Word for the Day

Sea of Galilee

While near the Sea of Galilee Jesus said:

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.  You're not in the driver's seat; I am.  Don't run from suffering; embrace it.  Follow me and I'll show you how.  Self-help is no help at all.  Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.  What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you:  What could you ever trade your soul for?"

Mark 8:34-37 The Message

Paska

Easter Monday is almost gone.  How did this wonderful weekend disappear so quickly? The Resurrection of Jesus is the climax of the whole love story given by God to us in His Word.  Beginning in Genesis and foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament, is the coming of the Messiah, the Rescuer, the Hope of all Nations. 

We had such a great Easter message* at church titled: "I Doubt It!"
It was about the disciple Thomas based on John 20.  When Thomas finally "got it" - he just worshiped Jesus proclaiming, "My Lord and my God!

Jesus encouraged His disciples to believe and not to doubt.  Our Pastor, in one of his points emphasized that our doubts are usually triggered because of our deep disappointments - and that is why Thomas had such difficulty believing, he had been so profoundly disappointed by Jesus death.

This is such an important reminder to me - stop doubting and believe!
*view message at:  http://northview.org/
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An Easter tradition we always observed, one mostly to do with our physical appetites was the baking, icing and eating of Paska.  My Mom taught me to make this when I was just a young girl.  One Easter she couldn't knead the dough and so I eagerly volunteered to do it and the Paska turned out great under her watchful tutelage.  Here now is Mother's recipe for that tasty fare which she always baked every Easter season in loaf pans or used coffee tins giving a nice round dome effect.  I made them into buns this time.

Paska 
Ingredients:

13 oz hot  milk ( I used about 5 oz 1% milk then filled the rest with table cream)
4 large eggs-beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter-melted
2 teaspoons salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
5 + cups flour
3 teaspoons yeast

Method:
Beat eggs 'til frothy
Add sugar gradually beating with wire whisk
Add melted butter
Add salt and lemon flavourings

Pour into breadmaker pan and add 3 cups of the flour along with the yeast.
Because this is a larger recipe, with the added liquids of eggs and juice, I help the mixer stage along with a sturdy rubber spatula.  Keep adding the flour 'til you get the right consistency - dough will be sticky
Let dough cycle finish.

Use oil for counter surface to divide dough into two parts.  Shape each half into a loaf and place into greased/parchment lined pans and let rise in warm oven until double in size.

Bake 300o-325o until golden brown - about 25 minutes.
Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
Make up the icing by adding lemon zest and juice to 2-3 cups icing sugar.  Add enough hot water to make a smooth icing.  Ice bread as you need it - add decorative sprinkles for a festive touch.

This is my mother's recipe adapted to suit my breadmaker. Unheard of - Paska from a breadmaker?  It really can be done.  I didn't get a picture of the loaves but they were as delicious as the buns which I had made earlier in the week and given to family and neighbours.

Good Friday

Journey With Jesus Discover His Passion,  

was the theme of our Good Friday "service" this evening.  The church was open from 4-7pm for a self-directed, reflective walk around the foyer of our church where Seven Stations of the Cross were artistically set up.  Our church lends itself very nicely to this kind of event since the foyer winds all the way around, the sanctuary being in the center.

With outline in hand we began our Via Dolorosa walk at-

Station #2 -The Garden of Gethsemane

  A long area of the west foyer was flanked with black draperies.  As we entered we knew immediately we were in a garden.  The strong visuals- trees, rockery, shrubs and a variety of plants reflected a beautiful garden.  Through sound bytes we could hear our Saviour's pleading prayers.  Here we reflected on the terrible agony of Christ bearing our sin, fully aware of what lay ahead for Him.

This area of Gethsemane in real life is on the Mount of Olives.  Like all sacred places in the Holy Land a church is built at the site to commemorate the place and event.  In this case it is the Church for all Nations:

Here the rock on which Jesus was said to have agonized, is the center-piece inside this beautiful building:

The dome just above this rock:

Station #3:

Jesus' Suffering:

At this station more sound effects and visuals: the scourging, whips, crown of thorns and other instruments of torture.  As we looped around the Youth Centre we saw the cross on which hundreds of notes were nailed.  We were given the opportunity to write out our sin and nail it to the cross-a great reminder that Christ has paid the price-all of it.  We are filled with thanksgiving.  

