We approach the most holy and special time of the Christian calendar this coming week, Holy Week as we call it. This is the greatest act of God to show us love than anything we can imagine.
I want to urge all of us to consider participating in the worship experiences of the whole week in order to get the story and to see how much love is being shown.
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem because it is where what is going to happen must happen. It's the holy city, the city of David, the high water mark of the relationship to God.
He is riding a donkey to show that he is coming in peace and not a warrior king. Jeremiah made that quite plain, but not everybody gets it.
Thursday night he participates in the Passover meal to connect to what happened to deliver the slaves while they were in Egypt.
He washed the disciples feet to show a new level of servanthood and to prepare them for what was coming in his life and in theirs.
He introduced the Lord's Supper so that we would have a special way to remember him and to recall what he was doing for us when he died on the cross.
He reminded them of the importance of love, on the help the Holy Spirit would give them, he introduced the rooms made in heaven for our comfort, he described what would be happening and he prayed for you and for me in his great priestly prayer in John 17.
He introduced the concept of constant connection as he walked to the garden of gethsemane passing those vineyards along the way.
He asked for prayer for himself to face the awesome challenge of dying for us.
He taught us to pray Not My Will, but Thy Will Be Done. This is the ultimate way to pray about everything.
St. Luke tells us he sweated blood that night, a medical sign of deep passion, stress, anxiety, as he wrestled with Satan one more time about whether to drink this cup of crucifixion or not.
He was encouraged and ministered to by angels as he affirmed his decision to meet his purpose at restoration with God.
He was betrayed by an insider, Judas led the soldiers to his hiding place for the arrest.
He was healing a servant's cut off ear, thanks to Peter's resistance, to continually show God's love and compassion even to an enemy. To live by the sword, will mean we die by the sword.
He was dragged to an unfair trial, he was abused during the night. And he had Peter deny even knowing him three times before the cock crow.
He was delivered to Pilate with trumped up charges about being the King of the Jews, so the romans would execute him, since it was currently illegal for the Sanhedrin to carry out a death sentence. The jews found him guilty of blasphemy, because he said he was the son of God.
Pilate had him beaten with a whip of sharp bones and lead to maximize the pain. He was mocked in a purple robe, crowned with a ring of thorns to cut into his head, and then dragged off to be crucified.
Crucifixion was a powerful and painful way of trying to discourage people from crossing or rebelling against the Romans.
Jesus forgave them even as he was being nailed to the cross. He connected his mother to John for safe keeping. He offered a companion on the cross a promise of paradise. He quoted Psalm 22 so that those who listened to him would know what he was going through and that he would come back. Go read Psalm 22 as a devotional.
He died to take away our sins. He died so that justice of the penalty for sin would be carried out, but on our behalf. It had to happen to him, because as God's son, the quality of the sacrifice was needed to cover all of our sins.
The temple curtain was torn in two, allowing for all to see God rather than obscured behind the curtain. This was another sign that Jesus' death on the cross was bringing us back to God.
He died and was buried in a borrowed tomb, he didn't own anything of his own, he was totally dependent on God.
But this is not the end of the story. Come back for the rest of the story...
I urge you to worship on Palm Sunday and on Maundy Thursday, and on Good Friday so that Easter will be the fantastic and glorious morning it is supposed to be.
Blessings on your spiritual journey
Pastor Jeff
Friday, March 27, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
March Madness
Hello Pilgrims on a Spiritual Journey, I've been working on our sign for out front of the church and came up with March Madness, from ashes to lilies. The Lenten journey is one that begins with the Ash Wednesday experience and moves toward the joy and gladness of an Easter celebration. I'm hoping you have been on a journey and growing in your faith this Lenten Season.
The current sign reads, Lent a time to fill in the potholes in your life. With all the car eating potholes on our streets, I hope some people can relate to the gift of God to fill in some of our potholes in our spiritual travels. God is in the repair and resurrection business.
Today is a collection of thoughts.
Sunday our choir presented their February music presentation, delayed not once but twice by the weather. The choir sang about the blessings and gifts that come to our worship experience, coming out of the slavery of African Americans. We learned between the songs where they came from and how they have blessed thousands over the course of time, and have continued to make a difference, even to us today. It was a real blessing to witness.
Something unusual happened in church yesterday. One of our new members, who usually sits up front in the sanctuary decided that they would like company up front. So with my permission, they made an announcement, that if people would move up and sit in the first five pews on either side and fill them up, for the next three weeks, they would give an extra $1,000. in the offering. That challenge was promptly matched, which totally surprised me. But then a large portion of the sanctuary folks, took them up on the offer and moved up front. It made for great singing and made the whole sanctuary appear filled, which makes this preacher happy. Now if only for the next two weeks, and then beyond people would be sitting closer to the front, that would be awesome. It didn't hurt them one bit either.
The choir appreciated the show of support. The children's expressions could be seen by those in the first few rows, as they participated in the children's message. It was a great moment.
