During Sunday School a question was asked, “Of all the
holidays during the year, what’s your favorite?” This being the third week in March several
answered, "Easter", while Christmas, Thanksgiving and the 4th of
July were also in the running. Then the
instructor asked if anyone celebrated this coming Thursday; something I hadn’t
considered as a ‘holiday’.
As Easter weekend comes around perhaps this Thursday should
be celebrated; if not as a holiday then surely it falls into the category of
important and significant.
It was on a Thursday that Jesus and a few of his chosen
disciples retired to the Garden
of Gethsemane where the
Lord could finish out his mortal ministry.
During those long lonely hours the Lord prayed to his Father and took
upon himself the sins of the world, sweating, as it were, drops of blood from
every pore.
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and
temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which
saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands
of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities,
that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may
know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their
infirmities.
Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of
God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of
his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power
of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me. (Alma
7: 11 – 13)
Those
who follow the teachings of Jesus desire to one day worship at His feet in the Kingdom of Heaven, having accepted this wondrous
gift, the atonement which makes it possible for our sins to be removed since no
unclean thing may enter His presence.
An
odd thought entered my mind, something from an old country western tune, “Prop
me up beside the jukebox if I die, Lord I want to go to heaven; but I don’t
want to go tonight….” Yes, they still
let me attend Sunday School; but they keep a close eye on me.
How
a gift is received is as important as how it was offered. Are we living our lives in accordance with
the gospel, avoiding sin where possible and repenting as needed along the
way? The Lord has already paid for our
sins if we will accept the gift. Or, we
can reject His offer and face the music, so to speak; pay the price of sin via
the same process which caused even the Lord to sweat great drops of blood.
While
this Thursday may not be marked on our calendars as a holiday it most certainly
should be acknowledged as one of the more important days in the history of
mankind, the day the Lord took upon himself our sins. Perhaps a silent prayer of gratitude is in
order.
This
article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian
Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
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