Easter 2022

3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He…

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 (NIV) 14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived…

21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (NLT) One night a young woman and her betrothed fiancé, after traveling a long way for a census, found themselves without a suitable place to stay.  Desperate and in labor, they made a place in a stable.  That night the Son of God, born of a virgin, was laid in a manger, a feeding trough for…

11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Leviticus 17:11 (NIV) 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 (NIV) Shortly after Adam and Eve sinned, blood was shed for the covering of their mistakes.  Later in…

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Romans 3:23 (NIV) When we think of the Garden of Eden, so many quick thoughts come to mind: Old Testament, In the beginning, God, perfect creation, made in the image of God, all reflecting the glory of God. By Genesis chapter 3, we see God’s masterpiece-man and woman-falling short of His glory as they follow the serpent into sin. So soon after creation, God had a plan to…