Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life . How did the cross—an instrument of punishment and torture—become a symbol of hope, holiness, and peace with God?      _____ It's Preparation Day for Passover. Jesus and his disciples just finished the Last Supper. Within 24 hours, he will be crucified. In those final hours, Jesus tries to prepare his friends for his departure.  The disciples are upset and confused. The ministry is flourishing. Just last Sunday, when their Lord entered Jerusalem on a donkey, crowds welcomed him, waving palm branches, and shouting, “Hosanna (save us)! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” It doesn't make sense. Why would Jesus allow himself to be arrested and killed now?   He tells them, “ It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you ”  (John 16:7 emphasis mine) . The Trinity, one God in three persons—Father, Son, Holy Spiri...

Welcome to Real Life . Many things are real, even if we can’t see them.      _____ He came to Jesus privately, at night, and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him,” [1] Nicodemus was a Pharisee who sat on the Jewish ruling council. He may have come at night for secrecy, because for the most part, his contemporaries didn't like Jesus. They considered him a rogue preacher who didn't come up through their ranks or play by their rules. Or, maybe Nicodemus was sent by his colleagues to get the down-low from the man himself. For, regardless of how they felt about Jesus’ ministry, they couldn't deny the God-size miracles. Whatever the reason, Nicodemus went sincerely seeking answers. And because he did, Jesus came right to the point, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” [2] (You see God in my miracles, Nicodemu...