Is My Bow Too Big? How I Went From Saturday Night Live to the Tea Party (33 page)

And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
(Matthew 28:9)

Jesus heard that they had put him out; and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
(John 9:35–38)

And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
(Hebrews 1:6)

Jesus is Prayed To:

But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears, and they rushed upon him with one impulse. And when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he fell asleep.
(Acts 7:55–60)

Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
³
(1 Corinthians 1:1–2)

For “whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?
⁴
(Romans 10:13–14)

Jesus is the First and Last:

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.’ ”
(Isaiah 44:6)

“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
(Revelation 1:17)

_______________

¹
In the Greek, “He” is not there. Jesus is thus taking on Himself the covenantal name of God: YHWH (which means I AM). See Exodus 3:14. Jesus takes this name again more explicitly in John 8:58.

²
This is quoted from Psalm 45:6, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.”

³
The phrase “to call upon the name of the Lord” is a phrase used to designate prayer (See 1 Kings 18:24; Zech. 13:9).

⁴
Paul is speaking of calling upon Jesus. The phrase “Call upon the name of the Lord” is a quote from Joel 2:32: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the L
ORD
shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the L
ORD
hath said, and in the remnant whom the L
ORD
shall call.” Lord here is YHWH, the name of God as revealed in Exodus 3:14. Therefore, this quote, dealing with God Himself, is attributed by Paul to Jesus.

Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

As the Son of God: Psalms 2:7

Fulfilled: Luke 1:32, 35

As the descendant of Abraham: Genesis 17:7 ; 22:18

Fulfilled: Galatians 3:16

As the descendant of Isaac: Genesis 21:12

Fulfilled: Hebrews 11:17-19

As the descendant of David: Psalms 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5

Fulfilled: Acts 13:23; Romans 1:3

His coming at a set time: Genesis 49:10; Daniel 9:24–25

Fulfilled: Luke 2:1

His being born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14

Fulfilled: Matthew 1:22–23; Luke 2:7

His being called Immanuel: Isaiah 7:14

Fulfilled: Matthew 1:22–23

His being born in Bethlehem of Judea: Micah 5:2

Fulfilled: Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-6

His miracles: Isaiah 35:5, Isaiah 35:6

Fulfilled: Matthew 11:4-6; John 11:47

His rejection by His brethren: Psalms 69:8; Isaiah 63:3

Fulfilled: John 1:11; 7:3

His being a stone of stumbling to the Jews: Isaiah 8:14

Fulfilled: Romans 9:32; 1 Peter 2:8

His being sold for thirty pieces of silver: Zechariah 11:12

Fulfilled: Matthew 26:15

His price being given for the potters field: Zechariah 11:13

Fulfilled: Matthew 27:7

Apologist Josh McDowell calculated the odds of Jesus fulfilling only eight of the Messianic prophecies as 1 out of 10
¹⁷
(a one followed by 17 zeros). This is equivalent to covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep, marking one of them, mixing them all up and having a blind-folded person select the marked one at random the first time.

Acknowledgments

My only sibling, James Jackson, lent his brilliant wit and his architectural design skills to put order and structure to my scattered memories, poems, and ukulele ditties. In a series of late night phone calls between his trips to China to build a mall, and Abu Dhabi where he designed a university complete with prayer rooms facing Mecca, Jimmy and his proliferation of ideas, attempted to transform my diary into a work of art.

David Athey, my Palm Beach Atlantic creative writing professor and author of
Christopher
, was gracious enough to go over my book with a fine-tooth comb. He taught me to “paint a picture with words.” He also told me that, so far, poetry has profited him only twelve dollars—even though his book of poems was required reading for the freshman class.

Joseph Farah, Mike O’Fallon, Gary Demar, Brandon Vallaroni, and Jared Vallaroni took me out of semi-retirement and put me to work saving the country and building the Lord’s kingdom.

Kent and Ann Thelen and family are the wind beneath everyone’s wings—finding, nurturing, feeding, encouraging, and housing strangers like me purely because of their passionate love for Christ.

Thank you to my patient Editors—intense Eric Rauch, enthusiastic Justus Stout, capable Blake Adams, and meticulous Michael Minkoff.

And Joseph Darnell, for his artistic talent and tall kindness.

Rhett Bryson, James Hatcher, Johnny Crawford, Milt Larsen, John Schrum, Jim McCawley, Johnny Carson, Hugh Hefner, Betty Fanning, Michael Callan, Lorne Michaels, Genevieve Robert, and, more recently, Kim Stryker and Ann Fishman gave me the opportunity to experience the dazzling excitement of a career in show biz.

Elizabeth Litzenberg Clement, Glenn Millican, John “Alix” Alexander, and Brenda Salmon are true best friends.

Paul, Aubrey, Scarlet, Brandon, and Ever make my life complete and fill it with love.

Mom designed and sewed my Homecoming dress and red, terry cloth bikini strategically to hide my flat chest; was the best confidante, cheerleader, cook, taxi driver, nurse, furniture mover, memory keeper, and immaculate homemaker. She went back to work nights in her stiff, starched, white nurses’ hat, white uniform, white hose, and white shoes so that we could afford to attend a Christian school. She daily quoted, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” She waited on her family like a slave, with a constant smile, while loudly singing show tunes and the entire Baptist Hymnal.

My unique father, Jim Jackson taught me everything I know, including Vaudeville tricks, clown makeup, juggling, and unicycle; my one piano and uke lesson (all songs can be played with C-F-G). He taught me the handstand, flips, balance, discipline, enjoying the journey, the Bible, and that college is simply paying someone to make you read books; that Kant was wrong and the Apostle Paul was right; that learning is a lifelong and exciting adventure… and cashews are fattening. Dad is 83 and, when asked about his funeral, he says, “I’ll go if Mom insists.” Then, “Have them play ‘My Tribute’ by Andre Crouch, instrumental.”

How can I say thanks

for the things you have done for me,

Things so undeserved

yet you gave to prove your love for me,

The voices of a million angels

could not express my gratitude,

All that I am, or ever hope to be,

I owe it all to Thee.

To God be the glory.