Category Archives: Holy Days

June 27, 2026 · 10:28 am

When Pictures Speak

Last week our family enjoyed a vacation week together in the Black Hills. We visited such iconic places as Mt. Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Devil’s Tower National Monument and Custer State Park. It was a week filled with making memories, enjoying one another’s company and the beauty of creation. There were no shortage of photo opps. Some of them were staged, others presented themselves at scenic vistas, and some just developed.

The following photo was taken on The Needles Highway in Custer State Park. This is a scenic and winding drive through some unique geological features of that part of the Black Hills, and includes a couple of very narrow tunnels or passageways that have been cut out of the rock for vehicular passage.

We just happened to be the next vehicle behind this bus size RV as it carefully squeezed it’s way through the Iron Creek Tunnel on the Needle’s Highway. I’ll confess that I wasn’t sure it was going to make it, and I wondered at the moxi of the driver who, despite multiple road sign warnings before commitment to this route, was determined to try his luck.

As I watched and snapped the pics, this Scripture came to mind: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mt 19:24 NIV) In truth this verse has always kind of bothered me. It’s not that I’m rich, or even hang around with those of great wealth, but it just always seemed Jesus was calling out the affluent with his camel, eye of a needle, hyperbole. And of course he was – and is. An abundance of provisions or resources in life can lull us into a false confidence that we do not need anything or anyone – including the grace of God. Much of western civilization today knows this false confidence in comparison to much of the world. We are living under the illusion, too often, that we are self dependent.

But ususally an event or challenge will confront even the most misled among us along life’s way and reveal the falsity of such thinking. We find ourself trying to drive our metaphorical RV through a tight spot without scratching or dismembering it. We may even stop and seek reassurance that we’re going to make it. We might even ask for help.

The Scripture doesn’t say it’s impossible for the rich, or falsely overconfident, to enter the “Kingdom of God”, just that’s it’s challenging for those of us who are living in some type of affluence to admit our need for the grace, forgiveness, help, salvation that God’s Kingdom is associated with.

The good news is the guy in the bus size RV made it, not just through this tunnel, but an even trickier one that came up the road. That’s good news metaphorically as well for those who live in the affluence of a land of plenty, which includes more of us than we may want to admit.

Photos by Daniel M. Cash – Custer State Park, South Dakota – Needles Highway

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May 23, 2026 · 9:00 am

Pentecost Sunday Again

This Sunday, May 24th, is Pentecost Sunday. In my opinion it is the 3rd most significant day of the Christian or Church Year. #1 goes to Easter, hands down, as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and victory over sin and death. #2 goes to Christmas, the celebration of the Word made flesh, come to dwell among us – Emmanuel, but #3 is Pentecost. On Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the promised Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.

In too many cases Pentecost takes a back seat to other calendar events this time of the year. Memorial Day weekend often occurs near the Sunday of Pentecost, and Mother’s Day can also supplant the holy day. Pentecost occured 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection and 10 days after his acsension. Without Pentecost we would likely not have the Church, the living Body of Christ. Without Pentecost we Christ followers would be trying to do this Christian way of life without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.

Maybe you, like me, grew up in a Christian culture that did not pay much, if any, attention to Pentecost. There may have even been some fear of becoming too cozy with the concept of the Holy Spirit. Or fear of Pentecost sounding too much like “pentecostal”. Many orderly, straight-laced, Protestant churches wanted to stay clear of any kind of association with being “slain” in the Spirit, or speaking in tongues. Consequently Pentecost was overlooked. In non-liturgical church traditions, where Hallmark holidays (ala Mother’s Day and Father’s Day) or Civic holidays (ala Memorial Day) tended to carry more water than a funny sounding high-church day; Pentecost was left in the shadows.

This seems a sad oversight. What’s to neglect in the third person of the Trinity? What’s bad or questionable about celebrating a Comforter, Counselor or Advocate – the Paraclete – that is the Holy Spirit? Why wouldn’t the greater Church, and each local manifestation of it, want to acknowledge it’s inception as is recorded in Acts 2?

