The "Easter According To LDub: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking back on the many Easter's past when we could physically attend church at St. James Episcopal rather than watch it on my computer.  Many years our minister would talk about The Seven Words Of Jesus On The Cross.  As a child they had very little meaning, but as I got older I could begin to understand what they meant.  I'm assuming that most Christian religions share the same theology about Easter.  But for those who never had the chance to know these final words, I have copied them into this story if you care to read them.  They read:

7 Last Words of Jesus

What Phrases Did Jesus Speak on the Cross and What Did They Mean?

Jesus Christ made seven final statements during his last hours on the cross. These phrases are held dear by followers of Christ because they offer a glimpse into the depth of his suffering to accomplish redemption. Recorded in the Gospels between the time of his crucifixion and his death, they reveal his divinity as well as his humanity. As much as possible, given the approximate sequence of events as portrayed in the Gospels, these seven last words of Christ are presented here in chronological order.

1) Jesus Speaks to the Father

Luke 23:34

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." 

In the midst of his excruciating suffering, the heart of Jesus was focused on others rather than himself. Here we see the nature of his love—unconditional and divine.

2) Jesus Speaks to the Criminal on the Cross

Luke 23:43

"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 

One of the criminals who was crucified with Christ had recognized who Jesus was and expressed faith in him as Savior. Here we see God's grace poured out through faith, as Jesus assured the dying man of his forgiveness and eternal salvation.

3) Jesus Speaks to Mary and John

John 19:26– 27

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." 

Jesus, looking down from the cross, was still filled with the concerns of a son for the earthly needs of his mother. None of his brothers were there to care for her, so he gave this task to the Apostle John. Here we clearly see Christ's humanity.

4) Jesus Cries Out to the Father

Matthew 27:46 (also Mark 15:34)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 

In the darkest hours of his suffering, Jesus cried out the opening words of Psalm 22. And although much has been suggested regarding the meaning of this phrase, it was quite apparent the agony Christ felt as he expressed separation from God. Here we see the Father turning away from the Son as Jesus bore the full weight of our sin.

5) Jesus is Thirsty

John 19:28

Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." 

Jesus refused the initial drink of vinegar, gall, and myrrh (Matthew 27:34 and Mark 15:23) offered to alleviate his suffering. But here, several hours later, we see Jesus fulfilling the messianic prophecy found in Psalm 69:21.

6) It Is Finished

John 19:30

... he said, "It is finished!" 

Jesus knew he was suffering the crucifixion for a purpose. Earlier he had said in John 10:18 of his life, "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." (NIV) These three words were packed with meaning, for what was finished here was not only Christ's earthly life, not only his suffering and dying, not only the payment for sin and the redemption of the world—but the very reason and purpose he came to earth was finished. His final act of obedience was complete. The Scriptures had been fulfilled.

7) Jesus' Last Words

Luke 23:46

Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. 

Here Jesus closes with the words of Psalm 31:5, speaking to the Father. We see his complete trust in the Father. Jesus entered death in the same way he lived each day of his life, offering up his life as the perfect sacrifice and placing himself in God's hands.

Perhaps next year our world will be a safer place to live without fear of disease or warfare and you will be able to attend church on Easter if you are a Christian.  Seems like we have struggled enough this year to last us a lifetime.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Are You Ready For The Easter Bunny?" Story

My favorites: milk, white and dark chocolate.

It was an ordinary day.  Shopping for a few pieces of chocolate to give to our grand- children for Easter.  Our oldest is 16 and youngest 12, but they all still love to hunt for plastic Easter eggs filled with money and treats as well as enjoy a few Easter baskets filled with chocolate treats.  I must admit I enjoy shopping for the chocolate, since there always seems to be some left over that doesn't fit into the baskets and I naturally have to eat it so it won't go to waste.  Living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania we get some of the best chocolate in the world right in our area.  We are less than half and hour from Hershey Chocolate Company and 20 minutes from both Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz and M&M Mars Chocolate in Elizabethtown.  And, if we get real hungry, we can walk about 5 minutes to the nearby Miesse's Chocolate and get our favorite sea salt chocolate caramels.  Well, a few facts about chocolate for you are:  

