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| Be Very Quiet-They're Hunting Wabbits! |
Ah, the ageless battle between religion and secular beliefs. Seems like it never gets old. I get it. It's free will. Freedom to choose. Some say Easter is about bunnies with colorful eggs and candy. Others say it's about something much more profound. Something deeper. Which got me to thinking, that's what we are going to dive into on Lesson 4. No, this is not a Holiday plug or Bible thumping session, I know that's what you're probably thinking if you browsed the content of the other lessons.
While I will admit, all of the lessons will have a Christian or faith-based foundation, they are open forum for all to read and discuss no matter what your beliefs are. So I decided to start the discussion with the question, what is Easter if you take away the child-like love of chocolate and pastels? What if you're not Jewish, Christian, Muslim? What if you're non-denominational or better yet, what if you don't even believe in Easter? What's behind it all? What's the big deal?! Well, here's what I learned and I'm going to share it with you.
Easter is a symbol of faith that represents three of the most critical parts of the spiritual experience:
The Fall, Redemption and Resurrection.
Let's face it. The fall of man from the one-on-one relationship with God was like the falling from the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. No where to go but down. No outcome but death. As soon as we are conceived and formed in the womb, we are already a fallen being from God. Hard to accept, but true. Humans are separated from God through sin. All humans sin. There is no one sin greater than another. They are all equal distance from God. It does not matter if it is a little white lie or first degree murder. They both kill, steal and destroy in the end.
There is no such thing as telling a lie to protect someone. This is a fallacy. The same as there is no such thing as killing someone out of anger, hate, rage, fear or power is justified as vengeance. The person who stole money from the corner store is equally as guilty as the person who shot up a school full of children. SIN is SIN. Period.
So how do we get out of it? Take the leap of faith and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and let Him be your lawyer on the trial for your life. There is no other way into Heaven or to rid yourself from sin. He is it. If you don't believe this, that's your choice. You are entitled to it. You can say I'm wrong. But...what if I'm right? What if every human in existence, past, present and future, really did matter to God? What if Satan really did buy our lives in this world and Jesus bought it back? What if there really is more beyond this life? Let's just say for the sake of this lesson that it's true, that humans really did fall away from God and Satan became Prince of the Air of this world and we were doomed from the start before we were even born? How to we beat that? How do we fight back? What chance do we have? Sounds like the plot to the greatest story ever told; the world' first blockbuster movie; the world's #1 selling book of all time.
"Best start believing in ghost stories...you're in one." What if I told you the entire mental, emotional and spiritual experience of a human being is all about bragging rights and real estate? Every culture on this planet, past and present, accept or acknowledge there is more going on than just "us". In a nutshell, you've got a Gathering Of Developers that create a species in their likeness and image with the ability to learn knowledge of self and others and most of all, love by choice, not by programming. Then you have a villain that wants control of that species and everything that comes with it, including its location. What is the Creator to do? What is the human to do? Just like any good book or movie, there's got to be a hero!
For those of us who may not know the story, it goes a little something like this.
The mission: Metaphysical beings shall be given physical existence.
Earth will be the dwelling of the metaphysical beings.
Metaphysical beings are given physical bodies to move about the earth, are one with the Creator in love; pure; blissful and immortal.
Mission accomplished.
Plot thickens:
The Light-Bearer sees the Beings are in Harmony and are one with their Creator and grows jealous and plots to turn the Beings against the Creator so they will be one with him instead. The Light-Bearer wants all that the Creator has, including the Earth the Beings dwell on.
Sin enters the world: the FALL
All of the creations, the stars and skies, the waters and land, the creatures of the earth and the humans, all come apart at the core. Everything becomes the equal and opposite of itself. The natural order of things start to work against each other, creating storms of darkness in every corner of the earth, including every creature on the earth and worst of all, the brand new beings, fresh off the show-room floor, are now wretched and old, filled with lies, hate and destruction. Lied to, bamboozled and led astray.
The Punishment:
The Light-Bearer is forever bound to sin; the very tool used to turn heaven and earth against the Creator is used against him. As for the humans, the wage of their sin is death; of all living things: plants, animals, and themselves. From birth to death, they will live out their days in the mist of The Accuser, hating, killing and destroying themselves and each other.
The cliff hanger:
The Creator decides to destroy the earth and everything with it.
