I’m enjoying post-resurrection stories, especially this one involving Jesus and Mary Magdalene:

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (John 20.11 – 16, ESV)

Did you know that the well-known hymn “In the Garden” is not about just any encounter with Jesus in a peaceful setting, but it’s about this encounter? Here’s what the author and composer himself said:

One day in April 1912,…I drew my Bible toward me and it opened at my favorite book and chapter, John chapter twenty. I don’t know if this was by chance or by the work of the Holy Spirit. I will let you the reader decide. That story of Jesus and Mary in John 20 had lost none of its power and charm.

It was though I was in a trance, as I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life when she knelt before her Lord and cried, “Rabboni”. I rested my hands on the open Bible, as I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head, bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came unto the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in and ran away.

…As [Peter and John] departed, Mary reappeared leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing there, so did I. I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched, and looking into His face cried, “Rabboni”.

I awakened in sunlight, gripping my Bible with my muscles tense, and nerves vibrating, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the lyrics exactly as it is sung today. That same evening, I wrote the tune. It is sung today as it was written in 1912. – C. Austin Miles

There are myriad recordings of “In the Garden” including my own as found on my first CD Impromptu Piano Praise, but there’s none better than the one by Elvis Presley! (Just close your eyes and listen so as not to be distracted by the irrelevant pictures.)

Incidentally, C. Austin Miles is practicing what some call “Imaginative Prayer” when he writes, “I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life…I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white…” His practice of the exercise that day has blessed millions for more than 100 years.

I’ll have more to say about Mary’s encounter with Jesus tomorrow.

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” (Revelation 1.9 – 11, ESV, emphasis mine)

I wrote yesterday about my friend John Kline singing to his wife Ann through the window of a nursing home. If you missed it, it’s worth the read and the listen!

John’s singing was reported on John Krasinski’s Some Good News and picked up by BreakPoint. But these aren’t the only national outlets to pick it up. A few days later, World Magazine, a Christian news service, reported it this way:

Actor John Krasinski, known for his role in the 2005–2013 sitcom The Office, debuted a YouTube series last week called Some Good News. On his kickoff program, Krasinski sat in front of a logo drawn by his daughters and reported good news submitted by the public. He played a video montage of people cheering healthcare workers, showcased an elderly man singing “Amazing Grace” through a window with his bedridden wife,… 

“An elderly man…” A quick sentence that takes on entirely new meaning if you know the man and his wife and saw him singing with her. “An elderly man”? We’re talking about John Kline! Dr. John Kline. Dean of the Academic Instructor School at Maxwell Air Force Base and later highest-ranking civilian at Air University.

The point is, real people, real people with stories, long stories, are reduced to a sentence or part of a sentence. The BreakPoint report on April 6 gives John’s name and has a link to the broadcast. The World Magazine report on April 8 just mentions him in passing. Neither is wrong, but it does give one pause.

Despite what I may have done, if I live long enough (and maybe I already have!), one day I’ll be “an elderly man…” doing (I hope) something as noble as John singing to his wife with Alzheimer’s.  

When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth…” (1 Kings 2.1, 2, ESV)

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4.14, NIV)

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90.12, ESV)

In the midst of continuous bad news, some people are making a conscious effort to find and share good news. BreakPoint reported on April 6, that actor John Krasinski (“The Office”) has started a YouTube broadcast called “Some Good News.” What caught my eye were these sentences in the BreakPoint article:

On the inaugural SGN (or Some Good News) broadcast, former star of The Office, John Krasinski showed a video of Alabama man John Kline, visiting his bride of decades through the window of her retirement home that he’s no longer allowed to visit. Though she’s suffering from Alzheimer’s, she remembered the words of “Amazing Grace,” and they sang it together through the window.

It’s a great story on its own except I know John Kline! And his wife Ann. I sat under his teaching at Maxwell Air Force Base (Montgomery, AL) back in the early 80s. He’s a believer, and we reconnected when we went back to Montgomery 2001 – 2006. Then he was attending the church where I served on staff.

The snippet of SNG is worth listening to: it’s about one minute, beginning around 4 minutes and 30 seconds into this episode. In addition to being an excellent communicator and lay Bible teacher, John has an excellent singing voice. Again, note that Ann, even with Alzheimer’s, still knows the words to “Amazing Grace.”

Good job, John! And thanks to John Krasinski and BreakPoint for reporting it.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4.8, NIV)

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… (Ephesians 5.25, NIV)

On Holy Saturday I wrote about our Navigator friend Ed Newell’s passing on April 6, just three days after he and his wife decided he was too weak for treatment. Sad, but with the warning we had, not shocking.

