Climbing Back Down the Mountain - repreach 031302 - mountain climbing

April 28 , 2019 John 20:19-31 Climbing back down the mountain Year C 2nd Sunday of Easter Repreach of 031302 Children’s Sermon….. Object: a yo-yo (might want to get a young person with yo-yo skills to help with this demonstration) Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever played with a yo-yo? They're a lot of fun once you learn how to play with them. You can do all kinds of tricks with a yo-yo, but first you've got to learn the most basic move: getting the yo-yo to go up and down. That's the first and most important move for the yo-yo, just going up and down. That's what a yo-yo was made to do. Did you know that sometimes our faith can be like a yo-yo? When our faith is up, we believe that God is in control, and we trust God to lead us and guide us. But when our faith is down, we don't believe in God, and we get scared and worried, and we start complaining a lot. Our Bible story today is about a man with a yo-yo faith. His name was Thomas. Thomas was one of the men who followed Jesus. Thomas had a really strong faith while Jesus was alive. But after Jesus' death, Thomas' faith went way down. He just didn't believe that God was still in control. When Jesus came alive again, Thomas didn't believe it at first. His faith was way, way down. But then, when Thomas actually saw Jesus with his own eyes, his faith went way up. He believed again! And Thomas' faith stayed way up for the rest of his life. He never doubted Jesus again. God doesn't want us to have a yo-yo faith, one that goes up and down all the time. He wants us to believe at all times that He loves us and He's in control of our lives. We can trust Him; our faith can always be up. Let's pray and ask God to give us a faith that is always up on Him. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan John 20:19-31 Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus appears to the disciples 19 It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.”22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.” Jesus appears to Thomas and the disciples 24 Thomas, the one called Didymus,[a] one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.” 26 After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!” 28 Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” 30 Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. 31 But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name. Footnotes: a. John 20:24 Or the twin Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Speaking of an up and down faith. If last Sunday was the highpoint of the year, today is the lowpoint of the year. Not as many people, not as much music, not a festive time – the good thing about this Sunday is that the restaurants wont be as crowded. And we can celebrate that it is still easter Sunday. It is the second easter Sunday. Easter will last for about five more weeks. How do you know this is a special time, because our gospel lesson for the next five weeks comes from the book of John. John is the festival gospel. Every second Sunday of Easter we hear the story of Thomas. It is still Easter evening, and all of the disciples are hiding together. They say that this is the story of doubting Thomas, but I really think that Thomas teaches us a much bigger lesson about our yoyo faith. A faith where sometimes we are up, and sometimes we are down. Sometimes we are up on a mountain, and sometimes we are down in the valley. And yet wherever we are- Christ shows up and offers us a peace beyond understanding. So this Sunday my sermon is about mountain climbing - life is like a mountain. The Story of the Young Lion When I was a freshman at Northwestern, the university went through great lengths to provide a support system for African American students. So I was part of a summer program, where we got to know one another, and went to classes, and gathered at the African American student union. In one of our first sessions together, the director of African American studies gathered us together and told us an African tale of a young lion. He was preparing to be king of the jungle, so he was sent out on a mission at the top of the mountain. While he was at home, it seemed that everywhere that he went – the jungle inhabitants showed him respect. He was so sure of himself, that he seemed to have confidence wherever he went. But that was before he had to go through his rite of passage ceremony to become a man. You see his people were from the valley, they knew nothing about the mountains. The rite of passage meant that a young lion had to go up into the mountains for one night and learn to survive. Many of the confident you lions came back from the experienced, changed, much more mature. So when the young lion did not return from his mountain trip the next, day, no one thought anything of it. When he was ready, he would return. Soon another day passed, and another, and another – and no triumphant return. Finally, they sent an expedition out to find the young lion. And they found him frozen to death at the top of the lion. In a strange place – he had no idea of how to survive. Our advisors told us that story to remind us to hold on to our roots in a new environment. Like the young lion, at home we were king of the jungle – we knew it all. But going off to college meant encountering many strange things. If we were not careful, we could end up like the young lion stranded – without the proper survival skills. Mountain Climbing I think that this is a fitting story