kids + Passion story = great questions!

Matthew 27:32-54

As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, they offered him wine to drink, mixed with "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, of God!" "Truly this was the Son of God!"

Questions from today's reading:

Why was Jesus so tired?

Why didn't Jesus drink? How would he have drank from a stick?

What was Jesus a King over? What did He conquer? What does "conquer" mean?

How dark was it? Like night? What could they see?

Was Jesus allowed to say "My God"? Why did he feel alone? Why was he sad? Where did God go? How did God turn away?

Was the curtain as big as our house? Did God use scissors?

Was John there? Did the disciples die too? Was Moses there? (Not sure where this one came from... there was also some chatter about cutting peoples ears off.)

daily...

Luke 9:23

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me...

I am not sure if it is because I have been struggling to find a good rhythm this last while OR if it is just a new step in my faith journey BUT I have been thinking a lot lately about daily "followership". Having grown up in a tradition that encouraged "daily devotions" I know of the deep value of the "blessed man" from Psalm 1 who delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night... whose life yields fruit in season AND whose leaves never wither. I have experienced the transformative power of personal prayer AND watched in amazement as God as moved mountains in the lives people. And, as time has gone on, I have begun to see how the mission of God is more than just an idea... but a lifestyle... more than just words... but power.

BUT

In the midst of all of this it can still be tough to simply get up each day and lay my old self down, pick up my cross and follow Jesus. Yet it is SO essential.

It seems as if each day I am given a choice again
...to center on Jesus OR to center on me!
...to die to myself OR live for myself!
...to follow my Savior OR lead my own little personal rebellion.

The truth is, what we do daily defines who we are... and who we are becoming.

Goodbye our friends...

How do you say goodbye to 5 years of ministry, friendship, love and life?

Words fail me.

As we pulled away from the curb of our house at 70 Lauderdale Gardens in Glasgow for the last time AND said goodbye to some of our closest friends and family the lump in my throat and stomach felt like led weights. I found myself thinking... maybe it isn't too late... maybe this is all wrong... maybe we can undo everything... but then a still (but firm) small (but large) voice in my heart and mind said, "no... follow Me." What else can we do. As God leads SO we follow.

If a picture is worth a thousand words maybe these pictures (all taken within a couple weeks of our move) will say it better than I can write...




































We love you all and will miss you... a part of our heart is now with you.

Grace and peace our Scottish friends.

Lead on Lord.

He is Risen

Matthew 28:5-7

But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you."

Yesterday was a great day around the McDonald household. We did something that we love to do at our house... open our doors to our friends, neighbors and community. We hosted our 4th annual (and last) Easter dinner in Glasgow. It is always a joy to celebrate Jesus' life, death and resurrection with our community.

As I was praying for this years meal I was struck again at how blessed we are... we are surrounded by so many people who love us... we are provided for by such amazing supporters, family and friends... but most importantly, we have been given a gift that we do not deserve - the life and sacrifice of God's only Son.

Thank You Lord for Your gift. Thank You for really living. Thank You for really dieing. Thank You for rising just as You said You would. And, thank You for the amazing blessings that have come from Your pierced hand... we are not worthy to receive so much from You... all we can say is thank You. Amen.

spiritual beauty (2)

Psalm 27:4

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.

Isaiah 53:1-3

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

I find the picture above quite striking - dismal chunks of gray asphalt covered in beautiful shapes and scribbles of vibrant colorful chalk. Red, green, blue and yellow applied by the hands of children to the most humble of canvases. This mosaic of color, design and childlike passion is common place for those of us with kids. When she is not chatting, my 5 year old daughter (McKenzie) is one such artist. She is so careful, thoughtful and intentional... often with some of the most random of images and colors - a true creative. If an art teacher or critic were to look at these "masterpieces" they would probably point out their immaturity and simplicity... not me - I think they are amazing. They are beautiful, eclectic, random, colorful and fun BUT, what makes them most valuable to me is the hand that prepared them. You see, I love the hand that prepared them because it is connected to a beautiful little girl whom I think the world of AND would do anything for. She is my little gracie.