Shocking happened on Holy Saturday itself. We got a call from Aunt Marge, the widow of June’s Uncle Roger. We’re still close to Marge and her five children. Aunt Marge called to say that her son Steve had just passed away.

Steve lived in the Atlanta area, loved Jesus, was a lifelong Bible student and an all-around good guy, died of an apparent heart attack at age 58(!). He had just finished his usual daily bicycle ride (just 30 miles on Saturday) and an hour-long conversation with his mother. His wife found him slumped over…gone despite attempts to revive him by EMTs and a nearby hospital.

His mother, also a lifelong Jesus follower, former missionary, was trying to put the Easter spin on it: “It’s really good news,” she said through her tears. I responded, “It’s good news for Steve; it’s bad news for us!”

I notice that in one of the post-resurrection stories, John 21, Jesus includes a prediction about Peter’s death:

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21.18, 19, ESV)

In these tough times (and all times), death is present, but Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11.25, 26, ESV)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4.13, NLT)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21.1 – 4, NIV)

Here are a few more thoughts about our coronavirus lockdown.

Doug Nuenke, U.S. President of The Navigators, shared with us in a video message some advice from Admiral Stockdale, highest ranking prisoner of war during the Viet Nam war: always have hope, but also always acknowledge the reality of your situation.

That reminded me of something else Admiral Stockdale said. I heard it years ago, and I don’t know the source, but he was frequently asked, “Who didn’t make it out? What were the characteristics of the men who died in captivity?” Stockdale replied something like this, which I think is applicable to our current coronovirus lockdown:

That’s easy. The ones who didn’t make it out were the optimists. The ones who kept saying, “We’ll be home by Christmas. They’ll let us out by Easter.” Those are the men who died in captivity. –Admiral James Stockdale, POW in Viet Nam for 7 years

If you’re like me, you’re hoping for a quick end to all this. I’m supposed to speak at Spring Canyon June 27 – July 4 (join us!). I’m praying that it’ll be business as usual by then. But it might not be. Our governor said he hopes to lift restrictions by April 26, but others are saying don’t expect normal life for a while.

We will need what Ignatius of Loyola called a holy indifference to our expectations and schedules.

You ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4.15, NIV)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4.12, 13, NIV)

I hope your Holy Week was meaningful, and that you had a chance to celebrate the Resurrection somehow.

Meanwhile, we’re all hunkered down and trying to stay connected to family and friends. Remember telephone conversations? They still work, along with FaceTime, Zoom, and Skype.

I hope you’re also finding time to connect with God. If you were used to a weekly connection at church, I hope you’ll change that to a daily connection at home, at least for now, until the time comes when we can do both.

I got a note from a friend who used to practice daily time with God faithfully but had gotten into the habit of relying on two weekly 6AM Bible studies. He’s a regular reader of this blog, so he can identify himself if he chooses! If not, I still appreciate what he sent me:

Good morning,
I feel a need to share: this morning I am delaying yard work awaiting the daily warm-up.  It occurred to me that I really am missing my Tuesday and Thursday crack-of-dawn bible studies.

Okay, I have a copy of Jesus Calling let me use it.  The second line, “Nothing is as important as spending time with Me.”  Hello, Jesus was calling and I finally picked up. Now on to today’s readings.

In this time of interruption a new/renewed activity surfaces where before I had other means of being fed.  

My friend is right. We should all be using some of this extra time to get more time with Jesus.

Nothing is as important as spending time with Me.

Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD. (Proverbs 8.34, 35, ESV)

I don’t want to leave the Easter season without a mention of a nearly annual tradition here in Colorado: White Easter. We rarely see a white Christmas here, but since March and April are our snowiest months, we often see a White Easter! Here’s the view out my window as we were participating in the online Easter service at our church:

When we moved to Colorado in 1984, we discovered why people dye Easter eggs: so the kids can find them in the snow! Easter morning our pastor made another connection: the liturgical color for Easter is white!

Earlier, I said we were “participating” in our church’s Easter service. What does that mean? I’ve discovered in the past few weeks several methods that churches are using to conduct online services:

• Livestream (or recorded) where the service is presented by a few people in the church building and delivered to the members.
• Livestream via Facebook: similar to the first method EXCEPT people can comment on the service as it’s in progress and even do a “like” or a “love” which sends a heart floating across everyone’s screen. It’s not unlike hearing an “Amen!”
• Zoom where participants can actually see one another before during and after the service. That’s what our church is doing. I’ve found that it encouraged us to be dressed for the service(!) since others would see us, and before and after we could actually exchange greetings. No one was in the church building. All the service participants (and there were many) were in their homes. After the service, the coordinator used the Zoom feature of putting everyone into small groups for visiting with one another. During that time we were able to encourage each other and pray together. So for us, this last method was nearly like being at church.

