I appreciated the scripture email this morning from my Bible Gateway subscription, I also appreciated, during this Holy Week, it is Old Testament prophet Isaiah recording God’s good Word about the Messiah coming but already accomplished His Goal:

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:5-6

Isaiah writes in old testament prophecy, before Jesus was born on earth, in verbiage past tense because God made the plan and the plan was perfected of a perfect person in Jesus – well before we were born – and from before the beginning of time. God already knew our way of sin – our transgressions – our birth into Adam and Eve’s sinful state – and knew of our need for a Savior. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, gives us the Peace that He was pierced for – His wounds – by His Stripes we are healed. We do have the ONE peace we have – Jesus. That is a thoughtful Tuesday triumph this Holy Week – God got the job done – the war won – before the battle even started.

Life, therefore, should be lived in the present – knowing the past and the future are surely under God’s control.

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” David Bowie

Down time last night was so necessary for me after a very blessed busy day at the science meeting – including re-seeing a friend first time from over 35 years ago – we were young in an early lab setting as undergraduate workers – time flies but our 10 minute recap of each of our lives proved the statement by David Bowie – life is not boring.

Also in the day was much networking, random interactions that blessed my time, and again delicious food provided in this bubble of scientific blessing – including the talk of the day – the visit from the therapy dogs – so cute.

My downtime last night included a completion of the HBO documentary on David Bowie’s last 5 years – as a singer and artist – and icon and aged time traveller – the fast train lifestyle that David Bowie lived in the 70’s yielded a reclusive lifestyle in the early 2000’s – and his cancer treatments and illness were hidden until the days he released his last album and passed away 2 days later. I loved remembering the love that poured out – and yes the videos and songs “Lazarus” and “Blackstar” spoke to me as coming from someone readjusting and realizing his mortality and God’s gift of immortality. Imagine now, David, that where you – where we – are going is not going to be boring – not in Heaven – not in not Heaven – not in earth now – not ever. 

NOT BORING…

If we could gather any strength from this Holy Week Thoughtful Tuesday, let it be from realizing Jesus making a Way where there was no way. Let it be known that Jesus died for all – those who have not yet met Him but will – those who will not believe Him but might – and those who KNOW – KNOW that He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors – FOR OUR PEACE...

Peace be with you today and always…

Amen

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Isaiah 52:14-Isaiah 53

Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
So shall He sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.

.

The Sin-Bearing Messiah
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

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