March 2021 - Profoundly Simple

Holy Week – Palm Sunday to Easter and everything in between

We’re in the middle of Holy Week, that span of days from Palm Sunday to Easter.

Celebration

If we merely look at Sunday to Sunday, it appears we move from celebration to celebration. We can easily forget the work of Jesus between these two points.

Less familiar days

There were dark days, sobering days, which may be less familiar to us. These include Jesus’ last moments with His disciples, betrayal, an angry crowd, and death on the cross.

Unless we pause to consider what happened between celebrations as we know them, we may miss the contrast of what happened.

Holy Week

The week began with Jesus’ arrival on a donkey. Our Palm Sunday. A day of celebration.

Later that week Jesus had His last supper with His disciples, who may not have realized how he would be leaving them.

He would soon be crucified, Jesus’ death on the cross.

What happened in between

In our own lives, do we sometimes avoid the dark or hard places?

Do we forget or leave out what happened in between?

This season we’re in has included lots of difficult places.

What has your season of darkness looked like? Do you see signs of Jesus? Can you recognize signs of Jesus along the way?

Revisited

For fun I revisited some of the blog posts I wrote a year ago:

Did anybody notice? Look forward in a new way.

In the middle – where to focus in the midst of change

My life doesn’t look anything like it did a year ago. Is it better? Some of it. Do I miss what’s missing? Some of it. Can I see God’s hand in it? Some of it.

This process isn’t about looking back to see the good.

Perspective

I’m sure the disciples didn’t look back and see that the crucifixion was good. From their perspective.

God knew it was necessary. So much so that Old Testament prophesies foretold what would happen.

Jesus’ arrival on a donkey was foretold in Zechariah:

“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.” Matthew 21:4-6

Prior to that, on the day of Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist proclaimed:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 NIV

Jesus had already been chosen as the sacrifice, the Lamb of God. He took the fall for us.

But to what end?

By his wounds

From the prophetic book of Isaiah:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 NIV

By his wounds we are healed.

Healing

For our healing?

For eternal life in Jesus. If we believe, we receive Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

This past year has been a hard year. But knowing Jesus is still with us on this end gives us hope.

Hope

We approached last year full of hope. Easter was coming. We made plans for Easter Sunday.

Then all those plans went by the wayside. We didn’t see it coming. That everything would be so much different in the weeks ahead. In the year ahead.

And the disciples didn’t see it coming. They probably thought they had more time with Jesus.

And the people didn’t see it coming. They probably thought a real king was coming.

But God knew it was coming. And He was there through all of it.

God is there

So whether you jump from Palm Sunday to Easter or Christmas to Easter, God is there every step of the way.

From a baby to a king riding in on a donkey to the crucified Prince of Peace hanging on a cross to the resurrected king come to take away the sins of the world.

God with us

God saw it through. And He sees us and He walks with us through our dark days, Emmanuel which means God with us. And He leads us out of darkness into the light if we choose to follow Him there.

He leads us toward healing.

You have been healed

“’He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’” 1 Peter 2:24 NIV

For our healing. That’s something to celebrate.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the significance of what’s in a name

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, three names that show up as a unit in several places in Scripture. But who are they and why does it matter? Find out what they have in common as we take a look at what’s in a name.

Who are they?

Who are these guys? Am I supposed to know them? It’s kind of like when a friend points out someone they recognize at a party. Should I know that person?

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Once in church when I heard someone reciting Scripture, these three names came up. As the person read through the phrase, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” I was a bit puzzled.

The pronouncement came across like, naturally everybody knows who these guys are. And I’m sure that’s not how the speaker meant it, but I wanted to ask someone later, “Do you know who those guys are?”

That turned into, “Should I know who they are?” and quickly spiraled down to, “How come I don’t know who they are?”

So let’s get a little context shall we?

We find their names clustered together in various places in Scripture. We’ll start with some New Testament appearances.

New Testament references

In the New Testament this trio turns up in a few of the Gospels and in Acts.