And, if those historical or theological reasons are not enough, who among us Christ followers, in today’s world, doesn’t benefit from the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives? Imagine facing the divisiveness of today, or the life challenges of today, without the comfort or counsel of God’s Holy Spirit! Imagine being left behind as orphans after Jesus’ acsension because the Holy Spirit did not descend. Thankfully, we do not have to imagine such things.

So, whether or not Pentecost is featured in your place of worship this Sunday, I challenge you to remember it and celebrate it. Memorial Day is a meaningful holiday, worthy of our acknowledgment as citizens of a free country, honoring those who gave their lives and service for that freedom. Here in Indiana it always comes coupled with our premier capital city festival, the Indianapolis 500. But this year, with Pentecost also coming on the same weekend, there is a trifecta for the Christ follower.

Were I to rank those three, I’d have to tip my hat to Pentecost. Why? Because, to quote the Apostle Paul, “our (primary) citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20) and our body “is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 6:19). And, to quote Jesus, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38), planted there by “the Spirit of truth” who “abides with you and will be in you”. (John 14:17)

Consider these prayerful lyrics from Hillsong’s, Holy Spirit Rain Down

Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down
Oh, Comforter and Friend
How we need Your touch again
Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down

Let Your power fall
Let Your voice be heard
Come and change our hearts
As we stand on Your word

Holy Spirit, rain down

No eye has seen, no ear has heard
No mind can know what God has in store
So open up Heaven, open it wide
Over Your church and over our lives

Amen.

© 2026 Daniel M. Cash

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May 14, 2026 · 9:00 am

Ascending to Embrace the Ascension

As a Baptist pastor, and part of the Free Church tradition, I have never focused too much on Jesus’ Ascension. Sure, I know it is recorded at the end of Luke’s Gospel and again in the beginning verses of Acts, Luke’s second volume; but I do not recall ever having preached a sermon or led a Bible study on the topic. Until this year, when that is exactly what I am planning to do. Why?

In part my interest in Jesus’ Ascension is sparked by my having leaned of late on the Revised Common Lectionary schedule of texts in my preaching. I determined to not leave Easter behind too quickly this year, so have mostly followed the recommended Gospel or Epistle readings for the Sunday’s of Easter. But this is not the only reason.

For the past three years I have also been working part-time as a chaplain in a Catholic hospital. It seems every time you turn around there is some kind of special feast day or saint day being recognized either in the communications shared with staff, or at a chapel service led by one of my priest chaplain colleagues. And, of course, Jesus’ Ascension (celebrated on May 14th) will qualify as one of those special days. Seeing the advertisements for such a “special day” and “special service” peaks my interest.

We Baptists never want anyone telling us what to do, what or how to preach, or really much of anything else. We are an independent (some might say “stubborn”) lot. But, I began to think maybe it was about time I investigated this holy day (The Ascension of our Lord) in the Christian calendar, and ministry of our Lord Jesus. What’s it all about? Why is it important? Is it important? (Yes it is!)

Let me lay the foundation for my affirmation in this way. To “ascend” is to “move upward, climb or rise to a higher point”. This can be done both physically and/or figuratively. Someone might ascend a hill, for example; but they might also ascend to a position of more responsibility. Turns out ascending is not all that uncommon in life. People do it all the time. They climb mountains, they scale the corporate ladder, they achieve degrees in higher education – they ascend.

Jesus’ ascension is a bit different from this, and yet, it’s not. At the close of his ministry on earth, 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus ascends into heaven. He “goes up”, physically moving from earth to the heavens. There are eye witnesses to his ascension, some of whom, like Dr. Luke, record it for our benefit. But what does it mean?

Jesus’ ascension signals the completion of his earthly ministry and his return to glory. It marks his elevation and exaltation to the right hand of God, where he assumes his role as our High Priest and mediator before God. This is important. It means that Jesus is advocating for us as our High Priest with God, our creator. In this priestly intercessory role Jesus, who suffered for our sins on the cross, is uniquely interceding for all those who suffer and call out to him. He is looking upon us – seeing us – as followers and disciples; loving us and making intercession for us. Doesn’t that give you some goose bumps? It should!

