Easter - Past, Present and Future

My favorite Easter hymn: "The Old Rugged Cross" - Isn't it amazing how believers say "and I love that old cross, where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain." And how can it be, that MY KING WOULD DIE FOR ME? These two statements stop me in my tracks to ponder the wonder of HIS love... And my son's verse tattooed on his arm is 1 Corinthians 1:18 -"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Thank you Jesus.

But wait, here comes Easter

Four years ago I wrote this on Facebook...it seems timeless, so here it is for March 2020:

My thoughts about Good Friday (God's Friday) The Cross - It seems that often the cross has become a beautiful piece of jewelry...and I have two: One that is so shinny and has black stones at the 4 ends. The other, (my favorite) is not a polished silver, but has a little purple stone in the middle of the cross bars, a ring around the cross and the inscription on the back: "Robin of Locksley". This morning I read the words of the well known hymn "The Old Rugged Cross"...here are a few phrases - "The emblem of suffering and shame"..."that old rugged cross, so despised by the world"..."the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, "To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear"..."the dear Lamb of God (Jesus) left His glory above to bear it (the old rugged cross) to dark Calvary". These words certainly paint a different picture. I wonder if my crosses have weakened the message of this hymn. Maybe not...perhaps when I wear them, a conversation about that "old rugged cross" may begin. Today, is a day to contemplate a cross that was old, and rugged, and blood stained. It held the Creator of the world as He bore ALL the evil of the world...and His Father looked away. But, wait! Here comes Easter!

If I Were God

If I, Gini, were God this would be what I would do:

Here I am in Heaven, watching all the hate and pain caused by THE FALL.  I am SICK of it, so, as Father God, I call for a conference of Father, Son and Spirit.

And I say: "I am SICK of humanity and I want NO more to do with them.  I know I made a promise.  But, if we just wipe them all out - past, present and future, they will never know.  They won't have a memory, They will just be GONE!

Yes, Son, I know You went there and lived with them and tried to convince them.  A few believed and then You died...HORRIBLY.  That was the plan.  But, it has been years and years and years since that happened and now You are here.  Let's forget the plan and the pain.  They just aren't worth it! Let's just have a do over --- totally new planet, no garden, no tree, no serpent---just the Three of Us and LOVE, sweet love,  We can make new humans who will always love us.

Oh----- You're right--- I God, never change.  I am the same yesterday, today and forever.  I never break my word. I am Adonai, El, El Elohe Yisrael, El Elyon, Elohim, El Olam, El Roi, El Shaddai, Immanuel, Jehovah, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Mekaddishkem, Jehovah-Nissi, Jehovah-Rapha, Jehovah-Rohi, Jehovah-Sabaoth, Jehovah-Shalom, Jehovah-Shammah, Jehovah-Tsidkenu, YHWH

And, I gave them My Holy Word, full of promises and a great love story.  If I destroy all, I will no longer be who I am.  So, people of earth, I LOVE YOU.  I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU."

ABBA

Trinity Family,

As we seek to make sense of the time we are in, where do we even begin? Each day's developments bring new guidelines causing us all to go to our Plan B and then C and then D and then wonder if it's wise to make any plans at all. Our schedules are completely upended, our futures are full of uncertainty and our hearts are fighting anxiety. None of us have ever experienced anything like this. Where do we even begin?

I want to offer a place to start. Just one word. "Abba". As we have been learning, Jesus taught us that this is where all prayer begins; with saying "Our Father". In those two words (one word in the original Aramaic), we grab a hold of God's promise to be with us in our loneliness, to take care of all our needs and to protect us from harm. In this word, we take hold of the unchanging status we have by faith in Jesus as God's sons and daughters and we remember all the rights and privileges that are ours by grace.

Crying out "Abba" is how we can take refuge in the safety of God's good purpose for us and the world. Crying out "Abba" is how we can remember we are heirs to a kingdom that cannot be shaken as sons and daughters (Galatians 4:6-7). Crying out "Abba" is how we break the viral spread of fear in our hearts by crying out to our Abba for all that is broken and groan with hope for our coming redemption (Romans 8:15-25). We cry out "our Abba" and remember we have brothers and sisters who are there for us; we ask for their prayers and we pray for them.

Human Contact During Virus

 Experiencing cocooning During the CoronaVirus
Gini Walker I long to see humans. I was sitting in my quiet spot in my living room and saw an "elderly couple" out for a walk on this gorgeous morning...too late I thought "I should go to the door and say to them "good morning" " I need to be aware of the needs we all have for human contact, even from the distance of front door to street.

Jeremiah's Lamentations

Look what I found! ... About 586 B.C. when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, the prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. Webster says that lamenting is crying out in grief, wailing, complaining. Yet, in this sorrowful book I found these AMAZING words: Lamentations 3:22 - 24 "The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness: his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!" For ALL of my Facebook friends who may be lamenting, these words are for you and me.