Chapter 24 - I Do Not Leave You As Orphans

The last chapter! 

Merry Christmas!

Jesus didn't stay as he was and continue to walk the earth. He left miraculously and mysteriously, but with only his small group of disciples as onlookers to his ascension into heaven. 
He left them with his words, he made clear their mission, and he promised to equip them in this task. 
But we do have a last glimpse of Mary, kneeling with the Eleven, with the women, and with her sons who now believed. (150) 
Ten days later, while they were gathered in one place, the sound of a violent wind filled the house. Tongues of fire split apart and rested on each of them. God the Holy Spirit had arrived, and the disciples would never be the same. (150)
The author goes on to remind us that God has not left us either and equips us through his Word and Sacraments. She does a beautiful job describing who the Holy Spirit is, what he does for us and the means through which he works. 
So where is God when we need him? He is clothing us with his Holy Spirit and his power. He is ruling on our behalf, bringing blessing from evil. And he is with us, always - as close as his words in the Bible, as near as his home in our own hearts. (152)

I've learned so much through this special look at the Mary, the mother of Jesus! This will be a book I will continue to look at for years to come! I am so grateful for the author, the timing of the release of the book, and the spiritual blessings it has brought to me! I am grateful to have shared this with my readers, my fellow sisters-in-Christ and mothers in the trenches of life! Thank you:)

Ponder
Your child asks, "Where is God? I can't see him!" How will you answer?
In our family, we like to celebrate Ascension. It falls midweek, and when Easter is later so is Ascension. I like when that happens because then it's easier to be outside on that special day! 

We usually have a picnic. Being outside, with the big sky and clouds overhead helps all ages to imagine what that must have been like. But we don't just keep staring up at the sky like the disciples did until their reverie was broken by the words of the angels. We read the Word of God where he promises us that he'll be there. We recall the words he spoke to those disciples that were still wondering what they were supposed to do now. We are reminded of what he wants us to do today! 

Contemplating their Ascension thoughts:)

Ascension dessert - strawberries on a cloud

One year we each let a balloon go as we prayed for Him to equip us! 

Jesus will come back again! 

Chapter 23 - He is Risen Indeed!

Last year's blog book club was on the book "Behold, I am Coming Soon". One of my favourite parts was imaging the other side of the heavens and the angels singing their triumphant song of Jesus' victory and resurrection! It gives me chills ...

Mary does seem to be strangely absent from the events mentioned here. We can imagine how she must have felt, what she must have gone through, what she was doing. But I guess we'll have to wait until heaven to ask her to really know! I guess if God thought we needed to know before that, he'd have included it here:)

I enjoyed the way the author brought together these different parts of Scripture that were all written about these first appearances of Jesus to his followers and disciples. 

Jesus stayed on the earth for forty days following his resurrection. In that time, he appeared to hundreds of people and he continued preaching. He made sure that it wasn't just a few select people that saw him. He didn't just appear to his disciples and tell them to spread the word. He wanted to be seen by many people and to have numerous witnesses so that not only would they be reassured of his resurrection, but that we would be assured of his resurrection. 

I agree with the author on her application to us on this topic of doubt. Her given examples go far beyond just doubting if he really rose again. I could relate personally to a few of these examples she gave! I too prepare a guest room for Doubt and allow it to settle in with all it's bad habits. (143)

God has certainly provided more than enough evidence to "douse our doubt". His words transform me too, resurrecting my faith and drawing a hallelujah from my lips. (144)

The sword that had pierced her soul left a crack through which light now poured in - the light of comprehension and joy and peace. (145) Beautiful words!!! 

Mothering Like Mary

Kim is another Mom I appreciate hearing from. She has the experience of parenting young adults during that tricky transition time between still being at home and gaining independence on the cusp of making their own families and big decisions! 

I have to say, I wish the author hadn't quoted the Josh McDowell statement at the beginning of this section or for that matter - at all. It really threw me off. It made me confused what she had meant by "doubting" up till this point and confused me as to what Kim was going to say then. So I'm ignoring it for now and I'll come back to the statement in the Ponder section. 

