Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX

I have Star Walk on my I-pad and this is one of the pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope.  As I looked through the pictures I got to thinking about some of the explanations I have heard about the beginning of the Universe. One of those explanations was (paraphrased in language I can speak and to the best of my understanding) that there was a mass about the size of a quarter that exploded and formed space as we know it.  I still cannot imagine that and where did that super quarter come from.  Must have been one heavy infinitesimal spot in an infinite space.  Somehow it had to get there and someone had to stick the match to it.  Could I dare say that maybe God was around orchestrating it all.  God being involved sure makes more sense than some how it just happened to be there all by itself in a room so big you never get to the wall.  If I was a betting man I would surely have to bet on God.  He is the one who made the stars in the picture and He is the One Who sent His Son, the brightest star of all,  to tell us the Way, the Truth and the Life.   God is there whether we choose to believe or not.  His Son is our Savior whether we choose to believe it or not. They love us whether we choose to love them or not.  What makes more sense?  God or random nothingness!  As for me and my house I choose God.

Have a great day, blessed and full of the peace of God,

Randy

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” ²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”   ²⁸Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”     ²⁹Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas has taken a bad rap for lots of years and I am not sure he deserved it.  Whether he deserved it or not is still unknown.  We do know that he is the one who said “let us go also so that we may die with Him”.  Sounds like an awful brave man to me.  He may not have been the one full of faith but he definitely was willing to go to the death at that time with Jesus.  Says something about him that does not include doubt.  Perhaps he was the type of person who was upset/disappointed by the loss of the human Jesus that he knew and expected to be the savior of the Jewish race.  We know Thomas would ask questions to try to understand because in John 14 we see him say to Jesus, “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Brave, curious and trying to understand the mystery of Jesus.  That’s what I see in Thomas. 

One other thought about Thomas is that in his seeing Jesus and believing He has risen from the dead, he gives us all hope.  When Jesus tells him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,”  we all who are believers today hear a blessing pronounced upon us all.  We have not see and yet we believe.

Yes, there are times when we are brave and stand up for Jesus.  Yes, there are times when we question things Jesus says because we just don’t understand and yes, there are times when Jesus is real enough to us to feel His wounds.  Thomas may have doubted the resurrection of Jesus but his love for Him never faltered. 

What I have learned from Thomas is that it is okay for us to be brave and bold in our witness, to not understand what Jesus is saying to us and to have doubts about the mystery but our love for our Savior must never falter.

God’s Peace and Blessings,

Randy

I found this info on this website – http://ilifejourney.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/why-is-it-called-good-friday/

First called Holy or Great Friday by the Greek Church, the name “Good Friday” was adopted by the Roman Church around the sixth or seventh century. Among the possible origins for the term “Good Friday” there are two that are most plausible.

The first may have come from the Gallican Church in Gaul (modern-day France and Germany). The name “Gute Freitag” is Germanic in origin and literally means “good” or “holy” Friday. The second possibility is a variation on the name “God’s Friday,” where the word “good” was used to replace the word “God,” which was often viewed as too holy to be spoken aloud.

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I posted this slideshow of sunsets because they are a part of God’s creation that really inspires me.  They are from California and Texas.  Some were from La Jolla, some from Little Cypress, some from WOS Stadium and some from Orangefield Jr. High but they are all from God.  They make me want to look every evening for the next gift God has given us.  I hope you enjoy them and can see God in them. 

God’s Peace and Blessings,

Randy

Good Friday????  I watched “The Passion of the Christ” by Mel Gibson along with our Bible Study group the last two Wednesdays.   I didn’t see much Good going on around Jesus.   While the movie was made with theatrics in Mel’s mind there probably is a lot of truth in what we saw, at least as far as the cruelty of men is concerned.  Good Friday.  I am still wrestling with why/how we could come up with a term for such a brutal day for any man, especially our Savior.  The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church has no answer in it for why it is called “Good Friday”.  I am not suggesting a change but I am curious how the term “Good Friday” was first applied.  Just wondering why.  As a Pastor perhaps I should know this answer but for the life of me I cannot come up with one.  I guess I have always accepted the “Good Friday” term without applying a “why” to it.   I understand the sacrifice and know that it was endured for all our sakes and know that it is a “Good Thing” for all of us but is that why it is called “Good Friday”?   Got some answers???  I am interested! 

God’s Peace and Blessings,

Randy

Well we finished the movie “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson tonight at our Wednesday Bible Study.  Most of us have seen it once before, but I for one had forgotten how brutal the movie portrays the beating/scourging of Christ.  For me it was again hard to watch even though I know it is just a theatrical rendering of research done by Mel Gibson.  Perhaps it was just this brutal, perhaps it was worse.  For sure Gibson used all of the cinematography available to remind us just how brutal humanity can be and the Romans were no exception.  Perhaps they were an exception in that they were more brutal than most.  The Jewish leadership that forced the crucifixion of Jesus was just as guilty as the Roman Pilate and his guards.  Jesus said to Pilate in John 19:11,  “That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”  Today we must remember that humanity back then was just as capable as humanity is now, of being guilty of the sin of denying Jesus Christ.

Throughout the movie we saw Jesus flashing back and saying things like “Forgive your enemies”, “Pray for your enemies”, “Love each other as I have loved you”, even as He was being beaten.   As abused as He was He never faltered from the path set before Him.  He calls us to do the same and never falter from the path He has set before us.  What we always need to remember is that while Jesus lived His life without sin we will never be able to fulfil the example He has set before us.  It is enough for us to do our best and know that Jesus loves us enough to cover us with His blood so that we are not seen as guilty by our Father in Heaven. 

The Passion of Jesus Christ is about our God and our Savior loving us enough to give the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Joh 15:13  The greatest love a man can have is to give up His life for a friend.  The Man was Jesus, the friend is you.  Receive this gift from your friend this Easter and receive your salvation.  Remember that the suffering that is faced on Friday is followed by life eternal on Sunday.

God’s Peace and Blessings,

Randy