also for as Christians, as we enter into the Easter season. A time of transformation and new beginnings for us too. Our spiritual journey is a lot like mountain climbing. During lent, we are climbing the mountain in anticipation of an encounter with God. Easter is our time at the top of the mountain. And post Easter is the time to come down off of the mountain. Mountains pay an important part, not only in rites of passage, but also in spiritual encounters with God. In the bible, the prophet Elijah comes in contact with God by passing God by on the mountain. Moses goes up to the mountain for 40 days in order to talk with God and to get the ten commandments. Martin Luther King, a modern day prophet , preaches his last sermon on going to the mountaintop to see God’s will for our nation in the future. He says that he gets the chance to see the promised land. Mountain are an important part of our faith. If you tour some of the ancient sites, or even older churches, you will have to climb some pretty significant stairs in order to get up to the sight. So my sermon for today is about instructions for climbing a mountain. First let me ask, if any of you have ever been on a mountain climbing expedition. Most of us have probably not. I was fascinated as I did a little research on mountain climbing. You probably realize that mountain climbing is very dangerous – but not for the reasons that you would think. You have to be well trained in order to climb a mountain, and there is a discipline that you have to follow very stringently. The consequence for not following the discipline is death. I have been reading this book called Three Cups of Tea – it is a true story of a mountaineer, who went on several expeditions. While in Afghanistan and Pakistan he realized that the children who lived on the mountain had to climb down in order to go to school. The book is about his mission to build schools in those towns, so that the children would not have to travel. To set the tone for the book, he tells of the toll that mountain climbing took on his health, and all of his friends who never made it off of the mountain. The Dangers of Mountain Climbing The real danger of mountain climbing is not from slipping and falling. The real danger of mountain climbing comes from the change in the atmosphere the higher you go up. Every day – mountain climbers are given a certain course to follow. You are given strict instructions to follow that course, no matter how physically fit you are, and no matter how determined you are to complete your journey. You are to stop at a designated spot, and to wait until further instructions. The air gets thinner the higher you go up, and there is more stress put on your body. As you go up, if your body has not adjusted to those changes, you won’t realize it, but you are destroying your body internally. So you have to take the proper time to give you body a chance to adjust to those changes before you climb higher. That is why the goal of mountain climbing is not to get to the top of the mountain. It is getting down the other side safely, and having the strength to climb again. There are many stories of people who like the author’s friends and , just like the young lion got to the summit of the mountain – and never made it down. They did not realize that the closer you get to the top, the thinner the air gets, the less oxygen that gets to the brain, the narrower your vision becomes. It is as if the closer you get to your goal, all you see is that goal. You lose sight of the fact that making it to the top is only a small part of a much larger goal. Your real goal is to live to tell about the experience, not the experience. That is a good lesson for us this Easter Season. For the last six months we have had one festival season after another. We have been prepping for this, and planning for that. We have shopped, and prepared special dinners, and entertained guest and family. We have come to Easter, all of that is over with, but now we are called to move on to something different. During the Lenten season we took a journey to the cross. And yet the cross means nothing with the resurrection. Resurrection means nothing without transformation. If we cant take that transformation into our everyday lives, then Easter means nothing. If we don’t live as witnesses to Christ, then why are we Christians? There is a saying, that today is the first day of the rest of your life. Easter is the first day of the rest of our lives. The story of the Three People in the Throne Room of God I learned another story in college, I was told that it was from the jewish tradition. But Paul also uses this story in his teachings. It’s the story of three people who went up to the throne room of God. The first went to the throne room to see God, and was dazzled by all that he saw. He wanted to stay with God for the rest of his life, but God reminded him that his life was not over and that he had to return home. When he got home he was never quite the same. He couldn’t function, because nothing in life compared to his experience with God. He was depressed for the rest of his life. The second person had all of these expectations of what God would do and what would change in his life as a result of seeing God. When he got to the throne room he was disappointed – he told God that God was not real. Because God was so different from his expectations. He lived out his life as a very bitter, critical disappointed man. He told people that there was no God. The third man was totally elated by his