#but at the end of the day. christ has died christ is risen christ will come again! nothing else matters! nobody can take that from me!

[exercise-of-trust]

🌌.

[ducktoonsfanart]

Donald Duck, Della Duck, Daisy Duck, Gus Goose and Gyro Gearloose's Easter and Birthday Celebration - Donald's Family and Friends - Quack Pack AU - Duckverse

Even though I know it’s past, I wish everyone a happy Easter once again, according to the Julian calendar, as well as the one that has passed, as well as a happy belated birthday to Gyro Gearloose and Gus Goose and happy birthday to my best and favorite character, Donald Duck, who will celebrate his 90th birthday this year! And happy birthday to Daisy and Della Duck, since they are also celebrating their birthday at the same time as Donald Duck. And together with their friends and relatives. And they are present at Donald’s jubilee 90th birthday. I drew as the end of the celebration of the Easter holidays as well as the birthday of my favorite characters.

On June 7, 1940, Donald's classic short “Mr Duck Steps Out” was shown, featuring Daisy Duck for the first time. 9/6/1934 The Classic Short "The Wise Little Hen" was shown and Donald Duck appeared there for the first time. Donald Duck will become one of the main stars of not only Disney, but also cartoon films, comics and video games at all. Certainly there is no need to tell his history. Della Duck is first mentioned in the comic book Donald's Nephews, and then made her first appearance in the 1994 comic strip "The Empire Builder from Calisota" by Don Rosa, from The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. Gyro Gearloose first appeared in the comic "Gladstone's Terrible Secret" published in May 1952 by Carl Barks. On May 18, 1938, in the classic short "Donald's Cousin Gus", Donald's cousin Gus Goose, who always likes to eat, appears for the first time. So I wish everyone a happy birthday. Certainly to all who are Orthodox (especially those who celebrate according to the Julian calendar and who celebrate after the Jewish Passover) who live in Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus, Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia and to all Orthodox people living around the world, I wish you a happy Easter! Christ is risen! Христос васкресе!

If someone asks me, yes, it is celebrated differently among the Orthodox and differently among the Catholics and Protestants, so it turned out to be a completely different Easter this year. Don’t worry, there will be a joint Easter next year. So Orthodox Easter fell on this day. The day he was crucified and died, resurrected and defeated death and the devil and proved that there is eternal life for all of us who believe. Glory to Jesus Christ who died for all of us sinners and rose again for all of us to save us!

This time Jose Ze Carioca (José Carioca-Zé Carioca) and Donald found themselves together and applied one traditional Serbian custom for Easter, and that is beating eggs, hitting egg on egg. The one who hits well and leaves that egg undamaged, is the winner. So I put them on this time too. And don’t worry, they don’t eat eggs, they are mostly artificial eggs. ;)

I drew a drawing, this time with adults keeping the Easter tradition and celebrating a birthday and mostly I combined from Quack Pack, The Legend of The Three Caballeros, Donald Duck comics (Italian comics), Ze Carioca comics (Brazilian comics), Darkwing Duck, Ducktales both versions, Double Duck and Duck Avenger (Paperinik) comics. It's mostly part of that Quack Pack AU of mine. I drew mostly in my own way. In addition to beating eggs, there are also Easter eggs, cherries and birthday cake. Mostly present in this drawing are Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Jose Ze Carioca (José Carioca-Zé Carioca), Rosinha Maria Vaz, Nestor, Aracuan Bird, Panchito Pistoles, Della Duck, Gyro Gearloose, Dickie Duck, Little Helper, Gus Goose, Fethry Duck, Gladstone Gander, Abner Whitewater Duck, Uno Ducklair (One-Uno), Drake Mallard, Fenton Crackshell, Gandra Dee, Morgana Macawber, Launchpad McQuack, Lyla Lay and Kay K. I wanted to add more characters, but unfortunately not all of them would fit on my drawing. Sorry!

I hope you like this drawing and this idea and feel free to like and reblog this, just don’t use these same ideas of mine without mentioning me. Thank you! Also Happy Easter to everyone once again and Happy Birthday to Gyro Gearloose, Gus Goose, Daisy Duck and Della Duck! But especially happy birthday to my best duck, Donald Duck! And this is just the beginning of that celebration!

This is also a gift for my friends @isabellanajera, @you-big-palooka, @elmer-dat-gander , @fantasticenthusiasttale and @barbiedisneyavenger as well as for a friend who recently celebrated her birthday, happy birthday dear @nuvemzinhacorderosa ! I hope you like this!

[hiswordsarekisses]

“Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[c] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”(2ndCorinthians 5:11-15)

“Now of him saying these things in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! The great learning turns you to insanity!” But Paul says, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but I speak words of truth and sobriety. For the king understands concerning these things, to whom also I speak using boldness. For I am persuaded none of these things are hidden from him, for none of these things is done in a corner. Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Within so little time do you persuade me to become a Christian?” Then Paul said, “I would wish anyhow to God, both in a little and in much, not only you but also all those hearing me this day to become such as I also am, except these chains.” (Acts 26:24-29)

“And He (Jesus) came to a house, and a crowd comes together again, so that they are not even able to eat bread. And those belonging to Him having heard, went out to seize Him; for they were saying, “He is out of His mind.” And the scribes, those having come down from Jerusalem, were saying, “He has Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of the demons He casts out the demons.” And having called them to Him, He began speaking to them in parables: “How is Satan able to cast out Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and has been divided, he is not able to stand, but is coming to an end.“

(Mark 3:20-27)

[echoingredemption]

i saw a post yesterday criticising the bible itself (as opposed to the church but anyway), which can be valid in some areas but is already a complicated topic to open up, but one of their main points of why christian faith is not valid was along the lines of "christianity, the religion where their God claims to have sacrificed himself for everyone but could only stay dead for three days" which. that's a major and what seems to me to be a purposeful misinterpretation of the crucifixion.

i am by no means a theologian so please correct me if i'm wrong but let's go through this. if you want to read the events of Jesus' trial and crucifixion, read Matthew 27, it basically covers the whole thing. but that's not what i want to cover here. we're going to cover some things that the gospels cover both before and after the crucifixion. for that, we can first look at John 10, where Jesus talks about what it means to get into Heaven.