And we were reminded again of our tour in Caiaphas' Palace,  Jerusalem a few years ago where Jesus suffered :

The Servant of the Lord

Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked, while bearing the sins of many and interceding for transgressors,

God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every other name.
(Inscription on the wall plaque taken from Isaiah and Philippians)

Station#4:

Jesus is Mocked:

At this station dozens of posters hung bearing insults and quotes from the Scriptures and also from Nietzsche and Marx and Richard Dawkins which are still being hurled at Him.

Again we were reminded of the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem and the painful journey of Jesus across the city from Caiaphas' palace to the extreme opposite end where Pilate held court- the Antonio Fortress:

It may well have been on these slabs of rock or pavement that Jesus was scourged and sentenced to death by Pilate and an unrelenting angry mob.

Station #5:

The Cross

As we entered the large Centre Court area of our church we were struck by a powerful image - a painting of a close-up section of Jesus agonizing on the cross, blood dripping from the nail prints and crown of thorns.  Many years ago one of our Pastors wives, Bev Ellis,  painted this picture at our annual home-coming event at Rotary Stadium while the pastor gave his message - it still is an amazing, powerful work of art.  It usually hangs in our Prayer Room but today it had been hung up high with a strong light beaming on it in just the right way to reflect the agony of the cross.  Around the three walls of this large centre were dozens of identically mounted posters with affirming quotes, each one prefaced with a phrase something like:

Christ's sacrificial death on the cross means that:

(there were so many great affirmations here that I hope to get a copy - but the gist was - that I can have eternal life, that my sins are forgiven, that there is hope for me, that my marriage can be the very best thing on this earth...and many, many more noteworthy quotes )

In the center and behind the painting of Jesus on the cross was a large cross - shiny and lit up, and around the third wall forming a kind of triangle for these three huge central pieces was another cross.  Not quite sure the whole meaning of this but we noticed a few teddy bears, flowers, skateboards, a bottle of pop etc at the bottom of this tall cross and different memorabilia tacked all the way up, reminiscent of what we sometimes see at crash sites where someone has been killed.  Very effective.

Golgotha-just outside the city of Jerusalem where many believe Jesus was crucified.  I took this picture while sitting in the Garden Tomb area just across the way.  Looking over my shoulder I was shocked to see the "Place of the Skull" as the Scriptures refer to the place where Jesus died, looking in fact just like a huge skull:

Station #6:

Preparing Jesus' Body

Our church's boardroom was set apart as the preparation room and very effectively so.  What care Joseph of Arimathea must have taken with the body of his Lord.  How courageous and beautiful an act this was.

The Church of The Holy Sepulchre was for years considered to be built over the site, during Constantine's reign already, where Jesus was crucified and buried.  I took a picture of this painting inside this very old church.  More recently however, strong evidence has been brought forth that puts the crucifixion and burial outside of the city. 

Station #7 

The Tomb

Our Prayer Room was the site for this amazingly good replication of what we saw in the purported area of Christ's burial just outside of the walls of Jerusalem:

This picture was taken while traveling towards Galilee.  Since I didn't get a good shot of the entrance to the Garden Tomb, I'm using this photo to show that this was the kind of cave used for burial at the time.  Notice the large round rock near the entrance.

 Below, Al is standing at the entrance to The Garden Tomb; looking down on the entrance to the tomb, and a picture of my sister Hedy, in the Garden of the tomb, who along with hubby, Wilf, traveled with us:

Station #1:

Last Supper

We ended up at the first station.  It seemed a fitting ending to a wonderful walk.  People were quietly coming and going, sitting in the pews and reflecting or  singing quietly along with a small worship team on stage.  It was worshipful.  When we were ready, we went up to the front where three tables were set up along the front of the church, with the elements for communion on them.  And so we partook thanking God for His great sacrifice -  His great redemptive work on the cross:

O sacred Head, now wounded,

With grief and shame weighed down;

Now scornfully surrounded

With thorns, Thine only crown;

O sacred Head, what glory, 

What bliss till now was Thine!

Yet, though despised and gory,

 I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered 

Was all for sinners' gain:

Mine, mine was the transgression, 

But Thine the deadly pain,

Lo, here I fall, my Savior!  

'Tis I deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favor,

Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow 

To thank Thee, dearest Friend:

For this Thy dying sorrow, 

Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever;

And should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never 

Outlive my love to Thee.

