Holy Week

This Hmong woman lives in the same hut as her father-in-law with her family (a common practice) .

She has experienced 5 miscarriages. While she has some children, she and her family believe that it was because of evil spirits. Her family practices "animism" and her father is a shaman priest. She had expressed an interest in becoming a Christian to one of our workers on their last visit to this village. She wanted to become a Christ follower but could not with out her in-laws permission.

In the end - both her mother and father-in-law consented. There is a lot more to this story, but I saw this shaman priest listen to what it means to be a Christian as they explained it to this woman. That she would no longer practice spirit worship at the altar in their home, and they agreed not to interfere with her coming to worship God with the other Christ followers in the village.

She prayed and gave her life to Jesus. I watched as they cut the strings and amulets off of her and threw them into the fire and she became a new creature in Jesus Christ. I imagined the party that broke out in Heaven as the hosts of Heaven praised God and celebrated on her behalf. I could almost hear the shrieks of the "powers and principalities" of that village recoiled in horror at the loss of another to the Kingdom of God.

This week is Holy Week. Today is Thursday. In Jewish tradition Passover began with the new day at Sunset, Christ would be eating the Last Supper with his disciples tonight (this was the last Passover meal - since in the events of the next three days God would now deliver mankind from their sins; which is what the Passover foreshadowed) . Tonight there would be betrayal, mock trials, beatings beyond imagination into the next day, more mock trials and finally an agonizing death on the cross. Good Friday was "good" because Christ's death was on our behalf, so we would no longer even taste death's sting.

1 Corinthians 15:55
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"

Your love, O Christ, compels me, because I am convinced that You are the One who died for all, and therefore all died. And You died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the One who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor 5:14-15)

You redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." (Galatians 3:13)

These verses came from my daily devotional ("Face to Face" vol 1.) today.

As you go through your day to day, take a moment and meditate on all that this day meant for Christ and so consequently for us. Stop and pause - give thanks and pray.

Have a great celebration this week. Rejoice that He came that we might have life abundantly (John 10:10).

The Great Adventure continues...

In "His" grip!

Dale