The Bad Thing

I believe that every person has a "bad thing" that they hide from the rest of the world, something so awful that their own mother would hate them, if they were to reveal it.

I claim ownership of many "bad things" although I would rather not confess them here.

Whether your "bad thing" be sexual acts or thoughts, gambling, drug or alcohol abuse, racism, dishonesty, or any other sin, God assures us that the grace attributed to us through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross is sufficient for our atonement.

We are also told that even without the "bad things" in our lives, our righteous works are sorely lacking. Only grace can cover our sin - our good works are "filthy rags" in God's eyes.

If today you are afraid of death, I present here an easy solution. Receiving God's grace and forgiveness does not require you to stop sinning, for we as human beings are incapable of that, and our Creator is fully aware of our sinful nature. You and I need only to confess our helplessness in the face of temptation, and acknowledge before God that we accept Jesus' suffering as atonement for our sin.

I hope that my readers have a blessed Easter and spend a few moments contemplating the rolling away of the stone from the tomb where he was laid, and the rending of the curtain in the Temple separating worshipers from the Holy of Holies.

2010 Easter Art

Here is my Easter art for this year. There is a fuzzy yellow ducky with a pink basket full of colored eggs, standing in front the silhouette of a cross, framed by a dramatic sunet scene (a picture I took at "our" lake a few years ago, where the sunsets were often epic).

The ducky represents the lack of religion or the lightweight religiosity of the usual observance of Easter in the modern world. He is captured by the vision of the cross, which gives Easter its true meaning to believers in Christ.

If you are a non-believer, please take a minute to contemplate the meaning of the cross. Jesus surrendered himself voluntarily to its suffering and did not ask God to spare him. He experienced death as separation from God, a profound spiritual agony that we cannot begin to comprehend. And he did it for each one of us weak and fallible human beings who would follow in his footsteps, in order to grant us freedom from death and condemnation.

Thank you Lord, for sending your Son to endure this sacrifice in my place.