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The Ozark Letter – April 2008
By MMCG.ORG | April 1, 2008
APRIL GREETINGS: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
A Publication of the Mid-Missouri Church of God
April, 2008
Volume XII, Issue 4
The Ozark Newsletter
Lake of the Ozarks
By now, you are probably aware that Mid-Missouri Church of God will be sponsoring a Feast site at their Eldon
location. Hank and Ruth Weinmeister are the coordinators and can be reached at 573-392-0915. A block of
rooms has been reserved at the Heritage Inn just outside Eldon. Call 573-392-2100 to make reservations and men-
tion Hank Weinmeister’s name to get the discounted rate of $69 plus tax. Since other groups will be keeping the
same dates, I would encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible. We will be having some of the
same activities that we have had in the past, but are open to suggestions if you have any new ideas or if you want
to volunteer your services in any way.
The Lord’s Supper will be observed on April 18, shortly after sundown. On April 19 we will have Sabbath School
and Sabbath Services at the regular time. That night we will have a catered meal for the Night to be Much Ob-
served and if you plan to attend with us, please notify Hank Weinmeister at 573-392-0915. Services on the First
Day of Unleavened Bread (Sunday, April 20) will be at 11:30am and the Last Day of Unleavened Bread
(Saturday, April 26) we will have Sabbath School and Sabbath Services at the regular time. The First Day of
Unleavened Bread, fried chicken will be purchased from Gerbes and the ladies will bring crock pots of vegeta-
bles. Then there will be a regular potluck meal on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. If you have any questions
regarding any of these services please feel free to contact us at the phone numbers or email listed on the last page
of the newsletter. Csh***************
2008 HOLY DAY CALENDAR
• April 19—Lord’s Supper (observed the evening before, April 18/Friday, after sundown)
• April 19—Night to Be Much Remembered (Saturday)
• April 20-26—Days of Unleavened Bread (Sunday-Saturday)
• June 8—Pentecost (Sunday)
• Sept. 30—Feast of Trumpets (Tuesday)
• Oct. 9—Day of Atonement (Thursday)
• Oct. 14-20—Feast of Tabernacles (Tuesday-Monday)
• Oct. 21—Eighth Day Festival (Tuesday) THE FOLLOWING POEM WAS TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET:
I showered and shaved………….. I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat………….. In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer……… As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me….. Touching my own. I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side…… I thought, “Why must our soles touch?”
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine… But it didn’t bother him much.
A prayer began: “Our Father”…………. I thought, “This man with the shoes.. has no pride.
They’re dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!”
“Thank You for blessings,” the prayer went on.
The shoe man said…………… a quiet “Amen.”
I tried to focus on the prayer……. But my thoughts were on his shoes again
Aren’t we supposed to look our best.. When walking through that door?
“Well, this certainly isn’t it,” I thought, Glancing toward the floor.
Then the prayer was ended………… And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud…… Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters……… His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear.. The shoe man’s voice from the sky.
It was time for the offering……… And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached…. Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out………… What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft “clink” , as when silver hits tin.
The sermon really bored me……… To tears, and that’s no lie
It was the same for the shoe man….. For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service…….. As is the custom here
We must greet new visitors.. And show them all good cheer.
But I felt moved somehow………… And wanted to meet the shoe man
So after the closing prayer………. I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark….. And his hair was truly a mess
But I thanked him for coming…….. For being our guest.
He said, “My names’ Charlie………. I’m glad to meet you, my friend.”
There were tears in his eyes……… But he had a large, wide grin
“Let me explain,” he said……….. Wiping tears from his eyes.
“I’ve been coming here for months…. And you’re the first to say ‘Hi’
I know that my appearance………Is not like all the rest
But I really do try……………..To always look my best.
I always clean and polish my shoes..Before my very long walk.
But by the time I get here………They’re dirty and dusty, like chalk.”
My heart filled with pain………… and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize……… For daring to sit so near.
He said, “When I get here………..I know I must look a sight.
But I thought if I could touch you..Then maybe our souls might unite.”
