Hosanna, part 1

"Hosanna, to the son of David." Matthew 21: 9

Hosanna is a perfect word.  It is for use in moments of ultimate jubilation.  While children laid palm branches at Christ's feet, the multitude offered sacrifices of joy by crying, hosanna.  But hosanna's beauty out shines what can be said in a parade.   It also expresses ultimate need.  In Psalm 118:25 the word means "help" or "save, I pray."  It has also been translated to urgently say "save, now!"

This word is perfect for our fractured world, it is perfect for our damaged hearts.  On earth we have joy with sorrow and tears with a smile.  I love this concept of hosanna, for when I am weak I can say, "Hosanna to the Son of David".  When joy overwhelms me, again I can sing, "Hosanna to the Son of David".  One word puts God exactly where He belongs, in the middle of everything we experience.

Behold the Man

For thousands of years, God's people sacrificed lambs to represent salvation through the promised redeemer.  In Eden, "...for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)  The first ounce of blood from that original lamb prefigured Christ.  The sinners were clothed in the emblem of that innocent's righteousness. Ever since then lambs were slaughtered as a picture of what Christ would do.  In His desire to draw mankind to Himself, Christ taught His children about His sacrifice in small doses, explaining only as much as they could understand.  The glory of the lesson peaked at the first passover. The Lord said, "...Every man shall take for himself a lamb...a lamb for a household...Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year...Then...kill it at twilight.  And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses...Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire..."  (Exodus 12:3-8)

The passover rituals were a living prophetic exhibition of what Christ's death would look like.  The children of Israel were blessed, in that yearly, they saw images that should have helped them recognize the Messiah.  Our sterile lives prevent us from fully realizing Christ as the Lamb of God.  We see beautiful paintings which picture Christ gracefully draped with purple cloth.  Or we see horrific motion pictures trying to express His passion.  This kind of imagery is historical fiction. But there is still a reality.  A reality of what Israel saw yearly and a reality that God chose to express in a very specific way.  The Lord was not arbitrary or limited in how He chose to articulate Christ's sacrifice.  Maybe it would do us good to look at His effigy.

The Samaritans have kept passover ever since the 12 tribes were divided. Of course they also worshiped many idols, but passover was still observed.  Today, Samaritans still live in what was the northern kingdom of Israel and they still observe passover.  Looking at their ceremonies will teach us some of what God wanted us to understand.  "Behold the Man" (John 19:5)

"Every man shall take for himself a lamb" Ex 12:3

"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. " Acts 8:32

"This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." Mark 14:24
"...And His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Luke 22:44

"And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses..." Ex. 12:7

"And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him." Mark 15:25

"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels...I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me." Psalms 22:14, 17

"For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me." Psalms 22:16

"And sitting down they watched Him there." Matthew 27:36

"For the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city..." John 19:20

"Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire - its head with its legs and its entrails." Ex 12:9
"His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace." Revelation 1: 14, 15

"And they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire..." Ex. 12:8  "Take eat; this is my body." Matt. 26:26

"Behold the man!" John 19:5

Omnipotent, part 2

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." Psalms 33:6

Universes

galaxies, 

stars, 

planets,

and nebula;

these are made from air. 

What extraordinary things God can do with his breath!   In creating these He was not diminished in energy, ideas, or ability.   When He counted the cost there was none.  Jesus ended creation with as much vitality as when He began. Nothing changed for Him personally.

But Omnipotence has been changed.  The cost of saving me has had eternal consequences.  He has scars that remain.  Scars in His heart and on His body.  Yet, it is a conundrum.  Like a helix the idea swings from one side to another.  How can omnipotence be diminished if it has all power?  How can a being who has hidden outrageous atomic power in mass the size of a paper clip, loose something?

Again, amounts and realities that I cannot understand, but I do know this:  God loved me so much that He was willing to be eternally less than what He is.  "Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:8

Omnipotent, part 1

"In every command and in every promise of the word of God is the power, the very life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized.  He who by faith receives the word is receiving the very life and character of God." COL 38.1

Lets think about this, if I believe the word I receive the power.  But how much power does God put into His word?  Can that amount be quantified?  He created all things by His word.  So how much power did God put in an atom?  If I knew that, then, I could understand a little bit of how powerful He really is; and also understand the strength in a promise.

