I went to Virginia last week to visit my dad who is getting ready to go Home to glory.  At age 90 He is dying of cancer, old age, and pain.  We had a great visit.  On the flight back, I thought that since I wouldn’t see him again this side of Paradise, maybe a letter from me in, every other day, might encourage him and help him to accept his condition & be able to leave this world in peace.  I am sorry that he doesn’t live out here, where he belongs, so we could minister to him in person.  There is still a lot I want to to tell him, but he can only take so much at a time.  So I thought I would write a number of letters, and prayerfully he might be blessed by my impressions and inspirations from our last time together.

I am going to share them with you as well in a blog series entitled

“Letters for Dad”.  I hope they will bring to you comfort, inspiration, hope, and the joy of looking forward to our new home with Jesus.  He is preparing that place even now.

Letter #1

March 7, 2014   Hey Dad, — Just Got Home!

Sorry to hear that you had a tough night.   It sounds like things are going to get better today.

It was wonderful seeing you for one last time this side of Paradise. I enjoyed our day alone most of all.  It was great remembering with you, kind of reliving your history, our history, laughing and crying together. So much of what we talked about resonates with my soul, most of all our common commitment to Christ and how it all came about.

You left home in Virginia to join the navy, fight in the war alongside your greatest generation brothers and sisters.  I can’t tell you how proud I am of you and your participation in the greatest naval invasion in history.  You were there at Normandy and experienced the horror of war.  And then you went on to the Pacific theater to help launch the Marines on island after island.  God was with you and the Navy, giving you miracle after miracle, victory after victory, always sparing your life in some of the greatest naval battles of all time.

Then you met mom and she would change your life forever.  And you would save her from the life of misery that would have surely been hers if she had followed in the path of her family.  But you rescued her from all of that and gave her the stability and love that she so desperately needed.  There is no doubt in my mind that it was God’s plan for you both.

Next thing you know you had 3 kids in tow.

You mentioned how when we first met your heart was blessed to hold me.  And now having embraced you for the last time in this dark, fallen world, we blessed each other again, knowing this was not the last hug, because the best hugs are still before us.   For you it is just around the corner.  Who knows, it might be for me too. Only God knows.   He is the source of our confidence.  Because of Jesus our re-union is assured.  By the way, you always gave the best hugs!

We talked about your mom, Lillian and her faith – in Jesus. She was determined to have me baptized.  While we moved out west and she never stopped praying for us. We never left her heart.  It was her prayers that Jesus finally answered by penetrating my life, mind heart and soul, setting the new course for my life, a course that would alter our family history for all eternity.

As a new Christian my first desire was to share with you and mom so that you would become a part of my new found Family in Christ.  Remember those long talks we had in the back yard?  You were my first convert, the first one that I ever led to the Lord.  And then soon mom followed.

Your mother’s persistence in prayer was beginning to bear fruit. It took a few decades, but she persisted in prayer & won the victory.  Now 45 years later, you are on the precipice of that last step of faith,  to leave your old body behind, and be set free to join your mother and my mother in that place that Jesus called Paradise.  In the blink of an eye, you will be there.

I love you dad, and I will never forget!  – Mike

Matthew 10:28-31 (with a few modifications)

28     “Don’t be afraid of that cancer that wants to kill your body; It cannot touch your soul.

We fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

29     What is the price of two sparrows— one copper coin?  But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without our Father knowing it.

30     And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

31     So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than all the critters in the whole world.

Corum Deo, Pastor Mike

I recently read an article about the logical incoherence of Atheism.
It quoted a blog that appeared in “First Things” in 1993.
Philip Johnson was challenging the atheists out there with the grand statement of “Sez Who?”

The new pop-atheists are the young “millennialists” of our day who have bought the lie of their professors who assured them that religion was bogus and based on “faith” while they themselves were imparting the “truth” that would set these young folk free from the shackles of religion and lead them into the utopia of a godless society.

But there is a huge error in their thinking. It is known as the “modernist impasse”. It is where their logic breaks down and crumbles into dust.
Their position is that there is no Creator, no God, who set things in motion.
They simply believe that in faith. They claim that all of our life on this planet is due to some great cosmic “accident” that set evolution in motion and after millions of years here we are today. That is a giant leap of faith.

