Grief over Death

And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day." And they were deeply grieved. Matthew 17:22-23

Jesus hadn’t even died yet and His disciples were grieved. Dead is inevitable, but knowing ahead of time that a young person, a beloved and respected leader was going to be killed would be devastating. No wonder they were experiencing grief. They probably didn’t totally comprehend the “raised on the third day” perception or they would have been filled with joy. This happened before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The whole life after death—and resurrection concept was not reality to them. Grief was real. We don’t have to grieve over Jesus’ death—we know that He was resurrected. Glory and honor to our Heaven Father for His plan. His plan of salvation for humanity. Rejoice and be glad—and celebrate. Jesus is alive. Celebrate every day…not just Christmas and Easter.

RSVP: Jesus is telling His disciples, including us, that He would be raised from the dead. He may have been killed—actually died for our sin, but He is alive. Are you grieving? How will you respond to Him today?

Prayer ~ Jesus, I rejoice that You are living. You are the Living God. Others may worship a god who died, but You alone died and rose from the dead. I praise You and rejoice with my brothers and sisters in Christ that You loved us enough to die for us—and that the Heavenly Father loved us all even more to raise You from the dead. Glory be to God.

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

It won’t be long until Christmas…but these cookies are good just any time especially with a nice tamale, taco or enchilada dinner.

Cinnamon Christmas Shortbread

1 3/4 cups flour (stir before measuring)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Measure the flour, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture just until blended. Round up the dough, flatten into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Cut into heart shapes. Punch a hole near the top of the heart shape if you want to hang the cookies later. Arrange the cookies on lined baking sheets, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Heat oven to 350°. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on size.

© 2014 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.