The Climax:
Oh no, we're doomed. What are we to do? God is going to destroy Satan, the humans and the Earth. This can't possibly be the end, this movie sucks. I want my money back! But wait! There's more!
Just when you thought it was over, in steps the hero! (insert hero theme song here)
The REDEMPTION
The Son of the Creator comes forth and offers himself as a sacrifice for the humans to His Father and says, let me go in their place. Let me live a life without sin as you intended and die for them so they may live. This is the atonement. The original hero, the one who set the benchmark for every hero to come thereafter, spent a life of servitude, in the flesh, suffered under the sin of man and paid the ultimate price. The mission will continue to join the humans with their Creator, but at what cost?
Hero is Killed
What? The hero is killed? Satan convinces the Jews that the one they call the Messiah is a fraud and the Jews turn him over to the Romans and the Romans punish the hero to death as a liar and committed acts of treason against the people of Israel and Rome. That's it? The hero is dead? What kind of ending is that? This movie sucks, I want my money back! But wait! There's more!
The RESURRECTION
Wow! Now here was a brand new concept that had never been done before. He love us so much He opened up His arms and died. His Father, the Creator, allows His Only Begotten Son to take the place of mankind in death. But wait. Just when you thought it was over, out of the break of the dawn, comes a rumbling roll over thunder and the skies burst apart and with loud crackles of light, the Son is lifted into the Heavens in human form! The hero saves us all from death, from Satan and most of all, from ourselves. And as we know from Lesson 3 on this site, this is just the beginning. And in the words of the literally immortal Son, "it is finished."
(Big sigh) All I can say is, that's the most amazing story every told. You may not notice, but every story since, written or otherwise, has the exact same format. There's a likeable character faced with a dilemma and a villian, a hero comes along or comes from within and saves the day and all is well that ends well.
So there you have it. That's where the root of Easter came from. The fall, the redemption, the resurrection. Of course you will see variances among the religions, sects, cultures and societies collectively, but the three main points of focus are all the same. The gift of forgiveness of sin, the promise of eternal life is offered to ALL humans, past and present, of ALL walks of life and backgrounds. All you have to do is ACCEPT it.
Now. You know the story. And theologically speaking, the days that follow the Ressurection of Christ are referred to as the "End of Days" which is the time period between the Ressurection and the Second Coming.
If you believe this story to be truthful and accurate and if you believe in the message it brings, then that means you believe there is now no condemnation for you after you die, because through Christ, your soul will be given a new body, a permanent, infinite body I might add, you will dwell on another planet, as yet unknown, but people have their theories and you will live out eternity away from sin and death.
Sounds great! Sounds like Easter is truly the end all to everything! So let's recap. You are born, you die, you rise again, you are given a new body and you live in heaven with God forever. Not a bad trade for just keeping your nose clean and loving each other as you love yourself. Sounds easy enough. But if that's true, why is it so hard to do the right thing?
Don't forget. The worst part of this life is we are born into a fallen world, no god, no hero. We are surrounded by hate, greed, envy, wrath, deceit and death from the second we are conceived. We take on sin from birth, live out sin during our lives and therefore need to cleanse ourselves of it before we die. So at some point, if you are able, let go of the garbage and free yourself! How?
Believers call is repentance or confession. Others call it closure or burying the hatchet. Whatever you call it, do it. Going back to the person you wronged or who wronged you, if you're able, confessing your transgressions and wrongdoings can sometimes turn into a bigger problem. So if you can do this in a healthy setting, go for it. If you can't, you may want to call on a best friend or family member, trusted loved one, maybe a pastor or priest that you can confide in, and go to them. If you don't have that, there's always a diary, journal or just a quiet place to yourself where you can speak out loud and get it all off your chest.
If you're able, tell them all your troubles and all the things you weigh down in your heart. Part of cleaning your mind, body and spirit starts with being truthful to yourself. Unload that gunk and start fresh. Forgive others. Forgive yourself and let the new day start out on a clean slate. Like the old saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can make a change. Start now.
For those of you who are believers in Christ, if you have not already, see your local church about the process of Repentance, Confession and Baptism. Baptism for Christians is one of the most powerful symbols of being washed clean of your old life to allow your new life to blossom and grow. You're going to like the way you feel. I guarantee it.
In order to be a leader, you must first be a follower. You can't be a butterfly, without first being a caterpillar, just as flowers cannot bloom, until it is their season. For you to love, you must first be loved.