Specifically, we can look at John 10:17-18, which says "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

you see that little bolded bit near the end? that's basically my whole issue with the post i mentioned in the beginning: Jesus had the ability as the son of God- as a part of God Himself- to have complete control over life and death, especially His own. at least, as far as i understand. the fact that He rose from the dead does not negate the fact that He did in fact die- that He chose to die- as a living sacrifice for the sins of humanity

another thing that is mentioned is that He died and beat Death- not his own death in order to be risen, but the Death that takes everyone, the death that took according to sin and prevented us from joining God eternally (Romans 5: 21 "so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"; 2 Timothy 1: 10 "and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel"). that's also something big that bothered me about the post. the fact that since, hey, Jesus beat Death, so why does he have to stay dead? He completed the mission God gave Him, so it's fully within His right to come back and be like "it was a success 👍 be free in God now"

so like. that whole post was so so disingenuous to me. downright malicious, even. because it's one thing to criticise the church, which is extremely warranted given the violence, hate and hypocrisy they spread in the name of Jesus, going against everything He taught, but it's completely something else to go "yeah Jesus is basically a liar and a scammer teehee so don't believe him your faith is stupid :)" like??? what??? you sound just like the christians you hate because that is misinterpreting Scripture in the exact same manner to push a personal agenda that doesn't actually have any basis in the religion you're talking about.

okay i'm done now the hypocrisy was just bothering me so much and i needed to get it off my chest.

[discoveringorthodoxy]

St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

My joy, Christ is Risen!

Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ! I pray that you all have a blessed Triodion! Today I would like to look into the life of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg.

A few months ago, I had briefly read over this saint when looking at patron saints for dating. However, I ended up forgetting about her story. A few weeks later, I was talking with my boyfriend at the time about my concerns on getting a job after I graduate from college. We were also going through some conflicts in our relationship and I felt like I didn't know what I was going to do. That night, I had a beautiful dream. While I don't remember the exact details of the dream, I do remember one thing. On my kitchen counter sat an icon covered in silver of a saint. And despite not recognizing who this saint was, I was able to call out her name: St. Xenia.

Ever since then, I've felt like St. Xenia has been watching over me and has been interceding for me. So, I want to look more in depth about her story today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While not much is known about St. Xenia (Feast Day: January 24th)'s early life, we do know that she lived during the reigns of the Empresses Elizabeth Petrovna (reigned 1741 -1762) and Catherine II (reigned 1762 to 1796). She was also the wife of an imperial chorister, Col. Andrei Theodorovich Petrov, which hints to the fact that she may have been of the lesser nobility (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

After her wedding to Col. Andrei, the two of them lived in Saint Petersburg. However, one night, despite being young and in good health, Andrei suddenly passed while at a drinking party. This caused St. Xenia to become a widow at the age of 26. She was especially distraught because he had died without partaking in the Holy Mysteries of Confession or Holy Communion (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg). This incident caused her to examine herself and she began to lose interest in all earthly joys. This caused her to begin to follow a difficult path of foolishness for the sake of Christ.

St. Xenia began to wear her husband's clothing, insisting that she be addressed as "Andrei Theodorovich". She would tell people that it was she, not her husband, who had died that night. While she didn't experience a physical death, she had abandoned her former way of life and underwent a spiritual rebirth (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

St. Xenia then began to give away all of her possessions, including her house, money, and personal belongings. After St. Xenia gave her house to her friend Paraskeva Antonova, her relatives had concluded that the saint had gone insane. So, they petitioned to the trustees of her husband's estate so that Xenia would be unable to dispose of her wealth. However, after speaking to her, the trustees decided that Xenia was in a right and sound mind and had the right to dispose of her property. After leaving nothing for herself, the Saint began to walk through the poor section of Petersburg and lived on the streets. She refused any assistance from her relatives and was happy to be free from worldly attachments. Eventually, when her husband's red and green uniform wore out, she wore rags of the same colors (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

After a while, she vanished from St. Petersburg for 8 years. It is believed that during this time, she visited holy Elders and ascetics in Russia to seek instruction in the spiritual life. She may have also visited St. Theodore of Sanaxar (February 19), who was also formerly a military man. St. Theodore's life had changed when a young officer died at a drinking party. This officer could have potentially been St. Xenia's husband (Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

Eventually, St. Xenia returned to the poor section of Saint Petersburg, where she was most often found in the vicinity of the parish of St. Matthias. This area is where the poorest people lived in shabby hats (Holy Blessed St. Xenia). Once she returned, she was mocked and insulted because of her behavior. At first, the people thought that this woman was a simple minded beggar and would often persecute and laugh at her. However, the saint remained meek. There was only once where the people of the Petersburg Borough saw her angry. The street boys, after seeing the ragged old woman, began to laugh at and torment her. While she normally took this without so much a murmur, this time was different. This time, the boys not only verbally abused her but physically abused her. They began to throw mud and rocks at her. So, she flew at them, waving her cane in the air at them. The residents in the area were so startled to see this that they took immediate steps to prevent any further offenses toward her (Holy Blessed St. Xenia).

Occasionally, the Saint would receive support from the community. People began to invite her into their homes and offer her warm clothes and money. However, she wouldn't accept the clothes and only took a small amount of money (small copper pennies that were also called "the king on horseback") from people, which she would immediately use to help the poor. One time when she was distributing her coins to the poor, she came across a devout woman on the street. After handing her a 5 kopeck coin, she told her, "Take this five piece, here is the king on horseback; it will be extinguished." After accepting the piece, the woman went back home. As soon as she arrived at her street, she realized that her house was on fire. The woman ran to her home and she arrived as the flames were being quenched (Holy Blessed St. Xenia). The woman then realized that this is what St. Xenia was prophesying.