We can learn crucial info about them based on where this info resides.

Genealogies

Both Matthew and Luke (3:34) include genealogies in their chapters. This tells us the relationship between the men.

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,” Matthew 1:1-2 NIV

Okay, so now we know they’re all related, father, son, and grandson.

We also see they are related to Jesus. Okay, so maybe they are important.

More references in the Gospels

How about Mark’s Gospel:

“Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” Mark 12:26 NIV

In this passage, Mark’s Gospel gives us a bit of insight as to where this cluster appears by name in the Old Testament. Don’t let the term “Book of Moses” throw you off, that’s a shout-out to Moses’ encounter with God in the form of a burning bush. That event is recounted in Exodus where you’ll find the story of Moses and the Israelites.

Luke 20:37 also references this event.

Mentioned in Acts

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, mentions them in the book of Acts.

“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Acts 3:13a

Did you notice the subtle difference in the Gospel rendition and the passage in Acts?

In Acts, Peter identifies God with all three. In the Gospel excerpt, God identifies Himself with this trio. These three members of the same family line – which includes Jesus.

Stories in Old Testament

Now let’s find their stories in the Old Testament. Mark 12:26 mentions Moses, leading us to the Old Testament. This recounting includes the three together, but is not where we find Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, originally.

How do we figure out where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, first show up in the Bible?

I’ll give you a hint. Moses’ story begins in Exodus.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, came before Moses.

We find their stories in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Who they are

Wow, think about that for a minute. Three characters whose stories began in the first book of the Bible are called by name in the New Testament. Not to mention God refers to them by name when identifying Himself to Moses.

Let’s track down a few more details about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Abraham, father of many nations

Abraham, initially known as Abram, is first mentioned in Genesis 11, but his story takes off in chapter 12. God changes his name in chapter 17.

“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” Genesis 17:5 NIV

Their stories in Genesis

From the first mention of Abram in Genesis, this family line fills most of this first book of the Bible.

Much of this section of Scripture reads as story and covers a narrative of what happened. If you haven’t read Genesis yet, you can start by skimming the rest of Genesis looking for the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as you read.

Knowing the origin of these names and their stories provides much insight for many other places in Scripture. When we know what’s in a name, we can grasp a bigger picture of what’s in the Bible.

For a simple overview of Genesis:

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey

Finding Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God in the beginning

Finding Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God in the Bible is a process of discovery and opens up the opportunity for greater understanding of the connection between the Old and New Testament – and to us.

What if I told you all three could be found in the Old Testament? What if I told you all three were together on day one?

Simple introduction to the Holy Spirit

In a previous post I gave a simple introduction to the Holy Spirit and indicated where I first noticed God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

As I continued reading, keeping an eye out for this trio, the more I saw them throughout the Bible.

Expecting to see

Before we go further, let’s consider we don’t have to figure everything out or understand it on the first pass, the second, or the fiftieth. This process is about discovery, looking, expecting to see something.

Now that we have an introduction to where to find God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we can discover additional places where they were already present.

Once I was aware of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, I noticed the Holy Spirit in more places, saw the Spirit turn up in locations I had never noticed before. Like the beginning of the Bible.

Spirit in the Old Testament

I was surprised when I first noticed the Spirit in the Old Testament. In fact, when I looked closely, I saw the Spirit in the first verses of the first book of the Bible.

“The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:2b NIV

The Spirit was hovering in verse two of the Bible?

How had I not seen that before?

It doesn’t actually matter.

When you first see it

That’s the cool thing about reading the Bible. It’s not about who saw it first, it’s about when you first see it. Diving into the Bible is a personal journey of discovery.

Discovery is the gift

The personal discovery is the gift, not whether or not you’ve caught up to whatever measure of general knowledge you think you should have.

Look further

Now that we’ve cut ourselves some slack, given ourselves a bit of grace in the matter, let’s look a little further for a few instances of members of this trio being present.