time with God, it was amazing and he savored every moment that he spent with God. Like the other two men, God told him that it was time for his to return to his normal life, because his life was not over yet. He always treasured his time with God, but he also loved his life, his work, his family. When he lived his life he adjusted well- and he went on in total service to the will of God. We all have a mountain to climb. But our goal in life is not to get to the top of the mountain – it is to get back down in a healthy state of mind, with the strength to go climbing again. I chose this text, because many of us may not take the time to climb physical mountains, but all of us know about climbing spiritual mountains. All of us here have some mountain in our life to climb. It may be a mountain of fear, of lonliness, of need, or even of despair. All of us have a mountain to climb, and all of us need some instructions on the process. What was the difference between these three people? They all had the same experience, but a very different mind set. The first person was like our young lion, over focused on a goal and couldn’t see anything else, the second was disillusioned when he met that goal. The third man was just an ordinary person in partnership with an extraordinary God. That man had a clear sense of what it means to be human and what it means to be divine. He knew that the same God that was with him at the top of the mountain is the same God with him in the valley. He knew that the same God who whispered in his ear and gave him the strength to climb, was the same God who led him along the journey, was the same God who helped hi reach to top of the mountain, was the same God who gave him the peace of mind to get back down the mountain and to resume his everyday task. The importance of our Faith in our journey Mountain climbing is a discipline. Just as in mountain climbing, you are given strict instructions before you start on your journey, and you know that your life depends on following those instructions, no matter what you encounter while you are up there. We too, as Christians must follow a strict discipline on our spiritual journey. We have to read the scriptures to make sure that we live our lives according to what it tells us, we have to listen to God in our prayer life, we have to see God no only our friends, but in the face of all people. There are 4 simple rules to mountain climbing to keep in mind. First – what goes up, must always come down. – the same with our faith. Second follow the instructions – read your bible. And third always make sure that you have a guide – Christ is our top spiritual advisor in all things. And finally – trust in the power of the holy spirit to transform life – that is the power of the resurrection. It is important that we not get to Easter Sunday with our new clothes on, the ham in the oven, hunting for Easter eggs, and not know how we got there. We have to remember that the point is not who we are on Easter Sunday – but who we are on Easter Monday. If we believe that the summit of our faith is Easter, we end up frozen on top of the mountain life the young lion. There are a lot of people in the world frozen at a certain point in time, unable to just get over it and move on. But as the Easter people. We have to remember that God has given us a safety rope to get through the rest of our lives. That is our faith. During the next five weeks, the gospel lesson will be a story of how Jesus appeared to his followers and gave them an important lesson in faith, a faith that led them to believe in the resurrection. Today, Jesus comes to Thomas. I really don’t think this is really a story about doubt, but about an up and down faith. In order for us to be up and active, sometimes we have to be down and out. It is those times when we are afraid, when we are uncertain, when we are discouraged that we see Christ clearly. Those mountaintop festivals exist in order to give us perspective, some strength, something to strive for. Our savior is not perfect, he is not even a spirit, but a wounded son of God. who understands pain and suffering, and who came to the earth to help us to see that there is so much more beyond it – there is a whole season of Easter Sundays. Tribulations are in every life. But if you have faith, then tribulations are not our enemies, but your chance to see the face of God. A chance to grow in faith, a challenge to endure to the end. A chance for us as ordinary people to be in partnership with an extraordinary God. What about you? Where are you on your journey this Easter season? Are you focused on your goal, or are you are you focused on God? Are you trying to make it to the top, or are you getting back down to the reality of life? All questions for us to ponder this Easter season. Amen. Easter in Us The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote an ambitious poem entitled 'The Wreck of the Deutschland.' It commemorates the death of five Franciscan nuns drowned on the German ship Deutschland at the mouth of the Thames in the winter of 1875. One half-line especially intrigues me: 'Let him Easter in us.' Let Christ 'Easter' in us. A rare verb indeed, but it suits this sacred season, ... How does Christ Easter in us? In three wondrous ways: (1) By a faith that rises above doubt. (2) By a hope that conquers despair. (3) By a love that does justice. Walter J. Burghardt, Let Christ Easter in Us, Dare to Be Christ: Homilies for the Nineties (Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 1991), 51.

