Two sharpies and one powerful lesson for Good Friday

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

On Friday we will remember the day our Savior went to the cross for us.  For OUR sins.  It was not a generic salvation plan.  It was a very personal plan.  He died for you and He died for me.  Each year on Good Friday our family takes a few minutes to think about this amazing, incomprehensible fact:  Good Friday was for us.  I take each of my little girl's hands and tell them: 

Did you know, while our King was on the cross,

Your face was in his eyes,

Your life was in his mind,

Your sin was on his back,

Love of you, was in his heart,

for beloved, your name was written on his palm.

Then I make a red circle in the middle of their palm and write their name across it.  Over the years many of our friends have started this tradition as well, and it brings me such joy to see their children's little hands. 

Amidst all the Easter hoopla,  I hope Friday you will take a few minutes of quiet to remember that it was all for you.  For YOU are God's beloved.  The one he came to save.  If your family marks your hands for Good Friday will you send me a picture?  I would love to see it!

Blessings to you all! 

Singing, and Praying, and Crying out, "Hosanna!"

Although Palm Sunday is behind us and most people's eyes are turned to Easter (or at least Good Friday), my heart and mind are still full of Hosannas.  My house is too.  Hosanna drapes across our kitchen window.

Hosanna is quietly proclaimed in our living room - adjacent to where I sit to do my quiet time.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,  "Hosanna!" 

 ~John 12:13

The people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with Hosannas.  Do you know what Hosanna means?  I always associated the word with Palm Sunday but I only learned what the people were saying a few years ago.  John Piper explains it like this on his blog:

"Our English word "hosanna" comes from a Greek word "hosanna" which comes from a Hebrew phrase hoshiya na.  

And that Hebrew phrase is found one solitary place in the whole Old Testament,Psalm 118:25, where it means, "Save, please!" It is a cry to God for help. Like when somebody pushes you off the diving board before you can swim and you come up hollering: "Help, save me . . . Hoshiya na!"

Isn't that incredible?  Save, please.  I have also read it to mean "Save, now" with an understanding of urgency.  Please Lord Jesus save us now.  

So as we travel into Holy Week my heart and mind continue to sing, and pray and cry out, "Hosanna!" Save me Lord.  While the work of the cross is finished and through it, I know I am saved for eternity, my heart cries out for the Lord to save me now, in this life - from myself, from my sin, from my self-centered way, from my lack of patience, from my lack of forgiveness, from my 1st world mindset, from it all - Please Lord Jesus save me.  

Hosanna,
                Hosanna,
                               Hosanna!

And praise God we know He has the power to do so.  

How Will You Tell The Story of Easter?

Easter is just a few weeks away, and with a house filled with one questioning 8 year-old, one know-it-all 11 year-old, and one clueless 16-year-old exchange student, I find myself wondering, "How am I to tell the story of Easter?"  Throughout the Old Testament we see God instructing His people during holy days to tell the next generation what God has done.

"And when you children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them,, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, you passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'"  ~Exodus 12: 26-27

We see the same theme of this message in Leviticus 23:42-43 and Joshua 4: 4-7.

God knows that our children will always be full of questions.  Our children want to know why we do what we do. Our children, with their preschool inquisitiveness, or their tween doubting want to know why we are doing this whole Easter thing.   Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate Easter  - the holiest and most important day of the Christian year, we should be asking ourselves,  "How am I going to tell my children the story of Easter?"

I offer of the following three suggestions as a starting place.

1. We can tell the story - by reading His story.
Set aside 10 minutes a day at breakfast, or dinner, and read the Gospels together.  Tell the story of the Son of God who came for the sick and the sinners.  Tell the stories of His miracles.  Tell the stories of His teachings.  Tell the story of His sacrificial death for all of us through reading His Holy Word.

2. We can tell the story by what we set before our eyes.  As we decorate our doorframes or dining room tables, we create an opportunity to set a story, or visual reminders of a story, before our children's eyes.  These two front doors are telling very different stories.  Use your holiday decorations to prompt the retelling for the story of Easter just like your Nativity scene does at Christmas.

3. We can tell the story by taking the time to tell our story.
We are a redeemed people of the Lord. If you have accepted the Lord as your Savior, you have a personal story of redemption to share with your children.  As we approach Easter,  set aside time to share your story with your children.  What has the Lord done in your life?  What does Easter mean to you?  Now, I am not talking nitty-gritty inappropriate confessionals here, but  instead, who is Jesus to you?  What does your personal relationship with Him look like?  It is through hearing our personal stories told that our children will begin to look for their own stories.  

I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill your hearts and minds with courage, insight, and a fresh desire to tell the story of our Savior to your children in the coming weeks.  I would love to hear how you tell the story of Easter in your household.  Please leave a comment and encourage others with what you are doing.