I wonder if that isn't where we sometimes get confused with Jesus? As amazing as the works (of art) of Jesus were and the life that He lived was, (like all great masters) does real spiritual beauty come when we start prizing the works because of the artist and not the artist because of his works. Is there a place where beauty becomes defined by the hand of the artist... and we love the works because of the hand it is connected too (whether painful or powerful, majestic or ignoble)? I wonder, is that what it means to REALLY behold "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6)... the work of art in the life of the despised and rejected man of sorrows?

MANY vs. ONE

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Over the past several months I have had MANY different thoughts on my mind… competing for space, time and energy (and sleep). Between Britany’s health, family issues, our “job” and general life I have had more than my share of competing voices. As time has gone on I have learned MANY things about my own weaknesses and strengths, our family’s weaknesses and strengths, and a few of the purposes behind this journey God has us on. This has led to MANY questions, which have in turn led to MANY more internal conversations, and the “MANY” cycle continues.

Recently a friend of mine (thank you Pastor Andy) introduced me to a song by Jeremy Riddle called Sweetly Broken, from his album Full Attention. The opening lines to the song are:

to the cross I look... and to the cross I cling... of it's suffering I do drink... of it's work I do sing...

I have to confess, I have listened to those lines probably a hundred times… over and over. This is something I have not done since I was in high school or college but alas I am drawn to them and hit the repeat button again. Now, I am not much for “tic-tac” theology, but this ONE idea has been reaching deeply into my soul… filling an emptiness that I have been feeling for a while as I have wrestled over MANY of these important internal conversations… Jesus Christ… crucified.

What do you do when you have no answers to so MANY questions... when you can’t switch your brain off? I think Paul (and Jeremy) might have it. You resolve to know ONE thing… “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” No more fancy words. No more unspoken conversations. In the midst of what feels like a storm of weakness, fear and answerless questions I need a lifeline to save me from drowning in my own head. Right now I need ONE thing to make sense of the many… to add perspective in the struggle… to create peace in the midst of the unknown. It sounds simplistic I know, but nevertheless:

to the cross I look... and to the cross I cling... of it's suffering I do drink... of it's work I do sing...

Thank you Jesus.

But God...

Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

But God… We all have them right? Those times in our walk with God where loving our Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength seems effortless. Fully alive moments of success in relationship or service that makes our passion for God so real…our calling so clear…our ability to sacrifice so natural. Moments where we can almost hear our Father in heaven saying, “this is my son…my daughter…in them I am well pleased!” We actually feel the “immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” But then, there are other times…times when love grows cold…times when each step stirs fear, indecision and doubt. They are seasons of death and darkness…seasons of the cross.

But God… This past year, our community in Glasgow has been walking through one such season. We have experienced brokenness in ways that we always hope as children of God we won’t have to. In many respects, we have watched as the ministry that God built has been slowly disassembled before our eyes. It is a season of asking many questions about our calling, our purpose and our reason to exist.

But God… It is in these times that it is the hardest to believe that he has not made a mistake… that “we are his workmanship”. It is in these times that it is the hardest to believe that we have a purpose… “good works, which God prepared beforehand”. It is in these times that it is hard to walk the steps laid out for us.

But God… It is a thought, an idea, which I hold in my mind and heart that fuels my passion in the hardest of times. It is as if Paul writes these words for me to show this crux moment between what was and what is. Between what has been and what will be. It is my Lord Jesus walking step by brutal step towards His greatest moment of darkness and His greatest gift of love.

But God… It stirs the heart in the deepest place. Could it be that God is still intimately and strategically moving in and out of our lives shaping and forming all that we are… fixing that which was broken… finding that which was lost… making us into what He has always dreamed we would be? Could it be that the weight of this world does not have to rest on my shoulders…but that it rests on the crucified shoulders of this “great love with which he loved us”?

But God…