Showing posts with label Celebrations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celebrations. Show all posts

Jesus The Christ Arose And Is With Our Father


Happy Easter!
We celebrate Jesus Christ of Nazareth's obedience
to the Father and his love for us!
 
He was separated from his Father for a period in time,
all for our salvation.
We remember his selfless act and how he submitted,
because his Father asked him to.

For God so loved us that he sacrificed His Only Son,
so that whoever believes on Him should have everlasting life.



I hope your Easter is full of joy and peace
and a new commitment
to Christ Jesus.


Happy Good Friday In Jesus' Name!

 

 Jesus is Lord!

Honoring Jesus Christ On Good Friday
Honoring our Savior Jesus Christ's obedience as he went faithfully
to the cross. All done
for each one of us,
for the joy to come.
Jesus Christ Is Worthy To Be Praised
On Good Friday And Everyday

Thank You Dear Lord For Your Sacrifice On My Behalf.



Remembering Christ At All Meals

The food and drink that we consume daily are not the true life through which Christians survive, though we need them to keep our dying bodies alive for this short period on earth. When we allow any meal that we take to represent The Communion or The Eucharist, we are acknowledging that our daily, entire lives are found in Jesus Christ.

We are remembering that we live and have our nourishment through him whom God has appointed as the only Savior of mankind. As many times as we eat daily, it can be a sacred event where we take a moment to recognize Christ.
When we acknowledge Communion in this way, our daily meals become a representation of the eternal life of the soul, which each Believer has obtained through the shed blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It also gives us many more opportunities to remember God's beloved Son.
Choosing to remember Christ at all meals does not need to replace the formal ritual of taking Communion with our churches or ministries. It can be an additional, Holy way to submerge ourselves daily in Christ, to walk in the Spirit more often.

I believe that Jesus meant that whenever food and drink passes our lips, remember Him, until he comes back for us. How blessed it can be to remember Him that often!

I Corinthians 11:23 

Other names for The Communion or Eucharist are The Sacrament, The Lord's Supper, The Last Supper, Holy Communion, Blessed Sacrament and Sacrament of the Altar.

Allowing each meal that we take to be a reminder to remember Christ Jesus, His sacrifice for us and that we live through Him.

Thoughts on the traditional, formal, infrequent taking of The Communion.









Christmas Begins With Christ


It doesn't matter whether or not December 25 is the actual birth date of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It doesn't matter which or what type of manger he was laid in.

Nor does it matter where is the exact location of the inn or the type and construction of the stable where they stayed.

In other words, the particulars don't matter to God and neither should they matter to us.

It matters that we grow in understanding and appreciation of just what our Lord & Savior has done for us.

It matters that we learn to love and respect Our Heavenly Father, who loved us so much that he sent Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb.

The Christmas season is because of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of Our Father even now, praying and interceding for us till the end of time. 


Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

 


No Doubt Jesus Is Alive!

 

Honoring Jesus Christ Of Nazareth Today
For He Is Most Certainly Alive
Happy Easter from Draw Nigh To Hope
  He Arose & He Is Without A Doubt Alive!
God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us.
Happy Easter!
This is the day that Jesus arose!
We celebrate his obedience to the Father
and love for us!
 
He was obedient to the cross.
He was separated from his Father for a period in time,
all for our salvation.


We remember his selfless act
and how he submitted,
because his Father
asked him to.



It was all for us. 
For God so loved us 
that he sacrificed His Only Son,
so that whoever believes on Him
should have everlasting life.



I hope your Easter
is full of joy and peace
that will carry throughout the
rest of your life here on this earth.

Remembering Jesus' Palm Sunday Journey


Happy Palm Sunday!
Happy Palm Sunday!
We remember Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
We remember that today represents the day that Jesus Christ of Nazareth made his humble but triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Jesus on the donkey is a beloved Christian icon.

He rode upon a donkey as he made his journey in.
I wonder what led to him sitting on that donkey.
Did he allow the throngs of people to put him on the donkey because that is how they wanted to honor him?