When a new church was being built in the cemetery, St. Xenia would secretly bring bricks to the site.

Soon, everyone began to notice her great virtue and spiritual gifts. Despite not wanting to, she became known as someone pleasing to God. People would say, "Xenia does not belong to this world, she belongs to God." People thought of it as a blessing when she would come to their home or shops.

45 years after the death of her husband, St. Xenia reposed at the age of 71. She was buried in the Smolensk cemetery. By the 1820s, people would flock to her grave to pray for her, asking her to intercede for them. Because so many people would take earth from her grave, it had to be replaced every year. Eventually, a chapel was build over her.

Today, St. Xenia is known as an intercessor for finding a job, spouse, or home. She is also known as the patron saint of St. Petersburg.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

St. Xenia is a blessed woman and an inspiration. It must have been really hard living the life she did, especially if she came from a nobility background.

I love St. Xenia's story. She had everything and gave it all up for God. She indeed was "dead" but became alive in Christ. If I were to do what she did today, I know it would be a struggle, especially with how modern life is. I would be mocked and scorned for it, but St. Xenia took that mocking wit meekness. It's beautiful. Knowing me, my first response would be to take revenge on the people mocking me by saying something back, but instead I need to learn to follow St. Xenia's example.

I'm blessed that such a saint is looking out for me. Recently, I had been praying for her intercessions in regards to finding a spouse. And while I'm nowhere near getting married (and not yet dating), I know that she is interceding for me.

Until next time and may God bless all of you!

Your sister in Christ,

Joanna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Works Cited:

“Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg.” Orthodox Church in America, https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2011/01/24/100297-blessed-xenia-of-st-petersburg.

“Holy Blessed St. Xenia.” St Xenia Orthodox Church, https://www.stxenia.org/stxenia.

“Xenia of St. Petersburg, Fool-For-Christ .” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=402.

[justacynicalromantic]

The City of Mary

Mariupol

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Exclusive video shots from the Mariupol siege and the song a famous Ukrainian singer dedicated to our beloved City By The Sea.

The sun has risen over Azov. The wind is blowing over the dunes. It's cold, but the sand smells of spring. Eyes has already gotten used to fatigue. Too many reasons for this. I dream of how we will have good times again with you together.

No, ship guns will not break my dream. My heart will never betray my faith. It will stand forever - The righteous City of Mary, As long as the sun rises Over the proud Azov.

The sky is thundering over Azov. The enemy is hitting with cannons. In the evening, even the concrete smells of war. There's no time and no reason To think of what tomorrow will bring. Heart and hands have long been accustomed to battle.

No, ship guns will not break my dream. My heart will never betray my faith. It will stand forever - The righteous City of Mary, As long as the sun rises Over the proud Azov.

We are staying with you. We wrapped ourselves in the darkness, Free lips are clenched in pain. But light will return again even to the deepest basements. The new day is breaking free with a cry.

No, ship guns will not break my dream. My heart will never betray my faith. It will stand forever - The righteous City of Mary, As long as the sun rises Over the proud Azov. As long as the sun rises Over the free Azov. As long as the sun rises Over our Azov.

PS: in the “the sun rises over Azov” the author obviously means the Sea of Azov, on which Mariupol City stands. Due to the flexdibility of Ukrainian language, the sea can and often is called simply “Azov” for short. But, due to same language flexibility, the song line, obviously on purpous, contains a double meaning - a reference to the regiment of Azov, which was named after that same sea, as it was based in Mariupol and defended it to the end with their lives in complete encirclement. So that song line can and should be read with double meaning - “the sun rises over the sea” and “the sun rises over the defenders of the city”. 

It should be noted that Azov name was mentioned all the time back then due to its publicity, but they were not the only ones fighting there - local police forces, the army regiments stationed there were also fighting with them. Some of them I knew personally. For example, I knew and followed on social media a police officer who was born and lived all his life in Mariupol and loved his city - he died in the last days of the siege. At some point during the siege he just stopped twitting and much later his death was confirmed and the body recovered.

PS 2: The City of Mary (Mother of Christ) is not just some poetism - it literally what “Mariupol” means from Greek language. Greeks made the first settlement there many centuries ago, which later became the city we know today. Before the war, modern Mariupol had a very big Greek community.

PS 3: another thing UA lang flexibility allows is animation of inanimate objects and things - which is often used in lyrics and poems for artistic effect. Hence, the song lines like “I dream of how we will have good times again with you together” or "we are staying with you" is the author talking to Mariupol itself.

[redhatmeg]

I've just watched My Last Day and it got me thinking...

When it comes to movies about Passion of the Christ, I've seen some that look at crucifiction and subsequent resurrection from points of different people in the New Testament.

I remember one straight-to-DVD movie that was from Doubting Thomas's perspective, where Apostle Thomas was looking for the body of Jesus in various places. In the Scripture he was the one that said he won't believe in resurection until he will see Christ alive and he will put his finger in Christ's wounds. Now, in this movie Thomas was presented as a grieving man, who believed that someone stole the body of his beloved Master, so he was desperately looking for Him, and when in the end he comes back to the rest of Apostles, he finally see Jesus alive and well. In this very moment Thomas is happy, shocked, but also ashamed, because he spent whole this time looking for the dead body of his Master.

(Actually, I would like to find this movie. I quite liked it.)

There was also an older movie (from 1961) about Barabbas. We see how Barabbas is pardoned instead of Christ, how he witnesses the crucifiction and the supernatural events that come with it, and how he later lives his life. At some point he gets captured and even meets a Christian man, who doesn't like him (to put it mildly) once he learns who Barabbas really is. Over time Barabbas learns from this man about Christ and even tries to follow His teachings, but finds it hard. I remember that one element of this movie bothered me - the fact that they used cross as the symbol of Christianity, while it should have been a fish... but I guess it worked more for the overall theme of Barabbas living with the knowledge that a Good Man died instead of him, a mere bandit.

