Celebrating Passover

Now the day of the Passover celebration arrived, when the Passover lamb was killed and eaten with the unleavened bread. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to find a place to prepare their Passover meal.

“Where do you want us to go?” they asked.

And he replied, “As soon as you enter Jerusalem, you will see a man walking along carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house he enters, and say to the man who lives there, ‘Our Teacher says for you to show us the guest room where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’ He will take you upstairs to a large room all ready for us. That is the place. Go ahead and prepare the meal there.”

They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and prepared the Passover supper.

Then Jesus and the others arrived, and at the proper time all sat down together at the table; and he said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat it again until what it represents has occurred in the Kingdom of God.”

Then he took a glass of wine, and when he had given thanks for it, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it apart and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in remembrance of me.”

After supper he gave them another glass of wine, saying, “This wine is the token of God’s new agreement to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I shall pour out to purchase back your souls.      (Luke 22:7-20, Living Bible)

In my Wednesday morning Bible study, we are reading the book, “The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi,” by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel. We hadn’t planned it this way, but this week, we will learn more about the Jewish traditions surrounding Passover and the significance of Jesus instituting communion.

If you’ve watched “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston, you know that Pharoah released the Israelites from slavery in Egypt after God had sent ten plagues. The final plague was that God would kill the firstborn sons throughout the land unless the blood of a lamb was spread on their doorposts. For two millennia, the Jewish people have celebrated Passover in remembrance of this “passing over” of the angel of death.

And here we are - Jesus celebrating Passover with His disciples. Jesus is the perfect lamb whose blood would soon be shed on the cross to save all mankind.

At the time, the disciples didn’t know what was going on – that happened to them a lot, poor guys. But we know, and we partake of communion in remembrance of our Lord and Savior.

(Today’s picture is from the Amsterdam airport when I was on my way to Kenya for the second time in 2013. Not quite like the bread used at Passover, but bread does seem to be a staple in most cultures.)

Interpretive Dance?

I didn’t get up until 6:30 this morning, because I was out late last night. Two friends and I went to a Christian concert and didn’t get home til after 10:30. And I spent yesterday afternoon loafing around in anticipation of that, so I didn’t get around to writing today’s blog.

With that in mind, I thought about not adding words to these ridiculous pictures. In 2013, Hubby and I took a vacation for a few days to southeast Wisconsin. At a park near Waukesha, for some reason I was inspired to do an interpretive dance.

I share these now because last Friday I confessed to wanting to be a stand-up comedian and you already know that I’ve always want to be a writer. But when I was in kindergarten, our teacher assigned us to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I distinctly remember my picture. I wore a pink tutu, and my feet, properly on my toes, were as wide as my head, my arms encircling that tiny head. A prima ballerina. 

Our goals in life still pop up sometimes. 

Autumn Wandering – Where Was I Wednesday

Last December, when I finally finished blogging about my trip to Cambodia, I totally forgot about any other trips I took last fall. The only one was a quick overnight to the Dells. A few years ago, the girls I lived with in the dorm my first two years in college decided to start having reunions. The weekend of October 11, we all met up at a resort in Wisconsin Dells.

I only spent Friday night as I had so much going on and still felt jetlagged from that trip to Cambodia. I still had a good time, and it was fun to catch up with everyone. Umm, I think there were nine of us, maybe, if I remember right. I took only one picture (you’re shocked, I can tell), and I can’t even find it now.

Anyway, I left late Saturday morning, and as usual, I drove backroads on the way home. After driving less than an hour, I stopped at Roche Cri State Park for a walk around. The main road into the park was already closed for the season, so I parked at the Prairie Trailhead and hiked around the prairie. I wasn’t quite up to walking the adjacent trail into the park.

It was a beautiful fall day. Once again, I felt blessed to live where I do. 

When Will Jesus Return?

 

I’m sorry that today’s post is going to be so long, but I couldn’t find a good place to cut it off.   

Here is the scene. Jesus had arrived triumphantly in Jerusalem and the next day He had gone to the Temple. In anger, He turned over the tables of the money changers and merchants (remember last Sunday’s post?).

The day after that He told many parables to anyone and everyone who would listen. He warned His audience about a lot of things and criticized the church leaders.

Finally, when He was alone with His disciples, He told them what to look for in the future. Our future.

          The 24^th chapter of the book of Matthew, verses 1 through 44, from the New International Version.

As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

          “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

          “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place. Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

“So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.

“Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

          And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world  —from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

          “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

          “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

          “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

(The picture is of the church and convent of San Francisco in Lima, Peru, when I was there in 2009.)

Funny Friday, coz we all need to see the humor in life these days

I’ve been listening to way too many comedians’ clips on YouTube. It has caused the resurfacing of my dream to be a stand-up comedian. (I know – none of you saw that coming.) I can’t see that ever happening, though, not at this stage in my life, and here I sit in the frozen north with nary a venue to showcase my talent. The groups of ladies I meet with at Bible study and at Al-Anon are about the only available audience.

 Then I remember reading the books by Dave Barry, Bill Bryson, Erma Bombeck, and my friend Mary Pierce. Maybe writing is a more appropriate medium for me. Plus, I would be spared the awkward silence when no one gets my jokes. If anyone reads what I write, I can sit back and imagine them guffawing at my every word. (Wow, spell check is getting better; it recognized the collection of letters I threw on this page in my attempt to spell guffaw.)

This all started when I was just a kid. My family decided I was so goofy that they nicknamed me Knutt (pronounced “nut,” and I don’t know who spelled it like that the first time, but it stuck). They even got a T-shirt with that on it. Of course, they also bought me a T-shirt about being lazy, so I’m not sure what kind of message my parents were trying to send. (But they also bought me the purple Smiley in the picture above.)

I don’t recall anyone outside the family thinking I was funny, even though others laughed at me, but that was just because I was so awkward. Back in my day, we weren’t bullied; we were picked on. I don’t blame my low self-esteem on any of those kids, though. Remember those T-shirts my family bought me? But enough about that.

The goofiest thing I remember single-handedly doing at home was drinking a glass of water. Mom was always harping on us that we weren’t drinking enough water. Water came from the tap then, not from a bottle you bought at the store. So, one night, while everyone was in the living room watching TV, I walked into the room during the commercials. I pointed to the glass of water in my hand and announced, “Note, a glass of water.” Then I drank the glass dry.

I didn’t get any reaction out of my parents, but my sister Pat buried her head in a pillow. Not sure if that was coz she was laughing or she was feeling humiliated for me. Whatever the case, I still laugh when I think about it. What a goof I was! What a Knutt!

Most of the other comedic scenes in our house revolved around things Pat and I did. Trouble we got into. Like the time we were wrestling on one of our beds on top of someone’s homework. A pencil got jabbed into her leg, and she wore that piece of lead for the rest of her life. And never let me forget it.

But I did the research, and what we call pencil lead has always been graphite. I guess pencil graphite doesn’t have the same ring to it. But graphite reminds me of an incident in freshman English class.

Mrs. Hanson assigned us to bring in an interesting article to read in front of the class. Most of the girls found what I call “squished puppy” stories – the ones where everyone cries when the puppy gets hit by the car, or maybe he’s an old dog now and has to be put to sleep. But Kenny found an article about graphite fishing rods in an outdoor magazine.

I still can hear Mrs. Hanson’s sweet voice saying, after he had read a page, “Oh, Kenny, that was so nice, but maybe you can stop reading now and give someone else a chance to share their story.”

And I guess you want to stop reading now too.

I want to close by wishing my husband and biggest fan a very happy birthday. Taking him out for a fish fry tonight.  

More on Anger

 

          Hubby and I were driving home the other day when the car in front of us kicked up a rock which hit our vehicle. A beautiful, though quite distressing, star appeared on our windshield.

          Hubby spewed out a profanity to describe the other driver, blaming them entirely for something that wasn't their fault.

          As far as myself, I had a moment of anger which quickly turned to worry. How much is this going to cost us? When is it going to get fixed? Can they use that glue stuff to stop it from spreading? Where are we going to take it?

          In my Sunday blog post, I wrote about Jesus becoming angry and even destructive when He entered the Temple. But His anger was not a sin.

          So what about my husband and I in the car that day?

          Clearly, Hubby's loss of control was a sin. He didn't use the Lord's name in vain, but surely God would frown on his language. Hubby also berated another person. Okay, it was far from breaking the fifth commandment – though shall not kill – but we aren't to even wish bad things on others. And according to the eighth commandment, we aren't to speak badly of them either.

          And me? I felt no anger towards the other driver; I blamed it all on the rock and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But then what happened in my head? Worry.

          But certainly, worry isn't a sin. Is it?

