Blogs
On Palm Sunday, Jesus was head and shoulders above the crowd as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. On Good Friday, He was lifted up on a cross, in shame, suffering and humiliation, for all to see. On Easter Day, He was lifted up from the tomb, raised from death. Now, on Ascension Day, He leaves His followers and, as they watched, He is ‘taken up into heaven’ (Luke 24.51). Here is the culmination of that ‘lifting up’ which is integral to Christ’s work of salvation. Lifted up that we might see Him and know who He is. Lifted up that we might know the agony of His death on the cross and realise the depths of His love for you and for me. Lifted up so that the tomb is empty, confirming God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and approving our redemption in Him. And now lifted up to the glory of His rightful place in the Godhead, the glory which He gave up when He ‘made Himself nothing’ (Philippians 2.7) [‘emptied Himself,’ ‘set aside the privileges of deity,’ as some translations put it] to come down to serve and save humanity. As Jesus was taken from them, the disciples were lost for words – it would soon happen again at Pentecost. They could only describe what they experienced in terms of Him being lifted up to the highest, taken up into heaven. For them, His immediate personal presence with them seemed to be over but His work on earth had culminated in His glorious return to the heavenly realm and was further confirmation that they had been in the presence of the Son of God. One of Graham Kendrick’s hymns begins, ‘From heaven you came, helpless babe, Entered our world, your glory veiled ‘ That veil has been removed as the Babe of Bethlehem has returned to the eternal kingdom as the Crucified Saviour and Risen Lord. Now lifted up to the highest, His work for our salvation has been triumphantly completed.
The ultimate in tee-shirt messages!
Those wanting to print slogans on tee-shirts for the first Good Friday would have been stuck for choice.
HOSANNA!
The Blog is an 'occasional column' in that the writing is triggered by 'occasions' in the Christian calendar, in British life and in the world, so, though these events are 'occasional' and not regular, the blog is refreshed at frequent intervals.
The Blog is designed to stimulate, and perhaps inform, thought on a variety of themes. We hope you will enjoy reading the blogs and link in regularly to see what the blogger has to say next.
We publish them frequently and they are a lively look at current events with a christian twist.
Blogs
On Palm Sunday, Jesus was head and shoulders above the crowd as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. On Good Friday, He was lifted up on a cross, in shame, suffering and humiliation, for all to see. On Easter Day, He was lifted up from the tomb, raised from death. Now, on Ascension Day, He leaves His followers and, as they watched, He is ‘taken up into heaven’ (Luke 24.51). Here is the culmination of that ‘lifting up’ which is integral to Christ’s work of salvation. Lifted up that we might see Him and know who He is. Lifted up that we might know the agony of His death on the cross and realise the depths of His love for you and for me. Lifted up so that the tomb is empty, confirming God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and approving our redemption in Him. And now lifted up to the glory of His rightful place in the Godhead, the glory which He gave up when He ‘made Himself nothing’ (Philippians 2.7) [‘emptied Himself,’ ‘set aside the privileges of deity,’ as some translations put it] to come down to serve and save humanity. As Jesus was taken from them, the disciples were lost for words – it would soon happen again at Pentecost. They could only describe what they experienced in terms of Him being lifted up to the highest, taken up into heaven. For them, His immediate personal presence with them seemed to be over but His work on earth had culminated in His glorious return to the heavenly realm and was further confirmation that they had been in the presence of the Son of God. One of Graham Kendrick’s hymns begins, ‘From heaven you came, helpless babe, Entered our world, your glory veiled ‘ That veil has been removed as the Babe of Bethlehem has returned to the eternal kingdom as the Crucified Saviour and Risen Lord. Now lifted up to the highest, His work for our salvation has been triumphantly completed.
Those wanting to print slogans on tee-shirts for the first Good Friday would have been stuck for choice.
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