Easter Greetings from Kate in Belarus. Thank you Kate.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Good Friday
Today is Good Friday. For many years I had wondered what was good about Good Friday, when the day is really one of mourning. It was then that I came across this article that tells one about just this enigma - what is good about Good Friday?
Why do we call Good
Friday “good,” when it is such a dark and bleak event commemorating a day
of suffering and death for Jesus?
For Christians, Good Friday
is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the
most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and
was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to
be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be “of
first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to
life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along
in the Scriptures.
On Good Friday we remember
the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate
sacrifice for our sins. It is followed by Easter, the glorious celebration of
the day Jesus was raised from the dead, heralding his victory over sin and
death and pointing ahead to a future resurrection for all who are united to him
by faith.
Still, why call the day of Jesus’ death “Good Friday” instead of “Bad
Friday” or something similar? Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example,
the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English, in fact, the
origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older
name, “God’s Friday.” Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is
entirely appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as
it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from
their sins.
In order for the good news
of the gospel to have meaning for us, we first have to understand the bad news
of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of
deliverance only makes sense once we see how we are enslaved. Another way of
saying this is that it is important to understand and distinguish between
law and gospel in Scripture. We need the law first to show us how hopeless our
condition is; then the gospel of Jesus’ grace comes and brings us relief and salvation.
In the same way, Good
Friday is “good” because as terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us
to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out
on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, in order for forgiveness and
salvation to be poured out to the nations. Without that awful day of suffering,
sorrow, and shed blood at the cross, God could not be both “just and the
justifier” of those who trust in Jesus. Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be the
greatest triumph of evil was actually the deathblow in God’s gloriously good
plan to redeem the world from bondage.
The cross is where we see
the convergence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. Psalms sings
of a day when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” The cross of
Jesus is where that occurred, where God’s demands, his righteousness, coincided
with his mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus
willingly took our divine punishment, the result of God’s righteousness against
sin. “For the joy set before him” Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday,
knowing it led to his resurrection, our salvation, and the beginning of God’s
reign of righteousness and peace.
Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s
why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.
Justin Holcomb who is an Episcopal priest and teaches theology at
Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary wrote this nice article.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Opening of the St. Gotthard tunnel on September 5, 1980
In response to the automobile boom in Switzerland and the popularity of Italy as a travel resort, the Swiss government gave approval in July 1969 for the construction of the 16-kilometre Gotthard Road tunnel. The tunnel would be longer than any existing road tunnel, and would provide year-round road link between central Switzerland and Milan to be used in place of the Gotthard Pass.
The now widely used motorway tunnel was opened on September 5, 1980. It remains a single bore tunnel with just one lane operating in each direction. It has four large ventilation shafts and an additional side gallery between 10 and 18 metres from the main tunnel, having its own independent ventilation system in order to facilitate the cutting of a second tunnel, should future traffic levels require it.
The stamp on this maxicard was issued to commemorate the opening of this Tunnel on 5.9.1980. Thank you Maria.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War.
The card shows the Inner Court Complex of the Forbidden City. Thank you SiQi for this lovely card.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Omodos in Cyprus
Omodos is a charming little village in the Troödos Mountains of Cyprus, and while it attracts a lot of holidaymakers, it still retains a character and traditions. Its also a great place to eat, drink and shop. It is also located in the Limassol District of Cyprus and is 80 kilometers from the city of Nicosia. The village produces a lot of wine and holds a wine festival every August. You can visit a 17th Century stone built monastery via a cobblestone path and sample local wine for free at many outlets. You will also find a good mix of restaurants including traditional tavernas and a few modern bars housed in traditional buildings.
In the centre of this village lies the Monastery of the Holy Cross, which contains an alleged fragment of the Holy Rood the cross on which Christ was crucified and brought to Cyprus by St Helen in 327 AD.
The skull of St Philip, the fifth Apostle, is also there and its preserved in a silver casket. Religious, cultural and thrivin. Here you'll find plenty of local crafts like leather bags, belts and clothes, pottery, copperware and lace.
Tourists are generally very familiar with the beaches and the coastal resorts but many are unaware that there is a stunning inland with mountains, pine forests and waterfalls this area is a paradise for nature and outdoor lovers. For the sun worshipper leaving the beaches and the bars isn't easy but you'll be rewarded for your willpower if you drive up into the Troodos Mountains.
The skull of St Philip, the fifth Apostle, is also there and its preserved in a silver casket. Religious, cultural and thrivin. Here you'll find plenty of local crafts like leather bags, belts and clothes, pottery, copperware and lace.
Tourists are generally very familiar with the beaches and the coastal resorts but many are unaware that there is a stunning inland with mountains, pine forests and waterfalls this area is a paradise for nature and outdoor lovers. For the sun worshipper leaving the beaches and the bars isn't easy but you'll be rewarded for your willpower if you drive up into the Troodos Mountains.
This card gives a view of the quaint narrow sreets of Omodos. Thank you Merja for this lovely card. Yet another reason to visit Cyprus J
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Autumn's Keeper
Alexey sent this card from Russia. It shows a painting by Anastasia Kucherenko titled "Autumn's Keeper". Anastasia Kucherenko is an exponent of Vector Art.
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