Living in Sad Saturday

Traditionally, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday has been called Holy Saturday. It is considered by many to be a day of reflection on the completed work of Jesus at the cross.

The gospels tell us that the day after Jesus died was the Sabbath day. This, of course, was the Jewish day of rest. It also explains why Jesus’ body was removed so quickly from the cross. For the Jew, it was a defilement for a dead body to remain exposed for long periods. This is why Joseph of Arimathea rushed so quickly to retrieve and bury the body of Jesus before the Sabbath began at Sundown. Pilate, being obliged to keep the peace with the Jews, granted the request.

Oh the Wonder

There are some things that happen which cause us to gaze in amazement. As the snow fell this morning, I was refreshed and strangely mesmerized by its beauty and calm. My son was up early, and upon seeing the white out the window, insisted on running out in his pajamas. Call us bad parents, but we let him. It was joy for us to see him so enraptured and excited.

It’s how I felt at church yesterday. I watched people worship Jesus with passion, engage in the Word of God, and respond to the gospel. As we prayed for 5 new believers who came forward, a holy awe filled the room. We were weeping with tears of joy and amazement at the life changing power of Christ.

I think it brought God joy. Not only to see the lost saved, but to see his people so happy in His presence.

I pray you have a wondrous week.

Isaiah 29:14 – Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Wednesday Night Recap

Tonight at church the unexpected happened. God showed up. Isn’t that a tragic statement? Not that God showed up, but that I wasn’t expecting it… at least I wasn’t expecting it in the way that He chose to do so.

I expected Him to be present in our time of worship, and He was. I expected Him to be present as we studied His Word, and He certainly spoke through pastor Ron’s beautiful and timely message in the first half of 1 Corinthians 15.

I wasn’t expecting God to turn me into a fountain of blubbering tears in front of everyone at church during our closing worship set. During worship, the Holy Spirit simply told me these words: “Now is the time.” Time for what? I wasn’t sure. So I told the church, “Now is the time” not knowing what to expect. After a brief moment of awkwardness, the front of the building started filling up with people coming forward to receive the Lord’s power for their lives.

It was the time.

For chains to be broken.

For apathy to be shed.

For hearts to be healed.

For power to be given.

Maybe tonight, or as you’re reading this, now is the time for you to be transformed in some way by Jesus. Just ask Him.

As I watched, listened to sincere prayers, and thought about how much Jesus loves His church and the lost, I lost it. I don’t cry a lot, and can usually compose myself… but not this night.

I felt embarrassed and ashamed, but only for a moment. If Paul wasn’t ashamed to look a little foolish and crazy for the sake of Jesus, why should I be? (2 Cor. 5:13) After all, if we can’t weep with Jesus for the lost and share His passion for His work, than maybe there is something a little off in us.

At any rate, through our weakness God is doing something special here at Crossroads. I can’t believe I get to see it with my own eyes and share it with so many amazing people.

Onward. Upward.

John 11:35 – Jesus wept.