          The very first commandment says that we are to have no other gods, and Martin Luther's take on that is that we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Every time we worry about something, we are telling God that we don't trust Him, that we aren't sure He is going to take care of things for us.

          Or as Matthew wrote: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27, New International Version)

          But if even worrying is a sin, what are we to do? We can never be good enough to be children of God or make it to heaven. That is what this time of year is all about - following Jesus to the cross and waking up on Easter morning knowing that He has overcome all of our sins.

After taking 2 dozen pictures, inside and out, this was the best I could get of that crack in my windshield. In real life, it really is a cute and annoying little star. 

Jesus at the Temple

When Jesus returned to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus refused to allow anyone to carry goods through the Temple courts. Then he taught the people, saying, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations.’ But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers.’”

The leading priests and the teachers of the law heard all this and began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching. (Mark 11:15-18, New Century Version)

Jesus and His disciples had just returned to Jerusalem amid the fanfare of what we now call Palm Sunday. The first place He wanted to go was to the Temple. But when He got there, He was not happy.

Because the Jewish visitors to the Temple were expected to make a sacrifice, merchants and livestock salesmen set up shop in the outer areas of the Temple. Also, many of the worshipers had traveled from afar, so they needed to have their money changed into the local currency. All of these transactions created a noisy, chaotic atmosphere in a place that should have evoked peace. And many of these transactions were ripping off honest, hard-working people who couldn’t afford the high prices or didn’t know the exchange rate in Jerusalem.    

I lose my temper fairly easily and usually regret it. But then I tell myself, “It’s not a sin to get angry if Jesus got angry in the temple.”

Wrong. My anger is way different. I usually get impatient when something isn’t working for me – something stupid like a knot in my shoelace. The next thing you know, I’m ready to throw that shoe across the room.

Jesus had a totally different and justifiable reason for His anger. He was mad because people had disrespected His father’s house and turned it into a den of thieves. 

I get mad when things happen to me that I don’t like. Jesus only got mad when things happened that went against God.

(Today’s picture was taken at a market place in Mombasa, Kenya, when my daughter was there in 2010.)

Hannah Update

          In case you were wondering, our little Hannah is doing well. She goes in her crate on her own at bedtime and sleeps quietly through the night. Well, unless I wake up and hear her snoring. She’s been alone loose in the house for up to three hours at a time and causes no chaos. I’m sure all she does is sleep. She’s only gotten into the garbage one time, and that was retrieving a granola bar wrapper that might have had a trace of something edible on it. Does her business outside like a champ, no matter the weather, and usually chooses a far corner of our yard to go number 2.

          I’m not happy she has taken over this chair, but she is just too cute lying on her perch. I’ve heard some Corgis think they are cats, so this makes sense. And she still gets along with our cat Emma fine.

          Oh, but the things she needs to work on!

          We quickly trained our last three dogs to stay in the yard with the shock collar. For many years, we’ve had a unit in the basement that sets up a perimeter about fifty feet away. Two shocks, tops, and a few reminder beeps and they all had it.

          We’ve been walking Hannah on the leash around the yard on the trails through the snow that were already there. But now that the snow is melting, I’ve been trying out the shock collar and walking her closer to where the boundary would be.

          The first few times, I carried the collar, and when she heard that beep, she knew something was up and returned to me. However, nothing made sense to her when I put the collar on her. 

          As soon as she hears the beep, before even getting zapped, she starts digging. She seems to think the beeping is underground, probably because she is so low to the ground. She’s frantic about trying to get to it.

          When I try pulling her away, she fights the leash and is even more obsessed with digging faster.

          So, I reach down and take the collar off of her. Once she hears that beep coming from my hand, she comes right to me and tries to get the collar.

          As long as I have her on the leash and stay close enough to her for her to hear the collar beep in my hand, she won’t cross the invisible line. But how can I let her off leash so she can roam far enough away from me and the collar so that she won’t hear the beep?

          We’ll figure it out. At least she mostly comes when she’s called, whether a collar is beeping in my hand or not. 

          She won’t sit for us either. She gets angry if we try to push her little butt down, so we wonder if she had been spanked on her butt in her previous home. That’s all we can figure. And lastly, she is horrible in the car, struggling the whole trip to sit in the driver's lap. Not happening, Hannah, let it go! The joys of getting a rescue baby. 

          We start obedience training the first of April. We’ll see how that goes. But in the meantime, she still has my heart.