God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ … (Job 37.5, 6, ESV)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10.24, 25, NIV)

He is risen whether or not we can gather to celebrate it!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. (Luke 24.1 – 8, NIV)

It’s Saturday before Easter, a very dark day if you were a follower of Jesus back in the first century. Jesus was dead. Death is real and feels very permanent. As the two in Luke 24 said:

Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. (Luke 24.19 – 21, ESV, emphasis mine)

As we get older, death comes closer to home. I wrote in my “Unsung Heroes” series about Jo Newell who was going through treatment for cancer. I am pleased to report that she completed her treatment successfully and is doing well. HOWEVER, hardly before she and her husband, Ed, had time to celebrate, Ed was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Here is some of what Jo wrote on Friday, April 3:

Ed and I reached an excruciatingly hard decision today. He is going to stop treatment and we have connected with local hospice care. Ed was willing to try treatment, as far advanced as his cancer is, for my and the family’s sake. But he gets weaker every day and just can’t fight anymore. The doctor told us on Wednesday that without treatment he would probably live less than two weeks. Of course, God alone knows his days, but his time is short. 

I asked him what he would want to communicate to all of you who are praying for him, many of whom have walked with him for years and even decades. He said he wants people to know what a privilege it has been to enjoy the friendships he has and to do life and ministry together. He had looked forward to many more years of ministry work and life’s adventures. He is a little scared of this journey, but he knows that at the end of it Jesus will meet him and that all will be well. He is finding that the hardest thing is saying goodbye. He has had conversations with several of our daughters, who may not make it here before he dies because of the pandemic. It is so sad for all of us to know that he will no longer be here with us to share in the family’s joys and sorrows, that this is goodbye for this life.

Words are ridiculously inadequate to express the depth of sorrow and confusion I am experiencing. I know from grieving Nathaniel [their son who was killed in an accident, maybe 10 years ago] that this is going to be a long, tough road. Please pray for my strength/health and the ability to love Ed well to the end. Pray for our [six] daughters as they say goodbye to their dad.

It is times like these that we find out if we really believe the verses we love so well and whether the Lord really is the compassionate Savior we have claimed Him to be. Today, with no power of my own to rely on as I move farther into the valley of the shadow of death, I want to affirm that Jesus IS our Good Shepherd and that in Him we truly do have all that we need. Psalm 46 is true: God IS our refuge and strength and a very present help in trouble. My prayer (one of many) is that His faithfulness to us might help others to trust Him more completely.

Here is what she posted on Caring Bridge on April 6, just three days later, right after he passed:

My dear friends, my dear husband of almost 42 years, got to go home to be with his Lord Jesus about two hours ago. It was peaceful, and I was alone with him, which was a sweet gift for me. Thank you for all the kind words you have shared in the last days about the impact he had on your lives. It is amazing to me how God uses our lives to bless one another, and I don’t think Ed had any idea of how special he was to so many…You are a great blessing to us, now to me. I love you all more than I can say!

God bless you and yours on this Holy Saturday. May we think deeply about Jesus’ death and death in general so that we can wholly enter into the joy of the resurrection.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5.12, ESV)

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15.26, ESV)

[As Jesus goes to the cross, ] A large number of people followed him. (Luke 23.27, NIV)

Jesus always had no shortage of “followers.” Some were even said to “believe on him.” (See John 2.23 – 25 or John 11.45, for example.) Who is in this crowd? Maybe some of the same from the triumphal entry? Maybe they were expecting something spectacular? Like Popeye eating his spinach, Jesus would suddenly be infused with power, turn on the Romans who were herding him to his death, kill them, and start a revolution? And they didn’t want to miss it? But when Jesus died?

Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, I surrender my Spirit into your hands.” And he took his last breath and died…The crowds that had gathered to observe this spectacle went back to their homes, overcome with deep sorrow and devastated by what they had witnessed. But standing off at a distance were some who truly knew Jesus, and the women who had followed him all the way from Galilee were keeping vigil. (Luke 23.46, 48, 49, Passion Translation)

All along I have been contrasting those who “truly knew Jesus” from those who just watched. I think at least some of the crowds that “gathered to observe this spectacle” were expecting a come-from-behind victory. They were still looking for the wrong kind of Messiah.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16.21, NIV)

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53.5, 6, NIV)

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2.24, NIV)