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4/4/2015

that first good friday

Good Friday is that most sobering day of days of the Holy week when Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies.. BUT of course the death of Jesus on Good Friday was just a prelude to the complete story of salvation which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ in just 3 days!
The disciples never saw the arrest of Jesus coming and ran away in the night at the time of Jesus arrest. Then while the Jewish portion of his trial was going on, Peter falls farther from God as in a panic in the courtyard he denies that he even knew Jesus. Then Judas, the disciple of Jesus feels the shame and burden of his betrayal for just 30 pieces of silver and goes out and hangs himself.

Next.. the trial of Jesus moves from the Jewish Night Court to the courts of Herod and Pilate. Though Jesus was an innocent man, he was chosen by the chants of a jeering crowd to be crucified in place of career criminal Barabbas.

Just think, on Sunday the crowds shouted HOSANNA, and just 5 days later they shout CRUCIFY HIM! I would like to think these were two entirely different crowds of people, but after enduring a few election cycles in America in my lifetime I have observed man is at best.. fickle.

So at the end of the trials.. Barabbas believes he is free, Pilate believes he was in control, and Satan believed he won the battle. In reality they were all just players in the salvation plan orchestrated by God

So if they were just pawns in God's Passion Play there is another question..

Who was to blame for the crucifixion of Jesus?

Judas who betrayed him?
The High Priests wrongly convicted Jesus?
Pilate with the power to sentence him? or
me a sinner?
the correct answer..
all of the above!

We are all sinners, and Jesus came to Earth to live amongst us, to teach us, to die, and be ressurected for our sins. We are the reason Jesus was crucified for our sins while nailed to that cross.

Using my glaring flawed human nature, I don't understand the necessity of Jesus being crucified. If I were Jesus then I would have chosen a Plan B, and not chose a salvation plan that included me leaving HEAVEN to live, preach, and die for a mix of mankind that in comparison to Heaven is at best a carnival side show. That is why it took the very son of God to live out this plan. This is pure love, perfect love, strong love.. and from this love we find salvation.

THE CRUCIFIXION
The beatings and crucifixion of Jesus are not proper material for a cartoonist, and beyond the comprehension of my comfortable world.

To think this was all part of God's plan for salvation and even when nailed to a CROSS Jesus still shows compassion and perspective that is incomparable with the words "Father Forgive Them for they know not what they do."

and then with his last breath Jesus declares "It is Finished!"

With these final words JESUS DIES. Then the skies turn Dark, the guards grow afraid , the ground shakes, and the Temple Curtain Tears from top to bottom!

But the message of the Cross though lost at this grievous moment is the very POWER OF GOD. This amazing story of grace and love by the son of God crucified on a cross as a sacrifice for a fallen world is about to be completed on that first Easter morning.

Even while hanging on that cross Jesus shares this same grace and love to the repentant Thief on the cross when he asked Jesus to remember him when you are in your kingdom, and Jesus replied.. "Today, you will be with me in paradise." This moment was another example of the heart of the gospel. God's grace is not about our report card. It is love and forgiveness of a loving parent.

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4/2/2015

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gethsemane revisited

While midweek was the calm before the storm.. Thursday is when the purpose of the Holy week and all the pieces of the Easter message came together.

In the evening a room is prepared for the emotional gathering of Jesus and his disciples to share in The Last Supper. The disciples were innocently oblivious to what was about to happen and I believe so would all of us. There were only quiet words and compassion expressed between Jesus and his closest friends on this night. Of course as a cartoonist I do have one little toon lamenting the risks of breaking bread in fear of bad carbs.

The Garden of Gethsemane was the next setting where Jesus prepared for the time of his arrest, and for what was to happen in the coming hours.
None of this was a surprise to Jesus as it all was part of God's plan to save the world. Jesus prays while his disciples sleep, and while Jesus continues to agonize over what is to come, he prays "not my will but yours be done" and Satan is stomped. all while Judas approaches with Jesus captors.

The Arrest of Jesus.. While Jesus knew his arrest was eminent it was a shock and emotional devastation for his disciples who just the Sunday before were effectively the presidential cabinet for the soon to be exalted King of the Jews. So as Jesus is arrested his captors initially fall over like dominos.