From the Passion Chorale harmonized by Johann S. Bach (1685-1750), 

words attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

Easter Eggs and Good Friday

Dear Grandchildren,

Today is Good Friday.  It's part of the Easter week-end, the last part of Holy Week which began last Sunday with Palm Sunday.  Today is a good day for us but it must have been a very, very sad day for Jesus.  It's the day that we remember that Jesus died on the cross so that we can have our sins forgiven, washed away.  You know how good it feels to get the muckies washed off your hands after eating sticky food or playing in the mud?  Well muckies also come inside of us and Jesus is the only one who can wash these kind of muckies away when we ask Him to do that.  Then we feel... aaaah so clean and light and free - because we're forgiven. That's the good news, the very best news, about this day.  (And we know that Easter Sunday is coming, which is another very, very good day and is the happy ending to this sad day - but we'll get there a bit later.)

Five years ago Grandpa and I went to the Holy Land to see some of the places where Jesus had been - where He was born, and where He lived with His parents and His brothers and sisters, where He did His first miracle and then many more, where He walked on the water - imagine walking on water....wouldn't that be awesome?  We also visited the places where He prayed with His disciples and where the soldiers were mean to Him, where He was crucified and where He was laid after He died.  Now no one knows for sure the exact spots where this might have been but we know about where it would have been and so these places help us to remember and to think about how wonderful this Easter week-end really is.

Here are a few pictures of our visit to Jerusalem, sometimes called The Holy City:

 Grandpa at the Garden of Gethsemane-this is where Jesus prayed the night the soldiers came and took Him away.  Our guide told us that some of the olive trees in this garden were so old they probably were right there when Jesus was there.  

 

  These old stone steps are probably the very steps that Jesus had to walk up when the soldiers took him to the High Priest's palace. 

 Do you remember what happened when Peter went to see what was happening to his friend, Jesus?  He got really scared and told people that he didn't know Jesus at all.  He did this three times and then a rooster crowed - just as Jesus had told him it would happen.  You can see the rooster in this picture of Jesus looking at Peter.  Peter was very, very sad when he saw how the people were treating Jesus and how he had just treated Jesus.  He was oh so sorry about that.  (There is a very happy ending to this part of the story which I'll try to remember to tell you about another time-remind me if I forget, okay?)

After Jesus was treated shamefully by the people in the High Priest's palace he went to the other end of the city where Pilate, who was kind of the boss of the government in that country, lived.  That's where Pilate gave the orders to have him killed. 
Jesus had to carry His own cross to a place just outside the city, called Golgatha, where He was crucified.  Jesus never did one bad thing in His life. He died on the cross so we could live, the only way we could live.

This is a very sad story but it is also a very good story, a very important story.  It is Good News for all the people in the world.

When I was a little girl this story made me very sad.  I can remember my teacher reading it to us from the Bible when I was in Grade 3 - and I cried.  I was embarrassed that I cried but no one made fun of me.  Everyone made fun of Jesus, though...I wonder how He must have felt.

But Easter is full of hope and cheer and promises of new life.  That is one of the reasons Easter eggs became popular.  Every egg has the promise of life safely cocooned inside.

I boiled a lot of eggs today to get ready for Easter.  G&I each had one for lunch while they were still hot and not coloured.  Can you count how many eggs are in the bowl?  Do you know how many I cooked altogether?  Which egg would you choose?  Which is your favourite colour?  When you come over to our place you can choose the one you like best!

We love you,

Grandpa and Grandma

A Letter to Our Grandchildren

Dear Grandchildren,
About two years ago I decided to keep a journal, a blog, that included pictures and things Grandpa and I were doing, thinking, and even eating.  I have at times included some pictures of you and some of the great things we have been able to do together.

When I started "blogging", I simply chose the heading Willms View- that is Grandpa and my views on so many different things.  Our views are affected by our experiences.  We are grateful for the many experiences that enrich us and help us to live the way we believe God wants us to live.  You have all been part of our "great enrichment"!  We are so grateful for each one of you.

Although it will be me putting this journal onto the computer Grandpa is very much involved.  We talk about a lot of things and I ask him for his ideas on all kinds of things.  I usually ask him to read my entry before I press the "Publish Post" button.  Grandpa is a very wise person and a good speller as well - so that helps me know when my "Posts" are okay.  Sometimes, he even gives me ideas about things I can blog.  He's also a good sport and will stop the car if I ask him to, so that I can take a picture of something that captures my imagination.

Because you are such important people in our lives, I wanted you to know more about us and some of the things that have been important to us along our journey of life.  You are all growing up so beautifully and we thank God for you every day and ask Him to help you in everything.  Before you know it you will be teen-agers and then adults. Now you probably can't wait to be older but when you get older, as old as we are, you  don't want the years to go by quite so fast but they do.  In fact they seem to go by faster than ever before!

