Hi Sweet Friends,
I’m sitting down with my pen and paper (Yes, I still do it the old-fashioned way) not even knowing what I’ll write. But I’m trusting God for words since His are the only ones that matter. Either God works on our behalf or we might as well stay in bed. My editors, meaning my children, remind me to be concise. My main editor, meaning my daughter Rebecca, says that I don’t want to scare someone off with a lengthy text. My publisher, meaning Thomas Berry, has given me free reign. My audience, meaning Kevin, encourages me to go for it. So, with my trusted staff behind me, I want to launch out to wrap up the remainder of the Seamless study and have you join us in the ladies’ study of the big picture of Scripture and the great story of God always coming after us and for us.
I certainly don’t want to leave us where my last letter left off, wandering in the desert and demanding that God give us “more” than Himself. That would be a terrible end to the human story. No hope. Us left to ourselves is the worst of all scenarios. We need to be rescued. Have I got some great news for you, just hang on. I always marvel at the tenacity of God in the pursuit of His creation. Time after time, mankind, even His chosen people, turn aside, rebel, reject God, and side with the enemy of our souls. And time after time, God rescues, pursues, and provides. All through the Old Testament we see God sending discipline to correct and redirect and awaken His people and even those who didn’t claim to be His. We see God sending judges and prophets to teach, instruct, enlighten, and direct. He allows His people to suffer the consequences of their disobedience and choices. The Old Testament ends with prophecies and murmurings of a great rescue. But who? How? So glad you asked. Turn the page with me hundreds of years later into the New Testament and feel the winds of change blowing. What is this all about? Could it finally be?
Let’s remember the circumstances of the New Testament in which Israel finds itself. Tossed to and fro as a nation for centuries because they would not obey God and His Word to them, the Jewish people are under Roman rule. They are allowed to follow their Jewish religious customs, but Rome has the power and say in their lives. They long for the Messiah that is promised by the prophets of old to come and set them free. They don’t have the whole story written out as we do; they are living it. When would it finally happen? They begin hearing rumors of angel appearances to an old man and a young girl. There are strangers who look like kings visiting and asking questions, and there is the ordered mass murder of their infant sons. There is a crazy guy hollering in the desert and baptizing people. Why are so many people interested? Then there is a man with a following of people begging Him for healing and provision. What exactly do they think He will do for them? What exactly do they want? Do they have any idea what they really need?
I read an excellent article by Michael Gerson in the April 15, 2017, edition of The Paducah Sun called “The Hope of Pardon and Peace.” Reading it makes me think of Good Friday in a different way. We often read Scripture as a record of accounts from the past, and so they are. But that’s not all they are. What’s the bigger picture, the back of the tapestry, the one great story? The author of the article points out the terrible darkness of that day, not just the facts about it. On that day, “Nearly every human institution is revealed at its worst.” Government fails at justice, religious leaders are saving their own skin, the “followers” of Christ go from praising Him to mob-cursing Him, the closest friends betray and abandon. Then there is the terrible torture and the question that so unnerves us, “Why have You forsaken me?” I’ve long tried to make sense and reason of that question and have come up with sloppy answers. I only know that hopelessness and forsakenness are our human condition since the garden. It is the penalty of sin in to which we are all born. Sin must be paid for; it cannot be pushed under the rug. Christ came to pay it by experiencing the forsakenness and despair for us. God brought Himself to that point for us so that He might redeem and rescue us from it. I don’t believe that Jesus suffered physically more than any other man or His death was the most painful one ever suffered, though it was indescribably horrific. But it is the fact that it is our Creator Himself becoming like His creation and suffering the forsakenness of His creation in order to rescue His creation that makes it all so unthinkable. (Phil. 2:5-9) And why did He ask “Why?” I don’t know. He knows all things. Maybe the words are as much for our sake as the sacrifice is. He knows our pain. He knows our despair. He knows our scream of “Why?” It was the darkest of days. There wasn’t much good that Friday. Gerson says, “Every ember of human hope was cold, and there was nothing to be done about it.”
What on earth did His followers think, those who knew He would become king and overthrow Rome and Israel would once again thrive as a super power? No more suffering. No more being pushed around as the little guy. What about those who believed Him to be the true Messiah and banked everything on it? Now, He is just gone. Gone! And from the lips of all believers spill the words, “But I thought…” Don’t we utter these very words with broken hearts and tear-stained face from time to time in our lives? We thought this would look different. We thought this would come through. We thought there would be healing. We thought there would be joy. We thought it would be different. But just as Good Friday is not the end of the story, your darkest day is also not the end of yours.
“Then something happened,” says Gerson. Those may well be the best words ever written. Amidst darkness and despair and all hope gone, something happened. Jesus did not stay dead. He defeated the enemy of our souls, He defeated death, He fulfilled the purpose for which He came, He paid the penalty of death and forsakenness for us, He bought our freedom and our acceptance by God as His child. It’s a different freedom than the Jews were looking for, and most of them missed Him, but not all. His friends that left Him on Friday built the church and spread the gospel and most died martyrs death for it. The fact that our Savior lives and salvation is given to us because of what He did, not us, we have a unique rescue story, different than all the world and far superior to what anyone else has to offer. Please read Ephesians 2 for a beautiful summary of Christ’s work on behalf of all man, not just the Jews. He includes everyone, to which I humbly say, “Thank You.” And before you think that’s the end of the story, the New Testament is full of instruction and encouragement and hope for our future.
I can fill a postage stamp with all that I know about the second coming of Christ and Revelation and a new heaven and new earth and our eternal reign with Christ. I‘ve been taught and I’ve read, but it’s pretty fuzzy to me. When I was little, my family used to sing in church. Mom played the piano, my teenage sister would probably rather have not been there, my daddy sang bass, and my older sister, Laura, would belt it out like nobody’s business. Having nothing to offer musically with my lack of volume and speech impediment, I was the cute factor. My daddy would stand me on the end of the piano bench so I could be seen and he would whisper, “Sing, girls,” into the back of our heads between verses. We were the Duke family. One of the first songs I remember singing as a family was “Jesus Is Coming Soon.” I could sing it for you right now if you like. I knew every word by heart with little or no understanding of what it meant. Still true today. As I grew up and heard sermons on the second coming of Christ it fairly scared me to death. There was always the “what if” factor. What if I wasn’t ready? What if I wasn’t really saved? What if I was left? What if I missed Him? Maturity and Scripture assures me that my salvation is based on the work of Jesus on my behalf alone and my acceptance of His payment for me. He bought me for God. (Rev 5:9) God forgives me for Christ’s sake. (Ephesians 4:32 KJV) I am sealed with the Holy Spirit for eternity. (Ephesians 1:13) I am the gift that they give each other. How humbling! How loved and cherished I am! How wanted! How much am I worth? I am worth Jesus. He is my payment for living all eternity with Him in the presence of my Creator as He intended all along. Ephesians 1 tells us He planned it before creation. He gave everything to rescue His creation and make us His forever.
Great story! It’s God’s story. It’s my story. It’s your story. The last question in our Seamless study is, “How are you living your life to tell His story?” Great question. I long to answer it faithfully every day. Let’s do it together. God made us to tell and live His story together. We reflect the character of God better together. Your giftings and personality reflect characteristics of God differently than mine; and mine yours. We reflect His character best to a needy world when we are doing it lovingly and selflessly together. I need you, sweet friend. I don’t want to do life without you. You are God’s gift to me. Lord make us faithful.
Spoiler alert; WE WIN!!!!!!!!
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