This is rich. I just read an article that reported that over 32 million Americans doubt the veracity of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.
I read the historical accounts and one of them caught my eye. It turns out that Luna 15, a Russian space vehicle was in orbit around the moon at the time the Eagle landed and overflew the site. The Russian craft had been intended to land, retrieve a soil sample and leave before the Americans did. Unfortunately for them and good for the US, they were unable to land when they anticipated and remained in orbit. They had a literal bird’s eye view of the NASA men on the surface along with their craft.
When the Russian engineers attempted to land their vehicle later, they miscalculated and crashed into the side of a lunar mountain. (Note: They needed Neil Armstrong to pilot it. But I digress.) Despite crashing, the probe recorded telemetry and, pictures, which were transmitted back to the earth. Now, think a second. Given the frantic race to beat each other to the moon, do you think that if the Russian propagandists had pictures of an empty landing area that they would not have posted them all around the world as the Apollo astronauts supposedly landed and were lauded for their “successful,” but faked trip to the moon?
After completely humiliating the US space program they would have trumpeted their own successes, even if the landings were unmanned. But, even though they did manage to land a couple times before the Americans did, they were not able to return them to the earth. Only the US has sent manned teams, six in all, to the moon and back. So the conspiracy theorists have a mighty tall mountain of evidence to claim that they were all fake. And the mountain of evidence is even higher than the pile of, well, you know, that the deniers have thrown up.
Are the Russian photos somewhere? They would be fun to see. One other little nugget I discovered was on a site discussing ham radio operators tracking Apollo 11. I quote it here.
Due to the necessary trajectory of the spacecraft, the enroute communications did not appear to be coming from a direct line between the Earth and Moon, which is what another poster is referring to in the earlier comment. Trying to set up something that has the proper characteristics requires, well, that one has a spacecraft with people in it on its way to the moon.
Another note reported that an observatory in England tracked both the Luna 15 and Apollo 11 to the surface of the moon by measuring doppler shift. (Gee I love that kind of talk.) They literally “watched” the Luna 15 crash as it descended too rapidly. Isn’t science great?
Thank you for your time and attention. Some people will contest that the sun came up today, so we just humor them and hurry on to more important topics.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
VAR
Disclaimer: There is no political or partisan (maybe) perspective in this post. :>)
VAR
The VAR or Video Assistant Referee has shown up at the World Cup and other soccer (fooootball) games recently. In the game between the United States and England, the VAR “giveth and taketh away.” The supposed tying goal by England by their star, “Google Eyes,” was disallowed. I thought she was offsides when the play ran live.
(Disclaimer: I was rooting for the US but I am sure, and VAR confirmed it, that she was a little ahead. Incidentally years ago a famous football play in the game between UT and Auburn had a similar “close play” and I saw it correctly, as confirmed by instant replay. A friend of mine, an Auburn alum, said the video was at a bad angle and therefore was wrong. Oh yes, one last item. Recall the Music City Miracle? I could tell clearly that the lateral had gone backward by at least the width of the yard line. Wycheck’s foot was on the line as he threw it and it was a sidearm pass. Clearly in front of the line. Dyson caught the ball, facing his own goal, just in front of his foot which was planted on the line. At worst, the pass was a literal lateral that did not move down the field. Our Buffalo friends again argued that the angle was bad and the “pass” was indeed forward and illegal. Perspective, and I do not mean camera angle, comes into play here. Back to soccer.)
So the tying goal did not count, but a few minutes later VAR awarded a penalty kick on a play that certainly did not look like interference on first or second or even third viewing. Only when another view, one from down field and behind the play, could we see the offending “clip.” We should have intuited that from the fact that the offender fell down after the encounter. These athletes seldom fall without being hit some way. (We will withhold commentary on the blatant embellishment that occurs in our beloved game. Can VAR penalize that as well? It seems to work in hockey. But I digress.)
The point of VAR is that it affords multiple camera angles and essentially provides five, or six, or seven, or more additional officials to manage the game. Now instead of only three pairs of eyes, effectively only two as the second assistant referee is over half a field (or pitch) away, we now have multiple, close up viewers from which to make the correct calls.
As a basketball and softball umpire/referee I was counseled and, yes, harangued by seasoned officials, to “be in the right place to make the call.” You cannot make a call on a play that you cannot, and did not see.” With VAR and the various instant replays, that is no longer a critical component of competent officiating. We now “get it right,” most of the time, anyway. (See note above on perspective.)
