Some times I see God in flowers: These are from Keemah and League City, TX

Friday after Easter Sunday: Your Steadfast Love O Lord endures forever

Psalm 49

The Folly of Trust in Riches

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
¹ Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
² both low and high,
   rich and poor together. 
³ My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 
⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 

⁵ Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 
⁶ those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches? 
⁷ Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
   there is no price one can give to God for it. 
⁸ For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice, 
⁹ that one should live on for ever
   and never see the grave. 

¹⁰ When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others. 
¹¹ Their graves are their homes for ever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own. 
¹² Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish. 

¹³ Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
   the end of those who are pleased with their lot.
          Selah 
¹⁴ Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
   Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,
   and their form shall waste away;
   Sheol shall be their home. 
¹⁵ But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me.
          Selah 

¹⁶ Do not be afraid when some become rich,
   when the wealth of their houses increases. 
¹⁷ For when they die they will carry nothing away;
   their wealth will not go down after them. 
¹⁸ Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
   —for you are praised when you do well for yourself— 
¹⁹ they will go to the company of their ancestors,
   who will never again see the light. 
²⁰ Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.

Psalm 138

Thanksgiving and Praise

Of David.
¹ I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise; 
² I bow down towards your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
   for you have exalted your name and your word
   above everything. 
³ On the day I called, you answered me,
   you increased my strength of soul. 

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth. 
⁵ They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
   for great is the glory of the Lord. 
⁶ For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
   but the haughty he perceives from far away. 

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
   and your right hand delivers me. 
⁸ The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Morning: Ps. 96, 148 Evening: Ps. 49, 138 Dan. 12:1–4, 13 Acts 4:1–12

John 16:1–15

Wednesday after Easter Sunday

John 15:1–11

Jesus the True Vine

15‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. ⁹As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

Morning: Ps. 99, 147:1–11 Evening: Ps. 9, 118 Micah 7:7–15 Acts 3:1–10

John 15:1–11

Easter: Tuesday after Easter Sunday

John 14:15–31

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. ¹⁷This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

18 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ ²³Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

25 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ²⁸You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. ³⁰I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; ³¹but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

Also: Morning: Ps. 98, 146 Evening: Ps. 66, 116 Isa. 30:18–26 Acts 2:36–41 (42–47) John 14:15–31

Easter Season: Monday after Easter Sunday

John 14:1–14

Jesus the Way to the Father

14‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ ⁵Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ ⁹Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. ¹²Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

Morning: Ps. 97, 145 Evening: Ps. 124, 115 Jonah 2:1–10 Acts 2:14, 22–32 John 14:1–14

Easter Season:

John 14:15–31

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. ¹⁷This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

18 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ ²³Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

25 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ²⁸You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. ³⁰I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; ³¹but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

Also: Morning: Ps. 98, 146 Evening: Ps. 66, 116 Isa. 30:18–26 Acts 2:36–41 (42–47) John 14:15–31

Easter Sunday 2011: He is Risen!

I love Easter! but I had hardly ever seen the sun rise on Easter Sunday because I am such a night owl who can not get up early in the morning.  As usual I stayed up till past midnight waiting for easter vigil to pass and Easter morning to arrive.  I did it.  I was singing "Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia" along with a nice choir on CD.  I went to bed at about 1 A.M.  By 5 A.M. 

I was woken up again by my allergies that have gotten worse in my sleep. I came out of our bedroom sitting on the sofa blowing my nose trying to get back to sleep.  Then it dawned on me that, it is Easter morning.  So I opened all the blinds and looked out the glass wall.  Slowly and surely the day break arrived, the sun came out and again I sang "Jesus Christ is risen today... Alleluiah"  and then other Easter hymns.  I prayed quietly by my self giving thanks to God for giving me His only begotten Son who defeated death and is now risen to redeem me from all my sins.  I literally felt reconciled with God.  What a marvelous feeling! 

In John's account of the Easter morning story, God choose Mary, the most unlikely among of all to be the first to be a witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And Jesus also told Mary, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” This has always been my favorite speech of Jesus.  We are to go and tell.  Jesus charged us long ago at his empty tomb as he did to Mary to go and tell.  Many of us understand that we are called to discipleship and charged to tell the good news of the Gospel.  But often we neither go nor tell. But Mary in this account did just what Jesus charged her to do. "Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her."  

Have you seen the Lord lately? I hope so.

Today is Easter Sunday on which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

He is Risen!

He is risen in deed!

Alleluia!, Amen.

John 20:1-18

The Resurrection of Jesus

20Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ ³Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples returned to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to lookinto the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They 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.’ ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ 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.’ ¹⁶Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Also: Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Colossians 3:1-14

or Acts 10:34-43 John 20:1-18

or Matthew 28:1-10