SALT Challenge - Gethsemane

This week it was Pauline's turn to pick the topic for the SALT team and she chose Gethsemane...a fantastic topic!! Before I touch on our topic and today's card I want to mention that on Monday the Sweet 'n Sassy team will be hosting a blog hop (button on the right) so be sure to check back on Monday for details on prizes!! For today's card I decided to create a simple ATC that focused on Christ's words as He prayed alone in the garden before His arrest and crucifixion. The tree image and moon made me think of what it might have been like that night as Jesus was in agony over what He knew was going to happen to Him in the coming hours. One of the things that strikes me the most about this passage is the obvious distress that Jesus was in, for our sakes...He was, after all, God in the flesh, able to overthrow all of His enemies with just a word (John 18 gives us a peek into His great power, "Now when He said to them "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground."), and yet He was fully human, experiencing all of the emotions that we would (and do) face. His greater agony though was that He was about to have all of the guilt and sin of His people laid upon His head and God, His Father whom He had had perfect communion, would turn His back on Him during His greatest trial. In His humanness, Jesus prayed "please, please let this cup pass from Me", Spurgeon wrote, "The mental pressure arising from our Lord's struggle with temptation, so forced His frame to an unnatural excitement, that His pores sent forth great drops of blood, which fell down to the ground." However, His desire to do God's will and redeem a people for Himself demonstrates the mighty power of His love. Spurgeon goes on to write, "We see our Saviours in His agony; He is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of His agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish Himself, it drive it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours Him out upon the group, pictures the fullness of the offering which He made for men." Today's theme begs the question, "Do we perceive how intense must have been the wrestling through which He passed, and will we not hear its voice to us?" Seek Christ while He may be found... Please visit the SALT blog to see the lovely creations posted by our design team and if you're feeling inspired to create something based on this week's theme, leave us a comment with a link back to your blog or gallery.