While contemplating this subject, my mind wandered to what might have been. For instance, in soccer, the infamous or famous, depending on your perspective, “hand of God” goal in soccer would have never happened. Diego Maradona, of Argentina, scored a goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals. The video clearly showed him as offside and using his hand to propel the ball into the goal. (The existing video shows it, without the multiple VAR angles currently in use.) At least two referees were asleep on that play. For the record, Argentina, and Maradona again, scored a second goal to win by a 2-1 score, making the HOG goal critical. Argentina went on to win the cup against West Germany.
If VAR had been in play the goal would have been disallowed and all this delicious irony would not color our soccer legends. Additionally, the US lost a goal in the previous game on an offsides that wasn’t. At least, it didn’t look like it to my unbiased eye.
Well, let’s go on with the game. Go USA! Go VAR. Have a great day and Fourth of July.
VAR
The VAR or Video Assistant Referee has shown up at the World Cup and other soccer (fooootball) games recently. In the game between the United States and England, the VAR “giveth and taketh away.” The supposed tying goal by England by their star, “Google Eyes,” was disallowed. I thought she was offsides when the play ran live.
(Disclaimer: I was rooting for the US but I am sure, and VAR confirmed it, that she was a little ahead. Incidentally years ago a famous football play in the game between UT and Auburn had a similar “close play” and I saw it correctly, as confirmed by instant replay. A friend of mine, an Auburn alum, said the video was at a bad angle and therefore was wrong. Oh yes, one last item. Recall the Music City Miracle? I could tell clearly that the lateral had gone backward by at least the width of the yard line. Wycheck’s foot was on the line as he threw it and it was a sidearm pass. Clearly in front of the line. Dyson caught the ball, facing his own goal, just in front of his foot which was planted on the line. At worst, the pass was a literal lateral that did not move down the field. Our Buffalo friends again argued that the angle was bad and the “pass” was indeed forward and illegal. Perspective, and I do not mean camera angle, comes into play here. Back to soccer.)
So the tying goal did not count, but a few minutes later VAR awarded a penalty kick on a play that certainly did not look like interference on first or second or even third viewing. Only when another view, one from down field and behind the play, could we see the offending “clip.” We should have intuited that from the fact that the offender fell down after the encounter. These athletes seldom fall without being hit some way. (We will withhold commentary on the blatant embellishment that occurs in our beloved game. Can VAR penalize that as well? It seems to work in hockey. But I digress.)
The point of VAR is that it affords multiple camera angles and essentially provides five, or six, or seven, or more additional officials to manage the game. Now instead of only three pairs of eyes, effectively only two as the second assistant referee is over half a field (or pitch) away, we now have multiple, close up viewers from which to make the correct calls.
As a basketball and softball umpire/referee I was counseled and, yes, harangued by seasoned officials, to “be in the right place to make the call.” You cannot make a call on a play that you cannot, and did not see.” With VAR and the various instant replays, that is no longer a critical component of competent officiating. We now “get it right,” most of the time, anyway. (See note above on perspective.)
While contemplating this subject, my mind wandered to what might have been. For instance, in soccer, the infamous or famous, depending on your perspective, “hand of God” goal in soccer would have never happened. Diego Maradona, of Argentina, scored a goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals. The video clearly showed him as offside and using his hand to propel the ball into the goal. (The existing video shows it, without the multiple VAR angles currently in use.) At least two referees were asleep on that play. For the record, Argentina, and Maradona again, scored a second goal to win by a 2-1 score, making the HOG goal critical. Argentina went on to win the cup against West Germany.
If VAR had been in play the goal would have been disallowed and all this delicious irony would not color our soccer legends. Additionally, the US lost a goal in the previous game on an offsides that wasn’t. At least, it didn’t look like it to my unbiased eye.
Well, let’s go on with the game. Go USA! Go VAR. Have a great day and Fourth of July.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Ho Hum, Here We Go Again
Back in the '60s and '70s, Nebraska had a Senator named Hruska. (It sounds like you are saying “Husker” while clearing your throat.) He served during the time that the Senate was controlled by the Democratic party. He was not noted for any major, significant legislation, but did vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
His only claim to fame was when the esteemed Senator from Nebraska was supporting the nomination to SCOTUS of G. Harrold Carswell, a Nixon nominee in 1970. Some criticized Judge Carswell as being mediocre. Responding to that criticism, Hruska claimed that:
“Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they, and a little chance? We can't have all Brandeises, Frankfurters, and Cardozos.”