In addition, his ascension happens, as he repeatedly taught, so that the Holy Spirit can come and dwell within us. Jesus does not “leave us” as orphans, but he sends the Spirit to be our comforter, advocate and guide here on earth. This happened 10 days after The Ascension of our Lord, on the day of Pentecost.

Finally, in his ascended role, our High Priest/King/Savior/Lord is also (according to John 14) “preparing a place for us” and he will “come again” to take us to be with him, they we may be where he is. (Sit with that for a moment or two!). To put it another way, Jesus ascends in anticipation of returning for the Church. He cannot come back until he goes, and his going has everything to do with his plan to return. Luke says it this way, quoting the angelic messengers present at the ascension of the Lord: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” There’s been an ascension, and one day there will be a descending of the Victor Jesus, returning as promised to begin his judgement and reign as our King of Kings in the new heaven and new earth.

So, I ask you, doesn’t all of that add up to some solid reasoning from which to say “thank you” and recognize the role of Jesus’ acsension? Can’t even an independent, stubborn Baptist get behind that? I plan to. How about you?

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April 6, 2026 · 9:10 am

Easter Monday

A new day – a new creation grows in me.
Because He lives, so shall I.

A new hope – a new promise expands in me.
“Peace be with you”.  “So send I you”.

A new Kingdom – a new realm surrounds me.
My citizenship is not of this world. I have only One King.

A new life – a new heart beats in me.
The life beats of eternity take up their rhythm.

These are the realizations of Easter Monday.
Our is not to “move on”, “pack up”, or leave behind Easter.

Ours is to “move in”, “pick up” and remember.
All as we live in the light of the Good News of Jesus’ victory.

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February 18, 2026 · 10:52 am

Letting the Dust Settle

I did not grow up knowing Ash Wednesday. In fact I was probably in my late 30’s when I first attended an Ash Wednesday service. Since that initial experience I have since been to, even led, others. There is one being offered this evening at our church.

While I do not feel a need to be marked with a cross of ash residue on forehead or back of hand, I do respect the acknowledgement of mortality it represents. “From dust you came, to dust you will return”.

We are living in a time when there is a bombastic style of leadership attempting to drown out and overwhelm other messaging. Grandiose proclamations of “the greatest ever” this or that are commonplace. Shouting down and over criticism and questions has become the norm in the public sector. Hyperbolic statements of achievement and exagerated claims of significance reflect an egocentric approach that is, frankly, exhausting. Not only is humility absent, but praise is expected from those who serve alongside one whose unsatiatiable need for recogntion is unmatched. The adulation and acclaim sought seems unquenchable.

It is against this backdrop that Ash Wednesday arrives, an alternate message from an alternate perspective, sitting opposite the noise and bluster of today’s headlines. Ash Wednesday offers a needed reminder of humankind’s created status at the hands and mind of a benevolent Creator. It is about perspective, order, deferance, position – a need to acknowledge and assume a posture of humility. We, flawed and broken beings need the work of a Savior to rescue and redeem us. We are but dust, and to dust we shall return.

In Genesis 2 the account of creation shared states, “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”. (Gen. 2:7) I have always favored this telling of creation because of both the “hands on” nature of God it depicts, as well as the reminder it offers of where we come from. Without God’s creativity and breath, we are but dust.

Most people do not like to think about their mortality, which may be why Ash Wednesday services are so lightly attended. It’s not a popular message. Yet, it’s an important one. Ever since the Fall of humanity, the human being has operated as if we are the center of things, and not God. But Ash Wednesday reminds us that in the end, we are but dust, just as we began. This is not a message of fatalism, but realism. It’s a message of order, humility, deferance, and perspective.

Let us not be fooled, the loudest, brashest and most bombastic messages will not carry the day. Let the dust settle on that.

Images are from Great Sand Dunes National Park – Colorado. A dusty place!

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