Preparing

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1

As we prepare for the week in which we take time to consider the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ we want to see clearly.  This is a love story.  Not just a love story, it is THE Love Story.  It would be a great tragedy to approach this week commemorating Christ's completed work on the cross and forget what it so clearly is: an expression of His perfect, powerful and altogether amazing love for each of us.

Whiter than Snow

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7

Some of my fondest memories involve snow.  I remember when my parents got a puppy for Christmas one year.  I remember romping in the snow with a new dog.  I remember the first year April and I were married we got stuck in a snowstorm that shut the city down and we got to spend an entire week together without any interruption whatsoever.  However, the most noteworthy thing that comes to mind in fresh snowfall is how pure and clean everything looks.  When the sun shines it can be too brilliant to look upon.  This is how clean we are in Christ, how complete His justification.  It is not only forgiveness, it is a complete cleansing and gift of His righteousness.  All by grace, through faith.

Contests of Strength

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25 NASB

My son LOVES to wrestle with his daddy.  He could happily roll around on the carpet for hours just "winning" and getting overpowered and doing it all again.  The funny thing is that it never really is much of a contest.  I have to be very careful because it is easy for a fully grown man to overpower a child of three.  I think of this illustration with great joy, because God says that His "weakness" is stronger than our most impressive strength and power.  Nothing this world can provide to oppose God would even register on His "power scale".  That is encouraging, the one who loves you and me has a power that is fully beyond our comprehension.  And He used that power in bringing us back into a relationship with Him.