Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 139

Easter Monday

Imagine it is still Easter morning. You were there at Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday. You are still in shock, when you hear rumors that His tomb is empty. You hear talk that He has risen from the dead just as He said He would. You and a friend are walking to the next town when the following occurs.
13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a town named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking about everything that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and began walking with them, 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 Then he said, “What are these things you are talking about while you walk?”
The two followers stopped, looking very sad. 18 The one named Cleopas answered, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know what just happened there?”
19 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about?”
They said, “About Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet who said and did many powerful things before God and all the people. 20 Our leaders and the leading priests handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he would free Israel. Besides this, it is now the third day since this happened. 22 And today some women among us amazed us. Early this morning they went to the tomb, 23 but they did not find his body there. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive! 24 So some of our group went to the tomb, too. They found it just as the women said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You are foolish and slow to believe everything the prophets said. 26 They said that the Christ must suffer these things before he enters his glory.” 27 Then starting with what Moses and all the prophets had said about him, Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures.
How long would it take you to recognize Jesus? What would it take for God to clear your eyes and let you see your Savior?
28 They came near the town of Emmaus, and Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they begged him, “Stay with us, because it is late; it is almost night.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When Jesus was at the table with them, he took some bread, gave thanks, divided it, and gave it to them. 31 And then, they were allowed to recognize Jesus.

Luke 24, New Century Version 

Easter Morning

The day after the Sabbath day was the first day of the week. At dawn on the first day, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 At that time there was a strong earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then he sat on the stone. 3 He was shining as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The soldiers guarding the tomb shook with fear because of the angel, and they became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. 6 He is not here. He has risen from the dead as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was. 7 And go quickly and tell his followers, ‘Jesus has risen from the dead. He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there.’” Then the angel said, “Now I have told you.” 
8 The women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also very happy. They ran to tell Jesus’ followers what had happened. 9 Suddenly, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings.” The women came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my followers to go on to Galilee, and they will see me there.”
Matthew 28, New Century Version

Easter Vigil

40 Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching; among them were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) 41 These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and helped him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.
Jesus has just died on the cross. His disciplines have abandoned Him; only this handful of women remain. They will remain vigilant and return on Sunday morning to further attend to the body of their Lord.
42 This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) That evening, 43 Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph, an important member of the Jewish council, was one of the people who was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. 44 Pilate was amazed that Jesus would have already died, so he called the army officer who had guarded Jesus and asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 The officer told Pilate that he was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. 46 Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross, and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. Then he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw the place where Jesus was laid.

Mark 15, New Century Version

Good Friday

6 Every year at the time of the Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. 7 At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison who was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot. 8 The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to free a prisoner as he always did.
9 So Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” 10 Pilate knew that the leading priests had turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous. 11 But the leading priests had persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.
12 Then Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted, “Crucify him!”
14 Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he freed Barabbas for them. After having Jesus beaten with whips, he handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified.
16 The soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium) and called all the other soldiers together. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus and used thorny branches to make a crown for his head. 18 They began to call out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They spit on him and made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him. 20 After they finished, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be crucified.  

33 At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”
36 Someone there ran and got a sponge, filled it with vinegar, tied it to a stick, and gave it to Jesus to drink. He said, “We want to see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”
37 Then Jesus cried in a loud voice and died.
38 The curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. 39 When the army officer who was standing in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

Mark 15 New Century Version

Maundy Thursday, 2015

22 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his followers and said, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then Jesus took a cup and thanked God for it and gave it to the followers, and they all drank from the cup.
24 Then Jesus said, “This is my blood which is the new agreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus had spoken of His impending death before. I don’t think that the disciples ever really understood what He meant, but this night, Jesus knows how very short His time is. As He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, I don’t believe that it is the physical pain that Jesus is so dreading. I think it is the betrayal He will face, the weakness of His devoted followers, the separation from His Heavenly Father.   
32 Jesus and his followers went to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be very sad and troubled. 34 He said to them, “My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch.”
35 After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. 36 He prayed, “Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”
37 Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak.”
39 Again Jesus went away and prayed the same thing. 40 Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to him.
41 After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That’s enough. The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people.”
Mark 14, New Century Version

Holy Wednesday, 2015

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.”
32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.”
34 When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions.
How does a person love others as much as he loves himself? Or even more? How does he show that kind of love to God? Jesus witnessed this example and pointed it out to his disciples.
41 Jesus sat near the Temple money box and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which were only worth a few cents.
43 Calling his followers to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people. 44 They gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had; she gave all she had to live on.”