Every mode of thinking requires belief in basic unprovable presuppositions.
Science, in this respect, is no different than theology. Those basic presuppositions are themselves unprovable, but they set the trajectory for every thought that follows.

And they (the liberal thinking intelligencia) are the ones who get to decide the big questions of life. Evolution, they argue, is simply “settled science” that requires no belief. Really? Sez who? Religion, on the other hand, is a faith system that is based in a totally different way of knowing—a form of knowing that requires belief and faith. Really? Sez who?

Most scientist would be willing to admit that there is no such thing as “settled science.” There is a state of scientific consensus at any given time, and science surely has its reigning orthodoxies. But science is never settled. It is always changing as we discover more and more. Are their egos so big as to declare that we have arrived and know all that there is to know?
The very nature of science is to test and retest hypotheses and to push toward new discoveries. Scientists today believe a lot different they did back in the 1500s. And I am willing to bet that by the time we reach 2020, science will have changed it’s idea about a lot of things. Science is far from being settled.

So in using their logic, what is moral and immoral?
In order to do this right, (they say) it is important for them to throw all religion out the window, and use their own reasoning to come up with the answers. After all, enlightened thinkers know that reason rules, right?
So in deciding what is right and what is wrong the question will always come up, “Sez Who?” Who gets to decide and why?

Was the extermination of millions upon millions of people in the 20th century right or wrong? What is the basis for your answer? Who or what gives you the right to decide? Is it a majority vote? Is it politicians in power or the judges who get to decide? Or is rather something you have a “gut” feeling about. For every person who believes one way, there is another who thinks differently.

This is quite a problem for those who want us to believe that there is no God, hence no purpose or reason behind life on our planet, other than what we make of it. So we get to decide. And what, then, gives us the moral authority to make the decisions?

Today’s pop-atheists seem untroubled about the moral and intellectual implications of their assertions. This only goes to show that they really operate in a logical inconsistency. The really sad thing is that they can’t see it. They are reasoning in a totally illogical way, breaking their own rules when it suits them.

A great example of this is their desire to get all moral laws off the books.
“You can’t legislate morality” they say. Well excuse me, but isn’t every law a moral statement of some kind or other. Whether you are for or against abortion, it is a moral statement. Whether marijuana should be legal or not is a moral statement. What makes something a sexual sin? Are there no absolutes in life? Sez who? You?

Columnist Charles M. Blow of The New York Times said in a recent column that extreme religious people had better not try to impose their morality.
And the politicians and judges and educators agree, especially when it comes to Christianity. But then they and their fellow “opinion shapers” of the left, work overtime imposing their own moral beliefs on America.
And they are starting their indoctrination in Kindergarten. Are they right?
“Sez who?”

Coram Deo, Pastor Mike

Most of us would like to assume that we’re the masters of our own thoughts. But marketing professor Jonah Berger argues that we’re influenced much more than we’d like to admit by “triggers” that fire off in our brain without us even knowing it. Triggers are subconscious thoughts that influence how we act.

A research team examined how music triggers can change how we shop at the supermarket. In grocery stores, different music brings a spike in a product associated with that music.  Play French music and you will sell more French wine.  Play Germanic music and people are more inclined to buy German wines, beers and other food items associated with that country.

Ironically, when we sent the Pathfinder expedition to explore Mars, there was so much news about it that the sales of Mars candy bars blasted off just like that rocket-ship.  Go figure!

Have you ever wondered why athletes go walking into the stadium complexes with elaborate and expensive head phones?  Are they just wanting to avoid the media questions, or other distractions?  For many they are preparing themselves for “battle”, listening to music that will trigger those thoughts of power and victory.

There are certain triggers in our culture that lead to the ruin and destruction of the lives of people around us, some of whom we love dearly.  We do this unwittingly, not realizing the horror of the effect of our actions.  I am referring to the use of Alcohol mainly, but the casual use of cigarettes, cannabis and other drugs as well.

Scripture has a lot to say about the use of Alcohol.