Jesus Enters Town on a Donkey

After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking along ahead of his disciples. As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead, with instructions to go to the next village, and as they entered they were to look for a donkey tied beside the road. It would be a colt, not yet broken for riding.

“Untie him,” Jesus said, “and bring him here. And if anyone asks you what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs him.’”

They found the colt as Jesus said, and sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners demanded an explanation.

“What are you doing?” they asked. “Why are you untying our colt?”

And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs him!” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw some of their clothing across its back for Jesus to sit on.

Then the crowds spread out their robes along the road ahead of him, and as they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, the whole procession began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles Jesus had done.

“God has given us a King!” they exulted. “Long live the King! Let all heaven rejoice! Glory to God in the highest heavens!” (Luke 19:28-38, Living Bible)

Yes, these verses talk about Palm Sunday, and I know that isn’t until mid-April. But I wanted to spend the next six weeks writing about that one week between the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and the day He rose from the grave.

Okay, so let’s pretend it’s Palm Sunday. Jesus enters Jerusalem to the adoration of the locals. They had heard about how He had recently raised Lazarus from the dead, and they wanted to praise Him as their King.

We all know that story; we picture those palm branches waving and may still get a palm branch in church when we celebrate Palm Sunday. But I’m gonna back up a few verses.

Before entering the city gates, the disciples had borrowed a young donkey for their Master to ride. The owner of this equine asked them what they were doing. They answered as Jesus had instructed them – that it was for their Lord.

In this day and age, would we get away with that? Not if we were stealing that animal for fun or to sell for cash. And not even if we told the owner we were on a mission from God.

We live in different times. But we still need to listen for instructions from our Savior Jesus. He probably won’t tell us to get Him a farm animal. But if He tells us to witness to others or share our food with those in need, we should do that even if it makes us uncomfortable. Or maybe He will just tell us to open our Bibles and study His word more. That can be just as important.   

(Today’s pictures are of the mini-donkeys that my dear friend owned. You know the story of the cross on the donkey’s back, right? Click this link for one version of that story.)

Rise up to the Sermon on the Mount

           “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." (Matthew 5:3-10, New Living Translation)     

          If you have your Bible handy, turn to the book of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament, and read all of chapters 5 through 7. If you don’t have a Bible, click on this link to get you to the Bible Gateway website.

          These words of Jesus in Matthew are known as the Sermon on the Mount. If you read nothing else in the Bible, study these words of Jesus. Take them to heart. Memorize the verses that stick out the most for you.

          Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, those forty days leading up to Easter when we should take time to reflect on the life and death of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

          Back in the day, all my good Catholic friends gave up something for Lent (I’ve written about that here in the past). This year, let’s all give up hatred, anxiety, and fear. 

Let’s devote more time for prayer and studying the Bible. Let’s take more deep breaths. Let’s tell our friends and family how important they are to us. Let’s review our budgets to find a way to give a little bit to a worthy charity. Let’s carve out some time each day to just be at peace. And let’s share that peace with everyone we meet. And not just for the next six weeks, but for the rest of our lives.

Let us be a blessing just as God blesses us. 

(The picture is from my trip to Kenya in 2015. I’ve unfortunately never been to Israel, but maybe the location of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount looked something like this.)

What Is Freedom?

     Near Sauk City, Wisconsin, are the grounds of the former Badger Ammunition Plant, which I blogged about after visiting it a few years ago. I ran across this post the other day and thought it was worth reposting. 

Inside the Badger Army Ammunition Museum, I found the following poem, hanging on one of the walls. I tried searching for it on the internet, but came up empty. I hate reprinting articles without giving proper credit, but all I can say is that at the end was a blurb that it was used by permission of the Louisville Journal-Courier, as shown in the second picture. Hope that gets me out of plagiarism charges. In any case, I love this poem and am willing to risk arrest, because, well – that’s what freedom is. Don't take it for granted; we all need to keep fighting for our freedom.  

What is Freedom?

From the archivea of broken peace we are bringing out old words and dusting them off for use again, as shining lanterns to lead us through the darkness of another war.

Words like freedom, justice and truth – all of them hard to define, none of them used more frequently than freedom.

You cannot say what freedom is, perhaps, in a single sentence. It is not necessary to define it. It is enough to point to it.

Freedom is a man lifting a gate latch at dusk and sitting for a while on the porch, smoking his pipe, before he goes to bed.

It is the violence of an argument outside an election poll, it is the righteous anger of the pulpits.

It is the warm laughter of a girl on a park bench.