(Mark 12, New Century Version)

Holy Tuesday 2015

15 When Jesus returned to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. 16 Jesus refused to allow anyone to carry goods through the Temple courts. 17 Then he taught the people, saying, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations.’ But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers.’”
            Because the Jewish people were expected to make all kinds of sacrifices, they would bring their money to the Temple and buy what they needed for their sacrifice there, such as the doves. I imagine that it was just like scalping tickets to a rock concert; you would pay much more for your dove at the Temple than if you bought one at home to bring with you.
18 The leading priests and the teachers of the law heard all this and began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching. 19 That evening, Jesus and his followers left the city.
With this kind of setup, the priests were making a lot of money off of the people, money they should have been turning over to the Temple, but which I am pretty sure they kept for themselves. I can see why Jesus was angry with them, and why they didn’t like Jesus so much.
27 Jesus and his followers went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders came to him. 28 They said to him, “What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
29 Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 30 Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from God or just from other people?”
31 They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘It was from other people,’ the crowd will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet.)
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
(Mark 11 New Century Version)

 Do these priests and other church leaders sound like our politicians of today? Let’s not come up with the right answer, let’s find the answer which pleases the right people. Has human nature changed much in the last two thousand years? 

Holy Monday 2015

12 The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry. 13 Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ followers heard him say this.
In defense of the fig tree, why would it be blooming out of season? Are we the fig tree? Do we use those excuses? “I only have time for church at Christmas and Easter.” “I have too many bills this time of year to give to the church.” “I’ll get involved when the kids are out of school.”
So what happened to that fig tree?
20 The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his followers, they saw the fig tree dry and dead, even to the roots. 21 Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! The fig tree you cursed is dry and dead!”
But what was the real point that Jesus was trying to make?
22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you. 25 When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. [ 26 But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.]”
(Mark 11:12-14, 20-26, New CenturyVersion)

Have faith, believe, know that every prayer you send to your Heavenly Father is answered, with God’s answer and not always the one you had wanted. Do not doubt that you can bloom even out of season. 

Palm Sunday 2015

7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches in the fields and spread them on the road. 9 The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting,
“Praise God!God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 God bless the kingdom of our father David!    That kingdom is coming!Praise to God in heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After he had looked at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve apostles.
(Mark 11:7-11) New Century Version

Today is Palm Sunday, the day of Jesus’s triumphant return to Jerusalem. It is also the beginning of Holy Week. There are some great stories in the Bible that take place between now and Good Friday. Jesus tells some of His best parables and does some of His best teaching this week. I would like to share them all with you, and I will in time. But for the next week, until Easter Sunday, let me post some of the highlights. I hope you read them all. 

2015 Day 1 - Walking the Streets of Hatchet Creek

This is the map of where I left off last year (in green and yellow), walking the streets of my hometown, having been inspired by Matt Green’s blog of walking all of the streets of New York City. My town is much, much smaller than NYC, and yet I didn’t get around to all of the streets last year. I am going to give it another go this year, getting a much earlier start. My earliest recollection of this house on Tomahawk Avenue was that it was Nick and Sons Funeral Home. It has had a few owners over the years, most memorably a couple who called it Pride Manor (after a previous owner) and set up a graveyard in their front yard for Halloween. For a few years they offered tours of the yard, taking a free-will offering which I believe went towards a college scholarship fund. The old Alamo Plaza restaurant was Loaders Bar for a while, but recently reopened as Ingman’s Parkway Pub. I’ve eaten there twice in the last week (and I never go out to eat), so you be the judge whether or not the food and atmosphere passes inspection. Does anybody know what this is now? The sign says “Krabby Karen’s”. When I was a kid, it was a gas station. Remember when gas stations only had two pumps (four pumps at the most) and inside it always smelled funny, but you could pick from a selection of a dozen or so candy bars. And best of all, remember the bathrooms, always outside around back and you had to get the key from the clerk. Redeemer Lutheran Church. They put on an addition quite a few years ago and added a day care center. Today when I walked past, when it was 29 degrees out, all the kids were outside playing, as kids should be no matter what the weather. Me? About the time I got here I was thinking it was too cold to be out walking today.
I found the Schwan’s truck on Hillcrest Drive. As I am writing this, the Schwan’s guy (whose name is Guy) was just at my house. Num, num.
The Tomahawk Armory. No words needed. Ugly snow. R&J Body Shop. When I had two teen-ager drivers in my household, I think we gave this business enough business that the “R” in R&J was able to take several vacations to all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Next door to what was once Alamo Plaza Restaurant is what was once Alamo Plaza hotel. I don’t care what its name is now, that’s what its name will always be.
I didn't do a map of today's walk. I was still hoping to make some great technological wonder occur and be able to post a map straight from Google maps. Work is in progress. I did get Google maps to tell me that I walked about 1.86 miles. So I am getting it figured out.