A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....04-18-03 to 04-20-03..."The Stations of the Cross"

Dutchess

[dutchess]

Christ has died, Christ has Risen, Christ will come again....

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself" (John 12:32)
The Stations of the Cross, Background and History

From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of his passion, death and resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus was. These sites became important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord, along the way of the cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit. The stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating "replicas" of the way of the cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the route in Jerusalem. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 stations we now know and were placed in almost every Catholic Church in the world.

A person making the Stations will go to each station and pray and meditate about that particular event which Jesus went through in His Passion and death.

The Stations of the Cross can be done anywhere, with a group of people or alone. There are many different prayers written by various people throughout the centuries, which are beautiful and profound. There are also hundreds of artistic interpretations of the stations. You will see a sampling as your walk through the stations below.

After each Station it is customary to say the following prayers.

Our Father, Who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Glory be to the Father and the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Have mercy on us Lord. Have mercy on us Lord

The Stations of the Cross
Station One.... Jesus is Condemned to Death

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, after having been blasphemed, mocked, and scourged, is dragged before Pilate and unjustly condemned to die with disgrace on the Cross.

My loving Jesus, it was my sins, not Pilate, that condemned You to die. Grant that I may detest them with all my heart, and by the merits of this sorrowful journey obtain Your mercy and pardon to assist my soul on its journey towards eternity.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Two....Jesus Carries His Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus accepts His cross, the instrument that He will use to redeem the world. As He carries the heavy cross on His bruised shoulders He thinks of me, and offers His pending death to His Father for my sins, so that I may live.

My most beloved Jesus, grant me by the virtue of Your Cross to embrace with meekness and cheerful submission all the tribulations You have destined for me until my death. By the merits of the pain You suffered in carrying Your Cross give me the necessary help to be ever ready to take up my cross and follow You with perfect patience and resignation.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Three....Jesus Falls the First Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus slowly sets forth on His way to Calvary, bowed down under the weight of His Cross. The soldiers strike Him, and the crowds mock and insult Him. His flesh is torn by the scourges, and on His head is a crown of thorns. Through His many wounds He has lost a great quantity of blood. He is so weak He can scarcely walk, yet He has to carry this great load. Finally, His strength fails him, and He falls to the ground.

O Jesus, it was for me that You bore the heavy burden of the Cross. By the merits of this first fall, may I be saved from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Four....Jesus Meets His Mother

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, still burdened with His Cross, and wounded even more by His fall, meets His Mother. A sword of anguish pierces those hearts that love each other so tenderly.

My sweet Jesus, by the compassion which You did feel for Your most holy Mother at this meeting, have compassion on me and grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Her. O Mary, my Queen, overwhelmed with sorrow, intercede for me, that, through the sufferings endured by Your Son, I may obtain a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of Jesus.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Five....Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus' strength is failing, and the executioners fear Jesus will die on the way instead of on the Cross. They seize Simon of Cyrene and compel him to carry the Cross for Jesus. Simon realizes what he is asked to do, and it changes his heart. The Cross becomes for Simon a privilege and a joy.

My most beloved Jesus, it is my privilege also to carry whatever crosses You desire to send me. I will not refuse them. I accept them, embrace them, and rejoice that I may be counted worthy to suffer for Your Name's sake. I unite them to Your death. You died for love of me, I will die for love of You. Help me by Your grace.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Six....Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, proceeding on His way, is covered with sweat and blood. His face, once beautiful, has now lost all its beauty. It is disfigured by wounds and blood. A holy woman named Veronica, moved with compassion, approaches and wipes His face with her veil. Jesus, as a reward for her piety, leaves the impression of His Sacred Countenance imprinted upon it.

My Jesus, at my Baptism my soul was also beautiful, but my sins have since disfigured it. By Your Passion, O Jesus, restore it to its former beauty. May the contemplation of Your sufferings move me with the greatest compassion, make me hate my sins, and kindle in my heart a more fervent love for You. Imprint Your image in my mind so that I may never forget what my sins have done to You. Guide me, that I may one day be transformed into Your likeness.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Seven....Jesus Falls for the Second Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

At every step the pain of His wounds and the loss of blood increase. His strength fails Him a second time, and Jesus falls to the ground.

My Jesus, it was the burden of my sins that caused You to fall again. So many times You have pardoned me, but I am weak, and so many times I have fallen again and begun again to offend You. By the merits of this second fall, help me to persevere in Your grace until my death. May I always commend myself to You in all temptations which assail me.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Eight....Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus walks on, streaming with blood. Some holy women in the crowd see Him and are so touched with sympathy and compassion that they openly weep for Him. Jesus, knowing the things that are to happen to Jerusalem because of her rejection of Him, turns to them and says: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your children."