(Leviticus 10:9; Numbers 6:3; Deuteronomy 29:6; Judges 13:4, 7, 14; Proverbs 20:1; 31:4; Isaiah 5:11, 22; 24:9; 28:7; 29:9; 56:12).  By extension the same principles can be applied to the use of drugs.

Scripture does not forbid Christians from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. Alcohol is not, in and of itself, tainted by sin.  In fact, some Scriptures discuss alcohol in positive terms.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, “Drink your wine with a merry heart.”

Psalm 104:14-15  God gives wine “that makes glad the heart of men.” Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God’s blessing.

Isaiah 55:1 encourages, “Yes, come buy wine and milk…”

Christians who want to defend their drinking like to say that Jesus drank wine.  In fact his 1^st miracle was turning water into wine.  But remember, in New Testament times, the water was not very clean. Without modern sanitation, the water was often filled with bacteria, viruses, and all kinds of contaminants. The same is true in many third-world countries today. As a result, people often drank wine (or grape juice) because it was far less likely to be contaminated.

In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul was instructing Timothy to stop drinking the water (which was probably causing his stomach problems) and instead drink a little  wine. In that day, wine was fermented (containing alcohol), but not necessarily to the degree it is today. It is incorrect to say that it was grape juice, but it is also incorrect to say that it was the same thing as the wine commonly used today. The alcohol content today is off the charts. Drunkenness is rampant throughout the world.  When I ask young women in Asia what they are looking for in a marriage, the universal answer is “someone who doesn’t drink or smoke”!

It is drunkenness & addiction to alcohol that a Christian must absolutely refrain from (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:12). Drunkenness & addiction are sin. We are to avoid it at all costs.  The Bible condemns drunkenness and its effects (Proverbs 23:29-35). Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19).  Drinking in excess is undeniably addictive.

The improper use of alcohol is epidemic in our country.  Alcohol causes more deaths, destroys more marriages and abusive relationships than any other drug.  It is in a sense public enemy number one.  One out of 6 people who takes a drink, will become an alcoholic.  Genetically it can run in families, generation after generation of abuse and destruction. Many of our alcoholics are “functioning alcoholics”.  They are able to keep functioning in their employment, and even hide it from most family members.

Alcoholism and drug addiction are so very difficult to overcome.  That is why one of our best ministries here at Pathway is the “Meeting Place” where people can come, regardless of their addiction & find Christ centered help & encouragement.  People who are addicted can’t just “Stop it!” If you want to see a quick & funny video on this, go to the following web site on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow0lr63y4Mw

Once a person is clean and sober, to remain that way is the challenge they face every day.  There are many triggers that send addicts back into their old habits and destructive lifestyles. Some types of music, or songs can be the triggers that lead the recovering Christian back down that rabbit hole of destruction.  Another insidious trigger is other believers who are drinking alcohol or using.

We owe it to our recovering brothers to remove all stumbling blocks.   Believe me when I say, that they know when you have been drinking. That little breath mint can fool many, but not the one who is struggling.

When you have a BBQ or dinner gathering with your friends and alcohol is present or in use, a huge trigger is being pulled that can lead someone back into a life of destruction.  Why would we willing do that?  Paul lays the Biblical template for this in I Corinthians 8.  It is a must read!

Due to the Biblical concerns regarding alcohol and its horrific effects on our society, due to the easy temptation to consume alcohol in excess, and due to the possibility of causing offense and/or stumbling of others,

it is often best for a Christian to abstain from drinking alcohol.  I made that commitment to myself and to God when I became a follower of Jesus.  Alcoholism runs in my mother’s family.  She suffered much abuse.

Today I won’t even go into a liquor store for a newspaper, due to the possible of assumptions that people might think if they see me going in or coming out. We want to live lives that are above reproach.  And we surely do not want to be a stumbling block for others.

As you give thanks this year, and as you celebrate His coming, please do not be a stumbling block to others.  Do not be that “trigger”.  Put on that “trigger guard” of proper behavior in order to provide a safe and friendly environment for those you love and care about.