I absolutely agree that we should encourage our kids to ask questions, be in church regularly and even attend a weekly Bible study if possible. When you consider that most kids in public school/university are getting 6 or 7 hours a day steeped in the muck and mire of our world, they need a place they can count on to hold that muck up to the light of truth and see it for what it really is. 

I think overall, our synod does a great job at doing what it can to educate our young people for the world. Confirmation class comes strategically before the start of high school where many will be in a public system of schooling that is not just Godless but hostile to God. I know that my husband takes this opportunity to discuss the evolution/creation debate along with a serious study of Luther's Catechism which is meant to show the why our church teaches what it does based on Scripture. 

But we can't make these kids keep coming to church and Bible class in the years that follow. Too many of them disappear from the pews or never start attending a Bible study where they can continue to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God. This is so unfortunate as they are in a crucial time of life where they are being exposed to so much in the world that they need to learn to critically think and ask questions. They need to know how to defend their faith. They need to be mentored by those in their church that have been there and done that. And if you want my personal opinion - I'm not convinced even a youth Bible class is the best option - I think they need to be with the adults and glean their wisdom. 

I don't see this so much as a "questioning of faith" or "doubting Christianity" as the phrases the author uses here. I do like the phrases "critically thinking" and "maturity of faith". Which takes me into the Ponder section. 

Ponder

Agree or disagree: "If our kids never struggle with their faith, they will have borrowed convictions." I'm going to go ahead and include the rest of that quote that came before that. "I always prayed for the day that my kids would doubt Christianity because everybody must personalize their faith." (145) I'll be honest and just say I don't know a lot about the Christian apologist, Josh McDowell, but I know enough to understand where he's coming from with this. He comes from a bent of Christianity that is of the belief that a person must (should?) sow their wild oats and then come back and make their decision for Christ after having some time to "explore".  Having that understanding of the quote, I completely disagree. If we are setting our kids up to stray or leave their faith at some point, I can't see that as being good. Faith doesn't come by doubting or struggling - it comes by the Holy Spirit through his Word. 

I talked to my pastor husband about this, by the way. I really was struggling with this and was looking for some clarity.

He pointed out that we don't all have the same gifts of the Spirit just like we don't all have the same weaknesses. Some people do have doubt as their weakness. Absolutely. That could be the way the devil tries to pry them away from the faith. But not everybody has that weakness. Not to worry though - there are others to be had! The devil will use whatever weakness he can find in each of us to weaken our bond to Jesus. So who are we to pray for our kids to have a weakness they may not even be prone to? Shouldn't we pray for strength in the weaknesses they actually have? 

I do, however, want to encourage my children to critically think, ask questions and grow in their maturity of faith which I understand as different from what this quote is suggesting, based on what I know of the theology of the where the quote comes from. 

Even the part of the quote "personalizing their faith" makes me cringe. Another way I would read this is "making it their own". That doesn't sound so bad, but where is the focus? On me. On them. Where's Jesus? 

Finally, please don't misunderstand me as saying a real Christian should never struggle with their faith. I've already said I can relate to some of the applications she mentions in this chapter. When understood in that way, we all struggle in some way. We all doubt - and God has dispelled that doubt with proof of his resurrection and triumph over the grave! Also, I personally have grown in wisdom and understanding by comparing what other people believe to what I've been taught to believe. I've not been threatened by this, but rather they've been opportunities to dig deeper into my Bible and search for answers that solidify what I already believed! The stinker of it is when these opportunities arise and someone chooses not to dig deeper into God's Word, not to ask their pastor or parents, and not to attend church and Bible study regularly. Then they're not hearing truth and run the risk of their doubt drowning their faith. Please, Lord, may this not happen to us or our children!!

Chapter 22 - Hear Him Cry

Well, she got me. 