(1) Chocolate comes from the Aztec word "Xocolati" which means bitter water.  It was an unsweetened drink that the Aztecs used to  imbibe.  (2) Chocolate is made from the cocoa beans of cacao trees which are cultivated in Hawaii and in the areas of the world 20 degrees north and south of the equator.  (3) Cocoa beans, which are seeds, and pulp are fermented together and then those beans are dried in the sun before they are moved to chocolate factories.  (4)  The beans are then sorted, cleaned, roasted and then the husks are removed by blowing air onto them so the roasted beans shatter into fragments called cacao nibs.  (5)  These nibs are ground into a paste called chocolate liquor which is used as the base for chocolate products.  When you buy chocolate items, check to see if they have at least 54% cacao which is considered good chocolate for recipes needing chocolate.  A few more things about chocolate are:  

Check out this 1940's advertisement for chocolate.

(1) It takes 400 cocoa beans to make a pound of chocolate, (2) Cacao trees can live for more than 200 years, but only produce marketable beans from about 5 years of age and until they are 25 years of age. (3) Most cocoa farmers only raise the beans and don't make the chocolate, (4) Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate in his print shop in Philadelphia, (5) It takes 2-4 days to make a single-serving chocolate bar, (6) German chocolate cake was named for Sam German who developed a sweet bar for Baker's Chocolate.  He wasn't from Germany. (6) Champagne and sparkling wines are too acidic to mix with milk or dark chocolate, but sweet bubbly mixes well with white chocolate and red wine with dark chocolate.  (7) Finally, the French celebrate April Fool's Day with chocolate-shaped fish known as "Poisson d'Avril."  Now that's something I think needs to be done in my house starting this year!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Time You Have In Jelly Beans!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Preparing for the arrival of the Easter Bunny at our household.  Our grandkids are all as tall as my wife, but she insists that we have an egg hunt so they can hunt for plastic eggs that are hid in our back yard.  And, what's funny is the grandkids still enjoy and expect us to have the egg hunt.  Could be all the candy and treats, as well as the dollar bills, that we put in the plastic eggs.  The 50 to 60 eggs are hid under bushes, behind fences, under flower pots, and around the rear porch.  Every summer I always seem to mow over one or two that had not been found during the egg hunt.  So, what do we put in the eggs?  Why, sugar treats, naturally!  All the good things that their parents don't want them to have.  Small pre-packaged bags as well as a variety of other treats and naturally jelly beans.  

Everyone knows I will be placing jelly beans in the eggs I prepare, since they are one of my favorite sweets.  For Christmas I usually get a container or two of cashews as well as a container or two of jelly beans.  Used to be Jelly Belly brand, but when they found they can buy store brand jelly beans at Costco and BJs stores, they opted for them.  And, I can't tell the difference anyway.  And the flavors; I just love the variety of flavors that come in those big containers.  They even put photos of the different varieties so I can guess and see if I'm right.  Do you know the origin of the jelly bean?  Seems it is a bit of a mystery.  Some believe it is a combination of the soft, chewy Middle Eastern sweet called Turkish Delight that was around for thousands of years and the hard candy shell of Jordan Almonds which are a product of the 17th Century.  Candy maker William Schrafft advertised that people should send his treat called a jelly bean to Union Soldiers fighting in the Civil War.  When penny candy was popular at the candy store, containers of jelly beans were one of the treats you could get for a penny.  Then someone decided to push the jelly bean during Easter season and our culture thought it to be a great idea.  The fact that they are shaped like an egg made sense to most who already associated the egg shape with Easter.  Then on Febuary 7, 1964 the Beatles landed on US soil and someone got the idea they loved jelly beans.  Their real treat was called a jelly baby which was much softer than the hard jelly bean. Fans began to throw jelly beans at them during concerts, not realizing how much it must have hurt when they landed on them.  And in the 1960s Ronald Reagan took to eating the treat to help him wean himself from smoking.  Worked and for his 1981 presidential inauguration, the Jelly Belly company sent him 5,000 pounds of jelly beans as a gift.  They were all colored red, white and blue.  Too bad someone didn't ask him his favorite, since the black licorice jellybean was it.  Well, I will make sure that after I have filled the colored Easter eggs, I will have a couple of handfuls left for myself to snack on for a few days.   While searching for a few facts about the jelly bean, I came across an amazing YouTube video titled "The Time You Have - In Jelly Beans".  The video, created by Ze Frank, depicts the average lifespan of a human being, which is 28,835 days, in jelly beans.  You don't have to love jelly beans to enjoy it, but it helps.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.