My Jesus, I weep bitterly for the offenses I have committed against You. I weep because of the pains they have deserved, but most of all because they caused You, because of Your great love for me, to have to die for me. Teach me to be truly sorry for my sins, so that I may escape those dreadful judgements prepared for all who reject or neglect You in this life.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Nine....Jesus Falls the Third Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus is now almost at the summit of Calvary. His weakness is extreme. The excessively brutal solders, anxious to crucify Him, cruelly try to hasten His steps, but He can scarcely move, and Jesus falls a third time.

O Lord Jesus, by the merits of this third most painful fall, pardon my frequent relapses into sin and give me the strength I need to conquer all human respect and all my wicked passions. Imprint the thought of all Your sufferings firmly in my mind so that I may hate my sins more and more.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Ten....Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, now at Calvary, is violently stripped by His executioners. His inner garments adhere to His torn flesh, and they are dragged off so roughly that the skin is pulled off with them.

My innocent Jesus, You endured this shame for my most shameful deeds. By the merits of the torment You felt, help me to strip myself of all false shame, conceit, pride, and all affection of the things of earth, so that I may place all my love in You. Help me to humble myself voluntarily in this life, that I may escape everlasting punishment in the life to come.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Eleven....Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

The executioners lay the Cross on the ground, and Jesus is stretched upon it. He extends His hands willingly, offering to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. He is fastened to the Cross with nails, and then He and the Cross are raised up for all to see.

My suffering Jesus, what my sins have done to You! Nail my heart to Your feet, that it may be united to You until my death so that I will never offend You again.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Twelve....Jesus Dies on the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

For three excruciating hours Jesus hangs on the Cross. His blood runs in streams down His torn body. Finally, after all He had set out to do has been accomplished, He abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.

My dying Jesus, I devoutly kiss the honoured Cross on which You died for love of me. My sins have merited for me a miserable death, but Your death is my hope. By the merits of Your death help me to live only for You. And when I die, help me to die embracing Your feet and burning for love for You.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Thirteen....Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take Jesus' body down from the cross and place it in His mother's arms. With unspeakable tenderness she receives the lifeless body of her Divine Son, and with boundless grief presses it to her bosom.

O Mother of Sorrow, give me a share in your most holy sorrow in the suffering of your Son, that I may fully realize what my sins have caused. Accept me as your servant, pray for me, and have compassion on my infirmities. Jesus, my Redeemer, You have died for love of me. In Your mercy permit me to love You, for I wish only You, nothing more.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Station Fourteen....Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

The lifeless body of Jesus is carried by his disciples to the tomb. Mary, His most holy mother, arranges it with overwhelming sorrow. Then they all withdraw, and the tomb is sealed.

My buried Jesus, devoutly I kiss the stone that encloses You. But death could not hold You. I, too, will descend into the grave when You will it. My sinful body will return to the dust from which it came. In Your great mercy, receive my immortal soul, so that on the last day I may rise in glory with You and join You in Your kingdom where I may love You and praise You forever.

My beloved Jesus, I love You above all things. I am truly sorry for having offended You, and I repent with my whole heart. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may never cease to love You, and do with me as You will.

Our Father, Who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Glory be to the Father and the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Have mercy on us Lord. Have mercy on us Lord

We Adore You, O Christ, and We Bless You, Because by Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 04-14-03...Viligant Citizen 04-15-03...Hobsonphile 04-16-03...Easter Traditions 04-17-03...JohnHuang Essay-The left should be thankful

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

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[daisyscarlett]

I am sure the liberal media is aghast at all these references to prayer by the president and by so many servicemen and women and their families.

And can you even fathom Les Aspin having "Have You Forgotten" sung in a ceremony at DOD?

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld introduces country and western entertainer Darryl Worley (news), right, on stage prior to Worley's performance in a concert to support the troops in Iraq (news - web sites) in the Pentagon (news - web sites) courtyard Wednesday, April 16, 2003. The event was televised to U. S. troops around the world. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

[grantswank]

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THE CROSS . . . BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH


". . .baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" Romans 6:3

What does it mean to be baptized into Jesus, being baptized into his death?

Baptism and death. They are coupled together in holy writ. It is a mystery. It is also our hope.

As Jesus Christ gave Himself every minute to the Father agenda, so Jesus died out to His own zeal. He was human, as we are human; therefore, He was tempted in all areas like as we. But He did not sin. He did not yield to the allurements of self-governance.

Jesus made certain that at every turn--especially when applauded by the masses for miracle producing--that He did not permit Himself to be fooled. He refused the forbidden fruit. He would not bite into that which was hanging on the forever tree in the center of the world's garden. His mission instead was to reverse the disobedience of Adam and Eve by remaining obedient to the Father's directives.

Jesus was then baptized into the final breath by remaining true to Father's redemptive plan, not permitting this holy scheme to be compromised even under the most grueling of circumstances.

Jesus allowed His very being to be baptized into a sanctified plot outside Himself. He would know nothing until it was revealed to Him. He would suspend His own knowledge of anything until He was signaled by the Father. Then He acted. He then did perform the Father's bidding--on time, just as directed.

This same Jesus has become our Model. He invites us to be baptized into the death to our own zeal.

