changes, and all the students seemed so much younger than when I went here, but some things just don’t change. Like the guy on the street corner.  The man was older for sure, but it had been 10 years since I graduated from college. He was still on that same street corner, still preaching the same message: “Repent! The end is near!” People laughed at him, just like I remembered doing when I attended the university, but still, no one talked to him. Oh, sure, they talked at him, with jeers and ridicule. They talked about him, too, but they were more interested in getting to their next party. I decided to approach him; let him know what I thought: “Hey man! I remember you being here 10 years ago, and it seems like you’re having less luck reaching people now...

From its origins, Christianity has seen a connection between Passover and Resurrection Sunday, commonly known as Easter. At a minimum, Christians acknowledge that Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection occurred during the Jewish Passover celebration. The Bible clearly tells this story through the lens of the Passover Meal that Jesus had with His closest friends, commonly referred to as the Last Supper. It’s the night that Jesus is handed over to be scourged and crucified; we recall Jesus’ death on Good Friday, called good because He paid the price for our sins on that terrific day, fulfilling the law (Matt 5:17) and demonstrating a divine love.   Did you know however that Passover and Easter were linked from the Israel’s origin?  Recall as Abraham was ready to sacrifice his first-born son on Mt. Moriah. Abraham told Isaac that God would provide the sacrifice, most likely not knowing how true his words were. However, it was not Isaac who was sacrificed on that hill; it w...

What do you think about when you consider Palm Sunday? Is it Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, or is it the knowledge that many of these same people cheering for Him would be calling out for His crucifixion? Do you question how you would have responded to Him? Do you wonder how Jesus felt, knowing that He was entering the city to endure a legal, physical and spiritual trial, that these people who cheered for Him would also reject Him?  I don’t have much to write other than this: I am not worthy. None of us are. I struggle to let go of life’s conveniences, but Jesus willingly gave His very life for fickle people like us. Was it the Romans that crucified Jesus? Was the Jews? Was it God the Father? It was each of us, who by each sin, both little and great, created a need for a perfect sacrifice. So out of love, God sent His Son, and out of love the Son endured the scourging and death that each of us deserves. If no one accepted this great gift, if it were just you or I that would...