Jesus suffered and died for my sins. And yeah, I could probably use another look at it through the eyes of Mary to appreciate it in a different light. 

Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Again, I love how the author incorporates her knowledge of Israel's temple rituals and sacrifices that gives the reader a deeper understanding. I can close my eyes and imagine the smells and the smoke. I can hear the choir sing the psalm. I can see Jesus fulfilling the purpose of why they were doing what they were doing.
Love was what was happening on the cross outside of Jerusalem - love for a world of sinners who had been made a promise at the dawn of time. (129)
I once again consider what it meant that Jesus did all that he did. 
When God looked at Jesus on the cross, he didn't see his beloved Son. He saw sin piled upon sin, guilt piled up on guilt, a stinking refuse of wrongdoing accumulated from the beginning to the end of time. And so God turned his back on his Son and unleashed hell. (130)
And I am overwhelmed.

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

Even as he was abandoned by his Father, even as he paid for a crime he didn't commit, Jesus still clung to God with perfect trust and still loved him with all his heart, soul and mind: "Though I cannot even call you Father, yet you are my God!" (130)
Through a mother's eyes. Who can imagine?

I am thirsty

Such a basic necessity but nevertheless, one that this mother could not provide. But now her son, the source of the living water of eternal life, was thirsty, and Mary could no help. 
*would he have had a fever or been sick during his earthly life? This struck me and I wonder ... Still, the point is still there.

It is finished

Jesus' work of salvation is complete: there is not one good deed we can add to it. Jesus has fully paid our debt: there is not one nickel we can offer. The world's refuse of sin has been carried from God's sight: there is no a single damning spot of guilt over which we need to beg, "Out! Out!" When God looks at us now, he doesn't see sin upon sin, guilt upon guilt. He sees his perfect Son. (132)

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit

What comfort in the face of death are offered here on these pages. Our eternity is sure and our place there is certain. We also have real comfort to give to our children when it's time to talk with them about death. We don't have to make this stuff up in order for them to feel better! The truth of what Jesus has done makes us feel better! 

Signs and wonders

All meant to teach us an important lesson - that Christ has triumphed over the grave! We, too will rise again! 

Mothering like Mary

While passing through my Facebook feed yesterday, there was a letter someone had "liked". It was a goodbye letter from a dying woman to her friends and loved ones. It was witty and humorous despite the serious nature. It was honest. But my heart broke for her and the husband and daughter she left behind. Not just because she was dying but because she was dying without the assurance of Jesus as her Saviour. She pleaded with her friends not to fill her daughter's mind with images of her "looking down on them" or as an angel. She especially didn't want them telling her that mommy was in heaven. Then her daughter would think she left purposely to be someplace better. And in her mind, there was no other place better than on this earth with her family. In her mind, there was no heaven anyway. 
I am so thankful that Lisa was willing and able to share her story before passing away. May God continue to be with the family she's left behind temporarily. May they be comforted knowing she is in a better place with Jesus. They will see her again in heaven! 

Ponder
Are you ever tempted to find the cross of Jesus boring? Is your child? What's the solution? First of all, yes - and I am ashamed. I am also repentant and lay my sins of apathy at the cross of Jesus. I look to him to strengthen me in my faith and help me see it with fresh eyes and new appreciation! As far as a solution or ideas for helping a child -There are many things in our worship life that remain constant for good reason - our liturgy, the church year, celebrations, etc. But I also like to bring in different ways to try to keep it new in the way I present the information. Maybe I'll use a new Bible story book with pictures, a new Advent or Lenten devotional, a new song to learn and memorize. I'll add some colouring pages, a game, a new curriculum. Usually if I'm craving a change, they are too! 

*if you know a woman with cancer, contact the Comforter Ministry - A mission of comfort and compassion, reaching out to women with cancer with God's Word and the love of the Comforter through journals and quilts. 

