He Breathed His Last Breath

Luke 23:44-46
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

My daughter and I drove to Sullivan's Island to visit the ocean. Being from Ohio, I don't get to listen to the crashing waves and feel the wind off the water often. When we arrived we set up our spot on the sand then walked toward the salty water. Along the way, we spotted a sandy graveyard of jellyfish. They rested all along one area of the beach. I researched later and found out this phenomenon tends to happen in the spring when the cold waves roll in. A natural process for the sea.

After Jesus dragged his cross to the top of the hill, the soldiers nailed his hands and feet to the wood, then dropped the cross into a hole in the ground. With a thud, they planted him there. With a thief on either side, Jesus waited to die. Unlike the jellyfish, this was not a natural process. He was murdered by the people who despised him. Sad as he was about it, he knew his Father's plan for his life and understood his place in the story of salvation. After humiliation, frustration, and pain, Jesus committed his spirit to God and breathed his last breath. He knew his role, he knew the sacrifice involved. Jesus died because he loves us. He died to set us free.

Isaiah 53:5
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.

Rainbow Row-Charleston, SC

My daughter, Hannah, and I visited Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina. Fourteen, mid-18th century homes towered over East Bay Street. The pastel colors created the quintessential essence of a charming city in the south. With the palms waving in the sea breeze, I felt like I was in a southern novel. What a gorgeous scene.

According to Free Tours by Foot, the homes were originally built in the 1740s. Merchants constructed them with a shop on the first floor and living quarters above. After the Civil War, the area was neglected and became run-down. Dorothy Porcher Legge, a pioneer of historic preservation in Charleston, with her husband purchased some of the homes in the 1930s, restored them, and painted them pink. Other buyers and restoration followed, resulting in a colorful array of homes.

I loved the pink and periwinkle. Wouldn't it be fun to have a street like Rainbow Row in every town and city? The beautiful homes brightened the street and my day.

Spring Haiku

Healed

For Us

John 19:16-17
Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).

In southern Ohio, we've had a taste of winter again before it blows out of here and welcomes spring. A few snow flurries sticking to the trees, then gone with the wind. Temperatures that dip enough to drag out the heavy coat, one more time. But we know at the end of this cold, grey season—spring arrives with color, brightness and hope. I love winter, but by this time in the season, I look forward to spring and the beauty that blooms and flutters.

With the thoughts of new life, I've been pondering the new life Jesus gives. But like winter, there was a dark time before the light. Jesus, accused of wrong doing, took up his cross and dragged it through the streets to the place where he knew he would die. The accusations flung at Jesus were false, yet he carried his cross. Literally, as he bled from a flogging, he carried his cross. Along with the heavy wooden burden, he carried our sins. Yours and mine. He carried the cross for us. Not for himself. He had no sin. But we do, and he understood he'd be the one sacrificed for us.

For us.

And that's just the beginning of the Easter story. Jesus sacrifice and pain.

For us.

How could he love us so much? I have a hard time comprehending his love. But Jesus does love us, enough to suffer this world, then die in our place. Praise God for his obedient and compassionate son.

Isaiah 53:7  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Eternal Encouragement

Worn and Well Read

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

At halftime of our granddaughter's basketball game, a couple of boys took the floor. They practiced their shots and dribbles with a well-worn basketball. The orange color had dulled to a brown and the black grooves smoothed out. As they shot we could tell they spent hours with the ball, not just from the condition of the ball, but by the way they handled themselves on the floor.

After Billy Graham passed away, I read some articles about him. In one, the writer talked about how Billy always left his Bible open. Frequently throughout the day, he'd look at his Bible to see what God had to say. I love that picture. A wise man of God continually consulting the book of truth. Like the basketball the boys wore down, Billy wore through the pages of the scripture. Obviously, he not only read the Bible but lived it.

We are so blessed to have God's word to guide us. Think about how much more difficult life, as a believer, would be if we didn't have a reference of truth to read and study. I may not understand every word, but I know the ones I do understand are God's. I want to be a follower who not only wears out my Bible but lives by the beautiful truth of God.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. -Psalm 119:105