Was he simply weary from a long, hot, dusty journey and in danger of collapsing? Whatever the reason, Jesus on the donkey is one of the many revered icons of Christianity. It symbols victory!
Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Christian icons in themselves don't possess any power and we don't idolize them. Like the Cross, they are beloved touch-points for our great love for our Savior and all that he stands for.
We honor Jesus' obedience.
Today we remember with joy that Jesus was obedient to the Father. He was strengthened and determined as he journeyed towards that inevitable suffering that we remember with sorrowful joy.

Jesus Christ gave his life for our salvation.
 We thank you, Dear Lord Jesus, for your obedience.
Help us to be obedient always to Our Father God.




Image Credits Starting At The Top:

1) 123RF.com
2) PicSunday.com
3) St Paul's United Methodist Church
4) Pinterest.com
5) SPWOC.com
6) 101Greetings.com

He Is Certainly Alive! Honoring Jesus Christ Of Nazareth

Happy Easter from Draw Nigh To Hope
  He Arose & He Is Certainly Alive
God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us.
Happy Easter,
the day that Jesus arose!
We celebrate his love for us!
 
 He was obedient to the cross.
He was separated from his Father for a period in time,
all for our salvation.

 We remember his selfless act
and how he submitted, because his Father
asked him to.


 It was all for us. 
For God so loved us 
that he sacrificed His Only Son,
so that whoever believes on Him
should have everlasting life.


  I hope your Easter is full of joy and peace
that carries throughout the entire week.


POEM: Happy Birthday Jesus by Georgette Johnson

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS 
by
Georgette Johnson

Today is your birthday.
Thank you for coming into our hearts.
Thank you for forgiving us of our sins.
We honor you on this day, come what may.
Help us to remember that this is your day.

You were there for us and we didn't know.
You gave us help when we were slow.
Thank you for helping us grow.
When you surround us we have a glow.
You lift us up when we are low.

The best present we could have on earth,
Is you coming to us by a virgin birth.
I want to remember you on this day,
No matter what comes throughout this day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

On Christmas Day, remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of those who choose to believe God's Word.

Happy Autumn & The Beauty Of Seasonal Death!








I hope you are enjoying the Autumn season so far. It's my fav time of year. Though many things are preparing to die, I love the blazing fall foliage colors, and the cool, crisp weather. Fall is a reminder that many things in our own lives have to die as well, in order to realize new life. In order for many of our fondest hopes and dreams to come to pass, some things have to be done away with, one way or another.

It is usually not the things that we would pick or think would need to die, or even necessarily the things that we are afraid will have to go. That's sacrifice. It's the things that we never would think of, and that God's Holy Spirit quietly nudges us about. Those are the things that we need to allow him to purge and prune to make way for the dreams of the new season in our lives.  That's obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice. The Bible tells us so.

So death has beauty, at least in God's Kingdom. It's through death that his promises are made real in our lives.





Luxuriating On Sunday


When I was young, and not so young, I used to hate Sundays. I dreaded the ending of Saturday night, because I knew it was coming...that day, that strange day. Sunday was a day that was filled with silence, boredom, and guilt. Where I come from, all stores were closed on Sundays, or closed very early or opened very late. There was hardly any traffic, and hardly any pedestrians, because mostly everyone who did not go to Church slept in late.

Especially as a child, the prettier the sky on Sunday, the more it reminded me of God, and that he probably didn't like it because I was not in church. I don't know why big, fluffy, rolling white clouds reminded me of God and church. Probably because I often saw images like this on hand fans and obituaries whenever I did attend a church service.

Though it was a day filled with extra good food and desserts, Sunday was a day to be quiet. If you weren't told to be quite, you were inclined to be quiet because the world was. It was a laborious day to get through. I wanted the noise of traffic, and people and worldly activity to drown out any guilt that I felt about not reverencing God on that day.

