Tagged: Easter

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Matthew 28:6-7 Today I visited the place where my loss once lay, Yet the tomb of my trauma was empty. Where death should have been Where I know it once was, There was no death to see.   The voice of the angel Startled me, Jolted me out of my confused reverie, Your loss has risen From the dead, Your Lord has gone ahead.   Now you rise, Wipe those tears from your eyes, Hope again, Run again, Go and… Read More

Having said these things, Jesus left with His disciples and went across the ravine of the Kidron. There was a garden there, which He and His disciples entered.  John 18:1 God gives us gardens on our darkest night. Over a millennium before this black night of betrayal, another king left Jerusalem and crossed the ravine of the Kidron. Yet there is no reference to a garden there. Instead, he continued, climbing barefoot with his head covered, to the Mount of Olives as the people wept aloud. His name was King David, and he too had been betrayed. You can read his story in 2 Samuel 15.  The Kidron Valley has long been a theater for history’s most tragic parades. On the eve of his death,… Read More

He said to her, “Dear woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Mary answered, thinking he was only the gardener, “Sir, if you have taken his body somewhere else, tell me and I will go and…” “Mary,” Jesus interrupted her. Turning to face him, she said “Rabboni!” (Aramaic for “my teacher”). John 20:15-16 dear: beloved, loved, much loved, adored, cherished, precious, esteemed, respected Where I live, a common address of another person is loved one.  What if that was the first thought of greeting we had for others, the primary characteristic of their identity to us? Jesus called Mary loved. Loved is not the first thing we usually answer when asked who we are. Especially if we are women. We sing songs… Read More

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalm 62:5 What is wrong with that lady? My daughter’s question came as we enjoyed a hike along one of Pennsylvania’s peaceful rivers. The warm weather was a fluke. Just a week earlier there had been a white-out when snow falls so fast and thick that all you can see out the window is white. In the strangest way, it reminded me of the sandstorms of the Sahara where we once lived, but those would have had to be called a “yellow-out”, which doesn’t quite roll off the tongue so nicely. But back to the lady. What lady, sweetheart?  I looked at my dear girl’s normally happy face, which was… Read More

Unless a corn of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 The mountain perches on the fine line between winter and spring. The steep forest floor is dotted with tiny green shoots, leaves unfurling like a child peeking out from the covers in early morning to see if it’s time to get up. Scattered in the gray deadened brambles of last year’s life are empty seed shells. The abandoned homes of winged creatures hang from old milkweed stalks, their occupants long since flown away. Cracked and decaying acorns crunch under my feet as I hike the mountain trail, marveling at the ancient oaks giving me shade. Brave and strong, new peony stalks… Read More

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Acts 1:14 The suffering of our children changes us.   The last time we saw Mary, she was standing at the foot of the cross, watching a mother’s worst nightmare. Her beloved Son, the Firstborn who made her a mother, was dying. When Jesus saw the mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:26-27 But Jesus rose again. He conquered death and all the trauma surrounding it. Mary could… Read More

And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:36-38, NET I’ve always been a flinger. For the first three decades of my life, I rarely spread anything before the Lord. Spread sounds so calm. So careful. I tend instead to fling my cares before Him, cast my cries up to heaven, throw myself at His feet. Sometimes I come dancing and shouting. That’s how… Read More

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.Matthew 27:45 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that… Read More

@audreycfrank When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). This is Mary, the one who knew she was loved by the Lord. Mary, the one who sat at his feet and listened. She was the woman who broke the cultural stereotype of the day that said women could not be students, disciples of the Rabbi. Mary is the one who “chose the thing that was better” (see Luke 10:42). One day this same Mary would anoint Jesus' feet with expensive perfume before his crucifixion (see John 12:1-8). Mary had a strong measure of confidence in her relationship with Jesus. She knew… Read More

@audreycfrank And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:36-38, NET My early introduction to the Easter season was a small country church where little girls like me wore new dresses, hats, gloves, and white patent leather shoes. We awoke to Easter baskets left by the Easter bunny, overflowing with chocolate and jelly beans. After church, we would race around the churchyard searching for… Read More