This week marks the holiest week of the Christian calendar. Passion week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Resurrection Sunday.
Over the years, there have been many films depicting the life and crucifixion of Jesus. Two of the most recent films are Franco Zefferelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, which was originally shown on television during Holy Week in the late 1970s, and more recently Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
When I first saw Jesus of Nazareth back in the day, I remember how it deeply affected me. I remember sobbing and thinking how much He must love me (and everyone else) to have gone through such agony.
And then in 2004, Mel Gibson produced The Passion of the Christ. I remember what a controversy it was. How Hollywood disdained and mocked Mel Gibson and the film. But God will not be mocked, and the film was an incredible success grossing over 612 million worldwide. It became the seventh-highest domestic grossing film and the highest-grossing Christian film of all time.
Standing in line outside the theater, my husband and I knew what we were about to see from our study of the Bible, but we were unprepared for the shock and sorrow on the faces of those who left the theater. And their silence was unnerving.
We hadn’t expected it would be as brutal as it had been and yet, thinking about the abject cruelty of the Roman Empire, the film was probably not nearly as violent as the reality of the actual crucifixion. When the film ended, there was not only pin-dropping silence in the darkened room, but a stillness, a reverence, that I had never seen in a theater before, or since. As those around us got up and soundlessly left the theater, we had the same sorrow etched on our faces that the previous group had had. When I asked my friends and family members, some in our state and many who lived across the country, of what had occurred when they went to see the film, they recounted the same experience. The unnerving silence, the sorrow, and the stillness.
After the film’s release, Mel Gibson and the film’s star were interviewed and told amazing stories about the film’s concept and things that occurred during the filming of The Passion of the Christ. Most notable and incredible was how the actor, Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus, had been struck by lightning while hanging on the cross and lived. But he had to heart surgery after they completed the film. Caviezel has since visited churches throughout the nation to encourage people to live for Jesus.
Jesus came to earth as a humble man, died a sinner’s death even though He was without sin and arose from the dead. That is the gospel. And that is what we, as Christians, believe.
But it’s not the end of the story. Jesus will return in glory.
He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 28:6
For almost four hundred years Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving. This year will go down in history as different from all other Thanksgivings in the past century. It is still the fourth Thursday of November as Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared it to be in 1941. We’ll still have Turkey with all the trimmings, pumpkin pie, and the Macy’s Day Parade. But it will be different. Different in a way few of us have seen in our lifetimes.
In 1620, the Pilgrims proclaimed the Mayflower Compact, which would become the basis for America’s Declaration of Independence. This was a scant year before the first ever Thanksgiving. And if you were in any doubt as to this country’s roots, check out what the Mayflower Compact says. I’ve been out of school for many, many years and didn’t remember it or what it said. But after listening to a Thanksgiving message last night from one of my favorite Bible teachers, Jack Hibbs, I looked it up, and our nation’s colorful history enthralled me.
Thanksgiving. We have lost sight of what is truly important. What do we have to be thankful for this year? Given all that Americans have suffered and lost, it doesn’t seem like there’s much to be thankful for. And while I understand the need for all the changes to our national holiday this year, I don’t have to like it. Not at all. And yet there are things to be thankful for. Like what you ask.
Family? Spending time with family will be relegated to telephone calls, FaceTime, Zoom, or any other method we can come up with to see and spend time with family. I am thankful for those methods we have at our fingertips to see and talk to loved ones. That we even have loved ones who we can call is a blessing and a cause to be thankful. Some do not. Yes, I’m exceedingly thankful for my family.
Provision? In a time where there are nations who are starving, we have an abundance of food in our pantries and freezers. Restaurants who will make your Thanksgiving meal. I’m thankful for a well-prepared meal, even if I have to prepare it myself. It’s not about the turkey and trimmings or having a day off from work (some even have two days off.) It’s about Thanking God for His Provision in our lives.
So.. we return to the core of why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Opening the door to our hearts will enable us to give thanks for those things in our lives. Search for something in which to give thanks this day, and every day.
Let’s look at the background for this book of the Bible. Small children know the story of Jonah and the whale, and that’s what this book is about, that childhood Bible story. However, there’s more to the story than our childhood memories.