Even the TV programs were different. Singing choirs and men talking and yelling about things of God. Hardly any good programs came on at all. I had to wait until afternoon or evening to see anything interesting. Even then, it usually wasn't my good, favorite programs. Just programs to drag myself through until Monday, when the world would return to normal. Many things have changed since I was that young, worldly, fearful, bored youth, wishing for any day but Sunday.

I enjoy Sundays now. Though these reserved days still fill me with quietness, it's a different type of quietness; and there is no guilt. In most places I have lived, there is almost no difference between Sundays and other days of the week. There is little change in traffic, pedestrian or otherwise. Stores are open by 10:00 am, if not all day. More people work on Sundays now than when I was young; this being a necessity for many of the services that we enjoy.

I feel a reverence on Sundays now, towards a God who wants me to slow down and rest one day per week. I know that if not Sunday, I should live a slower life on another day, each week. I see the value of having one day that is very different from the other six. The towering, puffy clouds on a Sunday day, or any day, remind me of a God who loves me unconditionally, not of condemnation. There is no more guilt on any Sunday, no matter what I do or don't do; whether I am in church physically, or not. There is no more fear, or boredom on this unusual day. I can enjoy and luxuriate on that wind-down day, no matter what. I know that this God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to remove all of my guilt, and self-imposed judgments, and I don't have to fear anymore.

Image Credit: Pixabay Free Images

Easter: A Day of Rest & Celebration

My mom's lillies risen again on our apartment breezeway, salvaged from her old home.


Sundays always seem to be a day of rest for me.  Many of us were raised this way.  The Lord rested on the 7th day, or the 1st day, or otherwise, depending on how you see it.  So should we.

I think we should all have a day of rest, no matter what day it is that we choose.  Our bodies, minds and spirits benefit greatly from it.  The actual day doesn't matter to me, because the history of the names and times of days is variable, so why make a big deal of it?  Just choose a day, even if it changes each week, and rest.

Worship, hunt eggs, read the Bible, eat ham, go to an Easter sunrise service for the first time to celebrate the risen Christ, eat a chocolate rabbit.  Celebrate Easter however you can, and have a blessed rest.
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Prayers & Celebrations For Christmas & New Year's

Praying Snowman, watercolor on paper, collage, (c)Sandi Holland Mixed Media
To Christians, Jesus is the reason for the season.  To non-Christians, gift-giving, vacations, tradition and celebrations are reasons for the season.  To me, it's healthy to enjoy a combination of both.

Jesus participated in worldly traditions when he kindly provided wine at a wedding that he and his mom were attending.  Did Jesus drink any of the wine?  The Bible doesn't say.  Does it matter whether he did or not?  Not in the great big 'ole scheme of things.

I think what is pertinent is that Jesus was present in his community, by joining in with the festivities.  It's possible that he would have preferred to be away praying alone, or reading, or being devout, or whatever their word for that would have been.  The truth is that he was always being a part of his society, while he lived with the fact that he was separate.

So I wish you many inspired and fervent prayers for this holiday season.  Prayers are of God, and the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  I also wish you many celebrations and gifts of many types, because it is an uplifting tradition of our society.

If you're a Christian, join in the worldly holiday gaiety, in your own reverent way.  Be a part, rather than apart.  If you're not a Christian, spend some time with a Christian neighbor or associate.  Go to a Christian event, it doesn't have to be church.  Be a part, rather than apart.

God is everywhere, and everywhere he is there is hope.  If you're a non-Christian, you can enjoy a part of him by spending time this season with a Christian.  Do it, even if you're not ready to be a Christian.  Maybe you feel that you'll probably never take the plunge to be a Christian.  Even so, spend time with a Christian this season.

Season's GreetingsHappy HolidaysMerry ChristmasHappy HanukkahFeliz Navidad.  Have a joyful and thankful Kwanzaa.  As my snowman is doing, pray, and then enjoy your presents, even if it's just one that you've given yourself.

And Happy New Year's too!