LOVE IS NOT MAN-MADE. Love was already in existence before you were born. You were fearfully and wonderfully made; from love; with love. The Universe, the Earth and everything in it was already here before you came. It was LOVE that created such a place for you. It was LOVE that breathed life into you. LOVE took a risk and set you free...with hope that you would return of your own free will.
Every human in existence, past, present and future is capable of feeling, experiencing and sharing love. It is part of your DNA. It is a part of you. It is the mind, body and spirit's first command: to love yourself and others as God loves you. Internal love is not within your control. The expression of is love is in your control. Love 'in-and-of itself' is not a commandment; it is a choice.
Did you ever notice from the moment you are conceived, you are being served? You are cared for in the womb; born into this world defenseless and dependent. As a child you are in need of basic means of survival, nourishment and care. As an adult you are in need of constant, ongoing maintenance and upkeep. You come into this world to be served. To be loved.
The King pondered on what was to come and thought...there is one more lesson they must learn; to love is to serve.
The King got up from the table and laid out his outer garments, took a towel and tied it around his waist. He poured water into a basin and began to wash the apprentice's feet. In amazement, one of them said to him, "why do you wash my feet?"
The King humbly replied, "you may not understand now, but afterward, you will understand." "But you should never wash my feet." He replied.
"If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." The King answered.
Now. Right here you see something huge is happening. There are so many messages in what just took place, it's hard to break down into edible bites. For the sake of this discussion, let's just keep it simple and say this was SYMBOLIC and DEFINITIVE. In order to be a true leaders of love in our lives, we have to be true follower of Christ. We have to be "washed clean" spiritually, emotionally and mentally before we can walk His path in our lives. In order to live, die and live again with God in Heaven, we have to go through Him. There is no other way. So the King chooses to LOVE FIRST. The King serves first. Let's continue.
After he was done, the King resumed his place at the table and said to them, "do you understand what I have done to you? You call me "teacher" and "lord" and you are correct, I am. I have taught you to wash one another's feet. I have given you an example to do for each other as I have done for you. Truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."
Right there, the King is referring to followers of Christ. He is saying the Christians are not greater than Christ and Christ is not greater than His Father in Heaven.
"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. This will come to pass. I tell you this now. Truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send, will receive me. And whoever receives me, will receive the one who sent me."
And there it is. Love in it's most selfless form. What the King was saying was all humans have the gift of the Holy Spirit, left for them by Jesus Christ to comfort them and guide them through this wayward, fallen life. Then, by choice, we can receive Christ and through Christ we can be one with our Creator again. Pure. Innocent. Eternal.
(Big sigh) All I can say is, that's the most amazing story every told. You may not notice, but every story since, written or otherwise, has the exact same format. There's a likeable character faced with a dilemma and a villian, a hero comes along or comes from within and saves the day and all is well that ends well.
So there you have it. That's where the root of Easter came from. The fall, the redemption, the resurrection. Of course you will see variances among the religions, sects, cultures and societies collectively, but the three main points of focus are all the same. The gift of forgiveness of sin, the promise of eternal life is offered to ALL humans, past and present, of ALL walks of life and backgrounds. All you have to do is ACCEPT it.
Now. You know the story. And theologically speaking, the days that follow the Ressurection of Christ are referred to as the "End of Days" which is the time period between the Ressurection and the Second Coming.
If you believe this story to be truthful and accurate and if you believe in the message it brings, then that means you believe there is now no condemnation for you after you die, because through Christ, your soul will be given a new body, a permanent, infinite body I might add, you will dwell on another planet, as yet unknown, but people have their theories and you will live out eternity away from sin and death.
Sounds great! Sounds like Easter is truly the end all to everything! So let's recap. You are born, you die, you rise again, you are given a new body and you live in heaven with God forever. Not a bad trade for just keeping your nose clean and loving each other as you love yourself. Sounds easy enough. But if that's true, why is it so hard to do the right thing?
Don't forget. The worst part of this life is we are born into a fallen world, no god, no hero. We are surrounded by hate, greed, envy, wrath, deceit and death from the second we are conceived. We take on sin from birth, live out sin during our lives and therefore need to cleanse ourselves of it before we die. So at some point, if you are able, let go of the garbage and free yourself! How?
