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Below for lurkers. . .

EASTER QUIZ AND ANSWERS

T F 1 Peter and “the other disciple” were the first to see the resurrected Jesus.

T F 2 The Roman guards were struck dead before the empty tomb.

T F 3 Jesus’ head wrapping was seen disheveled on the tomb floor after His resurrection.

T F 4 Jesus spoke the name of Mary of Magdala so that she then recognized Him as Jesus.

T F 5 Men and women disciples took spices to the tomb for the dead body of Jesus.

T F 6 The tomb belonged to Nicodemus and was on loan for Jesus’ corpse.

T F 7 In one place in the Gospel records, one angel is mentioned while in another place two angels are mentioned.

T F 8 Jesus spoke the word “Peace” four times to His disciples, at least as is mentioned in one of the gospel records.

T F 9 John said in his Gospel that if all were written that Jesus did and taught, the world would not be able to contain the record.

T F 10 Jesus’ burial garb was all of one piece.

T F 11 Mary Magdalene met Jesus in a garden near the tomb.

T F 12 We are told in the gospels that the “other disciple” is in fact Peter.

T F 13 Jesus permitted Mary Magdalene to cling to His resurrected body.

T F 14 Jesus warned Thomas not to touch His resurrected body.

T F 15 It was eight days after Jesus first appeared to several disciples that Jesus then appeared to Thomas.

T F 16 Jesus was able to enter a building without opening its door.

T F 17 Jesus was on the planet fifty days after His death and prior to His ascension.

T F 18 Jesus walked the Emmaus Road with two disciples after His resurrection.

T F 19 Jesus appeared to some of His enemies after His resurrection.

T F 20 Jesus was seen by Mary, mother to James, after His resurrection.

T F 21 Joanna saw Jesus’ resurrected body.

T F 22 John’s Gospel accents the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene.

T F 23 Three times Jesus asked John if He loved him, according to the record.

T F 24 Jesus commanded Thomas to feed Jesus’ lambs, according to the record.

T F 25 Jesus instructed the disciples that John would live forever.

T F 26 Somehow a fire was already burning on the shore when Jesus invited His disciples to breakfast.

T F 27 Jesus asked His men disciples to join Him in eating fish after His resurrection.

T F 28 Peter, fishing from the boat, had to cloth himself when seeing Jesus upon the shore.

T F 29 When Peter, in a boat, saw Jesus, Peter jumped into the water.

T F 30 There were 153 fish caught by the disciples after Jesus told them where to cast their nets.

T F 31 Jesus instructed the weary disciples to lower their nets on the left hand side of the boat, then they would catch fish.

T F 32 When the disciples caught so many fish, the nets broke.

T F 33 When Jesus ate fish with the two after the Emmaus Road walk, then they recognized His identity.

T F 34 Jesus’ hands were completely healed after His resurrection so that not even the nailprints were visible.

T F 35 One of the messages the angels told the women on Easter morning was not to be afraid.

T F 36 Jesus told those He saw not to be afraid.

T F 37 After His resurrection, Jesus stayed only in the Jerusalem area until His ascension.

T F 38 There was a great earthquake at Easter dawn.

EASTER QUIZ ANSWERS

1 F
2 F
3 F
4 T
5 F
6 F
7 T
8 F
9 T
10 F
11 T
12 F
13 F
14 F
15 T
16 T
17 T
18 F
19 T
20 F
21 T
22 T
23 T
24 F
25 F
26 F
27 T
28 T
29 T
30 T
31 F
32 F
33 F
34 F
35 T
36 T
37 F
38 T

tis the season, after all . . .

CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH QUIZ

1 True or False. We know that Jesus was born on December 25.

2 True or False. Jesus’ mother’s name was Mary.

3 True or False. Jesus’ father’s name was Joseph.

4 True or False. Jesus grew up in Bethlehem.

5 True or False. Jesus was born of a virgin.

6 True or False. The parents of Mary and Joseph decided they (that is, Mary and Joseph) would marry one another.

7 True or False. Mary’s mother’s name was Anna, according to the Bible.

8 True or False. Mary’s father’s name was Jehoikim, according to the Bible.

9 Jesus lived in _____________________________ during his growing up years.

10 The ________________ saw baby Jesus in a house.

11 The _______________________ saw Jesus in a stall.

12 Herod did / did not go to see Jesus in order to worship Him.

13 Nazareth, the hamlet where Jesus grew up, is located in Israel’s a) north b) south c) east or d) west.

14 True or False. God is the father of Jesus.

15 True or False. Mary and Joseph chose the name “Jesus” for their first-born.

16 True or False. “Jesus” means “Savior / Redeemer”.

17 Jesus has a title. It is __________________________.

18 True or False. The full name for Jesus would have been “Jesus bar Joseph”, which means “Jesus son of Joseph.”

19 True or False. The innkeeper told Mary and Joseph that there was no room in the inn for them.

20 True or False. Mary and Joseph would have been in their teens when Jesus was born, according to Bible scholars.

21 The mileage between Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, and Bethlehem, where Jesus was born is ________________________.

22 True or False. Bethlehem and Jerusalem are near to one another.

23 How many miles are there between Bethlehem and Jerusalem? ___________________________

24 Israel is the size of what US state? ______________________________

25 True or False. Scriptures list the half-brothers’ names of Jesus.

26 True of False. Jesus’ half-sisters’ names are listed in the Bible.

27 True or False. Mark 6:3 is the place where we can read the mentioning of Jesus’ half-brothers and half-sisters.

28 True or False. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was perpetually a virgin, was born without original sin, and was assumed into heaven without dying.

29 True or False. There is Biblical support for the Catholic teachings.

30 “House of Bread” is the meaning of the word ________________________________.

31 The espousal / betrothal period lasted nearly ________________________ months.

32 Who called for the wedding—the groom or bride? Circle the correct answer.

33 True or False. The magi were Gentiles.

34 True or False. The shepherds were Jews.

35 True or False. The magi saw baby Jesus before the shepherds.

36 True or False. The betrothal period is the same as our engagement period.

37 True or False. The betrothal period could only be broken by a writ of divorce.

38 Hanukkah lasts for _____________________ days.

39 Hanukkah is usually in what month of the year? ________________________

40 True or False. Hanukkah is one of the major Jewish feasts / holy times.

41 True or False. The menorah is the same as the seven-stemmed golden lampstand placed in the Old Testament tabernacle / temple.

42 True or False. The menorah is made up of eight candles total.

43 True or False. The leader candle is called in Hebrew “shammash.”

44 True or False. Judah Maccabees was the one who led the revolt against the pagans who desecrated the temple in the intertestamental period.

45 The year that the pagan desecration began was _________________________ BC.

46 The year the Maccabean Revolt was successful in toppling the enemy was ____________________ BC.

47 True or False. Antiochus Ephiphanes was the Syrian ruler who sacrificed a pig in the Holy of Holies to show his disdain for the Jewish God, Jehovah.

48 The menorah can be molded into (a) one form only or (b) many different designs and sizes.

49 True or False. Sometimes gifts are exchanged during Hanukkah.

50 True or False. The dreidel is used during Hanukkah in a kind of gambling game.

51 True or False. Special recipes are used during Hanukkah, one of them being the latke cakes.

52 The miracle of Hanukkah is that oil found in a cruse within the desecrated temple was holding only _______ day’s supply of oil but in fact provided an __________ day supply until more oil was located.

53 The oil was used to light the seven-stemmed golden _____________________ in the temple.

54 True or False. The menorah was used as a furnishing within the temple confines during the intertestamental period.

55 True or False. The Maccabees were outnumbered by the Syrians in the Maccabean Revolt, yet the Maccabees eventually—through persistence—won out.

CALAMITY AT CHRISTMAS

What a handsome Christmas tree we had bought at the local
agricultural school! It stood tall in the corner of our liv-
ing room. The stand was full of water, and all we
needed to do was string the lights and hang the ornaments.

My wife traditionally places the lighted angel atop
the tree. Next she carefully strings the lights from right
to left all the way down the tree. The rest of us hang
the decorations on the limbs.

This year we had everything in place when
suddenly the tree fell over. Our older daughter was caught
beneath it all. Lights went helter-skelter. Ornaments
flew across the room. Water poured out of the stand,
soaking into the carpet. A forlorn angel lay on its side
beneath the branches. What a mess for a December
Saturday afternoon!