Chapter 21 - Dear Woman, Here is Your Son

Imagining this scene brings tears to my eyes! As much as he was suffering there on the cross, Jesus was well aware of the suffering his mother was enduring. It's hard to even imagine that he would be aware of his surroundings, so great was his anguish. But he was. And he provided for his mother. 

...he chooses to use the hands of Christians to do his will on earth. (124)

To serve the needs of others is extending the hand of God. To receive help from our neighbour is God providing for our needs. 

Mothering Like Mary

Even before we started coming to church as a family, we taught our kids the importance of being good, loving people and helping others when we can. But now we are able to make a connection about why we want to serve others and who helps us do that. (127)
That's a great point that Darlene makes! The world around us does good things too so what makes our good works so different? Christians are expressing their faith in thankfulness for what God has done for them. The Holy Spirit equips us to do this! 

Ponder
Who has been "Jesus' hands" for you? Take a moment and thank God for them. I remember when my husband and I went to China for 2 weeks to adopt our daughter. We left our son, who was 6 at the time, at home with my parents who had come to stay with him. We were so grateful to them knowing that he was in good hands when we were so far away!
I also remember a friend calling me up before we left. She told me that she had been up that night praying to God about how she might be a blessing to someone and she thought of us. She offered to take Will to swimming class and gym class (our kids were in these same classes together) in order to give my parents a break while watching him. Since we homeschooled, there was no down time for them that they would otherwise have had if he had gone to traditional school. I was so moved by her thoughtfulness! She would send me emails in China telling me the funny things Will said and kept me up to date on what was going on in class. I'm pretty sure my parents were thankful also to get a little bit of peace and quiet during this time! 
When we got back from our trip, I was exhausted! Taking care of a baby and dealing with some major jet lag really threw me off my game. I had thought I could pull off a baptism open house and make everything to serve (with help from my mom). But thankfully, the congregation took over and there was a special banner made just for Hosanna, a beautiful flower arrangement and enough food made for a potluck that I didn't have to make a thing! We felt so loved - not just by our members, friends and family - but by God himself, who sent all these special people to help encourage us through a challenging time. 

Chapter 20 - Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise

The clear message of justification can be found in this account of the thief on the cross. Gospel = Good news! No ifs, ands or buts. Just Jesus. 

What a miracle that the thief is brought to faith in these last, horrible moments of his life! But then, it's a miracle when anyone is brought to faith, isn't it? 

The author brings to light man's version of what's fair and compares it with God's definition. By nature, we like to call the shots when the reality is that God has that place. "Sin" is a dirty word and is used less and less in our society. It's scary to think that if people distance themselves more and more from the awareness of their sinfulness, they will have less and less reason to see their need for a Saviour. 

Some things that jumped out at me in this chapter start at the top of page 120 - The repentant felon was only partly right when he said, "We are getting what our sins deserve."  He could more accurately have said, "Jesus is getting what our deeds deserve." Here we see that the repentant thief felt a natural sense of justice knowing that there needed to be consequences for the wrongs he had done. What he would witness up there next to Jesus on the cross was grace. Instead, Jesus was also suffering the inferno of God's anger - in our place. 

Another point to note was the author's observation (found at the bottom of pg.120) that the criminal called Jesus by name. That's very interesting to contemplate! His name meant something and explained everything about him! 

Jesus is as near to us in the Bible as he was to the criminals that flanked him on Golgotha. (121) 
I can't help but think that surely if I was alive during that time Jesus walked the earth and our paths crossed, how could I NOT acknowledge him as the Saviour? But the truth is, many did reject him even as their paths crossed. And here you have two men with a front row seat witnessing Jesus' suffering for mankind and one man still stubbornly rejects what his eyes can see. Would I be so different? Thankfully, by the grace of God, he has opened my eyes to belief just as he did for those that believed in him them. 

This was really a poignant chapter. The message of forgiveness is clear. It's all Jesus! 

Mothering Like Mary

From my experience, it was exciting to see my son confirmed in his baptismal grace like Carey recounts. It was an opportunity to look at it in my own life with new eyes and be excited for my son to have this gift that God has established for his church! 