Veritas pro Christo et ecclesia, Pastor Mike

Two Witnesses Walk the ‘Endless Path of Misery’ Left by Super Typhoon Haiyan.  More than 10,000 feared dead as evangelical relief workers in Tacloban report devastation in Philippines. Tacloban is the highly urbanized capital of the province of Leyte (360 miles southeast of Manila).
After abandoning her van and walking for eight hours “over electrical posts and passing by dead people along the way,” Mary Ann Zamora (an emergency communications worker for World Vision) finally arrived in Tacloban, one of the Philippine cities worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan. (The locals call it Typhoon “Yolanda”.)  It was one of the world’s strongest storms in recorded history.  It is estimated to have been 3 & ½ times the strength of Hurricane Katrina.

Zamora says:
“The road we took last night looks like an endless path of misery. There are survivors approaching me, all are in tears, to ask for favors, to send messages to their worried relatives,”

Christian relief agencies, especially ones in Asia, were mobilizing teams to provide shelter, food, and medical care. Philippine officials say they expect the death toll to be over 10,000 in Tacloban alone. Air transports are bringing in blankets, plastic sheeting & shelters for the living, and body bags for the thousands upon thousands whose bodies litter the landscape.
You would be hearing a lot more about it, if a similar situation occurred in America.  And we would be asking the same thing the Philippine people are asking right now.  “Why does God allow such suffering?”

There is no quick and easy answer to this question, especially when it was your loved one who was washed out to sea.  To truly understand this living nightmare, we need to gain a perspective that is much larger than our circumstances. Because of our finite understanding, when we are hurt like this, we sit like Job and wonder “Where in the world is God”. When trouble like this hits, it is the number one question on everyone’s mind.  Why does God allow this to happen?   It is distressing that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no “credit” is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather.

Let me try and clarify a few things.  As God created the world, there was no suffering, no tears, no pain, no tragedies to make us wonder.  All of our suffering comes from the free will that God has given us, and our tendency to use that free will in choosing poorly.  As Adam and Eve fell, so all of creation fell with them.  The garden paradise that protected them was now gone, and they were now subject to the rage not only of mankind, but to the broken creation of nature herself.  Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake.

As we look at the 20th century alone we are horror struck by what happened, and most of it due to our own poor choices.  From the wars, to the killing fields, to the extermination camps, to the ethnic cleansing, disease and terrorist activity the suffering is in Biblical proportions.  Never in the history of the world has there been a century like the one we just finished. If you add to that the disease, and plagues and accidents, it is just too much to even comprehend.

So why doesn’t God just come down and stop it all?  Well, the truth is that He is getting ready to do just that.  But as we wait for the return of Jesus to bring peace and order to the world; the suffering rages on privately and worldwide.  The question we should be asking is why did God allow us to choose in the first place?  And why does He allow us to continue choosing today, given our bad track record?

He wants us to love Him freely.  He does not want androids or robots.  In order to love freely, we must have to choose.  And we do so every day. Most often we choose rather selfishly or poorly, if you will. For the most part, we are our own main concern.  We choose the things that we think are best for us, in the sense that they will make us truly happy in life.

The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, as we see in Deuteronomy 11:17 and       James 5:17.
Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not.  In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to reflect the consequences sin has had on creation.Romans 8:19-21;  Sin is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.

Secondly, realize that God is not the author of evil.  He does not cause evil and He does not tempt us into doing wrong.  That is the Devil’s business in this world.  Satan wants to destroy of as many of God’s creatures and creation as he can.  He means it for evil.  But God allows it to happen for quite a different reason.  If He gives Satan permission to tempt us like he did to Job, David, and Jesus (to name only 3) you can be assured that it is somehow for the good of his followers, for justice and righteousness, and for His own glory.  Satan tempted Jesus, hoping that He would succumb to sinning like the rest of humanity.  But God allowed it and used it to test Jesus and to strengthen Him for the ministry that He was getting ready to undertake.

The continued poor choices we make help contribute to the suffering within this world. But without having the ability to choose, we would not have the ability to love, for love cannot be forced but only chosen. And love is what our relationship with God is based upon.

