As we begin the season of Lent, many will consider again the Easter Story.
It is indeed a nail biter (no pun intended to Jesus’ suffering on the cross). It has mystery, adventure, politics, betrayal, denial, and pure Love. And even better, it has a really happy ending!
But like many books, tv shows and movies, we may become so distracted by the action that we miss the message.
Sad to say, the true message has become distorted. Many of us loved Jesus from the beginning, but we were not so sure about His Father.
The way we heard it, God was very disappointed with the people He created. In fact, it was more than disappointment. He was angry.
And so, we were told, He hatched a plan to send His Only Son to the far off place, called earth to take their place in receiving all He wanted to do to them.
And, if we are to believe it, God The Father even looked away during all the torture.
We ended up profoundly grateful to Jesus for saving us, but we were pretty scared of God. And we were always a bit conflicted about how God’s Love really worked.
In the next several blog postings, I would like to address some of the flaws in the old, old story. Don’t worry. I do not plan to take anything away from The Wonderful Gift of The Grace of God through Jesus our Lord.
I only want to expand our view to see what a Wondrous Gift God has given us.
Let’s begin with one simple Truth. In fact, when Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, He put it this way.
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, … “The Lord our God, the Lord is ONE. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Mark 12:29-30
That’s right. ONE. God did not “send” Jesus, as we think of “sending” someone off somewhere. God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit are ONE.
We often say we believe The Trinity is One. Then we turn around and treat them like a three act play … God … then Jesus … then The Holy Spirit.
But they are ONE. Always together. Never apart. Always speaking and acting as One.
Jesus was called The Word. He was present from the beginning.
John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God.”
And then ..”The Word became flesh and made His Dwelling among us.”
John 1:14
God even told us it was Him from the beginning of His Revelation of Himself through the human named Jesus. Jesus was God with us.
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23
Jesus confirmed Who He was.
“Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.”
John 14:11
When Jesus’ Disciple, Philip, asked to see Jesus’ Father, Jesus again spoke The Truth plainly.
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
John 14:9
When we understand from the beginning of The Easter story, Who walked upon the earth and lived as one of us to be The Way to Life … The ONE Who showed us Life triumphing over death, then we will begin to see The Wonder of God’s Love.
God IS Love!
1 John 4:7
And The One Who is Love, loves us!
“I have loved you with an everlasting love!”
Jeremiah 31:3
