Reflections on Easter Week

Well, if you like holidays, there is always something to celebrate. For instance, just this week we had "Take a walk in the park day, "Bunsen burner day," "Fun at work day," "World party day," and "Walk to work day." I'm not kidding, even if it sounds like it. And, 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 yesterday. 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. And if you still have questionss, feel free to email me at fcarpenter505@gmail.com. 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

** and miscelaneous holidays courtesy of: timanddate.com/holidays/fun/

A Rock and a Hard Place

Last week I was just walking from my car to my office when

a small yellow flower caught my eye. It was really just a little weed which had contrived sprout between the asphalt of the parking lot and the cement of the curb. Yet, the instant I saw it and a common phrase leapt into my mind: “Stuck between a rock and a hard place.” How many times have we heard that in reference to people who find themselves in difficult situations? Here was the personification of that phrase blooming just underfoot. I took the attached photo of that brave little plant with the idea that I’d return to the subject and explore it later. I eventually wrote this poem to accompany the photo and I take the liberty to share it with you today. You might ask why I even care about such an undignified little weed, clinging to such an unlikely spot. Well, truth be told, I have several people in my life right now who resemble that flower. Their circumstances of life have left them feeling like they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, and they are just trying to find a way to bloom in the midst of difficult situations. Have you ever felt that way, or are you feeling that way even now? Sometimes it seems like life is literally squeezing the life out of us. It could be health or financial issues, family or marriage problems or a host of other things. If you’re there, or know someone who is, I know things can feel pretty overwhelming. I’ve certainly been there myself and I clearly don’t have all the answers, but I do have one answer. Jesus. By all means listen to the doctors, see a financial advisor, confide in wise friends and be willing to seek professional counseling if it’s warranted … and maybe think about praying as well. It sounds so cliché, but Jesus really does love you. Whoever we are and wherever we gotten ourselves, He’s ready to meet us right where we are and help us through life. Are you stuck between a rock and a hard place? Good news … Jesus knows just what that feels like, and he’s no stranger to that address. So, once again, maybe think about praying. Those first words can be a little awkward, but they open up your heart to the comfort and strength of a loving God. Feel free to reach out to me as well. My email is fcarpenter505@gmail.com . Don’t give up hope, and remember that little flower in the desolation of the parking lot by my office. Even if you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, you can still find a way to bloom.

A Rock and a Hard Place

Sometimes it seems we’re out of options

Like the tide is rising over us

When we’re overwhelmed and feeling hopeless

It shakes our faith and makes it hard to trust

When we find our backs are up against a wall

Drained of joy and peace and even grace

And we can’t see a path to a solution

Stuck between a rock and a hard place

In that moment when we’re lost and desperate

And we can’t imagine there is a way out

Jesus meets us right where we are stranded

To melt away our brokenness and doubt

He bears the burden of the broken hearted

Forgives what seemed so unforgivable

Loves us with a love beyond conception

And pours himself into us till we’re full

If you feel between a rock and hard place

Take heart, friend, and take the time to pray

God will meet you right where you are standing

And walk with you each step along the way

                               By Frank Carpenter ©

The Journey to Hope

I’m going to try something a little different today. It’s not uncommon, especially in the more difficult seasons, for me to write a group of poems that document the journey through a season. I often use poetry to work things out in my heart and mind, to deal with issues. This sometimes leaves me with a suite of poems which belong together, because they journal a spectrum of emotions through the passing of time. So I take the liberty of sharing the following suite of ten poems which were written over roughly that many days. They detail my emotional journey last year from the confirmation that out new grandson would be born with Down Syndrome through my reconciliation of that fact with God. When we get many kinds of news it can seem like the worst news in the world until you become accustomed to it. Those seasons are like experiencing the different stages of grief. And because I’m a person of faith, part of that process involves working out the details with Jesus and trusting Him with them completely.

I’d like to brag that I always see things with an eternal perspective. Yet life is rarely that simple. Sometimes all we have to begin with is a cry for help, or what soldiers refer to as a foxhole prayer. Then, at least in my case, I often have to ease into a total trust that God is actually in control and He’s somehow going to work things out … and maybe even turn them into something beautiful. In this particular instance I’m choosing to call my process “the journey to hope.” Either way, I’m laying my emotions bare here so you can see how Jesus works in my life and heart at least. The difference with me is that sometimes we end up with a written record of the process like this batch of poetry.

The most important thing is that there is hope, that Jesus does love us and care for us, that we are never truly alone. Whether you’re facing good news or bad news, or walking through those things with others, there is hope beyond the emotions and situations that threaten to overwhelm us. That hope is there, like a life ring, waiting for us to take hold of it. Some of us may do that slowly. So to all of you I offer my personal journey to hope.