Fairly recently (about four years ago, I think) I was able to watch Risen, which is about Roman soldier Clavius who is tasked by Pontius Pilate to find what happened to Jesus's body. So for the most part of the movie Clavius is investigating Jesus's disciples (including Mary Magdalene) and how Christ was perceived by various people - both believers and skeptics. From Clavius's perspective everything supernatural that was happening, has a rational explenation, but seeing how Jesus affected others, makes the soldier curious. And really, the best scene in this whole movie is when Clavius finally meets Jesus and realizes who stands before him.

Finally, My Last Day is from the perspective of one of two thieves that were crucified alongside with Jesus - the one that shows up in Gospel of Luke, admits that Jesus didn't do anything wrong and asks Him to speak for him to the Father so Jesus says: "You will be with Me in Heaven today." In this movie we are treated to the two very contrasting flashbacks - one with Jesus speaking about taxes (which showcases that Christ didn't do anything bad, He only spoke of things some people didn't like), and one of the thief's crime where he actually killed the man he wanted to rob. The thief knows he's guilty and he knows he's going to die, but Jesus seems to receive harsher punishment, since He's flogged before taking the cross. While others are mocking Jesus in His moment of agony and death, the thief speaks for Him: "We are rightfully receiving punishment, but He is innocent." And we see later that the thief gets to Heaven for his faith and willingness of redemption.

Frankly, these are all very interesting takes on one event.

[sspacegodd]

Jesus of Nazareth lived between the years 4 B.C. and A.D. 30. Yet all of the gospels were written between the years 70 to 100 A.D. --- 40 to 70 years after his crucifixion. And they were written in Greek, a language that neither Jesus nor any of his disciples spoke or were able to write.

Are the gospels then true and effective guides to history? If we line up the gospels in the order they were written - so Mark first, followed by Matthew, then Luke, and ending with John -- we can see exactly when and where the story morphed between the years 70 and 100.

For example, miracles didn't happen around Jesus until the eighth decade. The miraculous birth of Jesus is a ninth-decade addition; the story of Jesus ascending into heaven is a 10th-decade plugin.

In Mark, the first gospel, Christ has risen from the dead but appears physically to nobody. But by the time we get to the last gospel, John, Thomas gets to feel the nail holes in Christ’s hands and feet and poke the spear wound in his side like a magician's assistant showing the box is empty.

Perhaps what's most sus in claiming the Bible's accurate history is when we read the earliest crucifixion story in Mark’s gospel --- where we discover that it's not based on eyewitness testimony at all.

Instead, the Bible has been designed to tie together the story of Jesus’ death and the messianic mania of the Hebrew Scriptures, including Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.

Even as a youngster, I wasn't all that impressed with everyone tearfully telling me that He DIED for us -- Jesus died for YOU. I mean, I would also totally die for the whole world or just a few friends right now if I knew it would keep everyone out of eternal hell and I knew I'd resurrect in a few days. It didn't then or now seem like that big of a deal.

The Bible interprets life from its own particular perspective; it doesn't record the human journey throughout history in an actual factual way.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

9th April >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Easter Sunday 

(Liturgical Colour: White: A(1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 10:34,37-43 'We have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection'.

Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end. Let the sons of Israel say: ‘His love has no end.’

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; his right hand raised me up. I shall not die, I shall live and recount his deeds.

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone. This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes.

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Second Reading Colossians 3:1-4 Look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is.

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice and praise. The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended: combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose; I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting; shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know. Victorious king, thy mercy show!

Gospel Acclamation 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed: let us celebrate the feast then, in the Lord. Alleluia!

Either:

Gospel John 20:1-9 He must rise from the dead.

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel Matthew 28:1-10 He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you into Galilee.

After the sabbath, and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre. And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow. The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men. But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, ‘There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him.” Now I have told you.’ Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel Luke 24:13-35 They recognised him at the breaking of bread.

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast. Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’ Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[buggie-hagen]

Sermon for Ascension Sunday (5/12/24)

Primary Text | Mark 16:14-20

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Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

        God is near. God is so near. Too near. Uncomfortably near. He has not left any space for ourselves. It’s like when you’re on the plane and the person next to you won’t give you any room. You’re all squished in your seat. We Lutherans are radical about this nearness of God. In this particular way, God’s nearness is always connected to the risen Jesus Christ. If we are to know anything about God, and I mean, anything, it begins and ends with Jesus. The Trinity, Justification by Faith, Salvation, Good Works. All these majestic things are tied to how God has revealed himself to us in Jesus. So, attempts to know God apart from faith in Jesus are in vain. (pause) A few weeks ago we established that the Jesus risen from the dead is no ghost, some weird spirit without any basis in physical reality. We say that because Jesus ate fish with his disciples. He’s a fish muncher. Ghosts can’t be fish munchers. Jesus has two natures. He is God. He is a human being. He never stops being one or the other. Though he is God, he has the same flesh and blood that you and I carry around every day. When the human being Jesus died on the cross, God died on the cross. When Jesus as God knows all things, Jesus as a human being knows all things. Today is the Ascension of Our Lord. When Jesus went to heaven. The Gospel of Mark puts it this way: “The Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to [the eleven], was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (16:19). From this point on the disciples lost sight of Jesus. He’s in heaven. One might wonder, does this mean that he is far from us now? Is he absent? Might he as well be in Jupiter for all we care? Logic would have it that he must be gone now. We can’t see Jesus. None of us have been to heaven yet.

