Why?

I want to start off today by inviting everyone who happens to read this to our church this weekend (FBC Springdale) for "Day 2" in our presentation of "Three Days". For three weekends, our church choir and ministry teams will be re-inacting some of the more poignant days in the ministry of Jesus. Last week we portrayed the calling of His disciples (the 12 most known), the triumpant entry to Jerusalem on the back of a donkey (we actually used a live donkey in this act) and a miracle scene in which Jesus healed a blind man, restored a lame man and brought a dead girl back to life. There was also a depiction as well as a narraration explaining the story of the woman who touched the robe of Jesus and He felt it. It was a great way to set the tone of Pastor Floyd's three part sermon that will coincide with each day's depiction.

This week, we will show the Last Supper, the betrayal and the crucifixion of Jesus.

Please, please come see this. It's not for our glory or to say "look how good we are". It's about seeing (literally depicted) the re-inactment of Jesus death upon that cross for our sins and the pain He indeed suffered for our expense. I had missed the prior rehearsal about a week and a half ago when the ministry team ran through this particular scene to get a feel for how it would play out so last night was my first time to see it.

I won't give anything away but I will say that last night was the first time that I've ever been a part of a depiction where I've lost myself in the moment and actually broke down crying at what I saw.

The music, the songs, the lighting, the portrayal...it all moved me so much that there was no way I could stop the tears from welling up inside. Some of the aspects of what was going on hit me and caused me to stop & think about several things.

What if that were MY son the crowds were tormenting, beating, spitting on and mocking? What if that were MY son the soldiers flogged, whipped, scourged and drove nails through his hands? What if that was MY son hanging brutally on a splintered, bloody cross as a punishment for something he didn't do? What if that was MY son crying out to me, his father, in despair and torment, pleading for my help?

Could I allow any of this to happen? Could you?

To see this all depicted in front of my own eyes, to allow myself to be taken back in time to when this actually occured and to consider this from a parent's perspective, how could I not feel the emotion swell up inside me? Can you imagine the pain in God's heart as He watched this all happen to His only Son?

Yes, God knew the only way any of us could receive full salvation from our own sins and deserved death was for His Son to take OUR place as an atonement. Yes, He knowingly sent Jesus to fulfill this plan for our benefit and yes, He allowed this all to happen (the beatings, the mockings, the scourging, the painful death and abondonment) for the sake of us all.

But God is STILL a Father and I can't even begin to imagine what kind of grief and pain He must have felt as He stepped aside to let this happen. I'm sure many of us as parents would go through hell for our kids if they were faced with anything even slightly resembling this brutality.

Mothers who are reading this today...did any of you see "The Passion" a couple years ago? Do you remember one of the most talked about scenes from that movie? It was the one where Mary saw Jesus coming toward her, bloody & weak with the cross upon his back, staggering for support and laboring for breath, when suddenly He begins to fall towards her. In a flash, she sees a 3 year old boy running toward her when he begins to fall on the street. As she rushes to comfort Him, she holds the crying toddler in her arms and soothes his pain in a way only a mother can do.

And then, she is back in present time, seeing her son, God's Son, looking at her with pleading and hurting eyes. She knows He needs help but this time, she cannot comfort Him.

God allowed this all to happen because of one thing. That one thing we never seem to get. It's that one thing that people will ignore, refute or even completely disregard as anything relevant in today's world.

Love.

His love. For me and for you.

How do I know this?

"For God so loved the world that He gave His ONLY begotten Son...that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent notHis Son into the world to condem the world but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)

God allowed the brutal crucifixion of His Son because He loves us. Because we could never ever ever do enough to save ourselves (we are not saved by works but our faith!), He knew that only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ would satisfy the debt and punishment we deserved because of our sinful nature.

All of us were faced with a literal, bloody image last night at rehearsal. We were faced with a choice we all had to make. Maybe some of us have already made that choice, perhaps not. Maybe some of you reading this today are now facing this choice.

Will you love and serve the One who came to die in YOUR place, the One who did so obediently even though, as the song says "He could have called 10,000 angels" to come and help Him, the One who looked ahead into time and saw YOU and allowed this excruciating death to happen for YOUR sake...

or will you continue to reject it all?

I urge you with all that I have in me...receive the gift He so willingly gave. Allow Him to change your life and fill your heart with joy, love, hope...

and peace.