Christ Has Risen Indeed

Year C Easter Sunday – regular service Luke 24:1-12 April 20, 2019 Text: Luke 24:1-5 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Materials: No specific materials are required. Message: How many times have you lost something, and no matter how hard you looked, you just couldn't seem to find it? That happens to me sometimes, and it is so discouraging to look and look and still not have that thing turn up anywhere! The other day I had one of my shoes, but I just couldn't find the other one. I ended up looking all over the place - in the refrigerator, in the washing machine, I even looked in the dishwasher - but it was nowhere to be found! Then I was looking for my toothbrush. It wasn't in the car, it wasn't in the bottom of the fish tank, I even looked in my tool box - but I still didn't have any luck in finding it! Can you think of some places I should have looked for these things? (Wait for responses from the children indicating that you didn't find them because you were looking in the wrong places.) If I had looked in some other places, I probably would have had better luck! Did you know that was the same problem Jesus' followers had after He was put to death. They went to the tomb where His body was placed after He died, looking for Him on that first Easter morning. But guess what? He wasn't there because that was the wrong place to be looking! He was alive, not dead. He had won a victory, not suffered a defeat. Therefore the angels said to them: "Don't try to find Jesus here ... for now He lives forever more!" CSS Publishing Company, FROM A MUSTARD SEED, by Mark A. Hultquist Luke 24:1-12 Common English Bible (CEB) The empty tomb 24 Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb, bringing the fragrant spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They didn’t know what to make of this. Suddenly, two men were standing beside them in gleaming bright clothing. 5 The women were frightened and bowed their faces toward the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He isn’t here, but has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Human One[a]must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and all the others.10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11 Their words struck the apostles as nonsense, and they didn’t believe the women. 12 But Peter ran to the tomb. When he bent over to look inside, he saw only the linen cloth. Then he returned home, wondering what had happened. Footnotes: a. Luke 24:7 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Each Gospel tells a different version of the Eater story. Each teaches a different lesson. But they all agree on one thing – the tomb was empty. Jesus was nowhere to be found. Jesus is not even the main character in the story today. The resurrection is about the power of God, the affect on those around him, the difference that it makes in our lives, not Jesus life. In the weeks to come we will hear stories of Jesus appearance, but today we are left wondering what happened. The story in Luke is by far my favorite version of the story. The women decide to return to the place that they had abandoned just three days before. They come to finish a job. The angel stops and ask why are they looking for a living person in a grave. Mary speaks to Jesus. The disciples come to see what is going on. Once again three days ago, Peter abandoned God, but today he is the first to see what is going on. But what struck me as significant about Luke’s telling of the story is the last part of our scripture. It says that the women ran back to tell the disciples what happened, and scripture says that the disciples thought that the words of the women was nonsense. They did not believe any of it. The word nonsense in our text for today is a euphemism for a bunch of crock. Total insanity, making no sense. It was no outrageous, that only 1 of the 11 even bothered to go to the tomb and to see what was going on. And when he saw the empty tomb, and he saw the linen cloth, he had to take a walk and figure out what was going on. Sometimes I think that is our problem too. We all know that story, we hear it again and again. But we are still struggling with whether it is a bunch of nonsense or not. We don’t struggle with the story we struggle with whether we believe that story or not. Is it fairy tale or is it real. And if it is really real, what does that mean for our lives? Peter struggled with his unbelief even back then. He knew that story too, he was there. When Jesus was in court being tried, he was outside denying that he even knew that man. When Jesus breath his last breath, he ran with the rest of them to hide and make sure that they would not be next. And now his body was missing. If anybody was going to steal his body – it would have been him and the other disciples. And all of them thought this whole story was a bunch of nonsense. But now what would it mean for him if it is not nonsense. What if it really happen. What would that mean for Peter? But more importantly, what does that mean for you and for me? Peter realized that if this story was real, then he would really have to believe in Jesus. And if he believed in Jesus, then he might have to change his lifestyle. He couldn’t be a coward any more. He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t know Jesus. He couldn’t just run and hide. There was no more taking the easy way out. Jesus said Peter if you love me, them feed my sheep. He said that Peter was a rock upon which the church would be built. If this story was more than nonsense, if he was really going to believe