And finally, God wants us to know that this suffering is only temporary.  Paul called our suffering in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “our light and momentary troubles.”  And he would know, given all that God dragged him through
until his dying day. John assures us in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”

Knowing this does not minimize the pain and hurt and heartache associated with living in a broken and sinful world.  But it does give us hope.  We have an everlasting and ever-loving God who is with us and in us during such times.   He will provide the strength and peace we need to be sustained during the dark places known as the valley of the shadow of death.

Why did God allow the tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why did God allow Hurricane Yolanda to destroy the homes of thousands of people?  Such events shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. Churches are usually filled after disasters as people realize how tenuous their lives really are and how life can be taken away in an instant. What we do know is this: God is good!

Sola Gratia – Pastor Mike

Halloween seems to be among the most controversial “holidays” for Christians. Some argue that it is just a normal day for fun with the children, while others claim it’s a day of the Devil.

It certainly is a holiday with a storied and complicated past.  It is important to note that although the day has its roots in pagan origins, the actual name Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve, which is the day before All Saints Day or All Hallows’ Day, a Catholic holy day that remembers the dead, saints, and those who have died for their faith.

The pagan roots of Halloween date back to Gaelic Ireland during the Medieval times. In short, on this day the people believed that the spirits of their ancestors and even fairies would be coming to visit them.  They also believe these spirits could cause harm, so the people would dress up in disguises and build large bonfires, hence the costumes today.  The actual giving out of candy stems from the U.K. also, as children would go house to house singing songs in exchange for food.

As the years went by, certain aspects and beliefs in different traditions came and went until the holiday became what it is today.  So what is the correct thing for Christians to do on Halloween?  Are believers who celebrate wrong?
Are believers who do not celebrate right?

The Bible speaks against being involved in things pertaining to the occult and demonic activity.  I believe that those parts of Halloween that relish fear and reenact ghosts or the haunted dead coming back to scare you are clearly not biblical.  Some would say it is harmless fun.  Not so!  Many who have tried to make the Ouija board (also known as a spirit board or talking board,  harmless fun have often run into the lies of the devil who seeks to pull us away from God.
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
23     You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—
but not everything is good for you.
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—
but not everything is beneficial.
24     Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
25     So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace
without raising questions of conscience.
26     For “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.”
27     If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner,
accept the invitation if you want to.
Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. 28     (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.”  Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you.
29     It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.)
For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?

30     If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?
31     So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
32     Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God.
33     I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
11:1     And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

What has God pressed upon your heart as a follower of Christ?
Do you believe everything can be used for God’s glory?
Or do you feel the day should be avoided all together?

Without a doubt, the darker portions of the holiday should be avoided.  Others feel that Instead of closing our door and shutting the lights like no one is home, give out some scripture candy, a little bit expensive, but powerful and can be found in Christian bookstores. Have some cool tracts that you give with the candy (be generous with candy).  Be a light on a dark day.    You as a believer can turn a dark day into something great for the Lord.  Some churches call it their fall festival and others celebrate a Holy-ween.

We as believers can participate in something that may have been wicked at some point, (Christmas Day is a prime example) but our faith in Christ is capable of transforming the darkness of a day into the light of Christ.
Avoid the stigma’s of evil for sure, but don’t be afraid to make this day a fun celebration of light and joy for the little kids.   Life is hard enough on them.

Sola Lux Lucis – Pastor Mike

 
Isaiah 53:1-12  NLT
1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the LORD revealed His powerful arm?
2 My Servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance,
nothing to attract us to Him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

“Please—Mr. Lion—Aslan, Sir?” said Digory working up the courage to ask.  “Could you—may I—please,will you give me some magic fruit of this country to make my mother well?”

A child in one of the Narnia books, Digory, at this point in the story, had brought about much disaster for Aslan and his freshly created Narnia.  But he had to ask.  In fact, he thought for a second that he might attempt to make a deal with Aslan.  But quickly Digory realized the Lion was not the sort of person with which one could try to make bargains.

C.S. Lewis then recounts, “Up till then the child had been looking at the lion’s great front feet and the huge claws on them.  Now in his despair he looked up at his face.  And what he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life.  For the tawny face was bent down near his own and wonder of wonders great shining tears stood in the lion’s eyes.  They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the lion must really be sorrier about his mother than he was himself.”