How many within the courts of religion are overcome with their own zeal? Their energy drives are at fever pitch daily. For what? For the praises. They even hunger for audience approval in the name of Jesus Christ. They have become accustomed, even addicted, to this explosive feeling of ego achievement.

Such is anathema. It is heresy. It is sinful. It is like unto the Pharisees. The mature cross bearer cannot countenance it for a second.

The purpose of the cross is to teach this lesson of zeal submission.

It is the spiritual leadership in particular who must come upon this truth for they are responsible in great measure for the purity or impurity of instruction provided those under their tutelage.

Consequently, spiritual leadership must scour their motives to make certain that death to personal drive is real, that they have been baptized truly into the death of Christ in order to know His holiness in life.

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

“. . .newness of life”!

God has already proven Himself two thousand years ago. Death was followed with life. Jesus was there to reveal it. Disciples saw and handled it. They ate with Him, walked and talked with Him.

Life! "I am the. . .the Life."

_________________________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME





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[grantswank]

I'M GLAD I'M A CHRISTIAN

---

That’s right. Now you can be whatever religion you want. That’s your right. And I wouldn’t want to take that right away from any mortal. So let’s get that straight at the outset — freedom of religion, freedom of speech and all the rest of the boons that come from living in a democracy.

If you want to call the doorknob your god, go for it. You want to smoke weed and lalala about seeing the dead come to talk, go for it. Everyone to his and her own invisible.

With that covered, then I too have the right to spout off at this particular moment in soul that I am just so happy to be a Christian. Doorknob for you. Crossing over to another. Christian for me.

Therefore, in this April 2003 — such an historic month henceforth for the planet — I thank Jesus for His resurrection from the dead. No other religion, by the way, records a leader who did that. Jesus was murdered but on the next week’s first dawn was seen alive and well. That means a mega to me. And with that fact of faith, one obviously could on and on and on; but I will refrain from sermon-constructing at this juncture.

I am so glad to be a Christian because I have a like fellow in the Oval Office. He too is an out-and-out Christian. He talks about God. He talks about faith. He talks about worship and prayer. But when it comes down to the bottom line of all that, Mr. Bush defines all that as a Christian — no apologies about it. Naturally, just as I, Mr. Bush allows each freedom-loving human to carve out whatever deity one chooses. If not, we’re in big time trouble with a President who doesn’t know how to let an individual make up his or her own mind about the eternal verities.

But back to a companion in the White House. It is so exhilarating to watch that man on TV, knowing that he woke up in the morning reading a devotional book and Bible, then went to his prayer knees before even lifting the morning newspaper. And you can count on it: Laura does the same. So that makes me all the more elated: we have a quality spiritual team there — husband and wife in the same Pennsylvania Avenue residence who lock hearts before Jesus at the start of every day — and you can be sure throughout the rest of their waking hours.

I am glad to be a Christian now in this historic time fleck because there is much hope for the world’s future. Now I realize that biblical prophecy informs us that at the close of the church age there will be very dark days. And God knows they may be next month a-starting. My jubilation then may be short-lived. That could very well be.

Yet let’s flip to the other side. Those dark days of Antichrist and false prophet and tribulation and Armageddon may not be next month a-starting. There were plenty of Christians who just recently were plotting the endtimes prophetic lines for this mid-year. Well, thus far, the gross endtimes prophetic outpourings have not yet come to fruition — a third of the earth burnt up and so forth.

God is doing whatever God does with His prophecies; but the Ezekiel and Daniel and Book of Revelation portents have yet to be. Yes, they will come, for God’s Word says they will come. Yet for this April, they have not yet shown themselves.

So I, concluding that this is the day the Lord has made, am going to rejoice, as Paul tells us. And rejoice evermore, as Paul goes on. Therefore, biblical I am when I simply want to praise Christ this glorious Sunday for what He is doing in this world and also what He means to me, little ol’ me! What He does in the big world is important. What He does in my tiny world is important. The cross and resurrection point to both worlds being eternally significant to the risen Christ, thanks be to God evermore on that score!

We Christians have had a lot thrown at us lately with persecutions of believers in certain parts of the world — the faithful gunned down in their sanctuaries, burnt alive, separated from families, tossed out of their homes. While we in America have munched down our Wendy Burgers, others have been sliced up quite badly. Of course, we have prayed for those persecuted, but we trot off to Wendy’s just the same.

Further, we Christians have had a lot of mud slung at us by the theological and religious liberals. But I can’t spend too much wailing on that point for really what’s new when it comes to the loonies’ attacks? So to give them undue attention is exactly what they crave! Therefore, enough is enough. The liberal stuff has forever been. It will forever be — that is until we get to heaven. Jesus said as much: “They hate me. They will hate you.” So why are we surprised when they do? Just pray for them; that’s what we are to do, as hard at times as it is to do just that. Pray for them. God knows they need it!