this story, then there were a lot of other things that he was going to have to believe also. One biblical scholar made a good point, when he said that the empty tomb and the resurrection has to be the center of our belief. If we don’t believe that, then we are not Christian. It was Billy Graham that said if the devil is going to attack anything about the church, then he is going to attack our belief in the resurrection. He wants us to doubt the story and call it nonsense. Because if it is nonsense, then everything else that Jesus said is wrong. And what Jesus was trying to do for the world has been defeated. This is not something that Peter came up with on his own, and made up on the church. If Peter had not moved from nonsense to truth – the church would not exist, and we would not be sitting here today. But here we are, what difference does the resurrection make today in your life? Let me tell you about one woman who had a special way of sharing her resurrection faith. Her story is told in a book by her physician, Dr. Will Phillips of San Antonio. Her name was Edith Burns. She was an elderly widow who loved Jesus. She would often sit down with someone and say, "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" If they said yes, she would ask them what they believe about Easter. If they talked about Easter bunnies and colored eggs, she had a chance to share with them the real meaning of Easter. Countless people were led to Christ by Edith Burns, including Dr. Phillips’ head nurse. One day Dr. Phillips called Edith into his office and said, "Edith, I’ve got bad news for you. Your tests have come back positive. You have an aggressive form of cancer, and you may not have long to live." Edith replied, "Why Dr. Phillips, you need not look so sad. I have had a full life. Now you are telling me that before long I’m going to see my Lord Jesus face to face. I will be reunited with my dear husband, my parents, and so many old friends." After several months of chemotherapy, it was clear that the cancer was winning the battle for Edith’s life. She went into the hospital. Everybody who met her was attracted by her warmth and positive faith. And if she got half a chance she would say to anyone, "Hello, I’m Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" She picked up a nickname in the hospital—"Easter Edith." But there was one person who was not attracted to Edith. Phyllis Cross was a mean, ornery nurse. She had been an Army nurse for twenty years. She had been married four times. Phyllis told her supervisor, "I don’t want to have anything to do with that religious nut, Edith Burns." One day Phyllis had to go to Edith’s room to draw some blood. Edith said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you too, and I’ve been praying for you." Phyllis said, "Well, you can stop your praying for me. It won’t work and I’m not interested." Edith said, "I can’t stop praying for you. And I’ve asked God not to let me go home until you have come into his family." Phyllis replied, "Then you will never die because that will never happen." Then she walked out. Edith and Phyllis saw each other regularly over the coming weeks. But Edith never asked her the question she posed to everybody else, "Do you believe in Easter?" Finally, Phyllis’ curiosity got the best of her. She said, "Edith, why have you never asked me if I believe in Easter?" Edith smiled and replied, "I asked God to cause you to ask me about the Easter question, and you just did." Phyllis was caught off guard. Her defenses dropped. Edith shared Christ with her. This tough old Army nurse invited Jesus into her heart as Savior and Lord. A few days later Phyllis walked into Edith’s room and said, "Hey Edith, today is Good Friday." "No," said Edith, "It’s Easter. In the life of a Christian, every day is resurrection day. Happy Easter, Phyllis." Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis walked into Edith’s room and noticed a tranquil smile on her face but it was obvious that her soul had departed to be with the Lord. Phyllis placed her hands on Edith’s and said, "Happy Easter, dear." Then she assisted the family in making funeral arrangements. Several hours later Phyllis managed to get a few minutes off duty. She sat down in the break room to have a cup of coffee. One of the new student-nurses happened to be there. Phyllis said, "Hello, my name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"(5) So what about you? Do you believe in Easter? If the story is true and the tomb is empty – how are you going to have to change. If Peter went from coward to evangelist, if the disciples put aside their fear to tell the world about Jesus? What is going to happen to you? If God can raise a man from death to life, then anything is possible. Easter is the first day of the rest of your life – what does God have in store for you? The resurrection is God’s creative response to death. It is new day, a new way of doing things. It is time to put aside old beliefs about yourself, about life about others, It is time to give up old predjudices and to move forward. God has a plan for you and for your life. And just like God left the tomb empty, the holy spirit is working quietly behind the scenes to transform you and your life. You may not believe god’s story, but he believes yours. This is a totally different sermon from the one I told at the sunrise service. But I want to end with the same video. Of how the resurrection affects our life today. The good news for me in that story is that Jesus overcoming death means that our story never ends. It is never too late, we always get a second, or third