Of course this comes from CS Lewis and his Narnia classics, where the person of Christ is portrayed by a lion, Aslan.  CS Lewis himself was a boy about the age of Digory when his mother lay dying of cancer and he was helpless to save her.  God did not intervene and CS Lewis spent the next few decades angry at a God that he truly believed did not exist.  But Lewis was an honest scholar and as he looked at all the evidence, he came to the startling conclusion that there was a God and He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus the Messiah.

No doubt as he wrote about this lion ministering to Digory, he couldn’t help but remember the feelings he had at the death of his own mother.  Now he realized that it broke God’s heart more than his. This “safe but never tame” Lion was heart sick at the brokenness of Digory’s heart.
“My son, my son,” said Aslan.  “I know.  Grief is great.”

The tremendous Christ that fills the gospels towers above all attempts we have made to describe Him.  Yet had we been in charge of writing the story of God becoming man, I doubt it would have been the Messiah as described by Isaiah.  No, we would be more like the disciples, picturing a ruling King who would conquer the world and rid it of all it’s evil and sin.  There would be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death, and no more grief.

But as we see in Isaiah 53 Jesus first coming was not the super hero of power and glory that we might have dreamed up.  Of course there will be that day when Christ returns, when darkness and death will be totally vanquished along with all sin and temptation.
But right now those who follow Him live in the twilight of His resurrection, waiting for the Son to shine fully as we who love Him are brought back to life just like our Lord was given a new life.  It will be a body that is clothed in Glory and fit to live forever in a new and eternal world that God will create.

For now, as we live in a fallen world where you and I are subject to the horrible brokenness of life, it is very difficult for us to look beyond the grave.
That is what “good grief” is for the followers of Jesus. It is looking beyond that moment of death, realizing that we are seeing the dawn of a new, a glorious and never ending day for our loved ones.  It is a different kind of grief.  We feel the ache and loneliness of being apart from the one we loved so much, but we know that it is only temporary.

We are the people of Hope.  We know that there is going to be a grand
re-union, when all followers of Christ will be together again for all eternity.  As for now we can take immense comfort in a Christ who was not always smiling.  He lived as we live.  He suffered as we suffer. As you read all of Isaiah 53 you see God not only identifying with us, but taking our guilt and burden of sin upon himself, He freed us from death.

As I picture Jesus face set as flint toward Jerusalem, I am humbled by God’s great love for all of us.  He willingly walked into the trap of Satan knowing what lie before Him.  The sin of the world would be placed upon Him and He would die a death more horrible than all of humanity combined.  As I picture Him weeping over Jerusalem, crying out at injustice of the Romans and Pharisees, sweating blood in the garden of Gethsemane, my tears and grief are given new depth by His own cries.  We do not grieve alone.  He took our iniquities upon Himself.  He died that we might live.  It is startling to say it out loud. Christians don’t die. We never taste death.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we leave this dark world of pain and suffering & find ourselves  in the Light, Love and Holiness of God,  a world without sin, a world that will never end.
John 11:25-26
25     Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
26     Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.
Do you believe this, Martha?”

As Jesus knew tears, so the heart of God is one that knows grief.
The heart of the Father is One who has lost a Son.
Again, listen to Isaiah.
“Surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted,”
Paul puts it this way.
1 Corinthians 15:50 NLT (Read the whole chapter)
50     What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters,
is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51     But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret.
We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
52     It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye,
when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds,
those who have died will be raised to live forever.
And we who are living will also be transformed.
53     For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54     Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55     O death, where is your victory?
56     For sin is the sting that results in death,
and the law gives sin its power.
57     But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Good Grief!
Matt. 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted”
Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His godly ones.
The grief that Christians experience is the best kind of grief.
Thanks to Jesus, His death for our sins & His resurrection, we are the people of the greatest hope that the world    has ever known.  Through our tears, we see the eternal life of God waiting for us, just beyond our sunset.
A new day is dawning.  That is not only good grief, it is the very best grief.
Hebrews 6:18-20
18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.
Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
19     This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
20     Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Bonum Dolor! Pastor Mike