30 Dec, 2009
Can You Beat a Rock?
'Painted by God himself'
Son finds rock with profile embedded of Jesus
LAS VEGAS, NM - A year after her son's death, Jean Padilla of Oregon found comfort in a rock her son found 30 years ago.
This just isn't any old rock.
Scientists are actually calling it a natural phenomenon.
"He was with a group of friends," Padilla recalls. "He set up some cans for target practicing. He said he picked up the rock and went to throw it, and something told him to look at it."
When her son did, who was 10 years old at the time, spotted what he believed to be an image of Jesus Christ.
Story provided by: wishtv.com.
Luke 19:35-40 (New Living Translation)
So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
What does God's Story scripture teach us about praising God?
Jesus is making what is called the "Triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. This is likely days before the crowd would turn on Jesus and yell, "Crucify!" It is possible that some of the very same people who sing his praise in this scene are the same ones seeking his execution in a short while.
There is an exciting tone in this scripture, you can feel the delight of the crowd as they watch Jesus enter the city. Many, likely, expect that he has come to overthrow the oppresive Roman government. In the midst of the crowd's joy, there are a few not so excited. They don't like the sound of the things people are shouting. There scorn for the multitudes praise sets before us a powerful challenge...
When the Pharisees ask Jesus to silence the people he tells them, "It wouldn't matter. If the people won't do the job of praise then the rocks will!"
How can we connect today's God's Story Scripture to our lives?
Is your life filled with praise for God or are the rocks doing a better job? If we are giving little or no praise to God then the rocks will step in to fill the gap. With the love that God has shown us by creating us, surrounding us with a beautiful earth, and most of all giving us Jesus, are we willing to let a bunch of rocks out praise us.
Can that be on your list of goals for 2010 — to spend more time praising God?
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture, and our story to others?
I read somewhere, that one of the things that drew people to the first century Christian's was a difference in their song. People wanted to know the source of joy and praise that filled the things they sang.
How would it affect your friends if your life was filled with praise? How might the lives of people around you be different if you showed Jesus' "image" better than a rock did?
May it be a priority for you to live a life of praise.
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