Geographist

Remember "pecado"?  Sin, as we learned very early, is what broke the relationship between mankind and our Creator.  At long last, however, reconciliation is possible.  Through Jesus, our penalty has been paid in full.  It was a high price to pay, but the love of God was the only thing that could stretch even beyond the holiness of God.  He was unwilling to let us go, despite our constant and consistent rejections of Him and His requirements.  Now we are twice His - first created, and now purchased. Our Story With God, Episode 31

Do you ever watch magicians on TV who perform escape tricks?  Have you ever wondered what exactly it would take to escape death?  That's exactly what Jesus accomplished on Sunday morning, many years ago.  The religious authorities just wanted the end of the story, but that's not what God had been planning from the very beginning.  An unlikely cast of characters joins in to tell the most incredible story in history - powerful leaders scared of a cowering group of disciples, women whose testimony would never have been allowed in an official court, soldiers who can't do their job, and a dead man that couldn't be kept in a tomb.  How's that for a great escape? Our Story With God, Episode 30

Jesus spent several years with His disciples and repeatedly told them that He would be killed, and yet somehow they never seemed to actually hear what He was saying.  All of Scripture had been pointing to a single moment when the Messiah would become the sacrifice.  As Jesus was arrested and endured multiple interrogations and beatings, He never complained about the treatment He was receiving, unjust though it was.  The few words that He spoke remind us that He was in charge, that He had control of the entire situation.  And as He hung on a cross to die, He did so willingly to provide salvation for every individual who was involved - each guard who abused Him, each so-called authority who judged Him, and each sinner who made it necessary for His blood to spill. Our Story With God, Episode 29

After spending several weeks looking at how Jesus lived a life of miracles and fulfilled prophecies, one that completed all that we had seen in the Old Testament, it's now time to see how He ended His brief time among us.  I recently looked up the final words of several famous people and wondered if they had given much thought to the last things they'd say on Earth.  Jesus certainly did, and made a point of spending a final, poignant evening with His beloved followers.  What did He tell them?  What would you have said at such a moment?  He called on them to humbly serve and love one another, to remember all that He'd commanded and sacrificed.  He prayed, He sang, and He wept.  And then He turned to willingly give Himself up on behalf of every individual that would ever follow and believe Him. Our Story With God, Episode 28

Who is worthy of respect and admiration?  It's a long list, comprised of those who have achieved, sacrificed, or simply made a difference.  But what about worship?  Suddenly we have a much shorter list.  God is the only One worthy, and He told Moses exactly how He was to be worshiped.  For Jesus to accept worship was either blasphemy or a revelation of Who He is.  Jesus fundamentally changed everything about worship except for the most important part - Who the focus was.  Jesus gave us the perfect example of love, reverence, and worship for the only One who deserves all three. Our Story With God, Episode 27