So today I just wanted to let you know that I probably will start each post like a letter and sign off, just like a regular letter.  Let's see what happens...I'm getting really excited about this!  If you think of something you want to ask us,  maybe about something about when we were little kids- what we did to have fun, what kind of chores we did and what kind of books we read, just ask and we'll try to fill you in.  Grandpa was very good at sports - do you know which were his favourite sports?

You are very blessed children.  You have super, wonderful parents and you all have two sets of grandparents!  How good is that!  Grandpa and I only got to know one set of grandparents and they passed away when we were still quite young.  

And so it seems to me I would like to just think about all of you in a very special way as I write and dedicate this blog to you, our dear grandchildren: Nathan and Megan, Jared and Daniel, Eva, Micah and Joshie.  Of course everyone is welcome to read along and if there is something special, "For Your Eyes Only", I'll send a special letter that will be only for you --how's that?

All our love,

Grandpa and Grandma :)

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, is the beginning of Holy Week.  When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on this day we call "Palm Sunday",   on a colt-a colt on which no one had ever ridden before, people threw their coats in front of Him as a sign of honour. Soon large crowds followed Jesus waving palm branches:

"...the great crowd that had come for the Feast 

heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

'Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!~ 

Blessed is the King of Israel!'"

(from John 12:12-13)

Today I was reminded of how we spent the Palm Sunday weekend four years ago.  We had flown into Mexico to visit our kids who had just moved to the city of Torreon for their work.  A majestic landmark and tourist attraction which can be easily seen from the air as you fly in, is the "Jesus statue", second only in size to the one in Rio de Janeiro.  Situated on possibly the highest point in the city, nothing prepared me for the overwhelming emotions that gripped me upon first seeing this huge statue from close-up with arms extended, symbolically welcoming one and all into His fold of love.

Because it was this particular weekend, many people had made their way up to visit this shrine picking up sheaves of palm branches which vendors were selling along the way.  We had to walk up quite a distance because of the traffic.  And so when I heard sacred choral music majestically crescendoing as we rounded the corner to the Catholic Church that is connected with this site, I was taken aback at the image and the personal meaning it had for me...Jesus welcomed me here with open arms.  It was a special sacred moment for me.  I am so thankful to the Lord for His supreme sacrifice which I want to focus on this week. I am also so thankful that I had the opportunity to visit this site.

Everything You Need...

Just can't get away from the prophets...  I'm reading in the New Testament now-the Epistles of Peter1 & 2 since I'm following a series of expository teachings on this.  But before I go back to the beginning of the New Testament and into the Book of Matthew my Message fell open to the last chapter of Hosea which I read before I thought of journalling some of my gleanings.

Hosea is a most unusual Book, a remarkable Book, since the prophet was asked to do such an unusual thing in order to show how God was feeling about His people with their total disdain and disregard for Him and His teachings.  (Check it out and see- BibleGateway.com has tons of stuff).  The last four chapters are worth rereading again and again.  This morning, however, my eyes fell on the last chapter of the Hosea from verses 4-9, a message of hope and confidence, indeed the ticket to success:

"'Everthing you need is to be found in me'.

If you want to live well,

make sure you understand all of this.  

If you know what's good for you, you'll learn this inside and out.  

GOD's paths get you where you want to go.

Right-living people walk them easily; 

wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling."  

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 To finish off with the "Church Buildings" theme I'm including postcard pictures of two beautiful cathedrals we have visited in the past:

- Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia and 

-St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria

 

Smolny Cathedral- a stunning blue-and-white building, a masterpiece of the Italian architect Rastrelli, was built between 1748-64.  It was the main church of a convent built adjacent to it for Peter the Great's daughter. 

Today Smolny Cathedral is used as a concert hall and the surrounding convent buildings houses government offices.

St. Stephen's Cathedral or Stephen's Dome

This is the oldest church we have ever visited.  The original section was begun  back in 1147 and progressed in stages.  It began though as a fairly large basilica-type structure with designs in place for the towers.  The cathedral, then already looking much like the present edifice, was severely damaged through fire in 1945 near the end of World War 2.

Restored remarkably quickly to its present state, this cathedral is a most impressive building, dominating the entire central area of Vienna. Its grandeur really took me by surprise.  As we entered the cathedral, which seems to be mostly a tourist attraction with souvenirs to buy, a service to a small group of parishioners, cordoned off from the masses, huddled near the front. Although we weren't allowed to go past a certain marker I listened intently from the distance to catch what the priest might be saying.  I did hear a few phrases spoken in German-my mother tongue -which I recognized but unfortunately can't recall.