It was not with the best of moods that we hoisted
the tree upright again. We moved it to another corner
so the carpet could dry out. Once more we filled the
stand with water. We straightened the angel atop the
tree, strung the lights, and laced the branches with
decorations.

To help lift our irritated spirits, we played tradi-
tional carols throughout the house, filling the rooms
with melody. Someone made a fresh pot of tea. Some-
one else discovered cookies in the kitchen cupboard.

Soon the front doorbell rang. Jay, our son, opened
the door to find a neighbor standing there.

"Is your father home?" he asked. Jay invited him
inside. I greeted my neighbor, wondering what
brought him to our house that day.

"Do you think I could chat with you, perhaps
even have prayer?" The man looked intently into my
face.

Because there was so much bustle in our house, I
quickly reasoned that it would be best for the two of
us to walk across to the nearby church sanctuary. I
grabbed my winter jacket and the church keys as my
friend followed behind me.

Once inside the church, he spilled out his woe.

"I need prayer. My family needs prayer. I knew
when I passed your church sign that God told me to
stop and ask for you to pray with me."

I was curious about what was bothering this
young man. Often we had waved to each other in
passing. From time to time I stopped by with baked
goods for his family. He had even spoken to me once
about his alcoholic brother, asking me for counsel.

"It's Christmas--yet my family is heavy in heart
this season," he began. His cheery Irish cheeks gave
no hint as to the weight upon his spirit. "My wife got
the news that she has cancer," he said softly, not quite
sure he had the courage to say those words. "She's
started chemotherapy. Her weight is affected. Her hair
is going. Yet she has such courage. She puts on a
strong front, particularly for the children." There were
six in the family.

We sat together on the front pew of the sanctuary.

To our right the newly decorated church shone with
bulbs and balls. To our left the baby doll representing
Jesus lay quietly, peacefully. Each of the sanctuary
windows had been decorated with a candle. Yet in the
midst of this festive atmosphere two men's hearts
sank.

"I'm so sorry to hear this," I said. "We must take
this to the Lord."

We left our places, made our way to the simple
altar, and knelt. Our hearts spilled before the throne of
heaven. In the calm of the church a serenity began to
blanket our troubled souls. It became quite easy to
pray as the Spirit of a loving God drew near to bring
special comfort.

I heard this man sobbing beside me, especially
when I mentioned his children in prayer. I knew this
would be the heaviest part of his burden.

"Lord, be near these little ones in their private
worlds of anguish. In their tears, talk peace to them. In
their confusion, come with heaven's understanding."

Presently the Spirit released us from our prayers.

Two men stood at the front of the sanctuary just a few
feet from the wooden prayer altar. We knew that, for
that moment, we had done all we could do.

Richard thanked me for being a praying friend as
well as a neighbor.

"When you were praying, Pastor, a special glow of
the Lord settled upon my heart," he whispered. "The
burden has been lifted considerably."

We walked out of the church together--one man
with a healthy wife and children ready to celebrate
Christmas, and the other with a sick wife and grieving
children ready to attempt to celebrate. I thought back
a few hours to a fallen tree with lights scattering like
disobedient children across our living room carpet.

We had become impatient; our day was not as perfect
as we had planned.

Now I reconsidered the meaning of calamity. The
tousled tree was nothing compared to a troubled
neighbor. Yet in the hurt of this man I knew God was
working to lift up the fallen, set aright the downcast,
and bring help to the scattered children's hearts. It
would take time. It would take prayer. But in the end
their lives would be straightened and lightened--in
one of heaven's ways or another.

ONE CHRISTMAS I MET AN ANGEL

IT WAS THE MOST DEPRESSING CHRISTMAS OF
MY LIFE.

My wife and I had been married for nine years.

Since our second year together, she had been ill. Now
she was facing brain surgery.

Her illness forced me to leave my Midwest pas-
torate. We moved to my in-laws’ home in New Eng-
land. Medical tests followed. Then the day of surgery.

It was Christmas, but it didn’t seem like Christmas
to me. Traditional lights were glistening everywhere,
and churches were abuzz with excitement, but I felt a
coldness in my heart akin to the freezing rains that hit
me as I trudged uphill to the hospital.

A world-respected physician, James L. Poppen of
New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, believed the
operation would relieve my wife's constant head pain.
He would place a shunt in her head, connecting the
brain to the heart for the release of pressure under her
skull.