        That is, as logic would have it. It is not as faith would have it. Faith has something logic doesn’t. It has a promise: The promise that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ. Nothing. Nothing in heaven or on earth can separate us. Jesus is with us. Present now. Heaven is not a place like we think of places. It’s wherever God is. Wherever his word is. Wherever Jesus is. We read it in Mark’s Ascension, as they went out to preach the gospel that the Lord worked with them (16:20). Jesus ascended into heaven. And yet, he is fully here and present in the mouth your neighbor whenever the word is spoken. The word also has been put in you forever since your baptism. Jesus, not as a ghost, but as a person. On his throne in heaven. Also residing in your heart. The word of eternal life. Which is why Jesus upbraids the eleven disciples when they didn’t believe the word in the mouth of Mary Magdalene, and of the other women, when they said that Jesus is risen from the dead. Unbelief is the downfall of many. Unbelief we too must wrestle with. Actually, every day, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer would say, we must pray “I believe, dear Lord, help my unbelief.” Maybe when times are good and you are surrounded by people who love and support you, it may be easy to believe. But what about the time of struggle? What about the time of pain? Of loneliness? Of fear? Of solitude? It is much harder to believe at these times. And yet, it is times like these where faith is the greatest blessing. In these times the word wil become sweeter than honey. If you know, you know. (pause) Though God wants to be known in words, because these words come to us in the form of ordinary people (faults and all), we do not naturally trust them. Because these words didn’t come from our own brain. Words, after all, are too ordinary.  Other people are too ordinary. Why would we believe what someone told us. It must be their opinion. It can’t be something from God, can it? So we conclude, Jesus’ resurrection may be true for them, but not for me. And yet, when Jesus arrives to you in the mouth of your neighbor, he is nearer to you than you are to yourself. To believe these words is from beginning to end the gift of the Holy Spirit. His masterpiece. Not yours or mine. The risen and ascended Jesus, who is always both God and a human being is seated at the right hand of the Father, seated in your ears and in your heart through the spoken word. Remember, he is so near. Near to you in the gutter. Near to you when money is tight. Near to you in the time of death. But, especially, he is near to you where he wants to be found. One such place, is in the Lord’s Supper. Christ physically present in the bread and the cup and received and received orally and aurally. By mouth and ear. Nearly all our Protestant brethren differ with us at this point. Our brethren, whom we love, might say he’s in communion as a symbol, or in a spiritual way. Up, up in heaven! But not physically down on earth. For them, when Jesus ascended into heaven, there he is and remains. He’s a human being, so it is impossible that he would be on every altar where communion is celebrated. But for us Lutherans, we don’t care what they say or what logic says. When Jesus holds the bread and says “This is my body” we believe is means is. The same way in the cup, when he says, “This is my blood” we believe is means is. Jesus is with us every time we take Lord’s Supper. When we partake of the bread and the cup we know that we also are partaking of the body of Christ and the blood of Christ just as much as we are eating bread and drinking wine. This is true, because wherever Christ is, is Christ in his entirey—as both God and human being. And there is Christ’s blessing. God wants to ensure you that he is there to bless and hold you, and he does so through his Son. Though he has existed from eternity, he was born and laid in a manger, died on the cross, and risen from the dead.

        Jesus is ascended. He is not absent. He is present. In his word. He himself is heaven on earth. In someone’s mouth and in your ears. With his body and his blood. Wherever Jesus is in his word, there is also forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a down-to-earth gospel. Not a high up in the sky gospel. It’s about him coming down from heaven to earth in the word and in the sacraments. And what does he do in the word and the sacraments, he forgives sinners. Which means he forgives real people. With real problems. Not fake people. Real, rot in the gut sinners. Forgiveness for people who grow impatient. People who get prideful. People who struggle to believe. People who drink too much. People who get angry easily. People who get afraid. Since we are such people, let us be glad. Let us embrace it. We always need to be nourished with the bread and wine of God’s word. Jesus Christ died and was raised for you. Fear, death, and hell are no more. You have been brought to God in Jesus Christ. It is a gift, not your own doing. In Jesus Christ, heaven and earth are one and the same. Sure when he ascended into heaven he is seated at the right hand of the Father. He’s the pilot of the plane. The door to the cockpit is shut and we can’t go in there. They won’t let you in. But, and this is a big but...he is also the person seated next to you on the plane, squishing you into your seat with no room to yourself. This way, he will not abandon you. You will not be forsaken. He will uplift you. Sustain you. Hold you. Whatever your struggle, he is with you. Be at peace.

[pastortomsteers]

The Bible Study –

Our readings for Saturday, April 27 are Leviticus 19:1-37 & Luke 11:14-36.

In Leviticus, there is God’s Law.

As Christ said, “. . . until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matt 5:18)

Our Old Testament passage speaks volumes to today’s society: “28 You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.”

We’ve all seen the proliferation of tattoos, and not only among young people. 

Note also the prevalence of satanic and occult symbols. This is no accident in a secular culture that’s fallen away from God.

In verse 29 we read: “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.”

Remember these words when you hear calls to legalize prostitution.

We’ve seen the widespreadpromotion of the occult in books like Harry Potter, as well as films, music and TV shows that focus on demonic manifestations the media calls hauntings.

God’s Word in Leviticus 19:31 clearly instructs us,“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.” (See also Deuteronomy 18:10-11)

We’ve also seen the callous disrespect and disregard of the aged in a consumer culture that only values youth.  

Euthanasia, as abortion, is simply murder for convenience.

Instead of better palliative care, the seriously ill aged are increasingly pressured to end their lives by physician assisted suicide.

Yet verse 32 tells us: “You shall stand up before the gray head and honour the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.”

In our Gospel reading, Christ calls the generation He’s speaking to an evil one.

That could be said of every generation since the fall of man.

Jesus calls for us to love our neighbour as ourselves.

As Christians we try, but ultimately all human beings fail to keep God’s Law.

The Law is a curb on evil in society (our criminal codes are based on it), a mirror that shows us our sins, and a guide to the way God would like us to live in relation to Him and one another.

The Law is not a means of self-salvation, but drives us to the relief and sweetness of the saving Gospel.

Jesus tells the crowds an evil generation that looks for “signs” will be given the sign of Jonah.

Indeed, we’ve been given this sign.

As Jonah was three days in the belly of the fish and emerged alive, so our Lord was three days in the tomb, and raised by God the Father in the Resurrection.

Jesus died on the cross paying for our sins and rose for our justification.

Christ has risen. He has risen indeed. Alleluia!

