Redemption
The Permanent Victory of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
Easter time remains one of the most memorable weeks of year for me. When I was young, I enjoyed attending sun-rise services where we awakened the dawn with shouts of “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!”
In 1974, I was privileged to spend Easter in the Holy Land where an early dawn prayer time at Golgotha and a visit to the Empty Tomb stand out as cherished memories.
Twenty years later, I participated in mid-week prayer meetings in our hometown–every day of the week–leading up to Resurrection Day. Good Friday always included a “Walk with the Cross” through town, praying for our friends and neighbors and thanking God for His greatest of gifts. This Good Friday we will walk the cross again for the 25th year in a row.
Easter is special, world-changing, cosmos altering.
It celebrates the permanent victory of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Why is Christmas the World’s Most Celebrated Holiday? Part 1
In thirteen days, three-quarters of the world will celebrate Christmas–the world’s largest holiday. Over 2 billion people will worship the One whose birth it honors.
Why is Christmas the most celebrated holiday? Because there is no one who has influenced the world more than Jesus of Nazareth.
Over the next few weeks I’d like to re-share some thoughts on why Jesus is so special. I will add some material from my new book–River of God: Where Religion Began and Why Grace and Love Will Triumph which debuts in February, 2018.
Christmas is the biggest because there is no one like Jesus.
The Devil’s Advantage & Christ’s Eternal Hope
The most horrific church massacre in U.S. history at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas reveals many things.
We sadly see the face of evil once again and the carnage that comes from it. We view the heroism of the Good Samaritans who shot and chased down the despicable murderer.
We hear the clamor for stricter gun laws and the response that no laws could have prevented this crime and that Texas-carry laws actually prevented more deaths.
But what are the larger lessons? I submit they include the devil’s momentary advantage and Christ’s eternal hope.