APRIL

- April 01, 2023

"...He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still with you in Galilee, 'the Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and, on the third day, be raised again." -Luke 24:6-7

I will never forget having my kindergarten class sit with me on our classroom carpet as I told them the story behind Easter. After the story, I did my "teacherly duty" to check for understanding. One of the questions I asked them was "What held Jesus on the cross?" I was expecting "nails" but one of my kiddos blew that idea out of the water.

What held Jesus on the cross?

"His love for us"

That six year old was so sure of himself, and he could not have been more right.

The inspiration behind this painting came a few years later as I watched my students create a cross with fresh flowers.

I remember being in such awe that God would take a symbol like the cross and turn it on its head. The cross was a symbol of torture, death, humiliation, and punishment in the first century world. Yet God used it to bring about healing, life, dignity, and redemption.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

-Isaiah 61:1-3

I see so much beauty and irony of the cross laced within Isaiah's words:

If you are poor...there is good news

If you are in captivity...there is freedom

If you are a prisoner...there is light

If you mourn...there is comfort

If you grieve...God Himself provides for you

If you are covered in ashes...He crowns you with beauty

If you are mourning...He pours the oil of joy over your head

If you are in despair...He clothes you with praise

I enjoy fresh flowers, so it was fun that these were real flowers filling up that cross symbol. The thing is, in order for a flower to bloom there's a seed that has to die. In order for us to have eternal life, Christ Jesus had to die. The cross is the ultimate reminder that no matter how terrible a situation, God can and does work it for good. Now, I confess there is a little twinge in my stomach as I type that. I grew up in Christian culture that often slapped Romans 8:28 on any and every situation. It happened so frequently that I grew cold to that verse. It felt like a band-aid on a chest that really needed open heart surgery. In life today, right here and now...God is showing me that both of these are true:

"...in all things God works for the good of those who love Him..."

AND

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

So, if you are hurting today there is hope if you want it. Hope that says, "God can and will work _______for good." That is in His word (Rom. 8:28) and His word is strong and steadfast.

Also, if you are hurting today and that just doesn't feel helpful let me also say, "He is close to you in this brokenness, He is not going to leave, and when you weep you never weep alone."

(Ps. 34:18, John 14:16, John 11:35)

Both sets of promises are true.

One more thing I want to add is a quote from my favorite musician. May they be an encouragement to you like they are to me.

"...and sometimes horrible things happen. But sometimes God uses the most horrible things to bring the most amount of beauty out. Sometimes God even uses death to bring life. Sometimes redemption is hiding behind the uglist and most horrific acts in human history. But if God can bring redemption out of even His own son's death, then surely whatever you're going through right now, maybe -just maybe- there's redemption waiting there for you too." - Mike Donehey

April Challenge

I'm not promising a challenge each month :) But Romans 5 speaks a lot about the cross, so I've got another challenge for you today!

Print off the scripture page found here: scripture

Mark with colored pencils, highlighters, whatever you like every occurrence of:

1. God

2. recipient of the letter

(in this case, all the pronouns)

I like to distinguish between Father, Son, and Spirit (see example) but you definitely don't have to do it that way. I have found the easiest way for me to do it is to read and mark every occurrence of God. Then go back and read it again and mark every occurrence of us. This way, you are reading the scripture over and over again, which is a really good thing.

When you are finished, note what you find. Make a list of everything the passage says about God. Then make a list of everything the passage says about us. Use your colored markings to help you. I am including some Journal Pages for you to use if you like. You can certainly use whatever is best for you!

I did the first 5 verses to show you an example. There is really no right or wrong way to do this. The point is to be in the word of God. If you are spending time in His word, you are doing this challenge right! If you enjoy this method of study, you can make lists for all kinds of words to see what scripture says about them!