Ponder
How do you react to this chapter's treatment of the criminal who was not saved? I know far too many "criminals" today who've had opportunities to hear of God's forgiveness and learn of Jesus' sacrifice and still reject him like the lost criminal on the cross. 

Christian funerals are one of the more opportune times to reach lost souls with Jesus' message. Attendees to these funerals have death on their minds and many are warming a pew they seldom sit in. The sermon preaches the good news of Jesus in a clear and straightforward way and many still wiggle uncomfortably and stubbornly resist "going there" in their minds.

I imagine the situations most like these criminals are the end of life, deathbed scenes: Lives that have resisted and rejected God throughout their time of grace now stand at the end of their earthly life and are looking at an eternity square in the face. Praise God that he does bring about deathbed conversions! We rejoice in the ability to comfort loved ones left behind that had prayed for this their entire lives! It was a close call:) ... but the angels are singing for another lost sheep has been found. But ... there are the sad stories, too. Like the lost criminal, they chose to face death on his own terms, terms that didn't include the Saviour beside him. He was in touching distance of Christ, within earshot of his words of forgiveness. .. Jesus was providing the fireproof protection of his love, but this felon chose to step out of that love and walk into the blaze of God's anger alone. His choice would mean not merely a physical death but also an eternal one. (120) 

I am so thankful for the assurance of my salvation found only in Jesus! 

Chapter 19 - The Road to Golgotha

Not very "Christmas-y" is it? 

This chapter reads like a Lenten devotional as we consider the moments leading up to Jesus' trial, bloody punishment and crucifixion. Where's the little family now with the sweet baby and the shepherds and the angels glorifying and praising God? 

The joy that we have in Christmas is only made possible by the suffering of Good Friday. 

The baby of the nativity is the man that hung on a cross.

It was a box of wood that held the newborn child but a wooden tree that he was nailed to. 

The gift of Christmas IS everything this Son of God and Son of Man has to offer - full and free forgiveness made possible for us by the perfect life he lived for us, the suffering of sins he endured, and the triumph over sin, death and the devil he won for all! 

Merry Christmas!

But now we stand at Golgotha and our heads are reeling as we imagine everything Mary must be enduring as a mother. 

The author's style of writing makes the scene come alive, doesn't it? So many incidents to consider! Prophecies continue to be fulfilled in Jesus. We remember as Mary must have how all the past was leading up to this! 
The slow slaughter of the Lamb of God had begun, with none of the swift mercy granted to the temple's sacrificial lambs. 
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
That is why he had to come. To win forgiveness. (112)

The chapter continues to go on by applying this to our own lives and our mothering. 

...he wasn't overlooking the sins committed against him. He was giving voice to the reason he hung there in the first place. Sins of scheming, sins of accident, sins of ignorance - Jesus had come to purchase forgiveness for them all.... Jesus, the Lamb of God, had only his perfect life to offer. His blood would be the firebreak past which God's anger would not burn. (113) Interesting as she fleshes out the meaning behind Jesus' words - that it's not as if he spoke his forgiveness only once but he was saying (113) as this forgiveness continues on to us! 

Mothering Like Mary

Susan's personal story of forgiving the woman who caused her family's accident that killed her mother is amazing! I appreciated her honesty - My real struggle was over how to express forgiveness to one who denied any wrongdoing. (115) And the story of the letter she wrote to the driver that was read aloud in court was such a beautiful example of this full forgiveness without any "ifs" - If you are sorry, If you express regret, If you never drink and drive again, etc. 
She had many wise points! 

• Forgiveness is a process rather than a single event. 
• God's Word was powerful; it alone could change me.
• I knew the treasures we had in Christ far outweighed the loss we had experienced. 
• I clung to the promise that God would work all things for the good of my sister and dad, who loved him.
• I had to leave the situation involving the driver in God's hands.
• It was Jesus who gave me the peace to forgive. 
• The Lord was my strength. He brings resolution in his time.(116)

What important lessons to teach our children - how we forgive because Jesus forgave us, how to say "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you", to see others through the eyes of Jesus, and to model this for them! 