Yet Christ has been dishing out a lot of blessing on believers these days. And we had better take note of it and start praising heaven for those blessings, not taking them for granted. A three-week win war, not thousands of body bags brought back to US shores, no Iraqi neighboring countries flattened, no wipe out of Israel, no nuclear weapons set loose, no coalition soldiers scalded to death by chem-biological this-n-that.

Really, it’s been minimal irritation when considering we've been in combat: just a bit of nonsense flack from French and Russians and Germans. But — go figure. And some nuthouse stuff from Hollywood. Again — go figure. And of course the Hillarys and Dashcles putting their shoes in their mouths. Well, each to his own menu. Plus the silly queries from reporters, especially targeted at super-intelligent Ari. But then again, what do we expect? The cream of intelligentsia in the politically biased press corps?

Therefore, other than a few frustrating detours for reality checks that we are very much still citizens of a spiritually fallen world, there is much much for which to give Christ praise.

So — here goes — PRAISE YOU, JESUS, FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE AND ARE GOING TO DO.

[daisyscarlett]

OOPS, forgot this for both Mr. Worley and Mr. Rumsfeld...ha ha

[grantswank]

OUR FAITH, GOD'S GRACE

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the ordeal that has come to test you

. . .you are sharing what Christ suffered; so rejoice in it." I Peter 4:l2

Jesus calls us to carry a piece of timber, that crossbeam which, to this day, is still an embarrassment to most. He asks us to bear up under the embarrassment that comes by being His friend.

Jesus knows that when a disciple first takes up the daily cross, he has no idea what he is doing. However, the cross must be met; Jesus knows that. It is woven into the fabric of servantship and cannot be escaped.

Therefore, in love Jesus watches over His grace child as he hoists that timber into the air for the first time. Jesus knows that the testings here on out will have to be bolstered by sheer grace, or the child will never make it home.

That is why there is such emphasis in the Word concerning suffering. From Adam to John on the Isle, we are surrounded by the brave souls in agony. The martyrs under the heavenly altar visited in the Book of Revelation are exclaiming to God how long such torment must go on. God reminds them that a few more will be added to their number, then the end will come.

We today are caught in the in-between-times of suffering. Therefore, the Word comforts by telling us not to be surprised when persecutions come to us personally. They are there to remind us of what Jesus has gone through for our salvation. If we did not have that reminder, we would become spoiled children of the kingdom. That can never be tolerated.

When the suffering comes to you, regard it as your ministry of suffering. That is one of the prized ministries in the work of the gospel. It is given to those who can be trusted with such a high calling to holiness.

The ministry of suffering gives God praise for His enduring grace each day. It also teaches one how to offer the poured out offering of selfgiving. Further, others are blessed when we are bearing up under the ministry of suffering, for we are able to tell them that we have walked where they are presently walking.

Take the ministry of suffering as a gift to be prized. Jesus is with you in the anguish. He will teach you what you need to know.

You also will be gladdened to know that the air becomes freer as you let go of all that would hinder your ministry. There are many foolish toys you grasp, even in the name of religion. They must be tossed far away. Nothing will be left but the cross and its ministry of suffering. In this you will come upon your freedom in Christ. You will define that freedom in your own individuality according to the divine will.

Right now, permit the ministry of suffering to be ordained upon your humble life. Take it and know the mercy of the Father anew. Take it and ask Father to show you how to console another.

Further, in this suffering ministry, we learn that we are not to see ahead of us. "Faith is. . .the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews ll:l) That is why Jesus instructed His cross bearers not to move into morrow. It is not there yet. Morrow is where only God is now. Therefore, we are not touch that which does not belong to us. "Thou shalt not steal."

Further, faith walks in suffering with Jesus without doubting Him. Therefore, we do not need to see anything that is future tense. If we did, we would not have to have Jesus as Yoke-fellow. We would be content in our own vision. However, that is not to be.

We are to be born into the grace family by faith. We are to live each moment by faith. We are to move into future tense by faith. We are to leave this sphere by faith. It is faith from start to finish. There is nothing but faith on our part. There is nothing but grace on His part. But faith and grace are sufficient in all things. We have known that in the past; we trust that for this moment; we will testify to its workability in the future.

Right now, be thankful that you are saved by divine grace. Next, be thankful that your life is not your own. Third, be thankful that you do not have to worry about future, death nor eternity. All that is under His care, not yours.

_____________________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME

[Aquamarine]

I love this song also Daisy....Holy Holy Holy

Click on the pic

[grantswank]

EASTER GIVIING

It was the spring of l965. We had been in our first pastorate in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for almost a year. Our salary was $45 a week.

Naturally we placed $4.50 in the offering plate each Sunday as God's tithe. However, knowing also that Christians want to give love offerings above their tithes, we put at least another 50 cents into the plate. On top of that there were other offerings for the youth program, Sunday school, missionary society and so on.

We were approaching our Easter world missions offering. I felt prompted to urge our worshippers to give God a week's salary in addition to the tithe for that world evangelism outreach.