A little farther into the first chapter of Genesis and the story of creation, we find this verse:

“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.” Genesis 1:26 NIV

Did you notice “Let us”?

I think I read right past it the first time I looked at that verse.

What I’m reminded of now when I see that verse is our God is a relational God and was already speaking relationally in the beginning.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Another book of the Bible starts with the first words of Genesis, “In the beginning.” If we jump to the New Testament Gospel of John, we’ll find this verse:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1 NIV

This verse initially confused me. As I look closely, I see the relational element here too.

“The Word was with God.”

We receive insight into the Word in verse 14:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NIV

Jesus is the Word. Jesus was with God.

Jesus was with God in the beginning.

The Holy Spirit was with God in the beginning.

With us too

Finding Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God in the beginning of the Bible helps connect the Old and New Testament together. Observing this relationship present on day one reminds us that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are present with us too.

Here’s the introduction to the Holy Spirit:

A simple introduction to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit

We can gain basic understanding of the Holy Spirit with a simple introduction to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the context of Scripture.

Confused about the Holy Spirit

Have you ever been confused about the Holy Spirit or wondered what the relationship is between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?

I have. I’ll share some observations from the Bible to help us grasp some basics about this trio.

Don’t have to understand to experience the gift

I want to give a disclaimer. You don’t have to fully understand these three to experience the gift of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit in your life.

Simple introduction

In my evolving understanding of this trio, I once described them this way:

God is in the Old Testament.

Jesus is in the New Testament.

The Holy Spirit comes after Jesus.

The more I read the Bible, the more I see all three in more places, but for a simple introduction, we can start there.

Old Testament

God spoke to individuals

In the Old Testament God spoke to individuals like Noah and Abram.

“The Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.’” Genesis 7:1 NIV

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’” Genesis 12:1 NIV

**God spoke through individuals**

God spoke through individuals like Moses.

“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them.’” Leviticus 1:1 NIV

God spoke through the Prophets like Jeremiah (Major Prophet) and Malachi (Minor Prophet).

“The word of the Lord came to me.” Jeremiah 2:1 NIV

“A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.” Malachi 1:1 NIV

God in church

For some reason this had me thinking of God in the place where we go to church. Maybe that’s because I remember only praying to God in church. Or maybe it’s because of that verse from Leviticus about the “tent of meeting.”

I used to think I would only experience God on Sundays. Church was the place to go to hear about God and pray to God. I think after I left the building, I would leave God behind.

What’s been your experience with God?

New Testament

Jesus spoke

In the New Testament Jesus spoke to and through individuals, as well as to crowds of people.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 NIV

Holy Spirit

While Jesus was still with His disciples, He told them of the Holy Spirit:

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:25-26 NIV

God present wherever we go

As I write this we are emerging from a long winter and a long year. Much of that time was spent either close to home or at home. Now the temps are warming up and the spring flowers are starting to stretch and unfurl their blossoms. As we step outside our doors, do we leave God behind in the confines of a room or do we remember we have access to His Presence wherever we go?

Worship from home

In this past season, church met online. In our church as we navigated participating in worship from home, we learned to set up a personal sanctuary or use an element to help designate a time and space to enter into worship. A candle, a Bible, anything that helped us focus on time with God. To create and designate a space to meet with God.

God already there

With this transition from the church building to online, God may have appeared to enter into homes and spaces He hadn’t been in before. I think it’s more likely He was already there. We may have associated His space with a church building and not realized He was with us at home.

Now that winter is waning and spring is blossoming, we may venture out more frequently. Is God confined to the spaces we’ve been confined to? Thankfully not.

Wherever we are, we can connect with God

Through the words of Jesus, we’ve received the Holy Spirit.

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in (Jesus’) name.”

These are comforting words.

I like to think of the Holy Spirit as God to go. Wherever we are, we can connect with God.

What is your experience with the Holy Spirit?

A few more thoughts on connecting with God:

Doing something differently – where my focus is

How to hear from God – where to look