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

[ponderlyunbiasednews]

Did Jesus' resurrection happen?

Fact Box

‘Resurrection’ is defined (generally) as “bringing something that had disappeared or ended back into use or existence” and (in Christianity) “Jesus Christ's return to life on the third day after his death, or the return of all people to life at the end of the world.”

Jesus (born 6-4 BC, died 30-33 AD) was a first-century Jew who led a ministry focused on seeking and saving the lost and calling sinners to repentance. In each of the gospels, he predicted his death and resurrection. Jesus died by Roman crucifixion, and three days later, his disciples and other eyewitnesses reported having seen him again, risen and alive. 

Christianity hinges on Jesus’ resurrection being true. First Corinthians 15:12-14 says, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.”

A 2022 Lifeway research found that 66% of surveyed US adults believe the biblical accounts of Jesus’s resurrection are accurate, including 58% of those aged 18-34

Vic (No)

Jesus is believed to have died for the sins of humanity, encouraging early believers to convert from Judaism to Christianity following his death, so it wasn't in vain. Believers used the resurrection story to promote conversion to Christianity, which later justified brutal wars against believers and non-believers alike. However, simply put, Jesus' resurrection couldn't have happened because dead people don't come back to life. Science has yet to prove how it would have happened, and attempts to disprove resurrection claims are futile in the face of a global religious community whose existence is propagated by the story. Some historians regard the Bible as fiction, noting uncanny similarities between its stories and Greek mythology. Like Jesus, the Greek god Hercules, also born of a human mother and divine father, was known as the world's savior. Thus, Jesus' resurrection is as fantastical as old Greek and Norse myths, albeit less exciting.

Other theories suggest that Jesus did not resurrect from the dead, producing plausible explanations for his empty tomb. The swoon theory claims Jesus never actually died on the cross but 'swooned' or fainted. Therefore, he was placed in the tomb undead, eventually able to wake up and leave his tomb. Another is that those who went to recover Jesus' body mistakenly went to the wrong tomb. Likewise, it is possible Jesus' body was stolen to perpetuate this claim that he was a risen lord. Skepticism toward a bodily resurrection of Jesus persists due to concerns over the absence of empirical evidence, the apparent influences of mythology on the gospel accounts, and alternative naturalistic explanations, not to mention the fact that people do not rise from the dead. Continued rigorous scrutiny and critical analysis of such historical claims is necessary for many things, including the resurrection.

Elisa (Yes)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is considered a historical event. The resurrection and gospel accounts present compelling evidence that cannot be theorized away; They were written in the first century (closer to Jesus' lifetime than accounts for Alexander the Great were), included eyewitness testimony, and contained embarrassing details (such as the disciples' cowardice following Jesus's death), which legitimize resurrection claims. 

The 'historicity' (historical authenticity) of the events surrounding Jesus' life and death shows the resurrection happened. Historical evidence—like his empty tomb and the witnesses of his death and burial—is affirmed by secular and religious scholars alike. Even non-Christian sources confirm Jesus lived, died by crucifixion, and was later seen risen by the disciples and many others. The gospels even highlight women as the first to see Jesus alive, which is significant since women's testimonies were not legally recognized. They certainly would've excluded such witnesses from the accounts if they had made this up. Enemies of Jesus even acknowledged his empty tomb, accusing the disciples of stealing his body. If Jesus were truly dead, the Romans and Jewish authorities could’ve produced his body at any time to squash resurrection rumors. Even modern scientists, such as physicist Daniel Gordon Ang, have stated 'the theory that Jesus rose from the dead is a much more plausible explanation than any of the other ones.'  

Finally, why would Jesus's disciples endure such persecution, torture, and even martyrdom for a lie? Most of Jesus's disciples later endured traumatic deaths. No one knowingly dies for a lie, especially when they've gained no power or riches from it. The disciples were emboldened by what they had seen—the risen Jesus—enough to 'die for what they knew to be true.' Approximately 2.3 billion Christians believe today, and that’s because Jesus Christ's resurrection happened.

[ducktoonsfanart]

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck's (plus Phooey) Birthday Party as well as April, May, and June Duck's Birthday Party and Easter Party - Egg Beating - Donald's Birthday Party - Quack Pack AU - Duckverse - My Version

Even though I know it's past, I wish everyone a happy Easter once again, according to the Julian calendar, as well as the one that has passed, as well as a happy belated birthday to Huey, Dewey and Louie and a happy birthday to April, May and June. And together with their friends and relatives. And they are present at Donald's jubilee 90th birthday. I drew as the end of the celebration of the Easter holidays as well as the birthday of the best triplets for this year.

On April 15, 1938, the famous trio appeared in the classic Donald Duck short, called “Donald’s Nephews”, which will change the history of the Duckverse in part. Also April, May and June as Daisy's nieces first appeared in the June 30, 1953 "Flip Decision" comic strip by Carl Barks and have been part of the Duckverse ever since. Certainly to all who are Orthodox (especially those who celebrate according to the Julian calendar and who celebrate after the Jewish Passover) who live in Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus, Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia and to all Orthodox people living around the world, I wish you a happy Easter! Christ is risen! Христос васкресе!

If someone asks me, yes, it is celebrated differently among the Orthodox and differently among the Catholics and Protestants, so it turned out to be a completely different Easter this year. Don’t worry, there will be a joint Easter next year. So Orthodox Easter fell on this day. The day he was crucified and died, resurrected and defeated death and the devil and proved that there is eternal life for all of us who believe. Glory to Jesus Christ who died for all of us sinners and rose again for all of us to save us!