"Grant, you know what you did this morning, don't you?" my wife asked me after the service. Then answering her own question, she continued, "You committed US to give a week's salary in the Easter offering as well. If you expect the others to give, we must set the example."

She was not finding fault with what I had done. She just wanted me to know for certain that somehow we had to squeeze that amount from the paycheck in the few weeks before Easter Sunday.

"Let's make it an even $50," I suggested. "God will show us how to do it if we dare to believe."

Those days trotted by. Before we knew it, we were just days away from Easter morning and we had no $50 to put into the plate for world evangelism.

In addition, we had payments to make on furniture we were buying for our first parsonage, plus we were awaiting the birth of our first child, with those attending bills.

Besides, though we did have a parsonage and utilities paid, we had no gasoline allowance, nor any payments from the congregation toward our health insurance. Also, we were still making up financially for the expense we had had in moving from Kansas City to western Canada.

Thank God for our naive trust! We were too innocent in your youthful faith to believe other than that God would provide as we remained believing and confident.

On the Wednesday morning before Easter, a new couple to the church phoned to invite my wife and me to lunch the following day,. They lived in the country, so this jaunt would be a pleasure. Besides, neither husband nor wife were born-again Christians and we saw this as an opportunity to draw closer to them for the Lord.

After a delicious meal and conversation, Priscilla and I said our good-byes, and started to leave for our Metropolitan (our tiny stand-by of an excuse for a car). Just as we were going through the door, the man of the house said he had a book he thought I would like to read. I took it and thanked him.

As we drove down their lane, my wife leafed through the book and came upon an envelope tucked between the pages. Opening it she took out an Easter card with a message and a check in the amount of $50.

There was our world evangelism offering!

Since that day we have always given a week's salary to world evangelism in the church's world missions appeal. And every time the devil whispers in our ears that we cannot afford it, or we can skip once, or we are foolish to keep up such a tradition.

We tell the devil to get behind us for we are going to prove God and His bountiful blessings. Not once have we been disappointed in our love gifts to world evangelism for the Lord has always surprised us beyond measure with His love in return.

___________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME

[grantswank]

EASTER FACES

While kicking stones by the bay's edge the other morning, I flashed back to
forty years ago. That rekindled one particular mind-snapshot.

It was during the civil rights days that I met Mr. Brown, appropriately
named since his skin was that color.

He walked toward me up one of those sunny avenues in High Point, North
Carolina. That was the first time we would shake hands--back in the summer
of 1962.

What an Easter face he wore. And it was genuine. No put-ons for this fellow.

In fact, Mr. Brown, deacon and trustee of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church,
was rather shy. He was a single man who tended to business, not much for
show.

However, one would never know it by his yard tucked about his tidy home.
That lawn overflowed with glory-shined flowers, flowers and more flowers.
That was the just pride of his entire neighborhood.

It was Mr. Brown who welcomed Priscilla and me to both community and
congregation. Then when we left the Carolinas in late August for more
seminary training elsewhere, it was Mr. Brown who bade us farewell.

In the meantimes, he would see that we found our ways about town, met some
of the black community leadership, and were entertained grandly in his own
dining room. He could serve up some of the most scrumptious foods
remembered.

Down through the years we kept in touch with one particular black couple
from that church. And so with that letter bridge, we kept up with Mr.
Brown's doings.

Therefore, it was with a heavy heart that I opened last week's envelope from
Eddie and Fannie to read Mr. George Brown's homegoing worship bulletin. And with that I took my time--rolling over every word, putting myself into those church pews for the service, and listening to "Amazing Grace" one more time as rendered by that very articulate, swingin' choir.

There on the bulletin's front cover was his photo--just as I had remembered
him. Mr. Brown with the Easter face--open, shining, happy and filled with
fresh hope.

With that the good Lord recently decided to scoop up Mr. Brown in his early 90s. What a bane for the rest of us. What a boon for heaven.

I wrote to the congregation to share with them how much my wife and I
revered that gentle man. Then after sealing that envelope, I tried to sum up
what it truly was that caught our hearts as we remembered George.

So now I share that capsule thought with you: Mr. Brown wore an Easter face
because He lived daily the resurrection power in an unobtrusive way. It was
not with self-conscious drama nor pious prance but with a sincere love for Jesus that Mr. Brown woke up each morning.

In that, Mr. Brown reminded me of Jesus Himself. After He rose from the
dead, He went about having breakfast on the beach with the boys, meeting
with some friends in a neighborhood house, and chatting with a couple of
pals along the Emmaus Road.

Nothing outlandish. Nothing to grab Jerusalem's headlines. But oh how real,
how necessary.

Living here in Maine’s Lakes Region, I thank God that I have discovered some Mr. Brown Easter faces--plain and simple, holy and refreshing with heaven's morning smile.

__________________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME

[grantswank]

PRAYER PATHS CROSSINGS

There were tears in his eyes—worry tears, concerned tears.