I spent many hours in the hospital’s chapel. I
basked in the quietness there as I sought God's peace
for my troubled soul.

Our only daughter was in Connecticut with her
Grandparents while my wife and I endured that
somber holiday. I could hardly believe this usually
cheerful season of the year could turn so dismal.

The hospital is located atop a city hill. To get there
one must climb a narrow street often treacherous with
December's ice. I drove up that tiny passage each day
to be near my wife. Our Christmas Day would be spent
in an old section of the hospital, with its barren walls
and eerie alcoves.

I had no place to stay at night and couldn’t afford
a hotel. An older, unmarried friend of ours lived in a
suburb nearby. Knowing that Priscilla, my wife, would
be undergoing surgery and that I would be stranded in
a strange city, Marian offered her home as a refuge for
me during this difficult time.

During the day, Marian worked as secretary to the
Dean of Students at a college in the area. After arriving
home in the evenings, she would wait up for me like a
mother hen. Upon my return from a draining day of be-
ing with my wife at the hospital, Marian would share her
genuine laughter and a cup of hot tea. I needed both.

One night as I left the hospital, I discovered one of
my tires was flat. My car was parked on the top of the
lonely hill. My feet and hands were freezing in the aw-
ful winds.

After changing the tire, I was in no mood for cele-
brating any holiday, let alone the most meaningful
one of the year. I was anxious to ditch it all and get on
with a new year, praying that it would be a lot better
than the one we had just staggered through.

When I arrived at Marian’s home, I discovered
that she was in a festive mood. The tiny apartment
was lighted throughout. Simple refreshments were
waiting on the small table, and her heart was merry.

I thanked God for the pullout couch that was
awaiting me in the den. And I was particularly grateful
for this warm abode where I could dry out my damp-
ened spirit.

"Marian, you need some practical additions to
this place," I said one evening while taking stock of her
living quarters. I noticed that there were a number of
items missing from her kitchen--tools, baskets, racks
for this and that.

"Oh, I know--and I could have bought them a
long time ago, but I guess I never got around to it," she
replied.

I knew Marian gave a lot of her money to college
students in need. One by one she would invite them
over to feed them, listen to them, and pray with them.

Over the years she became so popular with the stu-
dents that they set aside a special day one year and
named it after her. They made her the guest of honor
in that day's chapel service, presenting her with a gift
from the whole student body.

Considering the typical needs of college students,
I could figure out why Marian was missing one conven-
ient device after another. So when returning one
night from the hospital, I decided the Lord was nudg-
ing me to pack a collection of household gadgets into
a large plastic clothes carrier.

I must have looked strange walking into that
apartment building with this array of items. Neverthe-
less, I had more of a Christmas feeling as I climbed the
several flights of stairs to her door on the top floor.

I knocked. She opened the door, and I rushed in
with my assortment of gifts. One by one I lifted them
into the air for her to see.

She smiled as she handled each present with de-
light. I darted into one space after another, suggesting
just where she could use each present. Soon the
kitchen and living room were adorned with new ob-
jects that spelled my thanksgiving at Christmastime.

My wife's surgery was over. There was a long recu-
peration period to go through. It would be well into
January before she could be released from the hospital
for a return trip to Connecticut.

Yet in the midst of it all, I felt that the awful loneli-
ness of the city was beginning to ebb for both of us.

We were being buoyed with new hope for the future.

"But why did you buy all these things?" Marian
asked. "You can't afford these."

She was right, of course. But I could not afford to
have done otherwise. I knew that without her hospi-
tality to me at Christmas, I wouldn't have made it.

"Marian, it's the least I can do for you. You've
been so kind to me that I just felt I had to do some-
thing to say thanks. So this is it."

She broke into laughter and walked toward the
teapot again, ready to pour me a cup. I saw tears in
her eyes as she moved into the kitchen. I knew she un-
derstood my feelings better than I could express them
in words. After all, I was one of those young persons
she had helped through the years.

As I sipped the steaming tea, I looked at her,
framed against the Christmas lights shining from the
living room window. The glow was unmistakable. It
was then that I knew it to be true--in the midst of my
confusion and heartache, God had sent me an angel at
Christmastime.

No Christmas can ever be too bleak for Him. His
messengers are still at work, no matter how dark the
times.