I was silent for a moment………… Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison… I spoke from my heart, not my head.
“Oh, you’ve touched me,” I said…… “And taught me, in part;
That the best of any man…………Is what is found in his heart.”
The rest, I thought,…………….. This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am… That his dirty old shoe touched my soul.
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Page 2 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 4 When Jesus Cried Out
by Roger Day
“And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” That is, “My
God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
- Matt 27:46 (similarly in Mark 15:34)
The traditional teaching about this verse is that Jesus was calling out to His Father in desperate heartfelt prayer. Fur-
ther, it is said that Jesus cried out because He sensed that His Father had turned away from Him. It is proposed that
the explanation for this turning away is that Jesus had become sin, and the Father could not look upon sin. At first
blush this all sounds plausible, but is there any scholarly support for this traditional teaching? Is there another expla-
nation?
The reason it is said Jesus was praying is because He was quoting from Psalm 22:1, and many of the Psalms are re-
garded as prayers set to music. Certainly Psalm 22 reads like a prayer in many respects. But we know that above all,
Psalm 22 is a key prophecy that identifies Jesus as the Messiah! Jesus, as the Lord that dealt with David, inspired
David to record this prophetic psalm. Jesus knew this psalm quite well.
Why is it said that the Father turned away from Jesus? The word forsaken can mean either left behind or abandoned,
the latter implying a turning away. But also verse 2 of Psalm 22 reads in part, “O My God, I cry in the daytime, but
You do not hear…” Jesus cried only the first line of verse 1. But knowing from which Psalm Jesus was quoting, it is
assumed that this next verse must have applied to what He was experiencing on the stake. Not hearing implies a turn-
ing away, at least as in turning a deaf ear. If one considers the nature of a prayer, there is little point in continuing if it
is not being heard. Yet reading further in Psalm 22, it is clear that it is heard, as verse 21 states, “You have answered
me.” We know that Jesus did not die with the Father turned away from Him and not hearing Him! This is because
Luke 23:46 tells us that after Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Jesus prayed, “Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit.” Luke tells us that it is after this communication, Jesus breathed His last human breath.
Did Jesus become sin? II Corinthians 5:21 reads, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.” In Isaiah chapter 53, verse 6 reads in part, “And the Lord has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all,” and verse 12 reads in part, “And He bore the sin of many.” Finally, I Peter 2:24 states in part,
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree…” Jesus was the perfect unblemished sacrifice – the Lamb
of God – the only kind that could be accepted to pay for our sins. And Jesus did bear our sins, paying the death pen-
alty for sinning mankind. But does God always look away from sin?
Jesus had spent much time in prayer prior to His torture and crucifixion (Mark 14:32-42). The closeness of Jesus’
relationship with His Father is beyond our ability to imagine. Jesus had the spirit without measure (John 3:34). As
the pre-existing Word, and as the Lord, He inspired all the scriptures and prophecies of His sojourn in human form.
He knew exactly what events would transpire after He was taken from the Garden of Gethsemane, including His res-
urrection after three days and three nights (Matt. 12:39-40). Why then would He cry out in any sense of surprise,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
Jesus was only moments away from death when He cried out, no doubt very weak and in great pain. Many individu-
als pray continually during episodes of torture and suffering, and perhaps Jesus had been praying silently in such a
manner. The words that Jesus spoke to various individuals while on the stake are recorded in the gospels (Matt.
27:46 and Mark 15:34, Luke 23:34, 43, 46, John 19:26-28, 30). Yet despite His desperate condition, the scripture
tells us that near the end “Jesus cried out with a loud voice.” Did He do so because He had begun to pray Psalm 22
and simply had no strength to get beyond the first line? Or did He do so in order that those within earshot, gathered
on Golgotha and witnessing His suffering, would have their attention drawn to Psalm 22?