The Manhattan project discovered the potential God locked up in an atom.  Their success caused nuclear devastation   The bomb dropped on Hiroshima released what God put into just under 0.035 ounces of mass.

That is a very small amount of matter.  It weighs a little less than a paper clip.

The Encyclopedia of Physics states that "The total mass of the stars and gas in our galaxy is about 200 billion solar masses..."  This means that just the stars and gas (excluding planets, asteroids, meteorites etc) in our galaxy probably weigh as much as 200 billion suns.

These are numbers and amounts that I cannot fathom.  My inability to comprehend the mass in our galaxy means I cannot ever understand the power of God. (Of course, that makes sense because He is omnipotent).

But here is something I can know.  The most powerful human manipulation of God's creation, a nuclear bomb, released the energy from mass as heavy as a paper clip.  And although, I cannot even begin to understand the contrast between a paper clip and the weight of our galaxy, the Lord has promised that all His power is at my disposal. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).  This means that all the power locked up in the atoms of 200 billion suns is mine and your's in faith.

A Psalm

Have mercy on us, O Lord;

     For we are the sheep of Your Pasture.

In senseless arrogance we stray;

     By haughty words we wander.

Be near to us dear Shepherd;

     For we are the herd of your stall.

We choose wrong paths in blindness;

     We listen to the mumbling of fools.

We will yet praise your lovingkindness;

     For Your truth has set us free.

Draw near to us as a friend;

     And in your presence let us joyfully be.

Blinders

"If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life.  Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we would talk with a friend.  He will speak His mysteries to us personally.  Often there will come to us a sweet joyful sense of the presence of Jesus.  Often our hearts will burn within us as He draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch." Christ Object Lessons p 103.1

I would trade everything for this.  The interesting thing is that God is not asking me to give up my life to gain communion with Him.  All He asks is my thoughts and heart.  And that is the problem.  The things He lets me keep, keep me from Him. A conundrum.  A solution?  Put on blinders and see only Jesus.  That is what He calls me to do.  That is His example.  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12:2)

Little Lost Card

We moved nine months ago, but our house has not been ready until now.  The furniture trailer arrived yesterday.  It sits in the driveway waiting to be unloaded.  The men worked all day and did some last night, but I thought I would help by getting the light things out myself.  So I emptied some boxes out of the front of the trailer.  I was sliding a heavy box down the ramp and lost my grip.  It slid down on its side, hit the ground on a corner and bounced into an upright position.  Wow! that mistake turned out well.

I finished getting the lighter things out of the front.  But large items like the washer and dryer prevented me from getting the small boxes in the back of the trailer.  Then I thought, "If I open the side door and prop a ladder against the opening,  I can use the ladder as a slider like the ramp was. It was a success for two whole boxes.  Then the third one full of our Christmas Blessings slid down too quickly and burst open when it hit bottom.  (Christmas Blessings are decorated cards on which we write the years blessings and then hang them on the tree)

Our Christmas Blessings were swept by the wind and hurtled down the driveway.  I chased one, then another.  But I quickly realized that if I kept chasing the lost card I would eventually loose them all.  I changed tactics.  I went to the upturned box set it straight, gathered the cards, put them in and closed the lid.  Then I went off to chase after the wayward few.  

As I triumphantly walked back with my recovered cards I realized I am the opposite of Jesus.  He said, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"  (Luke 14:4)  Jesus, like the shepherd in the parable, leaves his entire flock to find that one lost lamb.  It seems to me the 99 would be in danger without the shepherd, they might be stolen or just driven by the wind.  But the shepherd cannot bear the thought of that lonely little lamb without hope.  He risks all he owns to retrieve it.

Jesus risked everything He owned and everything He was to rescue this little lost planet.  That would mean the other universes could have been in jeopardy had He failed to return.  Why would He love us so much that he would be willing to do that?  Why would He loose everything just to find me?  

The Furniture Trailer

The Ingenious Idea

Rejoice with me; for I have found (that) which was lost." Luke 15:6