Boy did I take a ribbing from my liberal friends at the University of Iowa. Yeah, give us mediocres a chance. “Are all of you guys from Nebraska mediocre?” What could I say?
We may just give the world a little levity. Well, New York seems to have followed Nebraska’s lead, only instead of sending someone to the Senate for over 20 years, they sent AOC to the House of Representatives. But she has certainly not lost any time entertaining the population with drivel and claptrap.
The latest statement equating Nazi concentration camps with the ICE detention centers has even upset some liberals. One comment I read was that there were not voluntary lines of potential inmates streaming into Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, Auschwitz, and about 18 others. Let’s see, six million dead in Germany and how many have died in ICE custody?
Nope, I think that there is a difference there. One question comes to mind. What reputable reporter would put a microphone in the face of someone so clearly factually challenged? At least she hasn’t promised to cure cancer.
I would counsel us to ignore it, but, like the insurance commercial with a walrus blocking the hockey net, it is pretty hard to just play on like it doesn’t exist. Hey, have you heard the one about how slapping sanctions on Mexico will have a negligible or negative effect on illegal immigration? How about the “tuff talk will only alienate North Korea?” I will withhold judgment on the Iran situation. But I would expect that they will back down. Their president or premier or whatever he is, has already claimed that they will not go to war. Good choice.
How is the weather in your neck of the woods? Get much rain last night? Has it gotten hot yet...?
His only claim to fame was when the esteemed Senator from Nebraska was supporting the nomination to SCOTUS of G. Harrold Carswell, a Nixon nominee in 1970. Some criticized Judge Carswell as being mediocre. Responding to that criticism, Hruska claimed that:
“Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they, and a little chance? We can't have all Brandeises, Frankfurters, and Cardozos.”
Boy did I take a ribbing from my liberal friends at the University of Iowa. Yeah, give us mediocres a chance. “Are all of you guys from Nebraska mediocre?” What could I say?
We may just give the world a little levity. Well, New York seems to have followed Nebraska’s lead, only instead of sending someone to the Senate for over 20 years, they sent AOC to the House of Representatives. But she has certainly not lost any time entertaining the population with drivel and claptrap.
The latest statement equating Nazi concentration camps with the ICE detention centers has even upset some liberals. One comment I read was that there were not voluntary lines of potential inmates streaming into Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, Auschwitz, and about 18 others. Let’s see, six million dead in Germany and how many have died in ICE custody?
Nope, I think that there is a difference there. One question comes to mind. What reputable reporter would put a microphone in the face of someone so clearly factually challenged? At least she hasn’t promised to cure cancer.
I would counsel us to ignore it, but, like the insurance commercial with a walrus blocking the hockey net, it is pretty hard to just play on like it doesn’t exist. Hey, have you heard the one about how slapping sanctions on Mexico will have a negligible or negative effect on illegal immigration? How about the “tuff talk will only alienate North Korea?” I will withhold judgment on the Iran situation. But I would expect that they will back down. Their president or premier or whatever he is, has already claimed that they will not go to war. Good choice.
How is the weather in your neck of the woods? Get much rain last night? Has it gotten hot yet...?
Friday, April 19, 2019
God Is Not Dead
No this is not another movie review or critique. One is enough for a while, although the movie “God Is Not Dead” was a good one. I even have the hat to prove it. Or is it a T-shirt that proves things? Oh well, God is not Dead.
That is the message of Easter. God came to earth, in the body of Jesus. That body walked and talked and humanly lived on this planet for roughly 33 years. While here, He did nothing wrong. Read the Old Testament rules for behavior and bringing a sacrifice. Then add to that the rules about the preparation and presentation of the sacrifice by the priests. That cumulative load of detail was completely and fully satisfied by this one Man.
And, for His trouble, He was crucified on a hill. I heard a comment that said the hill named Golgotha, just outside the city of Jerusalem, was transformed into Calvary by what happened there. It is interpreted by the evangelists as meaning "the place of a skull" ( Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17) In Hebrew, “Gulgoleth” ( Numbers 1:2; 1 Chronicles 23:3, 24; 2 Kings 9:35), means "a skull."
The name Calvary is used only in Luke 23:33. That is the Latin name “Calvaria,” which was used as a translation of the Greek word “Kranion,” by which the Hebrew word “Gulgoleth” was interpreted. It also means "the place of a skull." The important thing, regardless of what it is called, is that it was the place where the eternal sacrifice for sins, my sins and your sins, was consumated.
