Feb. 26, 2009 -- This past Wednesday in many Christian traditions was Ash Wednesday. It is the first day of Lent, a 40-day period (not counting Sundays) of repentance and prayer that ends in the victorious climax of Easter Sunday. Some churches ignore, avoid or even oppose the liturgical church calendar because it is not mentioned in the New Testament. However, a person would be hard pressed to object to the traditional themes and details those special days incorporate -- words and actions that are solidly biblical and spiritually strengthening as well, when celebrated with faith resting on … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2009
WHAT, WHO, WHY, HOW
A gracEmail subscriber writes, "My 18-year-old daughter asked me exactly what Jesus did for us by his death on the cross. I told her that he took on our sins and died in our place. She then asked, 'But if the penalty for sin is eternal death, how did Jesus' death remove that penalty, since Jesus was raised from the dead and lives forever?'" * * * Because of his great mercy, and through the life and death of Jesus Christ his Son, God has graciously set us right with himself. New Testament writers use a variety of metaphors to express this divine act -- metaphors familiar to their readers … [Read more...]
