Book 5 - The Road to Jerusalem

“Suffering and Glory” – Seeking Jerusalem – Day 26

I have an idea for a book (and maybe a movie) called A Glimpse of Glory.

It’s the story of a black worship leader who loses his sister to a mugging gone wrong and she is stabbed and killed.  Of course this creates a crisis of faith and he goes into a tailspin of grief and guilt which leads him into a frantic search for his sister’s killer.  He ends up one night in the very same bar, nursing a drink and wondering what he is doing with his life.  He decides to leave and try to get his life back on track but, first, he has to go to the bathroom.

On the way to relieve himself, he feels a knife pressed into his back and a voice in his ear telling him to step outside through the back door.  Once in the alley behind the bar, his assailant demands all of his money, using his knife as a warning and a motivation to hurry.

Book 5 - The Road to Jerusalem

“The Plan” – Seeking Jerusalem – Day 1

Jesus did not use parables to teach them about the cross, he spoke plainly. It was his life that would be the lesson, his experience that would be their teacher. The Way of the Cross is always so. It is clear and plain and needs no fancy words. It is a path which we must walk, not endlessly discuss. It is the dust of the road on the way to Jerusalem that is the aroma of real life.

The question is…and always has been…will we follow?

“Desert Warriors” – Seeking Jerusalem – Day 14

We are going to spend a little bit of time talking further about the Transfiguration of Jesus (and us). The Transfiguration is a major theme in the latter half of the ministry of Jesus. It is all about hidden glory being revealed. It’s about getting a glimpse of the glory of Jesus as seen from the Father’s perspective, even if just for a moment, so that you can learn to recognize his glory even when it appears to be hidden from our eyes. It really is about having eyes to see and ears to hear. We are blind to the glory of God all around us, much less in Jesus and in his ministry. We are often blind also to the glory of Christ in others, in the church, and in the quality and nature of the relationships we have with the people all around us. Hidden Glory Revealed. Transfiguration.

“The Denial” – Seeking Jerusalem – Day 4

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” You can imagine the consternation, the concern, the fear his words must have evoked. They were no doubt taken quite literally since Jesus, himself, not only predicted his death but the manner of his death by crucifixion. And they would no doubt be included. Full of fear but staying the course. Trusting in him.

“The Confession” – Seeking Jerusalem – Day 2

Not many people realize that after feeding the 5000, there was a group of people who intended to come and force Jesus to become king (John 6:15). Jesus slips away by himself and then, that night he walks on water to catch up with his disciples during the storm. On the other side of the lake a lot of these same people found him again.