Some atheists have claimed that the supposed death of Jesus, God, proves that there is actually no God at all. “If God died, then why didn’t everything cease to exist or at least fly apart?”
I think the more pertinent question is, “Why did not the entire universe implode on this minuscule, insignificant planet that had the temerity to crucify the Creator of the cosmos?” But it didn’t.
And three days later, Three Days Later, THREE DAYS LATER, He rose! As Aslan in the “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” explained, death was reversed and made to work backwards.
The last time we were together we looked at a couple of hymns that celebrate this glorious fact. (Link below: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” and “I’m Saved by the Blood of the Crucified One”) An appropriate song for today is “Up from the Grave He Arose.” The next phrase is, “...with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.”
Focus on the Family spent two days with Lee Strobel considering his quest to disprove the Resurrection. Instead, it verified it. (https://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/understanding-the-importance-of-easter-in-new-ways-pt1
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/understanding-the-importance-of-easter-in-new-ways-pt2)
I love the words of the first hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” They go, “Death cannot keep its prey....” All hell was unleashed in an attempt to thwart the Resurrection and keep Him dead. But all the power of heaven crushed that opposition and THREE DAYS LATER, He rose! He is alive! Mind if I get a little excited? I am. God is not dead! What a story to tell. And the significance is not just that He either never existed, or has been banished from reality, but that He really was dead–for three days. Then He took His life back and rose from that grave, never to die again.
The Good News? I have that same testimony. I may die once, but I cannot and will not die again. God is alive, and so am I! GOD IS NOT DEAD! Glory! Hallelujah!
Have a Blessed Easter–Resurrection Sunday. God is not dead.
Friday, April 19, 2019 Everything Is Coming Up Easter https://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2019/04/everything-is-coming-up-easter.html
That is the message of Easter. God came to earth, in the body of Jesus. That body walked and talked and humanly lived on this planet for roughly 33 years. While here, He did nothing wrong. Read the Old Testament rules for behavior and bringing a sacrifice. Then add to that the rules about the preparation and presentation of the sacrifice by the priests. That cumulative load of detail was completely and fully satisfied by this one Man.
And, for His trouble, He was crucified on a hill. I heard a comment that said the hill named Golgotha, just outside the city of Jerusalem, was transformed into Calvary by what happened there. It is interpreted by the evangelists as meaning "the place of a skull" ( Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17) In Hebrew, “Gulgoleth” ( Numbers 1:2; 1 Chronicles 23:3, 24; 2 Kings 9:35), means "a skull."
The name Calvary is used only in Luke 23:33. That is the Latin name “Calvaria,” which was used as a translation of the Greek word “Kranion,” by which the Hebrew word “Gulgoleth” was interpreted. It also means "the place of a skull." The important thing, regardless of what it is called, is that it was the place where the eternal sacrifice for sins, my sins and your sins, was consumated.
Some atheists have claimed that the supposed death of Jesus, God, proves that there is actually no God at all. “If God died, then why didn’t everything cease to exist or at least fly apart?”
I think the more pertinent question is, “Why did not the entire universe implode on this minuscule, insignificant planet that had the temerity to crucify the Creator of the cosmos?” But it didn’t.
And three days later, Three Days Later, THREE DAYS LATER, He rose! As Aslan in the “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” explained, death was reversed and made to work backwards.
The last time we were together we looked at a couple of hymns that celebrate this glorious fact. (Link below: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” and “I’m Saved by the Blood of the Crucified One”) An appropriate song for today is “Up from the Grave He Arose.” The next phrase is, “...with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.”
Focus on the Family spent two days with Lee Strobel considering his quest to disprove the Resurrection. Instead, it verified it. (https://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/understanding-the-importance-of-easter-in-new-ways-pt1
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/understanding-the-importance-of-easter-in-new-ways-pt2)
I love the words of the first hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” They go, “Death cannot keep its prey....” All hell was unleashed in an attempt to thwart the Resurrection and keep Him dead. But all the power of heaven crushed that opposition and THREE DAYS LATER, He rose! He is alive! Mind if I get a little excited? I am. God is not dead! What a story to tell. And the significance is not just that He either never existed, or has been banished from reality, but that He really was dead–for three days. Then He took His life back and rose from that grave, never to die again.
The Good News? I have that same testimony. I may die once, but I cannot and will not die again. God is alive, and so am I! GOD IS NOT DEAD! Glory! Hallelujah!
