Hosanna to Hallelujah

Gail Holman

Description

Eight short fictional stories about Holy week. Focus on worship, personal growth, and evangelism. Appropriate for devotional or Bible study for all ages. Bonus: Fourteen original poems.

Imagine being in Jerusalem during Passover week. Watch as Jesus rides the donkey past the olive trees down the mountainside. Worship with the widow as she gives her last two coins. Go with the Greeks to seek Jesus at the temple. Feel the chill as the sun dims on Friday. Grieve with the disciples on the day after the crucifixion. Rejoice with Mary of Magdala as she tells her niece about the resurrection.

Use these short fictional stories to enhance your preparation for the Easter celebration. Reflect on how the characters are affected by their encounters with Jesus. This is appropriate for Bible study groups, family worship, personal growth or as a gift for comfort or evangelism.

Bonus: Fourteen original poems including Sneaky Christmas, The Broken Stained Glass Window and award winning, In the Attic of My Mind.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Anthologies
• Collections
• Devotional
• Devotion
• Christian novel
• Easter
• Christian
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 16 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664268609
• Langue: English

Extrait

Hosanna to Hallelujah
 
 
 
 
 
GAIL HOLMAN
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2022 Gail Holman.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6861-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6860-9 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022910907
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 08/16/2022
Contents
Preface
Eight Days in JERUSALEM
Sunday with Caleb and Jacob
Monday with Leah
Tuesday with Widow Abigail and Her Friend
Wednesday with Mahlon and Gideon
Thursday with Alexander, Philip, and Lucius
Friday in Jerusalem
Saturday with the Disciples
Sunday with Mary of Magdala and Deborah
Poetry of Inspiration and Devotion
Missing
Stormy Sight
Sneaky Christmas
The Broken Stained-Glass Window
The Old Country Church
Must Be God
Lifted Up
The Missing Wonder of Christmas
Before
Every Day Psalm
Poetry of Family, Fun, and Love
The Soft Playground
In the Attic of My Mind
My Child
Don’t Get Old
Preface
Have you ever wondered what it might have been like to be in Jerusalem during the last days of Jesus’s earthly ministry? Here are eight fictional short stories about people in Jesus’s time, combined with supporting scripture for study. Meet a variety of characters whose lives intersect with Jesus’s between his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and resurrection Sunday.
This period encompasses more than one-fourth (twenty-five chapters) of the four gospels. It reminds us how much Jesus packed into his final days of ministry on earth.
I envision walking down the streets and peering into the hearts and lives of people of various circumstances.
My prayer is that these stories will enhance your worship and give you thoughts to ponder about what Christ was doing during the week of his crucifixion. He related to people in his time, and he desires to relate to us. We can talk to him and tune our spiritual ears to listen when he speaks to us. Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version, The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York. My copy was given to me in 1965, and there is no copyright date in it.
The scripture study references are to guide you so you can verify the events portrayed in these stories.
Eight Days in JERUSALEM
Sunday with Caleb and Jacob
Matthew 21:2–3, Luke 19:28–44, John 12:12–16
Donkey, donkey, there you are.
Have some grain and hay.
Here’s the halter for your nose.
You’re ready for the day.
I t is Sunday again, and morning dew covers the ground as birds wake and sing at the first glimpse of dawn. The racket of the rooster pierces the last minutes of slumber and rouses the donkey and her foal, which replies with a loud bray. Caleb and Jacob grab their bread and head out the door to their favorite hideout by the huge olive trees. It’s close enough that they can hear Grandpa, his brother, Hosea, and the elders expound on the issues of the day.
“Brother Hosea, that was a beautiful spring Sabbath yesterday, wasn’t it?” Grandpa breathes in the fragrant air as he lays down his walking stick and joins the group of older men soaking up the morning sun.
Hosea replies, “I heard that Jesus is coming up from Jericho to celebrate the Passover with friends, as he has done each year. Will this be the time he takes his rightful throne?” He picks up a straw and begins chewing on it.
“God is the only one,” says Grandpa, “who knows the extent of the graft, bribery, and corruption that needs to be cleaned out of the government, as well as temple politics. Doesn’t he get tired of it?”
“The intrigue and scheming has gone on for years. I can’t think of an honest man among them,” Hosea says. “Add to that the pagan idols, superstition, and philosophy of Roman and Greek culture, and you have a world that’s upside down.”
“Yes, Hosea, it’s either that, or sin is normal and the Torah is upside down. Is it ever going to end?” Grandpa grumbles. “We wouldn’t have anything to gripe about if it weren’t for sin. We need King Jesus!”
Two travelers walk into the yard and untie the donkey and her colt.
“Hey, where are you taking them?” the old brothers ask at the same time.
“The master has need of them,” one traveler says.
Grandpa hides his mouth behind his hand and mutters to Hosea, “What? He needs donkeys? Especially one that hasn’t been broken to ride? What a crazy thing to do. Jesus always walks!”
“These men must have been sent by Jesus,” replies Hosea. “He does things that make people wonder. Some people think he’s crazy.” He grabs his walking stick. “Let’s go see where they’re taking the donkeys.”
Jumping down from his perch in the fork of the big olive tree, Jacob runs to the house, followed by Caleb. “Dad, can Caleb and I follow and see what those two travelers are going to do? We won’t get in trouble, and we’ll come back before supper. Please? Grandpa already went up the hill. Can we go, too?” Their anticipation of adventure is written all over their adolescent faces.
Well, of course these boys will come home before supper. They’re always hungry . The boys’ father shakes his head at the thought and smiles. “Okay, but be careful. Trouble is just like thick mud—easier to stay away from than to get out of. That’s what your grandpa used to say all the time, and it’s still true!”
Running, the boys are beyond the sound of his voice before he can finish his sentence. They follow the two travelers leading the donkeys up the road. As they leap over rocks and dart around trees, their youthful legs and quick reflexes help them avoid colliding with the travelers headed in the opposite direction.
Psalms of assent echo from the hillsides. Soon Caleb and Jacob hear loud shouting and see people carrying palm branches. As they get closer to the source, they see Jesus coming toward them. He’s riding the colt, which is saddled with robes. The road is blanketed with clothing and palm branches. People are shouting, “Blessed is the king that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna, save us.”
“Let’s climb that palm tree and get some more branches,” Caleb says.