“So how are things?” I asked, curious as to why Ken was not his usual smiling face.

I had come to know Ken mornings when getting my coffee at Windham’s Wal-Mart. He is the cheery greeter who smiles at all the customers — even first thing in the morning!

Ken and I had come to know one another through those cliché exchanges which matured into a friendship sharing — little things and now — what’s with the tears?

“Was up all last night. Not a good night.”

I had first noted Ken years prior when visiting his Lakes Region church — not the one I pastor. It was one of those early Sunday morning excursions that I enjoy in summers when congregations have early worships. That means that I can slip into another’s service and still get back to my own worship later in the morning.

So it was that I saw Ken time and again as he kept watch from the near back of his sanctuary. He was one of the core group — faithful and true.

But I had never dreamt that I would actually come to know the fellow — first name basis and all that. So it was that when I spied him working at Wal-Mart I recalled for him my slip-ins at his church during summers. He smiled when I told him that I always noted him paying particular attention to the sermons delivered.

However, now things were different. There was “trouble in the camp” — or at least at home base. Something was off kilter.

“What’s going on, Ken?” I asked.

“Ellen is having a lot of pain. She’s going in for surgery on Thursday. Cancer.”

The dreaded C word. Wouldn’t you know it? Poor Ken. Poor Ellen. My heart went out to them immediately. How interesting that I was now moving into two hearts that before I had barely known. How comforting that pain shared between friends bonds the friendship all the more.

“Pastor has been over to the house. We had prayer together. Then I told him that you and I meet every morning here. And how I have come to know you. He said that he knew you, too.”

I chuckled to myself, realizing that the good pastor and I know one another at a distance — clergy in the same community — though I had never had the chance to really know the man intimately. However, maybe some day I will, hopefully.

“He is such a good pastor. Always there,” Ken added.

“Be assured that our church will be praying for you and Ellen, Ken. You know that, don’t you? You have prayer friends with us as well. We are standing alongside you in all this. God will oversee. Our faith will see to it. Okay?”

“Okay,” he answered. The tears lingered. I felt so sorry for the two of them as I left the store.

The next day and the next day Ken was not at the store. He was tending his wife’s situation, naturally.

Then came the morning when Ken was at his post once more.

“And how are things?” I inquired.

“She came through surgery. Pastor was with us throughout. They say that the next step is chemo. Ellen says she’s going to live into her 90s. We’re keeping the faith!”

Tears again. But this time, tears of thanksgiving and hope.

What a privilege it is to make cross prayer paths with friends as we go along life’s way.

____________________________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME

[daisyscarlett]

Happy Easter, dear wolfie, dear FRiend...

[FreeTheHostages]

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain

[grantswank]

THE CROSS IN OUR LIVES. . .LOVING GOD

". . .to those who love God. . ." Romans 8:28

Loving God is not a feeling; it is a faith.

Loving God is not a tingle emotion in a worship context.

Loving God is staying true when the chips are down, when life is intolerable, when friends forsake and all appears hopeless.

Loving God is to spread one's very life before the cross, asking God to pick up that life for the cross-purpose.

Loving God with all that is within one's self is to become bankrupt of all this world's props. There can be no reliance upon the sticks that earth pokes into the ground, naming them securities. They are not your securities. They are bogus to you.

Your security is one stick -- the tree upon Calvary. That is where you reside. Then if you reside there, you seek not your own. You do not care today about your preening or your prize. You care only about loving God with all that is within you.

That is your love gift this moment and every future moment.

Jesus looks upon you now to see if you are where you ought to be. Are you breathing for your good or the good of the gospel? Are you doing what you are doing to get ahead in the eyes of men or to get ahead in the cross walk?

What is it that drives you? Is it conceit or comfort or the rubdown for another sprint at nighttime pleasures? What is it that energizes your life?

It must be the cross scene. There you see Jesus strapped to the wood. There you crouch before the cross base, taking your place for the Spirit's energizing for eternal good. There you commit your all to whatever it takes to carry that cross to some other lost soul.

That is loving God. "All things work together for good to those who love God. . ."

Such is an awesome claim to make, that is, that one loves God. Those are but one-syllable words, but they are to extract blood from us, as it was from Jesus.

Our lifeblood is to flow daily for the eternal cause, not the earthly, fleshly goal. There is nothing here finally that should entice us, nothing at all. We are caught up in the divine purpose, loving God with every ounce of energy coursing through our veins.

Such a sight is rare. God knows that. We know that. We feel the integrity gap within as we think it through. Such is necessary to bring us back on course.

Can we have the wherewithal to come back on course, as He would have us love Him? We can see to it if we will it to be so. The solution is in the position of the will.

Religion is not enough.

Worship attendance is not enough.

Verbal profession is not enough.

Church office holding is not enough.

All of this is but dung in the sight of God if the surrendered, bloody heart is not present for gospel use.