Page 3 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 4 Page 4 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 4
At that time, personal copies of scriptures were generally not owned by individuals. There were no printing
presses. But scriptures were read every Sabbath in the synagogues. People of that time are said to have committed
much to memory, compared to what we do today. In any event, the pattern of words in the first verse of Psalm 22
is unique and could be used to identify the psalm in question. No doubt many of those that heard Jesus cry out
would have seriously pondered His last words. Upon identifying and reflecting on the full content of Psalm 22,
they would have been overwhelmed at the correlation between the content of the psalm and the events they had wit-
nessed – events that were still all too fresh in their minds. This would provide solid confirmation that they had wit-
nessed firsthand the suffering of the Messiah. Further, when Jesus cried out, He did so in Aramaic, the local dialect
that would be understood by those gathered around. If it was just a personal prayer, why would he choose Ara-
maic? Why was it recorded that he spoke in Aramaic, if not for the significance of him choosing it?
Most of Jesus’ disciples had hoped and expected that after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus would over-
throw the Roman government, free the people, and become their ruling King (Luke 19:11; 24:21). They were
stunned and disheartened that He was convicted and executed. Jesus had been giving the disciples heads up notices
concerning His imminent suffering and death (Matt. 12:40; 17:22-23; 20:18-19, Mark 10:45, John 2:19-21; 10:10-
11). But apparently these had just not registered or sunk in. The disciples needed to understand that Jesus was sac-
rificed that all might live, and that prophecies of His suffering must come to pass before prophecies of His future
rule as King of Kings could take place.
In all examples of Jesus clearly praying, He always prayed to his Father (Matt. 11:25-26; 26:39-42, Mark 14:26,
Luke 10:21, 22:42, 23:34, 36, 23:46, John 11:41; 12:27-28, 14:16, 17:1, 5, 11, 21, 24-25). He used no other word
as a form of address in prayer. And Jesus taught us to pray to the Father (Matt. 6:8-18). Yet, Psalm 22 uses the less
personal word God. But if Jesus was simply quoting or reciting from Psalm 22 for the benefit of those that would
hear Him, this might explain why He did not cry “Father”, as He did later immediately before he died (Luke 23:46).
Were Jesus actually choosing to begin truly praying the words of Psalm 22, one could make a case that He had cho-
sen to pray the psalm as written. But we can’t know that He was praying Psalm 22:1, as opposed to simply quoting
its opening words so as to draw the attention of those present to the great and very timely import of this prophetic
psalm.
It was Jesus Himself, as the Lord known in the Old Testament, that had inspired David to record Psalm 22. That
He would suffer as He did was no surprise to Him. Yet, it appears that Jesus did indeed have an important reason
to quote Himself, as it were, shortly before He took His last breath. And to this day, Psalm 22 remains a powerful
testament to the identity of Jesus as the Messiah who came, suffered, and died for us.
Jesus bore our sins so that our death penalty could be paid, and in this sense became sin, though He was in fact ac-
tually sinless. Does God always look away from sin? Must God turn His head from it? There are any number of
scriptures that portray God as casting sin far away or out of sight. It seems God does not like to have sin nearby, at
least not for very long. Eventually, the Universe will be ridded of sin. In the Atonement ceremony, the sins of the
people were confessed on the head of a goat that was led away to be lost in the wilderness (Lev. 16:21). This is a
type of sending Satan far away.
There are a few scriptures that some believe indicate that God could or will destroy Satan at some time (Ezek.28:16
-19, Mark 1:24, Heb. 2:14). But at a minimum, Satan is portrayed in prophecy as being cast out into darkness,
away from the Kingdom of God where there is, by contrast, continual light (Rev. 21:23-25). God has not yet de-
stroyed Satan and if Satan is cast out instead of being destroyed, that is God’s prerogative. While one may not want
to hold their breath in expectation, it would certainly be the better outcome, if it were possible, for every fallen an-
gel to repent. We already hope that most every fallen man will, in some time and circumstance, repent, have the
sacrifice of Christ applied to pay the penalty for their sins, live a properly motivated Christian life, and obtain salva-
tion. Page 5 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 4
There are numerous instances when God has looked upon and dealt directly with sin, beginning when the Lord
told Cain that Abel’s blood cried out to Him from the ground (Gen. 4:10). The Lord, accompanied by two angels,
came to investigate first hand the seriousness of the sinful and perverse activities going on in Sodom and Gomor-
rah (Gen. 18:20-21). Jesus Himself was seen associating with winebibbers, tax collectors, and other sinners
(Matt. 11:19). There is no clear scriptural basis to conclude that God would look away just before Jesus died.
