Free Republic

April 28, 2014Monday of the Second Week of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 4:23-31 After their release Peter and John went back to their own peopleand reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.And when they heard it,they raised their voices to God with one accordand said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earthand the sea and all that is in them,you said by the Holy Spiritthrough the mouth of our father David, your servant: Why did the Gentiles rageand the peoples entertain folly?The kings of the earth took their standand the princes gathered togetheragainst the Lord...

“Born Again to a Living Hope” (1 Peter 1:3-9)Our reading today from 1 Peter 1 says a lot about your past, your present, and your future, and we can sum it up in this phrase from our text: “Born Again to a Living Hope.” “Born again to a living hope.” The apostle Peter uses this phrase right at the beginning of his epistle. By the way, passages from 1 Peter will be the Epistle readings for the rest of this Easter season, starting today and going for the next five Sundays. And to go along with that, we’ll be starting...

April 27, 2014Sunday of Divine Mercy    Reading 1 Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.Awe came upon everyone,and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.All who believed were together and had all things in common;they would sell their property and possessionsand divide them among all according to each one’s need.Every day they devoted themselvesto meeting together in the temple areaand to breaking bread in their homes.They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,praising God and enjoying...

April 26, 2014Saturday in the Octave of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 4:13-21 Observing the boldness of Peter and Johnand perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men,the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed,and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.Then when they saw the man who had been cured standing there with them,they could say nothing in reply.So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin,and conferred with one another, saying,“What are we to do with these men?Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable signwas done through them, and we cannot deny it.But so that it may not...

April 25, 2014Friday in the Octave of Easter   Reading 1 Acts 4:1-12 After the crippled man had been cured,while Peter and John were still speaking to the people,the priests, the captain of the temple guard,and the Sadducees confronted them,disturbed that they were teaching the peopleand proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.They laid hands on Peter and Johnand put them in custody until the next day,since it was already evening.But many of those who heard the word came to believeand the number of men grew to about five thousand. On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribeswere...

April 24, 2014Thursday in the Octave of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 3:11-26 As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,all the people hurried in amazement toward themin the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,and why do you look so intently at usas if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesuswhom you handed over and...

April 23, 2014Wednesday in the Octave of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John were going up to the temple areafor the three o’clock hour of prayer.And a man crippled from birth was carriedand placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,he asked for alms.But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,and said, “Look at us.”He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.Peter said, “I have...

Was the Spring Sphere Eggstravaganda a success?Absolutely. There was no video of Big Guy missing a dozen shots in a row like last year.If I miss this one, confiscate all the iPhonesWe’ve been practicing shooting our hoops ever since last year’s embarrassing showing. Too bad we didn’t put as much time into practicing our foreign relations.And the old tennis game looked pretty good too:Big Guy, showing Putin and David Brooks that he’s got balls too.As always, this year’s Roll kicked off on the Truman balcony with the National Anthem. For those of you wondering why Lady M didn’t have her...

Children who took Easter eggs to class allegedly had them confiscated by “Muslim morality squads” patrolling a school in Birmingham, England, according to press reports. The school is at the centre of an investigation into claims Islamic hardliners are attempting to infiltrate and run secular state schools in the city. The mother of one of the students — who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals — told the Daily Express that groups of older students were taking the eggs from younger children and teachers were ignoring their actions. “My daughter tried to bring in an Easter...

April 22, 2014Tuesday in the Octave of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 2:36-41 On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people,“Let the whole house of Israel know for certainthat God has made him both Lord and Christ,this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,and they asked Peter and the other Apostles,“What are we to do, my brothers?”Peter said to them,“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins;and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.For the...

This Easter Sunday in Ukraine was unlike any other in the history of this nation in crisis. As Ukrainian Christians gathered together at Kiev’s Central Baptist Church to worship and celebrate the resurrection, they heard a special message delivered in person by Alexander Turchynov, the country’s acting president. SGA’s Sergei Omelchenko wrote to tell us about the extraordinary day . . . Turchinov 4-21-14 Acting Ukrainian president Alexander Turchynov proclaims the Gospel at the pulpit of Central Baptist Church in Kiev—a truly historic moment! Pastor Vyacheslav Nesteruk, president of the Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB), preached the main message...

With a margin of error +/- 3%, Rasmussen found “Americans’ belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ remains strong.” 86% of American adults believe that Jesus Christ walked the Earth 2,000 years ago, while just seven percent (7%) don’t share this belief. Furthermore, 77% of those polled believe Jesus rose from the dead.  This is only a percentage point lower (within the margin of error) than in 2011 and 2010, when 78% espoused the same belief. Rasmussen claims a 95% level of confidence in their report.

Sure… Sunday was Easter Sunday (the most important day of the year for the world’s 2-3 billion Christians). But, c’mon! It was 4:20 dude! And while millions of Americans flocked to their churches and Cathedrals, the Denver Post thought the front-page story of the day ought to be Colorado’s annual “toke-out” at Civic Center Park in Denver. Heck… The 15 year anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting was even pushed back to accommodate the “high times” of Civic Center potheads. Living a mere handful of blocks from Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, I can personally attest to...

April 21, 2014Monday in the Octave of Easter    Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33 On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,raised his voice, and proclaimed:“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. “You who are children of Israel, hear these words.Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by Godwith mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,you killed, using lawless men...

'The Lord is waiting'Pope baptizes 10 at Easter Vigil Catholic.net photoPope Francis enters a darkened St. Peter Basilica carrying a lone candle. Homily of Pope Francis, Easter Vigil The Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ begins with the journey of the women to the tomb at dawn on the day after the Sabbath. They go to the tomb to honour the body of the Lord, but they find it open and empty. A mighty angel says to them: "Do not be afraid!" (Mt 28:5) and orders them to go and tell the disciples: "He has been raised from...

A Good And Blessed Happy Easter! Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

Another bizarre Obama holiday address… In his Easter Address this year Barack Obama reminds us that the great religions, including Islam, teach us to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” From the White House website: Hi, everybody. For millions of Americans, this time of year holds great meaning… …For me, and for countless other Christians, Holy Week and Easter are times for reflection and renewal. We remember the grace of an awesome God, who loves us so deeply that He gave us his only Son, so that we might live through Him. We recall all that Jesus endured for...

FARMINGTON, Mo. • It is a special Easter for Wilma Whitworth, who is undergoing a spiritual rebirth, just a week before her 78th birthday. Whitworth is celebrating her first day as a full-fledged Catholic this holiday. And she’s doing so in a largely Protestant town that is undergoing a kind of Catholic revival. St. Joseph Catholic Church, or St. Joe’s as the locals call it, has had 24 children and adults, ages 7 and above, convert to the faith in the past year. There is no one answer for the rise in Catholic conversion in this town of 17,000 an...

…For me, and for countless other Christians, Holy Week and Easter are times for reflection and renewal. We remember the grace of an awesome God, who loves us so deeply that He gave us his only Son, so that we might live through Him. We recall all that Jesus endured for us – the scorn of the crowds, the agony of the cross – all so that we might be forgiven our sins and granted everlasting life. And we recommit ourselves to following His example, to love and serve one another, particularly “the least of these” among us, just as...

Commercialism versus true meaning has been an ongoing battle for years when it comes to religious holidays, and Easter is no exception. In the eyes of many, chocolate bunnies and Easter egg hunts are much too recognized in the place of a sunrise service on Easter morning ... especially when it comes to children who may be easily influenced by commercialism. So, is there enough room to balance the commercial aspect and biblical meaning behind Easter? The Aiken Standard posed this question to pastors and Christian leaders in the local community. Battling the distractions For the Rev. Douglas Slaughter, pastor...