Category Archives: Easter

Under His Wings

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This picture has been floating around the internet for a couple of years, and I’m not sure where it belongs or who was the original photographer. It’s a classic example of a picture speaking 1000 words, but what is it saying? Is it about protection? Or maybe mother-love? Possibly mentoring? Or patiently waiting? Maybe listening to our elders? Or a willingness to accept protection from someone else?

Under winged protection

When I first saw it, my mind linked up with something Jesus said about the Jews who’d rejected him and his message. His moving statement occurred during the last week of his life when he was already in Jerusalem to sacrifice himself for the sins of mankind. With a heavy heart he faced imminent torture and death, but that didn’t stop him from engaging in a major confrontation with a group of Pharisees who were continuing to harass him, bating him as always.

With intense emotion he squared off with them, detailing their wickedness at  length and calling them hypocrites, snakes, and murderers, condemning them, describing them as greedy, blind, lawless, and self-indulgent. His righteous fury ended with a damning judgment, telling them they wouldn’t escape hell.

Yet even after all of that, his heart was breaking for their souls. His love for these enemies hadn’t wavered even slightly, despite their vindictiveness toward him. It’s at that very moment he spoke the words I thought of when I saw the above bird picture:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (Matthew 23:37)

I find this extraordinary. It’s possible that a tear might even have been sliding down his cheek as his heart broke over the Pharisees. After all the hatred they’d shown him, and after he’d poured out the truth of their wickedness, his dominating emotion was love.

When I was a child we sang a hymn called “Under His Wings:”

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

It was a comforting picture of the protection God offers, not necessarily physical protection but protection for our souls, both while on earth and later when in heaven. The birds above symbolize it beautifully, and Jesus spent his ministry offering that same protection to anyone who was willing, even the Pharisees. But as he said himself, they weren’t willing.

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.” (Psalm 57:1)

Out of Ashes

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40Forty is an important biblical number. During the Genesis flood it rained 40 days and 40 nights; Moses grew up in pharaoh’s palace for 40 years, lived in the wilderness for another 40, and led the Israelites through the desert during his last 40; at the time of the Ten Commandments, he was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days.

It took the Israelite spies 40 days to search out the Promised Land; King Saul, King David, and King Solomon each reigned for 40 years; the people of Nineveh repented after 40 days; Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days; and there were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension.

So what’s the significance of this number? Many scholars say the biblical 40 most often references a period of significant testing or struggle, followed by a time of God’s blessing.

Crown of Thorns

Today we find ourselves at another important 40, the days of Lent. As we again consider the horror of the cross, it’s a good idea to carve out time to reflect on all that our Savior endured. Knowing the number 40 represents struggle, 40 days for Lent seems appropriate.

I often wonder what Jesus did during his 40 days of misery in the wilderness. Scripture doesn’t let us in on the details, but we do know a few things: he lived among wild animals during that time; he was tempted by Satan repeatedly, possibly on all 40 days; he ate nothing and grew very hungry; and at the end of this agony, angels rushed from heaven to earth to help him.

Because we’re unable to participate in any of Jesus’ sufferings, whether in the wilderness or on a cross, Lent offers a time to rearrange our lives just a little by offering token participation in what Jesus went through. We willingly force ourselves to give up something we usually enjoy or surrender some of “our” time to do good for others.

Because our congregation was together tonight to initiate these 40 days of thinking about the cross, Pastor Kyle offered a symbolic way for us to recognize it was our sin that put Jesus on the cross to die: ashes on the forehead. Setting aside what little I knew about this Lenten custom, I focused on why I need the repentance Christ made possible and stepped forward for my ashes, a sign of death and grief.

The pastor said, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,” a quote from Psalm 130 and also the cry of my heart. “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.” (vv. 3-4)

The Cross

May 40 days of small sacrifices shake up our thinking enough to prompt fresh, potent understanding of what Jesus willingly did to bring the beauty of eternal life from the ashes of certain death.

“Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.” (Psalm 130:7)

A Happy Easter

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Worshiping on Easter Sunday morning at my childhood church in Chicago was a thrill for the senses. Moody Church was crowded with enthusiastic attendees, nearly 4000-strong, which encouraged us all to sing with extra enthusiasm. Our gusto might also have had something to do with the full choir and orchestra “backing us up.”

As we started my childhood favorite, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” I could almost taste the jelly beans. (Back in the 1950’s when we wore white gloves to church on Easter, Mom always said “no” to eating chocolate eggs in church, but jelly beans? They were ok.)

The messages in the old hymn were exhilarating on this Resurrection Sunday:

  •         Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
  •         Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
  •         Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
  •         Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Plunging into the second verse suddenly got me into some tearful trouble, specifically the last line:

  • Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
  • Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
  • Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
  • Christ has opened paradise, Allelulia!

A picture of Nate filled my mind as I visualized Jesus opening the door of paradise for him to walk in. While I sang that line, it was like a bubble of delight rose to the surface and burst forth in tears.

But isn’t that what Easter is? It’s our annual celebration of Christ’s bursting forth from his tomb when death couldn’t keep him there. As I batted back the tears, I thought of how dark and desolate Nate’s death would have been, had it not been for paradise awaiting him. As Pastor Lutzer said this morning, “At the moment of our earthly death, the devil shouts, ‘Gottcha!’ but right then Jesus is waiting to reject that, as he gives life eternal to the one who has just died.”

Nate lingered between earth and heaven for many hours before his death in the fall of 2009, and I like to think that on that last day God’s Spirit was speaking to him. Scripture tells us the Lord can communicate with us even as we sleep, and I believe a coma-like sleep is no exception. Maybe the Spirit said the same thing Jesus said to the repentant thief on the cross: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

I’m confident one day he’ll say the same thing to me and every other Christian as he or she dies. When that happens, giant bubbles of delight will burst forth big-time, and we’ll all be crying for joy.

And none of it would happen if it weren’t for his miraculous resurrection.

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)