THE ONLY FORGOTTEN SON (4 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Isaiah 53:1-12
This content is part of a series.
The Only Forgotten Son (4 of 4)
Series: Players in the Passion
Jeff Strite
Isaiah 53:1-12
OPEN: A few weeks from now we're going to have the "Holy Hands For Christ" Sign Corp perform here at church. It's a group dedicated to ministering to the deaf and the hearing impaired. They'll put on their concerts, not so much to entertain as to raise money to buy hearing aides and other helpful items for those who have difficulty hearing. They don't sing. Instead, they use American Sign Language to communicate the words of various styles of Christian music.
When I first saw them practice, I was intrigued by the sign they used when referring to Jesus. Does anybody know what hand gestures they use for the name of Jesus?
(They touch the palm of each hand… indicating the nail prints in His hands).
APPLY: That symbolism is used in American Sign language because that is how Jesus is identified: crucified for our sins.
ILLUS: The Washington Post has is a section of their files called the "biographical morgue". In that "morgue" they keep "biographical" info on various famous people and they identify each person with a single vocational notice, such as "home run king" or "motion picture star" or "politician". According to a former reporter, one of these files is marked, "Jesus Christ (martyr)."
Now, for a secular paper - that's a fairly accurate depiction of who Jesus was.
He sacrificed Himself for what He believed in
He died a martyr.
He died for a cause
And what cause did Jesus die for???
He died to obtain forgiveness for our sins.
There are people who have a problem with that.
ILLUS: A popular musician that I personally like - Billy Joel - said this:
"I wasn't raised Catholic, but I used to go to mass with my friends and I viewed the whole business as a lot of very enthralling hocus pocus. There's a guy... nailed to a cross and dripping blood and everyone's blaming themselves for that man's torment.
But I said to myself, 'Forget it. I had no ha ...
Series: Players in the Passion
Jeff Strite
Isaiah 53:1-12
OPEN: A few weeks from now we're going to have the "Holy Hands For Christ" Sign Corp perform here at church. It's a group dedicated to ministering to the deaf and the hearing impaired. They'll put on their concerts, not so much to entertain as to raise money to buy hearing aides and other helpful items for those who have difficulty hearing. They don't sing. Instead, they use American Sign Language to communicate the words of various styles of Christian music.
When I first saw them practice, I was intrigued by the sign they used when referring to Jesus. Does anybody know what hand gestures they use for the name of Jesus?
(They touch the palm of each hand… indicating the nail prints in His hands).
APPLY: That symbolism is used in American Sign language because that is how Jesus is identified: crucified for our sins.
ILLUS: The Washington Post has is a section of their files called the "biographical morgue". In that "morgue" they keep "biographical" info on various famous people and they identify each person with a single vocational notice, such as "home run king" or "motion picture star" or "politician". According to a former reporter, one of these files is marked, "Jesus Christ (martyr)."
Now, for a secular paper - that's a fairly accurate depiction of who Jesus was.
He sacrificed Himself for what He believed in
He died a martyr.
He died for a cause
And what cause did Jesus die for???
He died to obtain forgiveness for our sins.
There are people who have a problem with that.
ILLUS: A popular musician that I personally like - Billy Joel - said this:
"I wasn't raised Catholic, but I used to go to mass with my friends and I viewed the whole business as a lot of very enthralling hocus pocus. There's a guy... nailed to a cross and dripping blood and everyone's blaming themselves for that man's torment.
But I said to myself, 'Forget it. I had no ha ...
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