Ponder
What value, if any, is there for a Christian mother in imagining Mary's thoughts on the way to Jesus' cross?
Throughout this book, we've heard how Mary "treasured these things and pondered them in her heart". She didn't just live a moment and dump the memory. Here's where it had to have all come together - in these hard moments of witnessing the end of her son's life as she knew it. 
There's value in reading the Bible as a whole. God intends it that way for good purpose! It all connects and circles around a common theme - Christ. The Old Testament and the New Testament aren't meant to be pitted against each other - they're meant to be read to together to get the full picture! Christ is shown clearly in the OT just as we see him in the NT! Imagining Mary putting this together in her mind helps me make the connections too. 

Chapter 18 - Our Heavenly Brother

This is another well known account that I don't think I fully understood going into this chapter. It never made sense to me that his family thought they knew better what Jesus needed than he did - the Son of God. And his response to them made me feel bad for them, his mother and family. I saw his loved one's concern for him and then he doesn't even acknowledge that they're family? Ouch! 

There were a number of eye opening items for me in this chapter considering my limited understanding up till this point!

Jesus was tired! He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was physically and emotionally drained during his ministry. He gave all that he had! He was driven by love for man. He looked over the faces that looked so expectantly at him, so full of hope, and he kept giving. He knew his time was limited - was short. What he had to say needed to be said now. 
I really can't blame Mary for doing what she did. She saw all this happening to her son and showed her care and concern. But maybe she lost sight of who he was for a moment - not just her son but God's Son. 

Not to throw Mary under the bus but just to recap, here's where Mary went wrong:

• Mary questioned Jesus' choices.
• Mary tried to pull Jesus away from his teaching.
• Mary underestimated the lengths that Jesus was willing to go in order to bring others to faith and win their forgiveness. 
• Mary also suspected that Jesus was out of his mind... No one in their "right" mind would choose to do what Jesus did: climb the cross for the sake of those who didn't treat him well, who opposed him at every turn. Make no mistake: that includes you and me. (103)

The author is right when she brings to light that it's not just Mary falling short in these areas. We do, too! Thanks be to God for his forgiveness! 

As Jesus continued teaching, the crowd gathered around him and he chose not to respond to the concern of his family waiting outside for him by getting up and going to them. We read what this meant to the crowd. Not only did he stay with them, but he used it as a lesson. They were his family. "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." Here was a Brother bound to them by an infinite, unwavering love and by the blood he would one day shed for their sake. Loneliness fled, and those hearts would never be the same again. Now I'm seeing it from the perspective of the expectant crowd and seeing what this meant to them - and to us! We are in that crowd, too and he is speaking to us. We aren't Jesus' family by birth, but we are his family by blood - the blood he shed on the cross to seal our adoption. (105)
I am praying that prayer there at the end and putting my imperfections at the cross. Make me that mother, Lord - a mother who looks to you and believes. (106)

Mothering Like Mary

Crystal seems to have as good a handle on the technology in her home as one could have. I don't quite have the same issues in my home as she does in hers but technology is still something we've struggled with as parents. My teenager is a boy and there are different challenges with how he uses technology that don't include much social media although we've had discussions about his instagram account! I'm always looking for wisdom in this area and like to hear what others are doing to parent in a way that generations before didn't have to worry about. 
I like all of Crystal's ideas and it sounds as if she's doing the right thing! It does require effort and a constant awareness of what's new  out there.  

Ponder

Jesus regards Christian women as his own sisters and mothers. How does this affect the way you think of yourself when you look in the mirror? Instead of seeing my age spots and imperfections reflect back at me, I can focus on Jesus reflecting his perfection on me. It's not what I see but what matters more is what I can't see. That he would regard me as his family is more meaningful than whether I have wrinkles! I am worthy in his sight!!