We had a Birthday Party Pot Luck Lunch for everyone in the fellowship hall after that musical special. The Birthday party was postponed by weather as well. We set up the fellowship hall with 12 tables and decorated each one for a special month and then invited folks to sit at the table of their birthday month, not by families. It was so much fun to hear people say they got to meet people they had never talked to before by doing it this way. And of course the food was out of this world, we have the best cooks, sharing their food with us for this. We sang happy birthday, had cake and dessert and people hung around for a long time. It was so much fun.
I got in the mail a Church Kit to help connect our congregation to the NBC Easter and following airing of the first ten chapters of the book of Acts, called AD. It is produced by Roma Downey, and her husband Mark Burnett. They did the Bible episode in 2013 for 100 million viewers. Anyway, this is the first ten chapters of the book of Acts, the beginning of the church. It's a 12 week tv episode on Sunday nights at 9 pm on NBC. The Church Kit helps coordinate the message, educational opportunities and bulletin and worship resources to maximize the experience. It even suggests that we have some viewing parties around the congregation to watch and reflect on the episodes. We will find a way to have discussions here at church. The Monday and Thursday study for those 12 weeks will look into the show's message about the beginning of the church in those early days following the Resurrection of Jesus and the impact of Pentecost. Wow.. looking forward to that excitement.
I can't believe how fast a year goes by. It was a year ago in late March that the Bishop decided to move me to North Bethesda UMC. It was a year ago in late April that I went into the hospital for surgery. It just doesn't seem possible so much time has passed. And now Easter is upon us once more. The Easter message is all about restoration, recovery, new life, new opportunities in faith, new components of life, thanks be to God.
I pray that your Easter experience will bring new life to you, because with God all things are possible, as God continues to demonstrate them to me. May God's peace and grace be with you all.
Pastor Jeff
The current sign reads, Lent a time to fill in the potholes in your life. With all the car eating potholes on our streets, I hope some people can relate to the gift of God to fill in some of our potholes in our spiritual travels. God is in the repair and resurrection business.
Today is a collection of thoughts.
Sunday our choir presented their February music presentation, delayed not once but twice by the weather. The choir sang about the blessings and gifts that come to our worship experience, coming out of the slavery of African Americans. We learned between the songs where they came from and how they have blessed thousands over the course of time, and have continued to make a difference, even to us today. It was a real blessing to witness.
Something unusual happened in church yesterday. One of our new members, who usually sits up front in the sanctuary decided that they would like company up front. So with my permission, they made an announcement, that if people would move up and sit in the first five pews on either side and fill them up, for the next three weeks, they would give an extra $1,000. in the offering. That challenge was promptly matched, which totally surprised me. But then a large portion of the sanctuary folks, took them up on the offer and moved up front. It made for great singing and made the whole sanctuary appear filled, which makes this preacher happy. Now if only for the next two weeks, and then beyond people would be sitting closer to the front, that would be awesome. It didn't hurt them one bit either.
The choir appreciated the show of support. The children's expressions could be seen by those in the first few rows, as they participated in the children's message. It was a great moment.
We had a Birthday Party Pot Luck Lunch for everyone in the fellowship hall after that musical special. The Birthday party was postponed by weather as well. We set up the fellowship hall with 12 tables and decorated each one for a special month and then invited folks to sit at the table of their birthday month, not by families. It was so much fun to hear people say they got to meet people they had never talked to before by doing it this way. And of course the food was out of this world, we have the best cooks, sharing their food with us for this. We sang happy birthday, had cake and dessert and people hung around for a long time. It was so much fun.
I got in the mail a Church Kit to help connect our congregation to the NBC Easter and following airing of the first ten chapters of the book of Acts, called AD. It is produced by Roma Downey, and her husband Mark Burnett. They did the Bible episode in 2013 for 100 million viewers. Anyway, this is the first ten chapters of the book of Acts, the beginning of the church. It's a 12 week tv episode on Sunday nights at 9 pm on NBC. The Church Kit helps coordinate the message, educational opportunities and bulletin and worship resources to maximize the experience. It even suggests that we have some viewing parties around the congregation to watch and reflect on the episodes. We will find a way to have discussions here at church. The Monday and Thursday study for those 12 weeks will look into the show's message about the beginning of the church in those early days following the Resurrection of Jesus and the impact of Pentecost. Wow.. looking forward to that excitement.
I can't believe how fast a year goes by. It was a year ago in late March that the Bishop decided to move me to North Bethesda UMC. It was a year ago in late April that I went into the hospital for surgery. It just doesn't seem possible so much time has passed. And now Easter is upon us once more. The Easter message is all about restoration, recovery, new life, new opportunities in faith, new components of life, thanks be to God.
I pray that your Easter experience will bring new life to you, because with God all things are possible, as God continues to demonstrate them to me. May God's peace and grace be with you all.
Pastor Jeff
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