Just One Kiss Away

Last weekend we had the wonderful experience of attending our niece’s wedding. In fact, they had even asked me to recite a poem as part of the service. The real purpose of today’s entry is to share that poem and make it available for the family. However, I would also like to take this opportunity to explain why this particular poem came so easily to me and why it was such a pleasure to compose. James and Danielle, the bride and groom, are both mature young people who share a strong and saving faith in Christ. I believe with all my heart that such a foundation is the only sure thing to build a life upon. They also come to their nuptials without the inordinate quantities of relational baggage so many folks seem to begin with, but they also engaged in extensive pre-marital counseling just to make sure they knew exactly what they were getting into together. Their relationship is built upon a lifetime of wise choices that will serve them well throughout the years to come. James and Danielle are just the kind of people who give you hope for the future and rarely have I walked out of a church feeling better about a couple or their prospects.

So this is for James and Danielle. We wish you all the best for your life together and the brightest future imaginable. May your marriage serve as a beacon of light and love to others for all of your years to come.

Best Wishes,
From Uncle Frank

Just One Kiss Away
James and Danielle, what a pleasure it is
To stand up here with you today
And to have observed as God drew you together
In His own remarkable way
You have known each other for such a long time
Yet God in His infinite wisdom knew
That though you were destined to be together
He wasn’t quite finished with either of you
So He sent you both into exile
To let you grow and mature apart
While He put the finishing touches
On each of you and readied your hearts
Then, in God’s perfect timing
He brought you back home once more
To the old, familiar neighborhood
Where you had known one another before
And where you rediscovered each other
In the light that maturity brings
Kindling a whirlwind romance
That soon grew into a beautiful thing
It didn’t take you long to determine
That your love was meant to be
And that the Lord had brought you together
To be joined in matrimony
Which brings us to this afternoon
As we have gathered together here
Before the Lord, your friends and family
And all of the people whom you hold dear
To celebrate all that God has done
And witness the vows that you
Are making to one another today
As you begin your lives together anew
May you honor each other always
Strive to live in an understanding way
Speaking the truth in love and grace
Willing ever to kneel and pray
May you be patient, kind and forgiving
Through the inevitable struggles and trials
Learning to trust one another completely
And trusting in God all the while
And may the Lord’s hand of blessing
Rest upon you throughout the years
While you face the adventure of life together
That lies just down the aisle from here
As you go rest assured that you carry
Our fondest hopes, prayers and wishes today
Into your happily ever after
Which is now just one kiss away
By Frank Carpenter ©

Reflections on Easter Week

Well, if you’re into religious holidays, this is certainly a red letter week. We had Palm Sunday last weekend. Today is Holy Thursday, followed by Good Friday and Easter. And, of course, we had April Fools Day. Religious holidays, while good reminders of the truth, can often cloud it as well. We are so easily distracted by the food, the fun, the ritual and social aspects of any holiday that it’s easy to leave God out of such a day - even a religious event. All celebrating, church services, egg dying and palm waving aside, I would like to redirect our focus to the person of Jesus Christ, whom we truly celebrate this week. This is the week that dozens of prophetic scriptures were fulfilled through His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), his eating of the Passover, His betrayal, His mock trial, His death on the cross, and finally His resurrection. We must remember, amidst all the other hoopla, that Jesus is the Son of God, that He actually lived, actually died for our sins, and actually rose from the dead. If any of those facts are untrue, then everything else we celebrate this week is pointless and we might as well sing our hymns to the Easter Bunny. If we do not accept Jesus as our Savior and Messiah, then we are all April Fools and that would be the only relevant holiday. Let us come back to the person of Jesus Christ. A lot of dramatic and public things happened during this, the last week of His life. However, I am most deeply moved by that quiet moment after the Last Supper, and just prior to His betrayal, when Jesus knelt in the garden of Gethsemane and prayed. In that scene of anguish and compassion I most clearly see the Son of God choosing to suffer and die for me personally. Easter is a time to celebrate God’s victory over death through the resurrection, but the foundation of that victory is His great mercy and the sacrifice of His only Son on behalf of an undeserving world. If you have further interest, I have pasted below a partial list of prophesies fulfilled by Jesus during the final week of His life. Have a happy Easter and don’t be an April Fool.

Gethsemane
Jesus knew his time was drawing near
On the eve of that final day
With the weight of the world upon his heart
He came to the garden to pray
He alone knew His Father’s will
And understood His redemption plan
And though He was truly God incarnate
Still, He was fully a man
He knew that pain and suffering
And betrayal were moments away
As He pleaded with God and wept He knew
There simply was no other way
There, in the garden, that fateful night
With the lights of the city in view
Jesus, the Son of God, considered
All that He must go through
The tears of His sorrow freely flowed
That night in Gethsemane
For He understood his path must lead
To the cross at Calvary
He was Christ, the Lord, the King of Kings
Yet, He knelt upon human knees
And willingly chose that night to die
Because of His love for you and me.
By Frank Carpenter ©

Partial list of Prophesies Fulfilled During the Final Week of Jesus’ Life:

Triumphal entry in Jerusalem on a donkey Zechariah 9:9, Mark 11:7–8, John 12:13–15
Betrayed by a friend Psalm 41:9, Mark 14:10, 43–45
Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12, Matthew 26:15
Betrayal money returned for a potter’s field Zechariah 11:13, Matthew 27:3–10
Accused by false witnesses Psalm 27:12, Matthew 26:60–61, Mark 14:57
Offers no defense Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26:62–63, Matthew 27:12–14
Struck and spat upon Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 26:67, Mark 14:65, John 19:1–3
Hated without reason Psalm 109:3–5, John 15:24–25
Soldiers divide His garments and gamble for His clothing Psalm 22:18, Matthew 27:35
Pierced through hands and feet Zechariah 12:10, Luke 23:33, John 20:27
Executed with malefactors Isaiah 53:12, Mark 15:27–28
Agonized in thirst Psalm 22:15, John 19:28
Given gall and vinegar Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34, 48, John 19:29
No bones broken Psalm 34:20, John 19:32–36
His side pierced Zechariah 12:10b, John 19:34
Buried with the rich Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:57–60
Deserted by His followers Zechariah 13:7, Mark 14:27,Matthew 26:56
Resurrection Hosea 6:2, Psalm 16:10, Psalm 49:15, Luke 24:6–7
Ascension to Heaven Psalm 68:18, Luke 24:50–51, Acts 1:11, Ephesians 4:7–10