Prayer

March 28, 2010        The Folded Napkin and Hebrew Tradition
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just
thrown aside like the grave clothes, but instead that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the
head of that stony coffin.   This story tells why that passage and why that simple act is so important!
John 20:7 (KJV)    7And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but
wrapped together in a place by itself.      the Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary
Magdalene came to the tomb and found that disciple, stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She
ran and found Simon Peter and the other don't know the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have
taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I
where they have put him!'
first. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there
Peter He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon
arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that
covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.had

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about
Hebrew tradition of that day.   The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every
Jewish boy of the time knew this tradition....
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master
wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the
master had finished eating. The servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.
Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean
to his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know
clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm finished..."
But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant
would not dare touch the table, because a folded napkin meant..........
"I'm coming back!"
PRAYER: Father God I know You will come back and I am ready to accept You when You come. Please
give me knowledge and faith as Your resurrection teaches us. Thank You for the blessings given to me
every day. Amen

Through Him - Our Second Birth                March 21, 2010

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things
have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and
has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17–18
Will-power does not change men. Time does not change men. Christ does.
Henry Drummond

Think about it: You can be made new! Even if you have failed in business. Even if you have experienced
broken relationships. Even if you turned your back on God and did exactly what you wanted to do—even
though you knew those things were wrong in the past

Everyone living has experienced a natural birth. But just as Jesus promised Nicodemus in a light night
meeting, we can also be reborn, born into the Kingdom of God, becoming His children by spiritual
rebirth. What a gift!

With this new status as children of God, we receive a new purpose, a new mission in life. In Matthew 28:
19–20, Jesus tells His disciples—and us—to take the good news of forgiveness and new starts throughout
the world—to our own family and friends, to our next-door neighbors, to our co-workers, and every other
person we know and meet. We become ambassadors for Christ’s message of new life, sharing this
message of hope with a world that desperately needs hope! This is a great season to start spreading the
message

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving me and for giving me the precious opportunity of sharing the love
You have given to me with others. AMEN

The Interview With God Author Unknown             March 14, 2010

I dreamed I had an interview with God. “So you would like to interview me?” God asked. “If you have the
time” I said. God smiled. “My time is eternity.” “What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?” God answered...“That they get bored with childhood, they
rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.” “That they lose their health to make money...and
then lose their money to restore their health.” “That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget
the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.” "That they live as if they will never
die, and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked...“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.” “To learn that
it is not good to compare themselves to others.” “To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.” “To learn
that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years
to heal them.” “To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how
to express or show their feelings.” “To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it
differently.” “To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive
themselves.”

Thank you for your time," I said humbly. "Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"
God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here... always.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help me to remember that You are ALWAYS here for me, thank You humbly in
Jesus name. Amen

A Bible For Graduation by Unknown (Spiritual-Short-Stories.com                 March 7, 2010

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful
sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he
wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.
Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study.

His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He
handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound
Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" And
stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible behind.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and
wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go visit him.

He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a
telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search
through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With
tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse,

Ecclesiastes 6: 2
2 God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God
does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous
evil.

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible.

It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag
was the date of his graduation, and the words... PAID IN FULL!

Story's Moral:
Love and compassion* - especially those which we receive from the Lord, outweigh any earthly
possessions we may desire, lust after or receive. *Without them, we lose out!

PRAYER: Dear Father God, as we go into this season of Your death and resurrection, keep me ever
mindful it is not the things in my life to want after, but to desire Your love, compassion and wisdom.
Thank You for the blessings You bestow on me each day. Amen.

Black Canyon Community Church
SonShine Learning Center
Black Canyon City, Arizona

Prayer
With
Diana