<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 15;21-23<div><br></div><div><b>21. &nbsp;And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull).</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Jesus by now was reaching the limits of physical strength. &nbsp;Not everyone survived being scourged. &nbsp;Some died from the physical&nbsp;shock and blood loss of such a torture. &nbsp;Weakened by dehydration&nbsp;and exhausted, Jesus’ cross was very&nbsp;heavy,&nbsp;they could not wait for this poor suffering man to try and drag his cross to the place of execution. &nbsp;<span>To speed things up, Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Such a detail, the actual name of this man being included in the Gospel, should cause skeptics to give pause. &nbsp;The terrible suffering death of Jesus, is indeed a historical&nbsp;fact, not some made up story. &nbsp;Details such as this could have been followed up upon.</div><div><br></div><div>We too have been commanded by Jesus to join with Simon. &nbsp;Simon, was not intending to do this humiliating work. &nbsp;He was not planning on being made a temporary slave for Christ. &nbsp;It was forced upon him. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Many of the sorrows and sufferings of our lives are&nbsp;not part of our plans, yet, the Lord allows us the incredible privilege of belonging to the cross, and of sharing in the sufferings of the cross, (see, Romans 8;17). &nbsp;In fact, Jesus says, <i>“If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. &nbsp;For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;24&amp;25)</div><div><br></div><div>The wine mingled with myrrh was a drug to lessen the pain of crucifixion. &nbsp;When I needed hip surgery, I didn’t want to feel anything. &nbsp;Yet, Jesus rejected the drug, he fully embraced all and every part of the physical&nbsp;pain of the&nbsp;atoning sacrifice. &nbsp;Human nature seeks to escape pain (physical or emotional), yet faith gives us courage to intentionally&nbsp;endure it, if that be God’s will.</div><div><br></div><div>Pain which draws us nearer to God, which brings life/Life into this world is not entirely bad. &nbsp;Whether it be pain from child birth, or pain of Christ being continually&nbsp;born in us as we daily&nbsp;deny ourselves. &nbsp;I love the Christmas hymn,</div><div>“O Little Town of Bethlehem” LSB #361 verse 4, <i>“O&nbsp;holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray, Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today. &nbsp;We hear the Christmas angels, The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord, Immanuel!”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>With Christ abiding with us through His Word and The Holy Spirit, we have been made partakers of his cross. &nbsp;Embrace what God allows and trust that our Lord is doing great and wondrous things in and through us, in spite of the violence, suffering, and&nbsp;pain.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us wisdom, strength, courage, and love to bear the pain which You allow into our lives, knowing You are working good. &nbsp;<span>Grant us wisdom to escape into Your promises to us, and&nbsp;&nbsp;peace to be humble,&nbsp;patient, and self-controlled,&nbsp;deliver us from the temptation to&nbsp;</span><span>escape into the evil&nbsp;drug of&nbsp;</span><span>anger and&nbsp;unbelief. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Please also include Rev. Emeritus Martin Hagenow, his wife Karen, and his children&nbsp;in your prayers,&nbsp;he faces extensive surgery today&nbsp;for pancreatic cancer.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 15;21-23
21.  And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.22.  And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull).23.  And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it.
Jesus by now was reaching the limits of physical strength.  Not everyone survived being scourged.  Some died from the physical shock and blood loss of such a torture.  Weakened by dehydration and exhausted, Jesus’ cross was very heavy, they could not wait for this poor suffering man to try and drag his cross to the place of execution.  To speed things up, Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus.
Such a detail, the actual name of this man being included in the Gospel, should cause skeptics to give pause.  The terrible suffering death of Jesus, is indeed a historical fact, not some made up story.  Details such as this could have been followed up upon.
We too have been commanded by Jesus to join with Simon.  Simon, was not intending to do this humiliating work.  He was not planning on being made a temporary slave for Christ.  It was forced upon him.  
Many of the sorrows and sufferings of our lives are not part of our plans, yet, the Lord allows us the incredible privilege of belonging to the cross, and of sharing in the sufferings of the cross, (see, Romans 8;17).  In fact, Jesus says, “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 16;24&25)
The wine mingled with myrrh was a drug to lessen the pain of crucifixion.  When I needed hip surgery, I didn’t want to feel anything.  Yet, Jesus rejected the drug, he fully embraced all and every part of the physical pain of the atoning sacrifice.  Human nature seeks to escape pain (physical or emotional), yet faith gives us courage to intentionally endure it, if that be God’s will.
Pain which draws us nearer to God, which brings life/Life into this world is not entirely bad.  Whether it be pain from child birth, or pain of Christ being continually born in us as we daily deny ourselves.  I love the Christmas hymn,“O Little Town of Bethlehem” LSB #361 verse 4, “O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray, Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today.  We hear the Christmas angels, The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord, Immanuel!”
With Christ abiding with us through His Word and The Holy Spirit, we have been made partakers of his cross.  Embrace what God allows and trust that our Lord is doing great and wondrous things in and through us, in spite of the violence, suffering, and pain.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us wisdom, strength, courage, and love to bear the pain which You allow into our lives, knowing You are working good.  Grant us wisdom to escape into Your promises to us, and  peace to be humble, patient, and self-controlled, deliver us from the temptation to escape into the evil drug of anger and unbelief.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Please also include Rev. Emeritus Martin Hagenow, his wife Karen, and his children in your prayers, he faces extensive surgery today for pancreatic cancer.

Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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