Have a Blessed Easter–Resurrection Sunday. God is not dead.
Friday, April 19, 2019 Everything Is Coming Up Easter https://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2019/04/everything-is-coming-up-easter.html
Collusion
The multiyear Muller investigation which has spent, according to different reports, $25 million dollars or more, has declared that there was no collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign. Nothing happened. And the Democrats seem to be attempting to reprise the Nixon events. Nixon was not involved with the original Watergate break-in, but was actively and vigorously active in attempting to cover up the crime. That was a crime and he resigned.
Well, this is completely different. Nothing happened, so how can a cover up or suppression of the investigation apply? (Just a thought from a non-legal observer: How can the indictments that arose out of the investigation be upheld since the original premise was flawed. If there is no reasonable cause to believe a crime has occurred, a “stop and frisk” is illegal, and any evidence is excluded as “fruit of a poisoned tree?” But I digress.)
And the mega-million dollar investigation concluded that there was no collusion and, incidentally, no proof that interference occurred either. Instead of accepting the result, a 400 page document, they are instigating an investigation into the investigation. Just musing, one wonders how many have actually read the entire 400 pages. I didn’t. I am satisfied with the review done by Attorney General Barr.
So the opposition, disloyal opposition it seems, is attempting to produce a crime from supposed “attempts to suppress the investigation” of something that did not happen. That is as dopey as Burger King selling a CBD infused hamburger.
Well, this is completely different. Nothing happened, so how can a cover up or suppression of the investigation apply? (Just a thought from a non-legal observer: How can the indictments that arose out of the investigation be upheld since the original premise was flawed. If there is no reasonable cause to believe a crime has occurred, a “stop and frisk” is illegal, and any evidence is excluded as “fruit of a poisoned tree?” But I digress.)
And the mega-million dollar investigation concluded that there was no collusion and, incidentally, no proof that interference occurred either. Instead of accepting the result, a 400 page document, they are instigating an investigation into the investigation. Just musing, one wonders how many have actually read the entire 400 pages. I didn’t. I am satisfied with the review done by Attorney General Barr.
So the opposition, disloyal opposition it seems, is attempting to produce a crime from supposed “attempts to suppress the investigation” of something that did not happen. That is as dopey as Burger King selling a CBD infused hamburger.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Happy Birthday
There is a story going around that was featured on “Good Morning America” and the internet. What a great story. It is about Bella, a school girl in London, KY. Here is the link.
This student gathers party supplies, including a cake mix and frosting (can’t forget that!) and provides them to the family resource center at her school for distribution to children whose parents are not able to provide them a birthday party. This is for classmates and other students who might not otherwise have a birthday celebration.
“I thank God for the opportunity for letting me be able to shine my light and show that I love my neighbors,” Bella said. That is a great story for the Easter week.
She was in the first grade when she conceived this idea two years ago. She may be in the third grade in school, but she is a senior in the school of life. Thank you, Bella, for making my day.
This student gathers party supplies, including a cake mix and frosting (can’t forget that!) and provides them to the family resource center at her school for distribution to children whose parents are not able to provide them a birthday party. This is for classmates and other students who might not otherwise have a birthday celebration.
“I thank God for the opportunity for letting me be able to shine my light and show that I love my neighbors,” Bella said. That is a great story for the Easter week.
She was in the first grade when she conceived this idea two years ago. She may be in the third grade in school, but she is a senior in the school of life. Thank you, Bella, for making my day.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Unplanned
If you have not yet seen the movie, “Unplanned” by all means go see it. The “R” label is for bloody and disturbing scenes. And they are bloody disturbing. That may be an obscenity in England, and surely, abortion is an obscenity.
Go see it.
But, we cannot leave it there. At one point, Abby Johnson, the former director of an abortion clinic cried, “How can God forgive me?” She had “presided” over about 22,000 abortions.
I wanted to stand in the theater and shout, “Because of Easter!” The Old Testament carefully and and in elaborate detail outlines the procedure for sacrifice and worship. It is difficult and demanding. We are talking about approaching the perfectly holy God. A slip-shod, careless approach is neither fitting nor efficacious. And as Aaron’s two oldest sons discovered, it can be fatal. (Leviticus 10) And if I recognize my abject failure to be holy and pure, I will cry out with Abby, “How can God forgive ME?”
He sent His perfect Son, the Holy Son, to be the sacrifice described and prescribed in the Old Testament to pay for my failures. We celebrate that every year at Easter. And how can we be sure that it was enough? Are my sins forgiven and, as the old song goes, “buried in the depths of the deepest sea?”