or fourth chance to be right with God. Now what kind of nonsense it that? On Redemption The catholic priest Erasmus two centuries ago wrote these powerful words. Listen: How much more wonderful the work of redemption is, in comparison with creation. It is more marvelous that God was made man than that He created the angels; that He wailed in a stable than that He reigns in the heavens. The creation of the world was a work of power, but the redemption of the world was a work of mercy. Erasmus That nonsense is the essence of God’s great love for us. Let us pray……. Additional illustrations……. The Easter Formula In April 2002, the well-respected Oxford University philosophy professor Richard Swineburne defended the truth of the Resurrection at a high-profile gathering of philosophy professors at Yale University. Swineburne used Bayes Theorem, a broadly accepted mathematical probability theory and tool to defend the truth of Christ's resurrection. In a New York Times interview, Swineburne said, "For someone dead for 36 hours to come to life again is, according to the laws of nature, extremely improbable. But if there is a God of the traditional kind, natural laws only operate because he makes them operate." Swineburne used the Bayes Theorem to assign values to things like the probability that God is real, Jesus' behavior during his lifetime, and the quality of witness testimony after his death. Then he plugged the numbers into a probability formula and added everything up. The results? There's a 97 percent probability that the resurrection really happened. That's nice to know. It's one more tool in the tool kit of ministry. But the truth is that you and I don't really need that. The church doesn't really need that information. Because we have our own formula. It's the Easter Formula: R+ET+F=LE. The Resurrection plus the Empty Tomb plus Faith equal Life Eternal. That's the Easter Formula. Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. I Want to See Your Resurrection Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth. Finally the teacher said: “I like Christianity. But I would not like Christianity without the resurrection. I want to see your resurrection!” Pennington notes that, “With his directness, the teacher was saying what everyone else implicitly says to Christians: You are a Christian. You are risen with Christ. Show me (what this means for you in your life) and I will believe.” That is how people know if the resurrection is true or not. Does it affect how we live? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com The Risen Christ Pastor Rick Calhoun writes, “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was never meant to be proved but experienced. As a matter of fact it cannot be proved, as no one of us was there. We have to take the word of others who were. Those early witnesses were very passionate about their testimonies. Many were to be martyred in defense of their convictions. But ultimately the resurrection is to be experienced not proved. The most convincing evidence of the Resurrection of Christ is the transformation of the people who know Jesus and believe in Him. I decided long ago, the only proof of Easter I will ever need is memory. I remember what my life was like before I met the living Christ and I know what my life is now, as I share it with Him. I would not stand here and tell you I am always the man I should be. But thanks to the living Christ, I am not the man I used to be either. The risen Jesus Christ has made all the difference.” King Duncan, www.Sermons.com The Cape of Good Hope I can still recall a geography lesson from elementary school in which we learned that the southernmost point of Africa is a point which for centuries has experienced tremendous storms. For many years no one even knew what lay beyond that cape, for no ship attempting to round that point had ever returned to tell the tale. Among the ancients it was known as the "Cape of Storms," and for good reason. But then a Portuguese explorer in the sixteenth century, Vasco De Gama, successfully sailed around that very point and found beyond the wild raging storms, a great calm sea, and beyond that, the shores of India. The name of that cape was changed from the Cape of Storms to the Cape of Good Hope. Until Jesus Christ rose from the dead, death had been the cape of storms on which all hopes of life beyond had been wrecked. No one knew what lay beyond that point until, on Easter morning, those ancient visions of Isaiah became the victory of Jesus over our last great enemy. Suddenly, like those ancient explorers, we can see beyond the storm to the hope of heaven and eternal life with the Father. More than that, we dare to believe that we shall experience in our own human lives exactly what the Son of God experienced in his, for the risen Christ says to us, "Because I live, you shall live also." This is the heart of the Easter faith. Robert Beringer, Easter People, CSS Publishing Company Anticipation: What Is Going to Happen Today? In Winnie the Pooh, Pooh and Piglet take an evening walk. For a long time they walk in silence. Silence like only best friends can share. Finally Piglet breaks the silence and asks, "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" answers Pooh and then asks. "And what do you say, Piglet?" Piglet says, "I say, I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" You and I can't really plan to meet the Risen Christ because we never really know when or where He's going to show up. But you can be sure of this, He will show up. If you believe, He will show up. And the attitude you need to