Fateful Night

© Short story mghenry
He couldn’t remember exactly when these thoughts and feelings began to formulate in his mind. He really couldn’t put his finger on it if he’d been asked to pinpoint it. What event, what action, what experience had pushed the impulse? He only more recently realized that these thoughts and imaginations seemed to have gained momentum in the last few days…maybe hours… and seemed to mount garrison over his thinking and spur him on to fulfill what he had held in check until just these last few hours of the holidays .
They had started innocently enough, he reasoned. He had looked to this particular leader for guidance, for some sign, for some clue that what his nation had hoped for, for so long, had been promised, for so long; had waited for, for so long…that there would be some evidence that it would come to pass in his lifetime. But, no….it seemed hopeless as far as this guy was concerned, now. There was no bravura, no bravado of a great leader, no pomp and circumstance which would inspire the national pride once more; which would bring the overthrow of the tyrants whose boot heels were on their necks day and night.
And who was this guy, anyway? All big talk about his kingdom, this….his kingdom that….but no earthly evidence at all of any palace or castle or governing body or military vehicle of any sort. He had waited to see some manifestation of it , but to no avail. It seemed all talk and no action concerning any Kingdom or national leadership or military prowess….just talk of “the kingdom”, this guy’s father and something about angels, which he never saw.
They, the local leaders, had not come to him. So, he felt he had to do something. He began to feel it was his national duty to go to the officials and offer his help in bringing this to some culmination. In fact, lately, he’d felt driven to do something; to take matters into his own hands since this “leader” seemed to fade more and more from the mission he thought this guy had come to accomplish…at least that’s what he had understood whenever the man spoke.
At first he had been intrigued with him. The man seemed to have a lot of wisdom, intelligence, understanding, etc. He was kind and did some astounding things. People flocked to him, just he had done. But eventually, the writing was on the wall. This man didn’t seem like he was going to do anything to save their nation…he was too humble, too submissive, too preoccupied with…yes, good deeds and not with power strokes that would shake and break the status quo and bring victory to the nation. My God! He had waited to see the overthrow; he had waited for the moment when the man would strike their captors and break the chains of oppression over them. But, alas! It wasn’t going to happen and so he had to do something….and something valuable…not only an act of valor, he thought but something worth some coin!
So it was late evening…that fateful night. He knew where the guy hung out with his buddies. He had been there before with them, many times. In a way he hated to do it but actually the thought of it was titillating and intriguing. Would he, himself, be a hero? Maybe! He had seen himself being carried up on the shoulders of his countrymen as ‘the one’ who would save them from this guy’s rhetoric, this street-preacher sort of guy; How he had been deceived!! He was doing this as an act of duty; an act of justice for his nation; for his church leaders and for himself.
As he led the officials into the place where ‘he” was, he had told them earlier what code he would use to identify the one, the guy, who would be the object of their custody. Yes! He was there. It was a little scary….almost like the guy was waiting for him. That took him aback for a moment but then….the old obsession with its drive came over him…over his mind as he approached the man.
“Master! He declared as he kissed the man on the cheek. “Master!”
Mg Henry <mgsingsong@aol.com>

Palm Sunday

Image

I heard this story recently; “A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch.
The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?”
“You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today.”
The little boy replied, ” Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”

Intercessory Prayer

St. Paul writes to his younger colleague, Timothy, and urges Timothy to have the church pray for and in this manner; “…first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-5 NIV
Photo-19
As I look at this market in Hong Kong and peoples shopping shoulder to shoulder and seemly from nation after nation; I am reminded how God’s great love reaches out for people everywhere. I remind myself pray, pray, pray that “all may come to the knowledge of the truth.”

What a beautiful gift God has given us to pray for people everywhere. I feel so connected to all God’s children when I pray. How do I say, ‘Thank You, God’, for allowing me to be in such a wonderful family!

Double Click on photo; think, meditate, pray and see yourself side by side with God’s children in Hong Kong. Tell us what you feel, think and experience on your trip to Hong Kong by prayer!

May I see your ID?

ID, show your ID. Do you have your ID? Many of us are asked this each time we go to work. When we go to the bank, write a check or conduct just about any kind of business. Basically, our ID identifies our name, and sometimes shows our picture and other pertinent information related to identifying us.

How many times have you heard yourself, spouse, children or co-workers say “I am afraid I am losing my identity.” We are usually meaning individuality, personality, character, uniqueness, or ourselves in some way, we think and feel certain, that we know about ourselves. We even marry at times to make a sea of identity for ourselves. Our children whether it be good or bad will at times strike accord with others to believe and declare they have identified us, their parents. And, yes, even our Nation can at times identify us.
Another most interesting one is when we are mistakenly identified as someone else. Might be humorous or flattering if someone in just passing thinks and yells, AH, you look like some famous person and especially one that we might admire. But, that comment turns another raging color when it could cause us lots of legal or other bothersome problems.

One of the most baffling scriptures to me is when the seven sons of Sceva along with some itinerant Jewish exorcists decided to call the name of the Lord over one who had evil spirits. They had just heard and watched the Apostle Paul at work with his true identity. Paul spoke and laid hands on many and the sick were healed and the evil spirits went out of their bodies. The Jewish exorcists and Sceva’s sons finds when they used a fake ID copied from Paul, the evil spirit speaks to them and demands they show their true ID in order to enter the work zone. The man says, Jesus I know, Paul, I know, but WHO ARE YOU! In my mind this might just make one drop in the sea of identity. And it did. “The possessed man went berserk—jumped the exorcists, beat them up, and tore off their clothes. Naked and bloody, they got away as best they could.” (Matthew 19:11-16 Message)

A Sea of Identity! Just who are we? We really should know and show our true identity at all times.
1 Peter 2:9,10 NLT “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, and God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people.”

1 Peter 2:1-3 “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

A Sea of Identity! Our identity is like the sea so expansive it stretches beyond our own thoughts and imagination. You can see its beginning but not its end; for it sweeps across a span of space but yet it stops and the boundaries are set for one to identify. There are times when the sea rages with a personality unknown to the human heart like that of the recent Tsunami.

A Sea of Identity! As we pause and meditate on our identity in the resurrection, life after death, one might wonder, what will it be like? We reach back into our passage from I Peter…” Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people.” God has given us an identity and the scripture is clear that God is love and that the identity He has given us will not be blotted out. Only our sins will be or have been blotted out, if we allow Him to blot them out. Isaiah 43:25 We believe by faith there is a connection between are identity today and our identity after death. Identity has a beginning but we cannot see the end.
Peter answers again for us. “…you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.” Our identity, our self, our soul, continues to grow as we crave the pure spiritual milk. This will lead us into a maturity of true identity.

A Sea of Identity! My prayer is that we will seek truth, and let truth untwine our mixed emotions, bring forth a purity in heart, soul and spirit. May our ID make a way for peace in the world? May we have confidence in our hope in Christ Jesus and the identity He has put around our neck to wear and show love with gladness and singleness of heart to a world that will hopefully desire to identify with us as we identify with Him, our great Sea of Identity!

I hope that we will find, know, and show our ID today!