This time Louie Duck and Zeca Carioca found themselves together and applied one traditional Serbian custom for Easter, and that is beating eggs, hitting egg on egg. The one who hits well and leaves that egg undamaged, is the winner. So I put them on this time too. And don’t worry, they don’t eat eggs, they are mostly artificial eggs. ;)

Yes, I drew as a combination from Quack Pack, Donald Duck comics (Italian, Danish and Dutch comics), The Legend of The Three Caballeros, OG Ducktales and Ducktales reboot, Darkwing Duck and certainly from Ze Carioca comics (Brazilian comics), where mostly teenagers, but there are also preteens. Mostly all part of my Quack Pack AU. Some are happy and some are unhappy. There are also Easter eggs and birthday cake as well as strawberries. There in this drawing are Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck (Donald's nephews), April, May and June Duck (Daisy's nieces), Phooey Duck (fourth nephew), Zico and Zeca Carioca (Jose's nephews), Gosalyn Mallard, Honker Muddlefoot (Darkwing Duck), Webby Vanderquack, Gene the Genie (OG Ducktales), Minima De Spell (Magica's niece), Sonny Seagull (Garvey Gull), Newton Gearloose (Gyro's nephew), Dugan Duck (Fethry's nephew) and finally Shamrock Gander (Gladstone's nephew).

I hope you like this drawing and this idea and feel free to like and reblog this, just don't use these same ideas of mine without mentioning me. Thank you! Also Happy Easter to everyone once again and Happy Birthday to Donald's nephews and Daisy's nieces!

This is also a gift for my friends @isabellanajera, @you-big-palooka, @elmer-dat-gander , @fantasticenthusiasttale and @barbiedisneyavenger as well as for a friend who recently celebrated her birthday, happy birthday dear @nuvemzinhacorderosa! I hope you like this!

[lumierecharity]

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE - JESUS CARRIED US ON HIS SHOULDERS

Today we relive the glorious events of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Saviour was crucified between two condemned, died and - after three days - rose again. How thankful are we to have such a great Messiah. 

Jesus Christ has conquered sin, death. and the devil. He has emptied hell. 

The Son of God loves us and works untiringly to bring each one safely into heaven. Alleluia!

Let us pray for all who have ever gone before, for all peoples now, and for all who will ever exist in the future until the Last Day: that they may attain everlasting life with our resurrected Saviour forever.

Let us remember that Jesus Christ literally carried each one of us on His Shoulders as He bore His Cross. Every step He took, He knew that if He did not reach the end of His journey, we would not be saved. Every weight of the wood upon His Shoulder told Him that if our sins were not washed away, we would be unable to enter Heaven. Every time He fell and the wood pressed heavily, He realised that each one of us depended on Him for an eternity of happiness.

What a warrior! What a King! What a Lord we hail as Son of God. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for carrying Your cross to the end. Thank You for bearing the weight of the sins of humankind upon Your Shoulders. Thank You for coming to earth to save us.

Priest: "The Easter Vigil begins in darkness. The darkness of the tomb is split open as the Light of the world resurrects and pours life-giving light to the whole world.

O God, grant that our hearts may be purified by your beloved Son Jesus Christ.

We offer You our love and praise in honour of so glorious a gift to our world,

Amen."

EASTER VIGIL READING

Mark 16 

The Resurrection

16 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

The Great Commission

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

BAPTISM

If you have been baptized, here quietly renew your promises to Jesus to continue practising holiness in your life, and to be faithful to Him. 

If you have been baptized, and fallen away from your faith, why then, just renew your baptismal promises and start all over again.

If you have never been baptized, why not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? 

He truly is the Son of God, and is waiting for you. Invite joy into your life and accept Him. Seek baptism.

Here is a chapel for accepting Jesus Christ into your life:

LITANY OF THE SAINTS

Priest: "Let us thank God for the holy men and women who have gone before us, showing that it is possible to reach the holiness God desires for us. Let us remember our holy ones."

Congregation: "We remember you, our holy family in heaven."

BLESSING OF THE WATER

If you do not have holy water, pour some water into a bowl. Sprinkle a little salt in it if you have some. Ask the Lord to bless the water and make it holy. Now you have your own holy water! 

The priest blesses the water, and sprinkles the congregation with it.

We remember that Jesus is the Water of Life and brings us to holiness through baptism.

WE NOW REJECT OUR ANCIENT ENEMY SATAN

Priest: "Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God's children?'

Congregation: "I do."

Priest: "Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?"

Congregation: "I do."

Priest: "Do you reject satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?"

Congregation: "I do."

WORDS OF COMFORT

"After the crucifixion, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was very busy after He gave His Spirit back to God the Father. The gospels tell us how the earth shook with earthquake, rocks split. The veil in the Jerusalem Temple split in two. Tombs opened and many saints resurrected, went into the Holy City and appeared to many people. Jesus' sacrifice and death had won redemption and resurrection for humanity. What a great gift!

Thereafter, Jesus descended to the holding place of the dead.  He met with all who had passed from the time of our earliest ancestors. They were now freed from the grip of death, and the way of heaven was opened to humanity. The great King Jesus had faced satan, whose power was now vanquished.

After three days, the Power of God reanimated the dead human Body of the Son of God, Christ resurrected and appeared to many. These are wonderful occurrences. We are blessed to have access to Heaven, whereas before Christ died we were condemned through justice to live in eternal banishment from the Luminous Face of God.

Let us rejoice at our wondrous fate as the human children of God.

Do you wish to turn to God to bring areas of your life to be washed in the precious Blood of the Saviour? If so, perhaps you will find peace and comfort from visiting the Chapel of Repentance.

If you wish to accept Jesus Christ in your life, visit the following prayer chapel,

THE EUCHARIST

Priest; "As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke it. He gave it to His disciples, saying; "Take all you, and eat. This is My Body, which is broken for you." Congregation; "Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life." Priest; "At the end of supper, Jesus took the cup. He gave thanks, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take, all of you, and drink; this is My Blood of the new covenant, Which is shed for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of Me." ' Congregation; "Lord Jesus, You are the cup of life, the wine blessed for our salvation." [Receive communion. If you are unable to attend Holy Mass, receive Jesus spiritually within your heart and soul now. Spend some time in prayer. Let us pray for all affected by the Coronavirus]. LORD'S PRAYER Priest; "Let us now pray the Lord's prayer in the words Jesus gave us." Priest and Congregation; 'Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done One earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day Our daily bread, And forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen."

