AT THE CROSS

Easter is just around the corner;  it is about an EMPTY TOMB.  But without the sacrifice on the cross there would be no Resurrection; there would be no Easter.  OVER 500 reliable witnesses saw the Risen Jesus; that is a pretty amazing testimony.  Fewer than that are required to convict a criminal, fewer than that number have changed an election outcome, fewer than 500 are the number of souls living in our former corner of the world – 84 according to the number on the Strawberry CA marker at 5280 feet in the Central Sierra.

As we have spent the last four years on the road, we have noticed countless churches with AMAZING artistic renditions of the cross. “The Cross made a difference for me” says a famous old hymn and several modern renditions of that song, of that statement.  We see crosses on walls,  Pastor Tom had quite a number on his office wall;  I have several items of jewelry containing a cross.  We see them front and center in the various churches that we visit as we travel.   YES,  as Christians we are fascinated by the CROSS.  I asked a young man if his was a statement of faith or an item of decoration.  He said after a moment of thought,  “Some of both;  my grandma gave it to me!”   Along with her prayers I would imagine!!

For an ugly form of intimidation, of painful and long suffering death, artists have certainly “cleaned it up!”   The ROMANS used crucifiction as a tool of terror to prevent insurrection, to punish, and to intimidate the various cultures that they conquered.  It could take as long as three DAYS for the person to die of the inability to lift his body enabling the taking of a breath.  TORTURE!! 

But Jesus Christ, our Savior, gave his life that we believers might inherit ETERNAL LIFE!  What a LOVE, what a sacrifice, and we continue to celebrate the CROSS and the EMPTY TOMB.  Praise GOD the tomb is empty and we serve a Risen Savior…he is in the world today despite the efforts AGAIN to intimidate through propaganda, fake news, and the disrespect of HISTORY.  Happy Easter, admire a cross,  be a follower of Jesus and PRAISE GOD for his love of us sinners, for all have sinned and fallen short of the GLORY of Almighty GOD!!

 

CHANGES / MOVES

 

In our drives to doctor’s appointments as we “move our doctors to Arizona”  we see a forest of Sugauro cacti!  We have read that the main “trunk” of that plant takes 75 to 100 years to put out it’s first “nose or arm”  So we have been calling that the SECOND Generation.   THEN  we started looking for noses and arms on THOSE arms and discovered that like our human families the second generation starts to put out noses and arms.  So with one trunk you can see three generations.  That does not happen frequently in the cactus in this area.  But we are faithful in observing these amazing creations, and having seven great grandchildren ourselves, are especially aware of the phenomena of a THIRD GENERATION in the Saguaro forests we drive through.  We have NOT been south to the Sugauro National Monument down by Tucson.  Something for the “to do list” for next year!!

 

We are missing our grands and greats having been nearly three months down here in cactus land.  Still have Martha’s eyes and Tom’s skin cancer to clear up in the months of March and April.  All I wanted was a new prescription for glasses when I was told that I needed to get rid of the cataracts first.   I guess that “slow growing” cataracts can become FAST GROWING as they were still in the future as of last year in Sonora.  Oh well, I guess we are now IN THE FUTURE!  We are closer to care here 6 miles east of Wenden then we were 6 miles west of Salome the last two winters.   It is starting to warm up though.  We have had to turn on the A/C in the pickup the last couple of trips to Phoenix!!

 

Missing Easter at our Tuolumne Church and Palm Sunday at Morgan Chapel there on Wards Ferry Road will be disconcerting.  And the Mount Calvary Lutheran will be missing my organ trumpet duets with Clyde on Easter Sunday!!    We are so glad that we have found a welcoming, Spirit filled church here at HOPE AZ.  The carved sign on the way home from church is back in place after being redone thanks to some vandals.  “Fools names and fools faces seem to appear in public spaces!”  Sad -   The sign  says WELCOME to Hope on the east side, and You are beyond HOPE on the west side!!   It puts a smile on MOST FACES,  but evidently the vandals were not in that group.

 

So in case I miss wishing you a BLESSED EASTER I hope that you are blessed by worshiping with your church family wherever you are.  John 3:16 – 17  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have ever lasting life.  For GOD sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved!

His resurrection is the proof of GOD’s awesome POWER,  be sure you know HIM and TRUST HIM with each of YOUR DAYS!!