It is the rush of a train over the continent and the unafraid faces of people looking out the windows.

It is all the howdys in the world, and all the hellos.

It is Westbrook Pegler telling Roosevelt how to raise his children; it is Roosevelt letting them raise themselves.

It is Lindbergh’s appeasing voice raised above a thousand hisses.

It is Dorothy Thompson asking for war; it is Gen. Hugh S. Johnson asking her to keep quiet.

It is you trying to remember the words to The Star-Spangled Banner.

It is the sea breaking on wide sands somewhere and the shoulders of a mountain supporting the sky.

It is the air you fill your lungs with and the dirt that is your garden.

It is a man cussing all cops.

It is the absence of apprehension at the sound of approaching footsteps outside your closed door.

It is your hot resentment of intrigue, the tilt of your chin and the tightening of your lips sometimes.

It is all the things you do and want to keep on doing.

It is all the things you feel and cannot help feeling.

Freedom – it is you.

 The website for the Ammunition Plant is: http://www.badgerordnancehistory.org/

 Here is background information on the names mentioned.

Westbrook Pegler was a columnist in the 1930s and 1940s, who opposed the New Deal and criticized the Supreme Court, the tax system, and labor unions. Pegler initially supported President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but soon became one of Roosevelt’s sharpest critics, feeling the president was abusing his power. The journalist also had a strong dislike for Eleanor Roosevelt. In general, everything I read about Westbrook Pegler made me consider him to be the writer’s version of a loud-mouthed jerk.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor had five sons and a daughter, although one son died in infancy. He was not very involved in raising his children, as he was so occupied with his work. He also believed that childrearing was a wife's task, but that was a common view in the early nineteen-hundreds. No matter what Pegler’s opinion was of the Roosevelt children, they turned out just fine.

Lindbergh refers to Charles Lindbergh, of course. Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he had been opposed to the United States getting involved in World War II. One of his journal entries at the time stated: "it seems improbable that we could win a war in Europe.” He also seemed to have a dislike, or maybe more a distrust, of President Roosevelt. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, however, and our declaration of war, he joined the fight in the Pacific.

Dorothy Thompson was an American journalist and radio broadcaster. She had been working as a journalist in Europe, when in the late 1920s, the New York Post appointed her head of its Berlin bureau in Germany. There she witnessed firsthand the rise of the Nazi party and in 1931, she interviewed Adolf Hitler, writing the book, “I Saw Hitler”. She wrote about the dangers of him winning power in Germany. The Nazis considered both the book and her articles offensive and, in August 1934, Thompson was kicked out of Germany.

General Hugh S. Johnson was a U.S. Army officer, businessman, speech writer, government official and newspaper columnist. He is best known as a member of the Brain Trust of Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1932–34, writing numerous speeches for FDR and helping plan the New Deal. FDR fired him, however in 1934, for having Fascist inclinations. As World War II began raging, Johnson endorsed isolationism—staying out of the conflict. In a story he had written previously in 1911, he had Japan invading and conquering California.

Anointing His Feet

          

          Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from death. They prepared a dinner for him there, which Martha helped serve; Lazarus was one of those who were sitting at the table with Jesus. Then Mary took a whole pint of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard, poured it on Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The sweet smell of the perfume filled the whole house.

One of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot—the one who was going to betray him—said, “Why wasn't this perfume sold for three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would help himself from it.

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Let her keep what she has for the day of my burial. You will always have poor people with you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:1-8, Good News Translation) 

From these verses, you might take away that Mary had given this gift to Jesus – He already has everything, so what other gifts could He receive? Or you might think only of that scoundrel Judas, knowing what he is going to do next by turning Jesus over to the authorities. Or you might think about this perfume being used to prepare Jesus for His burial a week before His death.

I looked up references to these verses on different websites and in my study Bible. You can find all the nuances in those places as well. But it was in my “Children’s Bible in 365 Stories” that I found what I wanted to say today.

When Judas rebuked Mary for wasting so much money – a year’s worth of wages by some estimates – her face fell. She had wanted to show her love for Jesus by this generous gift and the humble act of washing His feet. She might have thought, “Oh, no, I messed this all up for my Lord, and now His disciples think I’m wasteful.”

But Jesus immediately jumped to her defense. Today, I’m going to remember that Jesus will always jump to my defense as well. There is nothing I can screw up so badly that I can’t turn to Him with tears in my eyes and an apology on my lips.

He will always smile at me and reassure me. He will always love me.