Easter 2015

Dear Friends,

When Jesus was crucified He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). What wonderful, amazing love He showed in these words! The Lord came into the world to show us what the Divine love is like.

Once Philip, one of the twelve disciples, said to Jesus, “Show us the Father.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you so long and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?” (John 14:8-10)

Why, then, does Jesus pray to the Father as if to someone else?

Our Heavenly Father wanted to come down to be with us and to save us, so He wrapped up His infinite love and wisdom in a mortal covering. As to His soul, Jesus was the Father; but on the outside, He had a finite human nature.

Gradually Jesus replaced all the weaknesses of the human nature with His own infinitely loving and wise, truly Human qualities. On Easter He rose with His whole body made Divine.

During His temptations, by which He overcame human weaknesses, it sometimes felt to Jesus as if the Father were Someone else. We too sometimes feel a separation within us between our conscience and our natural inclinations. By His determination always to do His Father’s will, He made His Human nature one with His Divine soul. He became the Divine Man.

In overcoming these weaknesses, He conquered the demons that were possessing the human race at that time and set us free. He made it possible for us to repent of our sins. By His power we can overcome our bad habits and be free of them forever.

Every day our Lord Jesus Christ still forgives us. He seeks to help us overcome our weaknesses. The Lord set us a powerful example of forgiveness so that we may know how to treat each other in truly human ways. May we learn to keep His new commandment, loving one another as He loves us (John 13:34-35).

You are welcome to worship at the Kempton New Church every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

Happy Easter!

Rev. Lawson M. Smith