Believers call is repentance or confession. Others call it closure or burying the hatchet. Whatever you call it, do it. Going back to the person you wronged or who wronged you, if you're able, confessing your transgressions and wrongdoings can sometimes turn into a bigger problem. So if you can do this in a healthy setting, go for it. If you can't, you may want to call on a best friend or family member, trusted loved one, maybe a pastor or priest that you can confide in, and go to them. If you don't have that, there's always a diary, journal or just a quiet place to yourself where you can speak out loud and get it all off your chest.
If you're able, tell them all your troubles and all the things you weigh down in your heart. Part of cleaning your mind, body and spirit starts with being truthful to yourself. Unload that gunk and start fresh. Forgive others. Forgive yourself and let the new day start out on a clean slate. Like the old saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can make a change. Start now.
For those of you who are believers in Christ, if you have not already, see your local church about the process of Repentance, Confession and Baptism. Baptism for Christians is one of the most powerful symbols of being washed clean of your old life to allow your new life to blossom and grow. You're going to like the way you feel. I guarantee it.
In order to be a leader, you must first be a follower. You can't be a butterfly, without first being a caterpillar, just as flowers cannot bloom, until it is their season. For you to love, you must first be loved.
LOVE IS NOT MAN-MADE. Love was already in existence before you were born. You were fearfully and wonderfully made; from love; with love. The Universe, the Earth and everything in it was already here before you came. It was LOVE that created such a place for you. It was LOVE that breathed life into you. LOVE took a risk and set you free...with hope that you would return of your own free will.
LOVE SERVES
It all started with God. God loved the earth and the creations in it. God loved the human spirit and gave it tangible, physical life. Hate killed the mind and body, but the Son of God loved you before you were born and loved you for who you were meant to be, not for what you became. God so loved the world that He Gave His only Son to die and be reborn so that we may live eternally.
WE LOVE BECAUSE HE LOVED US FIRST
Every human in existence, past, present and future is capable of feeling, experiencing and sharing love. It is part of your DNA. It is a part of you. It is the mind, body and spirit's first command: to love yourself and others as God loves you. Internal love is not within your control. The expression of is love is in your control. Love 'in-and-of itself' is not a commandment; it is a choice.
Did you ever notice from the moment you are conceived, you are being served? You are cared for in the womb; born into this world defenseless and dependent. As a child you are in need of basic means of survival, nourishment and care. As an adult you are in need of constant, ongoing maintenance and upkeep. You come into this world to be served. To be loved.
Love Is
The story goes a little something like this. It was just before the Feast, the King was mourning the loss of four of his loved ones, the ones he loved to the end. During dinner, the King was looking around at his brave apprentices, thinking to himself they had come so far, but they were not ready for what was about to happen. One among them, would turn him over to their enemies; to die. The King pondered on what was to come and thought...there is one more lesson they must learn; to love is to serve.
The King humbly replied, "you may not understand now, but afterward, you will understand." "But you should never wash my feet." He replied.
"If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." The King answered.
Now. Right here you see something huge is happening. There are so many messages in what just took place, it's hard to break down into edible bites. For the sake of this discussion, let's just keep it simple and say this was SYMBOLIC and DEFINITIVE. In order to be a true leaders of love in our lives, we have to be true follower of Christ. We have to be "washed clean" spiritually, emotionally and mentally before we can walk His path in our lives. In order to live, die and live again with God in Heaven, we have to go through Him. There is no other way. So the King chooses to LOVE FIRST. The King serves first. Let's continue.
Right there, the King is referring to followers of Christ. He is saying the Christians are not greater than Christ and Christ is not greater than His Father in Heaven.
"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. This will come to pass. I tell you this now. Truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send, will receive me. And whoever receives me, will receive the one who sent me."
YOU WERE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE
That's right. Like it or not, you were bought and paid for. Not with money, but with blood. In order to keep you from spending eternity with Satan in a fallen world of hate, destruction and pain, also known as, the world we live in today only worse (can you imagine). Christ took your place and died for you; so you could live. HE LOVED US FIRST. It has gone down in history as the greatest sacrifice of love mankind has ever known.
Can you imagine life without hope, faith or love? I don't want to. To me, that's hell; separation from God means separation from life; separation from love. I can't say that I know or understand everything little thing that people have gone through in their personal lives. There are some of us who have lived horribly tragic, sorrowful, broken and damaged lives. I can't fathom living like that for eternity. Thank God for the hope that there is another way out.
LOVE SACRIFICES
JOHN 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for another.