meet him is the attitude of Piglet, "I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" Billy Strayhorn, Easter Heart Burn, www.Sermons.com Turning to God on Easter J. Wallace Hamilton, the great preacher of yesteryear, once told the story of a group of American soldiers stationed in London during the first World War. They had received orders that the next day they would be going to the front lines. The church where many of the men attended while away from home hastily gave them a dinner. It was a joyous time and the conversation was light and upbeat. Before the pastor gave the benediction, one of the soldiers was selected to share words of appreciation. He was a man of charm with the gift of speech. As he brought his speech to a close he said, "Tomorrow we are leaving for France, and the trenches, and to die." He did not mean to say that. Looking around with embarrassment, struggling for some better words to say, he said: "Can anybody tell us how to die?" And, nobody laughed or even smiled. There was an awkward pause as though he had said the wrong thing--and then a period of strange silence in which nobody said anything. Then someone walked quietly to the piano where they had been playing and singing fun songs and began to play and sing the old gospel hymns. In the quiet that followed, every man's soul was forced to deal in a serious way with the question of life and death. Without anybody planning it, a party became a prayer meeting in which they had to turn to God. Easter gives us the opportunity, without being morbid to reflect on the ultimate meaning of things. Are we mere creatures of the dust who are here only for a moment--or were we created for eternity? On the southwest coast of Scotland lies the little town of Whithorn. In its ancient cemetery can be found a tombstone with an intriguing epitaph: YOU THINK I'M FORGOT. I'M NOT. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

Early Morning Meditation

April 20, 2019 Year C 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Easter Sunday – Sunrise Service Early Morning Meditation 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Common English Bible (CEB) 19 If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest[a] of those who have died. 21 Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. 22 In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ. 23 Each event will happen in the right order: Christ, the first crop of the harvest,[b] then those who belong to Christ at his coming, 24 and then the end, when Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he brings every form of rule, every authority and power to an end. 25 It is necessary for him to rule until he puts all enemies under his feet.[c] 26 Death is the last enemy to be brought to an end, Footnotes: a. 1 Corinthians 15:20 Or firstfruits b. 1 Corinthians 15:23 Or firstfruits c. 1 Corinthians 15:25 Ps 110:1 Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible As we sit here this morning, I just want us to take this moment in time inside of our souls. What does this day mean for us? How does it change us or change our circumstances. We don’t have to do anything, or expect anything, but to feel the grace in our lives. And to be grateful that we are alive in this moment. Expecting Death In many ways, we are like those first disciples, so it seems to me. We are like the women coming to the grave that day. They had heard the promise of Jesus that on the third day, the Son of Man would be raised from the dead by the Powers of God. They had heard his promise to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” They had heard Jesus teach, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will never die.” Nevertheless, on that morning when they came to the grave, they came expecting death, did they not? When they came that morning to the grave, in spite of all of Jesus’ promises, they came expecting death. And I am suspicious that you and I are like those women. Even though we have heard the promises of God. Yes, we have heard the promises over and over again e.g. on the third day I will rise; today you will be with me in paradise; I am the resurrection and the life. We have heard these promises but we come to our graves, and like the women on that first Sunday morning, we are expecting death. For deep down in everyone’s soul is a pessimism that believes that this is all there is. They put you in a box; they put you in that grave; and in time the box and the vault will decay, and your body will decay like all the others. Why do we have this inner feeling, this inner pessimism? Sigmund Freud calls it the “death instinct.” Common to all human beings and all animals, and human beings are part of the animal kingdom, we have this instinct. Deep down inside is this fear that this is all there is. And so we come to the graves of life, the graves of our mothers and fathers, and grandmas and grandpas; we come to the deathbeds of life, and we finally come to our own deathbed and we quietly pray: “I believe, help my unbelief.” And we die. We sleep. And then…then…we awake and say…”Hooooly cow!!! It is so incredibly beautiful!!! Stunned. Breathless. And we are astonished and astounded, amazed and awestruck, dazzled and dumbfounded the beauty that God has prepared for you and me. The Apostle Paul was right when he said,“No eye can see, no ear can hear, no mind can imagine the good and wonderful things that God has prepared for us.” Edward F. Markquart, Astonished and Astounded Ready for the Trip? A minister was preaching and during the course of his sermon asked, "Who wants to go to heaven?" Everyone