We pick up the story at this verse. God stirred up a storm while Jonah was on that boat to Tarshish in direct opposition to what God told him to do. There was nothing wrong with the ship or the sailors on that ship, but Jonah was not supposed to be there. And it probably would not have been an issue if Jonah had traveled to Tarshish any other time, but he was not supposed to be on that boat.
Let’s look at how this verse impacts our lives today. Whether we are talking about God’s calling on our lives or we are talking about things we are supposed to do in our lives not related to God, it all boils down to disobedience. When we are disobedient to God when he calls us to do something, many things can happen to us. Perhaps not as dramatic as Jonah’s situation, but there is a consequence to not heeding God’s call on our lives. Likewise, if we disobey authority figures in our lives, it has consequences. Those consequences can be anything from going to jail for rioting to losing our job for insubordination. Consequences are consequences, and they can take any form.
Loving his neighbors was not what Jonah wanted to do. He wasn’t called to like the Ninevites, he was called to love them by showing them their sin. And he paid for his disobedience. We all should strive to love our neighbors. From the grumpy guy down the street to the harried mother of five kids to the down-and-out street person that no one wants to see. We may not like any of them, but we are called to love them. God does and so should we.
Let’s look at the verse. Obadiah is preaching against the Edomites because they are filled with pride and it has deceived them. They boasted about their natural fortifications in the clefts of the rocks high in the mountains. They thought because their physical habitat was difficult to reach, they were invincible. A sure sign of pride.
Pride can be an insidious thing. It can manifest itself in anything in a person’s life. You name it, it can be a source of pride. The question is, what is the level of that pride. If the level of pride is so great that it affects our daily life and causes issues, then it’s time to take stock. So, what do we do about it?
Being aware of how much pride we have is the first step. If you recognize an area in your life where pride has not only taken root but has caused issues, then you are better able to combat it. If you cannot recognize the areas where pride has manifested itself or if that pride is sinful, asking God to show you where those areas are, is the best thing to do. Listening to God speak to you about it, will help you understand what needs to be done. Then ask God to help you exercise better control over it.
At one time my husband was very prideful in his job. That job and a few subsequent ones were taken away from him. He suffered some years until God showed him it was his pride that caused many of the job losses. It was a challenging lesson for him…and for me. But with God’s help, he recognized it and overcame it.
and the man, Amos, is one of the minor prophets of the Bible. His name means “burden” or “burden bearer” and he was a man of burden as he delivered prophecies of judgment on the nations surrounding Israel and Israel itself. He lived about ten miles from Jerusalem and Bible scholars have dated his ministry between 750 and 760 BC, at the time of King Uzziah, when the nation of Israel had been divided into two nations for 150 years
So how does this verse correlate to today’s society?
America celebrates its 244th birthday today. The fourth of July. The day the Declaration of Independence was signed by America’s forefathers. Thinking back on my childhood, Independence Day meant picnics and barbecues, fun and fireworks, and spending time with friends and family. Articles and television broadcasts covered the valiant struggle to achieve Independence. But as a child, I focused on the fun aspect of the day and not on the battles or the loss of life. Most, if not all, of those childhood memories, have been shattered by a deadly virus that has claimed the lives of more than 132 thousand people. On the heels of this deadly plague, we have the destruction of property and monuments through protests and violence.
Focusing on the good times of the past and trying to enjoy the day is a dream when I can’t visit my community’s gorgeous outdoor pool because I need to make an appointment and have a limited time frame for that visit. Do I even want to attempt to schedule a time (if there are any available) or do I just stay home and possibly go see fireworks to have a celebration?
Most, if not all the firework displays have been canceled. So that’s out. But maybe there will be displays on television that I could watch, but it’s not the same. Parks and beaches are closed. Boat ramps are closed. Many restaurants are closed or are open to half capacity. We’re destined to stay home just as authorities dictated. Nothing is as it was.
Based on this list, I’d say the United States is well on its way to complete destruction. But, wait. Do we want to give up our way of life because research has shown this happened in the Hittite Empire, the Western Roman Empire, the Gupta Empires in India, the Han and Tang dynasties in China, and the Mayans? Or do we fight like the ancestors this nation fought for a well-earned liberation?
Our first independence was fraught with the sound of cannons and guns, but I would hope today’s fight would be fought on our knees. I’m but one of the millions who have been praying for our nation, our leaders, and our people. All people.