When Abraham was instructed to sacrifice Isaac, a foretype of the Father sacrificing His Son Jesus, Abraham was
not told to look away before plunging the knife into his son. And indeed, Abraham had raised the knife to do so
when he was told to stop (Gen. 22:10-12).
Before we accept traditional interpretations or the conventional wisdom about what the Bible says, it is helpful to
analyze each teaching carefully. We must ask what each scripture says, what it doesn’t say, and who was being
spoken to for what purpose. The historical context is often very important to consider. In the case when Jesus
cried out loudly in Aramaic, we do know that the words He cried pointed to the confirmation of His identity to all
within earshot. And His crying was important enough to be recorded in two of the gospel accounts. How like a
loving Savior it would be for Him to be thinking of others and His mission while enduring great pain! Jesus had
communicated with others present, including those crucified on either side of Him. While on the stake, He as-
signed the care of His mother Mary to His disciple John. The effort to cry aloud and be heard by all those gath-
ered around surely held an important purpose.
Jesus was not forsaken (left behind or deserted) for long. As noted above, Jesus prayed after His crying out,
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). His Father brought Him out of the tomb in a resurrec-
tion after three days and three nights, as Jesus knew His Father would do. It is important to note that a significant
portion of Psalm 22 has not yet taken place, because Jesus is not yet ruling over all nations on the earth. But that
day is sure. It was inspired by the One who is True – by the very One that cried out! That same Jesus will return
again with great noise and fanfare and His cry at that time will capture the attention of all who dwell on the Earth
(1 Thes. 4:16, Rev. 19:11-16). All will see His appearing (Matt. 24:30). The prophecies of Psalm 22 will be
completely fulfilled by the Messiah that inspired its’ writing.
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Page 6 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 4
MID-MISSOURI CHURCH OF GOD
PO Box 92, Eldon, MO 65026/mailing address. Street address is: 602 East North Street. Phone: 573-392-1232 or 573-498-3775;
Email: todd@craigcomputers.com Website: www.mmcg.org The Mid-Missouri Church of God (MMCG) holds Christian
Sabbath services each Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at 602 East North Street, Eldon, MO… A Bible Study and song service is scheduled
at 10:30am before Sabbath services. Potluck meals after services are planned for the fourth Sabbath of each month. A weekly
Bible study is held each Thursday at 6:00pm. It is best to call ahead and confirm times if you are traveling any distance to visit us
(see the phone numbers above). Occasionally we will cancel local services to attend en masse elsewhere. Come and enjoy the fel-
lowship! Also, the first Wednesday of each month the ladies meet for a “get together” and you can contact Martha Roberts at
573-496-3203 or Charleen Gitthens at 573-392-5965 for location and time if you plan to attend.
T R E T A E R G Q V O P W B G
B L G P C J T O R B J J D G Z
I I F E Q B E T I S J H W Y J
A L O R D B J A E V E G Y P P
M O R E H C A E T L J E S U S
B V H S I R Z N L M P E P Y N
S Q A G W B Z R S A E M Z B U
U Z W D Z K K P T Z T U A D O
P S E L P I C S I D E T W X B
P U W E T E E F F S R N B R E
E A W P R E C I A H A A M C L
R N A Z R F T Q Y M W V W G L
P A S S O V E R Y B L R U R M
T M H C Q J I D O S Z E F G S
Y R E T S A M J F V B S I N Z
THE MASTER BECOMES A SERVANT
(JOHN 13:1-17)
DISCIPLES LORD SERVANT
EXAMPLE MASTER SUPPER
FEET PASSOVER TEACHER
GREATER PETER WASH
JESUS
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