PRAYER AND BLESSING

Priest; "Heavenly Father, we praise and thank You for sending us Your only Son, Jesus Christ. We rejoice in His Resurrection. This Easter the tomb is robbed of death, and is empty! There is Light in the midst of our darkness! We have been fed by the Word and given new life in the waters of baptism. We have been given renewed life in the Eucharist, and receive life from Jesus our Lord. We ask for Your blessing as we go forth to witness to the world the truth that JESUS CHRIST IS THE RISEN SON OF GOD!" Congregation; "Amen. ALLELUIA!"

With thanks to Youtube

[sweagen]

The Resurrection of Christ

¹Dear friends,  let me give you clearly the heart of the gospel that I’ve preached to you—the good news that you have heartily received and on which you stand. ²For it is through the revelation of the gospel that you are being saved, if you fasten your life firmly to the message I’ve taught you, unless you have believed in vain. ³For I have shared with you what I have received and what is of utmost importance:

The Messiah died for our sins,

fulfilling the prophecies of the Scriptures.

⁴He was buried in a tomb

and was raised from the dead after three days,

as foretold in the Scriptures. 

⁵Then he appeared to Peter the Rock 

and to the twelve apostles. 

⁶He also appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at the same time, most of whom are still alive as I write this, though a few have passed away.  ⁷Then he appeared to Jacob  and to all the apostles. ⁸Last of all he appeared in front of me, like one born prematurely, ripped from the womb.  ⁹Yes, I am the most insignificant of all the apostles, unworthy even to be called an apostle, because I hunted down believers and persecuted God’s church. ¹⁰But God’s amazing grace has made me who I am!  And his grace to me was not fruitless. In fact, I worked harder than all the rest,  yet not in my own strength but God’s, for his empowering grace is poured out upon me. ¹¹So this is what we all have taught you, and whether it was through me or someone else, you have now believed the gospel.

The Importance of the Resurrection

¹²The message we preach is Christ, who has been raised from the dead. So how could any of you possibly say there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³For if there is no such thing as a resurrection from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, all of our preaching has been for nothing and your faith is useless. ¹⁵Moreover, if the dead are not raised, that would mean that we are false witnesses who are misrepresenting God. And that would mean that we have preached a lie, stating that God raised him from the dead, if in reality he didn’t.

¹⁶If the dead aren’t raised up,  that would mean that Christ has not been raised up either. ¹⁷And if Christ is not alive, you are still lost in your sins and your faith is a fantasy. ¹⁸It would also mean that those believers in Christ who have passed away  have simply perished. ¹⁹If the only benefit of our hope in Christ is limited to this life on earth, we deserve to be pitied more than all others! 

²⁰But the truth is, Christ is risen from the dead, as the firstfruit  of a great resurrection harvest of those who have died. ²¹For since death came through a man, Adam,  it is fitting that the resurrection of the dead has also come through a man, Christ. ²²Even as all who are in Adam die, so also all who are in Christ will be made alive. ²³But each one in his proper order: Christ, the firstfruits, then those who belong to Christ in his presence. 

²⁴Then the final stage of completion comes, when he will bring to an end every other rulership, authority, and power, and he will hand over his kingdom to Father God. ²⁵Until then he is destined to reign  as King until all hostility has been subdued and placed under his feet.  ²⁶And the last enemy to be subdued and eliminated is death itself. 

²⁷The Father has placed all things in subjection under the feet of Christ.  Yet when it says, “all things,” it is understood that the Father does not include himself, for he is the one who placed all things in subjection to Christ. ²⁸However, when everything is subdued and in submission to him, then the Son himself will be subject to the Father, who put all things under his feet.  This is so that Father God will be everything in everyone!

1 Corinthians 15:1-28

[yahwehscholar]

The Seven Times Are (Almost) Over

The seven times come from the judgement on whoever killed Cain, which I believe was Yahweh the one true God. He might have died in the flood, or by natural causes. But the natural causes of death we are all subject to don’t have to be there, and weren’t in the beginning. Yahweh was the cause of his death. He has been carrying out judgement on himself.

I believe next Passover will be decisive. I hope Christ is coming back, and that Yahweh will be this world’s King again in a real way. I believe miracles are possible and will happen again.

The book of Job has an interesting passage in it that foreshadows Christ’s first coming. It is crucial to understand that Christ is not God, Yahweh alone is God and Christ is his son. The trinity is a lie and blasphemy. Christ was first an angel in heaven, then was born on earth, then was risen back to heaven after his death. He is the one among a thousand who came to earth as our ransom. Daniel chapter 9 foretells when he would arrive and that he would die.

The seven times, or week, from Daniel lasts 1,290 years + 1,335 years. It is taking seven years, but a year for every day. It started when prophecy was fulfilled in Daniel himself when Jerusalem fell to Babylon the first time, and he was among the first group taken to Babylon. It was the beginning of the 70 years of desolations. How coincidental that Israel has now been a nation for a little over 70 years now, at the end of the week, or the seven times. The seven times are the time, times, and half a time happening twice.

The last week is broken into two parts. It starts at the beginning of Daniel, in the third year of king Jehoiakim of Judah. What happened at the middle? Islam. The control over the Middle East shifted from Christian rule to Muslim rule at the 1,260 years. The Dome of the Rock started construction at about the 1,290 years. Now, we are 1,335 more years past then.

What is going to happen? I don’t know. The world is shaking, I do know that. I hope it’s easy. I hope we can all pray and really try to do better to be good, to make good choices for good things to happen. To do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Pray to Yahweh the one true God, the LORD of the old testament and God of Jesus Christ and Moses and Abraham. Do to others what you would want them to do to you. Follow the Ten Commandments. Love your neighbour as yourself. Turn the other cheek. Forgive others so God can forgive you. Do not judge others but judge for yourself what is right.

Yahweh awesome!