Help Me, Jesus

Help me Jesus, help me Jesus

I’m not sure how to feel

We have to wait upon the tests

Before we know what’s real

It’s like I’ve walked into quicksand

And I’m slowly sinking down

Sliding, imperceptibly

Until I feel as if I’ll drown

I was confident and in control

And fine, then suddenly

I stepped from solid ground into

This mire of uncertainty

There is a shadow closing in

Which I’m unaccustomed to

Help me Jesus, help me Jesus

My only hope is you

        By Frank Carpenter ©

Spiraling

Yesterday my life was perfect

Everything was going fine

Work, faith, friends and family

Counting my blessings all the time

Suddenly, joy has eroded

And toppled from my pedestal

I’m spiraling into darkness

The weight of fear upon my soul

Help me, Lord, have mercy

Your servant, whom you have blessed

Is now awash in waves of grief

Lost in an ocean of distress

Maybe this will be alright

Maybe the medical tests

Will show we needn’t worry

And things will work out for the best

But for now I’m lost in limbo

Mired in despair and pain

Hoping for miraculous test results

Praying that joy may come again

Help me, Lord, have mercy

Shine your light through darkness here

Draw me into your arms of comfort

And help me to know you are here

           By Frank Carpenter ©

Your Will

I don’t pretend to know your will

Nor the fullness of your mind

I know that I should trust you

Yet in this season now I find

I’m struggling with where we are

Along this path of sovereignty

Because the weight of this week

Feels as if it’s crushing me

Lord, I want to trust You

Trust the wisdom of your plan

But it’s too much, Lord, it’s too much

And I’m not sure how I can

My heart is filled to bursting

With the weight of what we face

In the coming weeks and months

In this new and grief-filled place

Lord, forgive my faithlessness

In this season of despair

Have mercy on your servant

And hear this unworthy prayer

Reach down into the darkness

Where we find ourselves today

Pierce this veil of helplessness

And help us find our way

I beg you, Jesus, intervene

Amidst our brokenness and pain

Give me faith and wisdom

To fully trust in You again

I can’t understand your purposes

For all we’re going through

Have mercy on us in this hour

And help us to trust in You

      By Frank Carpenter ©

I Need Someone to Tell Me

I need someone to tell me

That everything will be alright

So I can look my family in the eye

And say that to them tonight

I need to know there is a light

Still shining somewhere up ahead

That hope and joy exist somewhere

Beyond this pain and dread

I need a vision of the future

I can still look forward to

Some way to quench the helplessness

Where there is nothing I can do

Another wave of pain has broken

And washed over me tonight

And I need someone to tell me

That everything will be alright

          By Frank Carpenter ©

 

Unshakeable

God, today more than ever

I need to believe the bible is true

I need to believe in everything

I’ve come to know about you

I’m clinging to You desperately

Nowhere else to turn today

Need your strength and steadfastness

To hold me on the narrow way

I need to know you will be there

Whenever, wherever I go

I need to trust in You and your word

Because he bible tells me so

Lord, at this moment I’m shaken

To the very depths of my soul

So I cling to your power and mercy

Because only you are unshakeable

        By Frank Carpenter ©

 

Every Step Along the Way

There is nothing you could do

No choice that you could make

Which could diminish my approval

Or I would label a mistake

I am always for you

I am always on your side

I have only love for you

Nor could you wound my pride

I am praying for you

Through ever hour of the day

Asking God for peace and wisdom

And His light upon your way

I believe in both of you

And I trust you implicitly

I will encourage and support you

Wherever you may be

Wherever you may find yourselves

Along this journey you are in

Though you feel lost in darkness

Though your faith is wearing thin

If your heart if broken

Then my heart is broken too

Your joy and pain are mine as well

And I will be there for you

I am walking with you

Every step along the way

Yours are my love and my blessing

Both now, and every day

        By Frank Carpenter ©

 

He Will Find a Way

In this moment of your life

It’s difficult to understand

How God allows such things to happen

Or where is His mighty hand

We know we have a loving God

Who deeply cares for us

A God all-knowing and all-powerful

In whom we should place our trust

But where oh where, in all of this

Could our loving Savior be?

When we’re crying out in our distress

It can be difficult to see

His hand in what befalls us

In this broken world we share

We have only faith to cling to

And the promise that He cares

But God knows things that we don’t

He sees what we can’t see

His plan is bigger than our pain

And He still holds eternity

Whatever we are going through

Though it shakes us to the core

God can use it for His glory

In ways we’d never guess before

God can use the deepest pain

He can redeem the darkest hours

Spin the chaff of sorrow into gold

Through His creative power

We may feel as if the sun

May never shine again today

But God is with us, God is working

And He will find a way

         By Frank Carpenter ©

 

Nonetheless

However the medical tests turn out

At the end of the wretched day

Whatever the future has in store

I shall not turn away

However You deal with my prayers

Whatever may yet befall

Though it shakes me to the core

I shall call you Lord of all

Whatever sorrow or sacrifice

Though the darkness is complete

I shall worship with my dying breath

Praise You with my last heartbeat

Crush me, I shall serve You still

Blear the narrow way with tears

I shall choose it nonetheless

To tread for all my years

Lord, I’m begging for a miracle

That may turn darkness into light

But if your will is otherwise

Give me strength to fight the fight

        By Frank Carpenter ©

 

This Day

Not sure if we’ll find out anything new

We heard what the doctors had to say

But we’re waiting for that final test

To come back to us today

The path ahead is shrouded

In a fog of uncertainty

But give us ears to listen, Lord

Give us eyes to see

Whatever you are saying

In this season of distress

And show us how you’ll use it

To encourage and to bless

We still beg for grace, Lord

In all we’re going through

So we lay this day before your feet

And trust our hearts to you

        By Frank Carpenter ©

 

Hope

I was walking in a darkness

For a week, or maybe two

As we processed all the news

And heard all you were going through

We were overwhelmed with sorrow

And disappointed to the core

Shattered pieces of our broken dreams

Strewn underfoot upon the floor

But Jesus wrapped His arms around us

As we came to Him in prayer

Enfolded us with tender mercies

In His arms of love and care

And as our tears began to dry

Through the course of weary days

Jesus cultivated joy

And shone light upon a way

Which we never would have chosen

Or imagined as our own

A path of blessings to be gathered

Where the seeds of pain were sown

We must never underestimate

What God may choose to do

In the midst of all the trials

We find ourselves going through

Even when the tide of hopelessness

Seems to well up all around

Jesus whispers quiet words of hope

Which could not otherwise be found

He showed us how our brokenness

Becomes the fertile soil that He

May use to lift us up

And guide us to eternity

For those who wait upon the Lord

Who lay their burdens on His Son

Know peace that passes understanding

And find hope where there seemed none

        By Frank Carpenter ©