Lazarus died

Lazarus died. It was over for him. He was dead, in the ground, buried.  He was in the tomb for days, starting to decompose. It’s strange, but I like how the King James records his own sister talking about him: “He stinketh”. Then Jesus arrived, and raised Lazarus from the dead. A miracle.

Let’s think about Lazarus for a moment.  He knew he was going to die, he knew that he had died, and he knew that he was alive again. How do you think he felt?  Let’s take this one step farther: Lazarus isn’t still alive, so at some time later, whether days or months or years, Lazarus died again.  And I imagine that he was a lot calmer the second time he died. He had experience – he knew what it was like. And He had probably seen Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Each one of us is going to face the end of our lives some day. We are going to experience death. We aren’t exactly like Lazarus – we don’t have the personal history of dying and returning to life. But we do have the example of Jesus, who died, was in the tomb for three days, and rose to life, never to die again.

That is what we are celebrating now – the wafer represents Jesus’ body, and the juice represents His blood. And that future experience of resurrection and eternal life is ours right now, through Jesus’ perfect, sinless life, and His sacrifice on the cross.  Let’s pray.

Lord, I thank You for the gift of salvation, the gift of Jesus, the gift of eternal life. Thank You for the reminder that we should do this in remembrance of Jesus. In His name I pray, Amen.

(communion meditation 2018-06-24)

Apologies to Mr. Thayer

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
And there is much joy in Milford – for the tractor’s been pulled out.

Still life with raindrops

My brother-in-law, kind gentleman that he is, offered to help us move some downed trees. Then his fancy tractor got stuck in our swamp. Older tractor to the rescue. Then the rains came, left, and came again. We stopped then, drenched, because discretion is the better part of valor.

Communion meditation 2018-05-20

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Let’s pray.

Lord, Thank you for the gift of Jesus, His perfect life, His perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Because of that, we can approach Your throne as sons and daughters. One family, through Christ.  In His name I pray, Amen.

First hummer of 2018

Cheapskate

I had a few slices of old bread, and a lazy day off. Therefore, French toast!

Bettie and I are both averse to dairy, so if there’s milk in the fridge, it means we have company.

French toast batter is mostly eggs, a bit of water, some milk, and sugar for caramelization (pass), plus vanilla for flavor (forgot).

The missing part was milk – but we did have some leftover ricotta cheese only a month past due.

Mix it up, baptize the bread, cast iron skillet, room temperature butter, and a teaspoon of maple syrup. Mmmmm!

Yes, I licked the plate.

My position with God

The Prayer of Cyrus Brown
By Sam Walter Foss (1858–1911)

“THE PROPER way for a man to pray,”
Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,
“And the only proper attitude,
Is down upon his knees.”

“No, I should say the way to pray,”
Said Reverend Doctor Wise,
“Is standing straight, with outstretched arms,
And rapt and upturned eyes.”

“Oh no; no, no,” said Elder Slow,
“Such posture is too proud:
A man should pray with eyes fast closed
And head contritely bowed.”

“It seems to me his hands should be
Austerely clasped in front,
With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,”
Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

“Las’ year I fell in Hodgkin’s well
Head first,” said Cyrus Brown,
“With both my heels a-stickin’ up,
My head a-p’inting down;

“An’ I made a prayer right then an’ there—
Best prayer I ever said,
The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,
A-standing on my head.”

Slow down

Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”

When I’m driving, I like driving fast.  The police have different views, and over the years I have collected a nice group of tickets and warnings.  The last one was about two and a half years ago, a warning.  I keep it in my office, right above my computer, where I can see it all the time.  That’s what warnings are for!

I noticed recently that the writing on it is fading. I thought “Isn’t it great that with the passage of time and the presence of light, it’s just quietly going away – just like sin does.”  Then NO!  I got mad at myself, because that is sloppy and wrong thinking.  The only thing that removes sin is the blood of Jesus Christ.  Our memories are frail, and we often misremember the past – but God is perfect, and even the slightest sin is enough to separate me from God.

It is only the blood of Jesus, paying the penalty for my sins, and my acceptance through baptism, that removed my sins. Not the effect of those sins, but the guilt of them.

John 14:6 says “Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Let’s pray.  Lord God, I so often want to remake You into my own image, to diminish the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. As I take the wafer and the juice, representing Jesus’ body and blood, help me to remember what really happened, and how only through Jesus’ work I can be your son. And it is in the name of Jesus that I pray, Amen.

My mileage may vary

I’m at my lowest weight since May of 2015.

I’m also sick, looking like a bad cold, so past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future returns.

Fair use

I’m thinking of opening a new restaurant – the Nike Craft Beer and Down-home Cafe.

I’m having problems with my motto.

It’ll be “Just Do It”, or “Just Brew It”, or “Just Stew It”.

Instant rimshot