How empty Peter's profession was when he offered to go to jail or death for Jesus. Then an errand girl by the fire did him in within a second. Only when Peter came to his holy senses did he come to his total love for God. And with that, Peter was strung up on a cross plunged upside down into the dirt. There Peter put his motives where his mouth was.

God looks upon the heart. What does He see? He must see the whole burnt offering sacrifice, your entire being placed upon the grill for the gospel purpose. God must see there the honest consecration -- complete and entire, caught in the sanctifying flame. Anything less is not worthy, not acceptable.

Our High Priest makes the final judgment as He appraises the sacrificial scene.

But when God does see the whole burnt offering sacrifice coming from the humble, broken soul, then the heart of God is made glad.

Then, and only then, it is appropriate for the Christian to sing, "Bless the Lord, all my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."

[grantswank]

CROSS CURRENTS

". . .his cross daily. . ." Luke 9:23

To know the cross of Christ, one must be stripped of everything else.

That means consciously stating to Christ that He can take away everything from us but Himself. Anything less is not the way of the cross.

Practically speaking, that entails willingly surrendering one's clothing, furniture, vehicles, lodgings, holdings, past-times, leisure, health, interpersonal relationships, vocation. . .all of life. . .to Christ.

It is at this crucial beginning that most believers balk. They want to reason that such relinquishment is foolishness, nonsense, illogical.

Yet it is Christ Himself who tells His own that they must let go of mother, father, brother, sister, houses and lands in order to follow Him on the way of the cross. No other source but Christ Himself sets forth the standard. To call that standard foolish, nonsensical, unreasonable is then to argue with the source of our salvation; yet such is unthinkable.

Therefore, to know the cross of Christ, one must be aware that everything attached to one's life must be placed upon the altar of sacrifice. The reason? Because Christ is God. And God, being God, deserves nothing less than all.

That is why "all" is repeated continually throughout the Word. We are challenged by our Creator to realize our nothingness in order to come into His everything. To make such a conscious move, we must deliver into Christ's hands our all, keeping back nothing.

This is the start of the cross journey. It is the only way to begin. There can be no short cut nor circumventing the stipulations as set forth by the Master Christ.

We call this Christ Savior and Redeemer and Friend. But there is no personal reality to any of such titles unless we first submit to His title as Master, Lord. Only then--by delivering everything we are and have into His perfect care--can we know Him as Savior. Mastership over our very destinies is why Jesus was born of a virgin. We must recognize that dominant presence in every area of our lives in order to lodge upon His cross.

Only when we let go of all, releasing our grip upon everything, will we then know the power of the cross to deliver from fear, worry and carnal confusion of soul.

Those who have come to the truth of the cross journey experience then the peace of God. Only those who have purposefully resigned every aspect of their being to the God of gods can even begin to enter into the comfort promised.

Christ calls you to the cross. "Take up your cross daily and follow me." Can you have faith to believe that it is possible--not in your own strivings but by divine grace alone? Yes, it is possible. The Master stands waiting at the door of your heart to prove to you His benevolent Mastership.
________________________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME

[grantswank]

LAYING DOWN ONE'S LIFE FOR FRIENDS


That’s what those who died in the Iraqi conflict did. They did it. It’s done. When you’re dead, you’re dead — as far as this earthly stay is concerned.

Brave youths in particular gave their all — literally. It is the ultimate sacrifice. Now their kin grieve. Civil nations grieve.

Yet in the sorrow there is the comfort in knowing that what they did, they did knowing the risk. That is, they volunteered, signed up for the armed services; they were not coerced. They volunteered. Their families know that as well.

Jesus taught His own that the noble sacrifice one individual could extend to another would be to lay down his or her life for a friend. Then Jesus followed through Himself by sacrificing Himself upon the altar of a cross. In other words, Jesus did not ask of His own anything that He would not be willing to do Himself.

Now contrast the militia who served Hussein the Horrible. It is stark. It is unsettling to the nth degree. It, in other words, is a view from hell.

According to HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, truth stories are surfacing concerning Iraqi soldiers under the bloody hand of Saddam. It is the first independent, substantial data regarding Iraqi army deserters. Not good. Not nice. Not humane at all.

Iraqi soldiers were forced to eat grass — at times no food provided by the despot who lounged about his numerous palaces, entertaining his various mistresses while eating from his sumptuous banqueting tables. Background music? Hussein loved to listen to Frank Sinatra’s smooth melodies.

Grass. Grass. His soldiers ate grass.

A 21-year-old fellow from Baghdad said: "Some days we were so hungry we would eat grass, which we mixed with a little water.” He was of the Fifth Corps unit.

Showers provided for the Iraqi soldiers? Water and soap? Not. What about drinking water?

Listen to what this young man now tells the free world. "We didn't wash ourselves for 40 days. Often there was no drinking water, and they would give us jerry cans and tell us to go and fill them from the pools of water that gathered on the ground when it rained."

Pay? Salary checks from the lavish Saddam? Would $2 or less per month do? That’s what the deserters informed HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH last Friday. Oh, but they were given food rations. Really. “Meager” is the term written up on the data sheets. They were given meager food rations.

