Happy Easter!

Sometimes a picture can convey a stronger message than words.

Happy Easter everyone!

Kicking Off Lent with Ash Wednesday

Image Credit: discoveringfaith.com

Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Ash Wednesday ceremonies entail marking the forehead with ashes as a visible cross. Lent originated as mirroring Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert where he endured temptation by Satan. Lent occurs 46 days, in which 40 days are fasting days. The 6 Sundays in Lent are excluded and set as a feast day in which fasting is not appropriate.

As I was reading my morning Bible lesson and Discipline (Isaiah 58:1-12) this morning, which talks about fasting that pleases God, Lent is an invitation to the observance of a holy Lent. This is not fasting, just to be fasting, but by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word through self-examination and repentance, by prayer fasting and self-denial. Fasting occurs in many forms, but it is the choice to abstain from whatever may get in the way of our relationship with God, whether it is food, habit or attitude. Although fasting is typically associated with the abstention from food for a certain period of time, fasting is an offering to God for us to overcome being and doing what we please and do what God wants us to do. This requires doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God. We must avoid being hypocrites by going through the motion and ritual of fasting, and not changing our attitudes to walk in justice, as we fast and pray.

So whatever it is that you choose to give up for Lent, whether it is fasting or a habit that disconnects us from God, do it with a humble and unselfish heart. Do it so that it is pleasing to God and not for the sake of man.

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

- Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)

Celebrating the Blessings of Easter

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Observing Maundy Thursday during Holy Week

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Today is Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, during Holy Week. This day is observed by Christians on the Thursday before Easter. Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) commemorates Christ's Last Supper, as well as the initiation of the Eucharist. We remember this as the time Christ washes the feet of His Disciples, to remind them to love one another as He loved them and how to serve. What a powerful lesson to reflect on today!

In Observance of Holy Week

Some moments do not need words to describe it’s Power and Excellence! May you find peace, hope and gratitude during this Holy Week.

What A Day of Rejoicing!

Today is such a wonderful and beautiful day, just as every day is. When my mother died on Easter Sunday, 10 years ago, I mourned a very personal and heartbreaking loss. Then, through it all, I realized that her death on this earth was actually the beginning of a new life for her and commemorating that on Easter is even more precious to me than the finest jewels.

 

I want to take this moment to wish everyone a joyous Easter. Beyond the Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets, let us look to the “Son-rise” and witness a light that is more spectacular than anything we have ever seen before.

 

Happy Easter and enjoy another day to celebrate 

the Risen Christ!

Today is Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the day before the commemoration of Good Friday. It is called Holy Thursday, which is the beginning of the 3-day celebration of Easter. “Maundy” is of Latin derivation and means “mandatum” relating to a commandment. Jesus commanded his Disciples at the last supper to love each other as He loved them. This act of love was displayed in Jesus’ servanthood when he washed the feet of His Disciples and shared the Last Supper, which is the final meal consisting of bread and wine with His Disciples.

Generally, on most calendars we only see Good Friday and Easter labeled, but Maundy Thursday is not. On the night of Maundy Thursday, Jesus is betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Disciples may not have understood the true significance of these events that took place during this period, called The Triduum, but during the course of this time, they came to understand it better by and by.

As we reflect on the this moment in time that affected the lives of everyone then and our lives now, we must look within and ask if we are truly following that last commandment that Jesus instructed His Disciples to do:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another’ as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” - John 13:34 (NKJV)

So often, we revisit this poignant time in Biblical history and have to ask ourselves today, just how different our behavior is compared to that of Judas, the other Disciples or Jesus’ tormentors? This season of watching, waiting and anticipating should make us examine the journey we are walking. In the science of Reflexology, various points in the feet affect various organs and other vital parts of the body. What part of your feet affect the love generated from your heart?

My Personal Embrace of Easter

Easter holds two personal significances for me. First, it is a constant reminder that Jesus Christ made a major sacrifice on our behalf that resonates long after His Resurrection from His death on the cross. After countless times of reading about the passion of Jesus Christ and the horrific brutality he endured, it still saddens me when I try to “humanly” comprehend how people could mistreat others with unthinkable cruelty and feel no remorse. I understand the spiritual purpose why Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb, but amid my humbleness and gratefulness, playing out this scene during Holy Week is still very painful to me.

My second reason is that my mother passed away on Easter Sunday 2003. The way I manage to find peace with her passing, especially on this Holy Day, is knowing that she became a part of the Renaissance, the Rebirth, a new beginning and a greater Divine purpose in a different realm. Although I still experience periodical moments of sadness pierced by a maternal void that runs so deep, I am reminded that the life I live, the work I do and the heart I have will speak for me one day. When that day of my transition arrives, I want to be certain that I did not waste precious moments on frivolousness, foolishness and selfishness.

Yet, in my moments of sadness over these personal significant Easter Holy Day meanings, I find an unbelievable amount of joy, peace, happiness, gentleness and love that keeps me pressing forward to my higher calling; to be the servant that God purposed me to be and not what man thinks I should be.

I realize that many people perceive, embrace and celebrate Easter quite differently than I do. For me, Easter is not a matter of a basket, bunny or an egg, but a matter of the heart…my heart. So, in celebration of this worthy, historical and sacred commemoration, I wish all of you a very Happy Easter!

http://www.kymgmoore.com/

HAPPY EASTER!

Hello everyone!

We are wishing you and your family a very happy, safe and blessed Easter! May we never forget the reason why we celebrate Easter!

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." - Matthew 28:6a

Peace & Blessings!

Kym Gordon Moore

http://www.kymgmoore.com/