Romans 4:25 eliminates that doubt. Hallelujah! Speaking of Christ Jesus,
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. (Another translation says, “on account of our justification.”)
“Delivered” means that He was brought as the lamb in the sacrifice, and died. And when God evaluated the offering, He declared it “satisfactory.” In fact it was perfect. And to demonstrate that for Abby, and me, and all the world to see that He was pleased and accepted the sacrifice, He raised Jesus from the dead. Another Easter hymn goes, “Death cannot hold its prey, Jesus my Saviour!” Shout it out!
We are forgiven, freed from guilt. And the book of James instructs us in our behavior. James 2:18b
“I will show you my faith by my works.”
True faith results in works and as we sare assured that we are forgiven by Jesus’ resurrection. People see our faith by our works. James 2:24
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
We cannot see “faith,” but the results are visible in our works, actions. We see God's work in justification by the Resurrection. And my "works" include the fact that I oppose abortion.
[Note: Three states have approved, and eight others have pending, bills to prohibit abortion after a heart beat is detected. It is a baby. Our Planned Parenthood friends, according to Abby, used to have a room labeled P. O. C. The official name was Products of Conception, but the workers called it “Parts of Children.” Medically it is imperative that the abortionist ensure that everything is “out” for any part left behind can fester and infect the mother. They have to verify that the whole baby is in the petri dish. Yes, “obscene” is not appropriate. We need something more intense. Stop it! End of note.]
I had not planned to write on abortion or movies this Easter season. The final credits of the movie had UNPLANNED in all caps. The UN was crossed out with a horizontal line through the letters and a vertical line between the U and the N. A cross changed everything. It was God’s plan from the foundation of the world.
Hallelujah, what a Savior. He planned it all.
Go see it.
But, we cannot leave it there. At one point, Abby Johnson, the former director of an abortion clinic cried, “How can God forgive me?” She had “presided” over about 22,000 abortions.
I wanted to stand in the theater and shout, “Because of Easter!” The Old Testament carefully and and in elaborate detail outlines the procedure for sacrifice and worship. It is difficult and demanding. We are talking about approaching the perfectly holy God. A slip-shod, careless approach is neither fitting nor efficacious. And as Aaron’s two oldest sons discovered, it can be fatal. (Leviticus 10) And if I recognize my abject failure to be holy and pure, I will cry out with Abby, “How can God forgive ME?”
He sent His perfect Son, the Holy Son, to be the sacrifice described and prescribed in the Old Testament to pay for my failures. We celebrate that every year at Easter. And how can we be sure that it was enough? Are my sins forgiven and, as the old song goes, “buried in the depths of the deepest sea?”
Romans 4:25 eliminates that doubt. Hallelujah! Speaking of Christ Jesus,
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. (Another translation says, “on account of our justification.”)
“Delivered” means that He was brought as the lamb in the sacrifice, and died. And when God evaluated the offering, He declared it “satisfactory.” In fact it was perfect. And to demonstrate that for Abby, and me, and all the world to see that He was pleased and accepted the sacrifice, He raised Jesus from the dead. Another Easter hymn goes, “Death cannot hold its prey, Jesus my Saviour!” Shout it out!
We are forgiven, freed from guilt. And the book of James instructs us in our behavior. James 2:18b
“I will show you my faith by my works.”
True faith results in works and as we sare assured that we are forgiven by Jesus’ resurrection. People see our faith by our works. James 2:24
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
We cannot see “faith,” but the results are visible in our works, actions. We see God's work in justification by the Resurrection. And my "works" include the fact that I oppose abortion.
[Note: Three states have approved, and eight others have pending, bills to prohibit abortion after a heart beat is detected. It is a baby. Our Planned Parenthood friends, according to Abby, used to have a room labeled P. O. C. The official name was Products of Conception, but the workers called it “Parts of Children.” Medically it is imperative that the abortionist ensure that everything is “out” for any part left behind can fester and infect the mother. They have to verify that the whole baby is in the petri dish. Yes, “obscene” is not appropriate. We need something more intense. Stop it! End of note.]
I had not planned to write on abortion or movies this Easter season. The final credits of the movie had UNPLANNED in all caps. The UN was crossed out with a horizontal line through the letters and a vertical line between the U and the N. A cross changed everything. It was God’s plan from the foundation of the world.
Hallelujah, what a Savior. He planned it all.
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