Now comes the bloody part. You may want to wear sunglasses for this one — shield the eyes of your soul?

Iraqi militia told of torture — merciless beatings, Iraqi soldiers forced to climb over rocks on bare knees or backs till bloody messes. One soldier revealed the scars scratched into his young flesh.

Iraqi officers often warned ones under them that militia would be shot down if they attempted escape. At times, officers told soldiers to remain fixed in position, though they would surely die, so that they could “die like men.” That’s it. “Die like men” — because they couldn’t find defense shelter from Hussein’s control freaks.

On March 26, 10 deserters were hauled into a meadow — God’s open field, pleasant sky overhead, birds in flight. A colonel circled the men. He then invited other units to gather round to give testimony to real-life executions — man by man.

"This is what happens to betrayers of our nation," the colonel told the audience soon to witness slaughter. Then the colonel started to gun down the men. Human body by human body. These were deserters? — alleged deserters. Other members of the colonel’s unit joined in in the shooting spree.

Lifeless bodies were slugged up on top of one of God’s hills. Why? So that the still-alive soldiers could have a more perfect vantage of the warm corpses.

Those of the Iraqi conflict coalition who have died have died honorably. They have laid down their lives for friends they will meet only in eternity.


___________________________


J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham Me

[grantswank]

JESUS' BLOOD TEST

I was in a hurry. Nevertheless, my three-year-old, Heidi, decided that it was time to have a conversation. I did not give heed, but this did not stop Heidi. Instead, I heard her talking to herself, “I guess Daddy is deaf today. He won’t talk to me.”

I knew then that my schedule could wait.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“What does the bread mean, Daddy?”

“The bread?”

“Yes, like you have in commom-onion, you know!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, you mean communion.”

“Yeah, comm-om-onion. What does it mean?”

“You tell me, “ I prodded.

“It means Jesus’ body, ‘member, Daddy?” she reminded me.

“That’s right,” I affirmed.

“And what does the juice mean?”

I played along with the game, recalling that I had gone through this same lineup with her several weeks before.

“Come on, Daddy, what does it mean?” she begged, breaking into my recollections.

“Well, you tell me.”

“It means Jesus’ blood test!” she proclaimed, proudly and sincerely.

“Thank you, Lord,” I said to myself, laughing out loud at the tyke beside me.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked.

“You said that the juice represents Jesus’ blood test. You mean that the juice represents his blood, not his blood test,” I corrected.

“Oh,” was her simple reply.

Then I realized that God had just taught me a lesson--a new one concerning the meaning of communion. The blood indeed represented Jesus’ blood test!

And so he endured that test, even to “the death of the cross.” Thanks be to God eternally that Jesus passed the blood test to secure salvation for all who live by its power.

My three-year-old had instructed her minister-father in another layer of God’s communication. And I had almost missed it.

Had I persisted in being in too much of a hurry to listen, I would have missed it altogether.

_________________________

J. Grant Swank, Jr., Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME

[Aquamarine]

What a sweet story! Thank you Grant.

[Pippin]

Thank you both for all you do.

Dutchess, I loved that you did the Stations for this thread today,.

Salvation, Thank You for the link.

God bless you both and have a happy Easter!

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

That was so beautiful. I truly believe in what you said.

I have friends who are such wonderful examples of "faith".

In one couple the husband has CP. The husband is a wonderful man who suffers greatly.. his wife is the caregiver. Her burden is heavy too. But they just keep giving and showing their love for our Father.

They have given us food when I was really sick. They never give up.. but always seem quite able to handle the hardships they endure. Don't get me wrong.. I see the pain and I see the tired eyes. But their faith never waivers.

We've had friends who lost a young child by murder. They smiled as they attended the funeral of their daughter, they comforted the mourners who had attended. I marveled at how they could do that. It was their faith that sustained them through their grief.

These couples and others have taught us by their faith, that we can accomplish anything through Jesus.

We deal with health issues too.

In my support groups, I've found that those who have a deep and abiding faith, do better than those who don't in dealing with illness.

Same with the loss of a loved one.

We witnessed first hand friends who did not believe in any religion, suffer far harder than any Christian when they lost their only son. There has been no comfort for them..and it has gone on for over a decade now.

I honestly believe illness can be a blessing. Can bring a multitude of blessings.

What a wonderful ministry by you.. that you should mention what you did in this post at this particular time in my life.. is just further proof to me of His Divine Grace.

You'll never know how deeply it has touched me, or how high it has lifted me.

Thank you so much.

[Pippin]

Hi, Aqua!

This is such a beautiful thread!

I was lurking thruogh most of it that I had to leave to go to church for the Stations of the Cross. And to read it hear is wonderful! Duthcess is wonderful isn'r she?

[Pippin]

Hi, Chap. Grant!

A pleasant surprise to see you posting on this fine thread today!

I love reading your sermons!