-
Lent: Preparing for Death
Jesus’ visit to Bethany to raise His friend Lazarus spurred the final events that would lead to His crucifixion. Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22-39) Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, what we call Hanukah today. It celebrated the re-dedication of the Temple in 165 BC, which the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes had half destroyed and desecrated. Judas the Maccabee was the leader of the rebellion against the Seleucid Empire, no relation to Judas Iscariot! Jesus was in the Temple when a number of Jews surrounded him and told Him to say plainly if He was the Christ or not. So he did. They tried…
-
“Seasons of the Soul” Upload
I’ve started a “Seasons of the Soul” ebook with a picture, verse, and reflection for every week of the year. I’ll add to it every week until I have a whole year’s worth. Here is the link for the first one: the 3rd week of March. It’s a PDF; just open it and download to your computer, or work with it online. Blessings!
-
The Season of Lent
Ted Olsen writes for the magazine Christianity Today. A friend of his asked him, “What did you give up for Lent?” Olsen wrote, “I had grown up in Baptist and other conservative evangelical churches, so my friend’s question held no meaning. I figured it was like a second chance at a New Year’s Resolution for those who had already abandoned theirs. Even around here at the Christianity Today Inc. offices, where Christian History is based, it seems that Ash Wednesday passed with little notice. There were just as many donut trays by the coffee pots, and just as many hamburgers in the lunch room. That’s surprising, especially since Lent is…