Then Peter leaps into action to save ironically the.. Savior and chops off the ear of one of those in the arresting party, but Jesus heals the severed ear and then does a quick check with the words.. " Can you hear me now? Good. "
So the disciples scatter in fear, and Jesus is brought before the religious leaders for an graveyard shift fixed courtroom.

This was no true trial as the verdict had been decided well before the arrest of Jesus. The hatred of Jesus by the Jewish religious folk of the day inspired this after midnight travesty of justice. As Justice was not the purpose of this gathering, but death of this man named Jesus was.
The testimonies against Jesus were supported and fixed as a parade of false testimonials, and teller of tall tales were brought forward as witnesses for the state.
These lies against Jesus were used to fuel high drama in this early morning mock court in session. One priest cried out in outrage as part of this hateful mob scene.

What a horrible empty day this was as each hour grew progressively worse leading up to Good Friday when Jesus was crucified. But, thank you God this horrible day was just one piece in your great plan for salvation. Yes Jesus would be crucified, but then resurrected that first Easter morning.

May God bless each of us with the realization of this wonderful Holy Week message of salvation.

Blessings, Jeff

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4/1/2015

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april fools day 2015

I have to say April 1st, 2015 has been pretty pretty quiet. No jokes played on or by me so far.. then again the day is not over. So let me share my April Fools blog from 2014.

I tried playing an April Fools Joke on my wife Mary on April 1st, 2014, I said.. "Look it's snowing again." but even though it is April and we should be having spring weather (even in MinneSNOWta) in reality it was snowing. I tried playing the same joke on April 4th, and looked outside and we have 10" of fresh snow. So this joke is still on me as I had to fire up the snowblower one last time (knock on wood) for the winter that will not end in 2013-14.

I then turn on the morning news and they tell me the new great concerns regarding Global Warming is having on our world. I figure this is an April Fools Joke since we just finished having our second very cold winter in a row. Turns out they were serious... So the jokes on them.

Last Sunday night I watched the latest episode of the TV series Cosmos where the host explained how scientists now understand everything that happened before the big bang, but conceded they don't yet know what happened before it. That was mighty big of them. Maybe he was playing an April Fools joke, but I doubt it.

Then.. the very next night I had the TV on listening to the local news and I heard clearly the state legislature was about to vote on an Anti-BOWLING bill. What? I thought to myself I don't really have a passion for bowling but now the government has gone too far. I perked up listened more closely and realized they were voting on anti-bullying bill. Ooops, nevermind.. time to see the doctor about my ear wax buildup.

So there you have it.. foolishness comes in all shapes and sizes. You can be a brainiac scientist or a 57 year old cartoonist with wax in his ears..

There are a few great scriptures that come to mind regarding man's relative wisdom..

Psalms 14:1 Only a fool says in their heart "There is no God." Hmmm.. sounds like cosmologist and fool are synonymous.
1 Corinthians 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways

The Original Theory of Relativity..
Ok, so Albert Einstein has dibs on The Theory of Relativity as it relates to the laws of physics, but the above scriptures are the foundation for what I would like to The 'original' theory of relativity. Simply put all knowledge and wisdom for mankind are relative commodities when compared to the creator of this universe, and any pursuit for knowledge and understanding is ultimately an understanding of what God created. Any understanding of physics, the cosmos just like any theological pursuit will be relative and limited understanding of God's perfect and complex creation. All the collective wisdom and understanding by man is just a blip on the wisdom meter when compared to our God.

Smart People, Brainiacs, and the average Joe..
So what do I, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther, Steven Hawking, John Calvin, and you have in common? None of us really get it when compared to our creator. While the pursuit of knowledge and understanding and God are what we are called to do.. know that complete understanding is.. above our pay grade.

May God bless man's pursuit for truth, and may this pursuit of truth lead us to a greater understanding of Him. Love God, care for others, and then pursuit of the Cosmos is only a cute pursuit of creation trivia. AND.. may our pursuit of God never make us proud in our own self knowledge or worth but rather find us safe in the truth of God's grace for mankind.

Jeff (relatively foolish in the Back Pew) Larson

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that first good friday

gethsemane revisited

april fools day 2015

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