Now it's fair that a lot of people who are not Christians or not religious at all may think this is all just a bunch of hype. They will say how could Jesus know me? How could Jesus understand my pain? How can someone who lived over 2000 years ago have the faintest idea what I'm going through? Well, although the world around us changes everyday through time and technology, humans are still the same. And for a short 33 years, Jesus was human; just-like-you. Before He lead, He followed. Before He taught, He learned. Before He could guide you, He became you.
Jesus experienced EMOTIONAL sacrifice. Matthew 26:48-49 BETRAYED. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them; "the one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "greetings Rabbi!" and kissed him.(he was betrayed by someone he loved; they turned on him to save themselves-this ever happen to you-when you feel like you can't trust anyone, there is no greater feeling of betrayal)
Denial-Matthew 26:69-74. Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. (ever had someone claim they didn't know you just to save their own reputation-talk about you behind your back and then call you a friend to your face) Rejection-Matthew 27:22 "What shall I do, then, with this Jesus who is called Christ?" Pontius Pilate asked. They all answered, "crucify him!" (ever had someone sell you out and turn on you just to save their own skin right at the time you need them most-and they said they had your back-there is no greater feeling of helplessness than rejection)
Alone-Matthew 27:38-39 Two burglars were executed with Jesus, one on his left and one on his right. Those who passed by, hurled insults at him, threw things at him and walked away, shaking their heads in distaste. (ever feel like no one likes you-like you have no friends and no one to lean on when you need someone to listen-ever feel like you were innocent and got blamed for something you didn't do. there is no greater feeling of loneliness than being in a room full of people and there is no one to talk to)Jesus experienced PHYSICAL sacrifice. FLOGGING-Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them. but he had Jesus flogged repeatedly to the brink of near death and exhaustion and handed him over to be crucified. (ever been physically abused, been in a fight, got jumped or been so badly beaten up that you felt like you were going to die)
Beating and Spitting. Matthew 27:30. They spat, threw rocks, picked up sticks and hit him over the head and body over and over again. (every person who has ever been a victim of a bully knows far too much how this feels) Thorns as a crown of mockery-Matthew 27:29 ...and then they twisted together a crown of thorns and pressed it into his head. (if you have ever been picked on, mocked, laughed at, joked on and labeled to be the butt of someone's cruel intention only to have your true name and position be made a muck; then that's your crown of thorns-you work so hard to accomplish something only to have others try to tear it down and make fun of you and your success)
Fatigue-walking a mile beaten and bruised-Matthew 27:32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and forced him to help Jesus carry his cross. (ever feel like you're too tired to care anymore and you're ready to just give up)
Doubt-NAILS in hands and feet-John 20:25 But John said to them, "unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it. (ever been questioned, second guessed, not taken at your word and felt like no matter what you did people still didn't believe you)
Fear-the CROSS-John 1:17-18 Carrying his own cross, he went out to Golgotha, the place of the skull. It was here that they crucified him. (that's where the saying came from..."we have a cross to carry" or "we all have our cross to bare"; that's what it means to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, living in strife being oppressed, for fear it's all for nothing and it will never get better)
SEPARATION from the Father - Matthew 27:46-About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?" which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (ever felt abandoned, lonely, afraid; like the one you counted on the most left you to die? It's a level of fear and desperation that can't be described as nothing less than emotional, spiritual Hell)
DEATH-1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin. (Sin and death separate us from our Creator who is sinless and infinite. Jesus took our place and died so we might live in the midst of God again someday. It is the greatest sacrifice of Love known to mankind.)
So you see, Jesus does know you. He knew you before you were born. He knew all of the trials and triumphs of your life. He lived a day in your life, walked a mile in your shoes, died and came back so that you can do the same. It is entirely up to you to choose to believe this or not. It is entirely your choice to accept what I have said here today is truth or myth. If you don't believe me, do your research, do your homework, go behind me and investigate it and see if there is, indeed, any truth that after we die, we will be placed in a state of timelessness, only to be revived, placed in a new body and then given the glorious opportunity to live out eternity in peace, love and understanding. There is always the alternate; agree to disagree and choose not to believe this is true and go your own way. That's the beauty of it; there is no wrong choice. Only the choice you make with the outcomes as they may be. I ask you again, but what if I'm right; what if there is a place far away from here that is promised to us as long as we choose to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior...what if...you decide. All that Christ asked of us in the end was to love each other as he loves us.
Until then, let intelligence be your compass and let love be your guide.
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