held up their hands except one young boy. "Son, don't you want to go to heaven when you die?" "Yes sir, when I die, but I thought you was gettin' up a load to go now." That is probably the attitude of most of us. Most Christians DO figure that when we die we go to heaven to be with the Lord, even if we are not ready to make the trip tomorrow. David E. Leininger, Collected Sermons, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc. We are so prone to think that what is going on in our life right now is all that there is. Perhaps that is why Paul says that if our hope in Christ right now is all that we have, then we are a people are to be pitied. Our faith has to be in the resurrection and the resurrection alone. But Paul encourages us not to just focus on the resurrection of Jesus, but on our resurrection also. Christ opened many doors for us. I chose this message from Corinthians, instead of the gospel because this is the first and earliest witness to the resurrection. Paul wrote Corinthians 50 years after Christ was resurrected. The earliest gospel was not written until 74 AD. Luke would not have know Jesus, he was a second generation Christian. Paul did not meet Jesus personally, but he did know the other disciples. He did have a good idea of what Jesus was trying to do. And it was not Jesus life that inspired him, it was not even his death. It was his resurrection. Romans 10:9 tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is our Lord and we believe in our hearts that Jesus was raised then we will be saved. Once again the resurrection is the source of our faith. And the source of our salvation. On Good Friday, we become aware that Jesus dies for our sins, but today we focus not on why he died – but why it was so important for him to come back to life – so that we too could overcome our need to die, and choose life. It has been said that there are 4 great facts to remember about the resurrection. Truth is stronger than a lie, good is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, and finally that life is always stronger than death. If Jesus had died never to rise again, it would have proved that death could take the loveliest and best life that ever lived and finally break it. During the second world war a certain city church in London was all set out for harvest thanksgiving. In the centre of the gifts was a sheaf of corn. The service was never held, for, on the Saturday night, a savage air raid laid the church in ruins. The months passed and the spring came, and someone noticed that, on the bomb site where the church had stood, there were shoots of green. The summer came and the shoots flourished and in the autumn there was a flourishing patch of corn growing amidst the rubble. Not even the bombs and the destruction could kill the life of the corn and its seeds. The Resurrection is the final proof that life is stronger than death. In spite of our deepest, darkest tendency toward death – life always wins. The Power of Belief in a World of Lost Hope Eric Butterworth tells about a young soldier who lost his legs in battle. Something died within this young man when he found he would never walk again. He lay in his hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He refused to talk to anyone who tried to help him. He refused to cooperate with doctors or nurses who wanted to help him to adjust. One day another inmate of the hospital strolled in and sat down on a chair near the bed. He drew a harmonica from his pocket and began to play softly. The patient looked at him for a second, then back to the ceiling. That was all for that day. Next day the player came again. For several days he continued to come and to play quietly. One day he said, "Does my playing annoy you?" The patient said, "No, I guess I like it." They talked a little more each day. One day the harmonica player was in a jovial mood. He played a sprightly tune and began to do a tap dance. The soldier looked on but was apparently unimpressed. "Hey, why don't you smile once and let the world know you're alive!" the dancer said with a friendly smile. But the legless soldier said, "I might as well be dead as in the fix I'm in." "Okay," answered his happy friend, "so you're dead. But you're not as dead as a fellow who was crucified two thousand years ago, and He came out of it all right." "Oh, it's easy for you to preach," replied the patient, "but if you were in my fix, you'd sing a different tune." With this the dancer stood up and said, "I know a two-thousand-year-old resurrection is pretty far in the dim past. So maybe an up-to-date example will help you to believe it can be done." With that he pulled up his trouser legs and the young man in the bed looked and saw two artificial limbs. The tap-dancing fellow with the harmonica was not simply a Pollyanna. He once lay where that young soldier now lay. He himself had known the power of a resurrection. He had learned to live life abundantly--even without his legs. Needless to say, the young soldier's own resurrection began that moment. Easter isn't just about dying. It's about the power of belief in a world of lost hope. It is about knowing that no situation is beyond God's redeeming power. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com So let me ask you, how many people do you know who are breathing and walking, and talking and going through the motions of life, and yet in spirit they are dead, because they have no hope. They don’t know what to do next. That is why Paul reminds us that belief in the resurrection is the whole key to our faith. If Jesus conquered death then so can we. He did live just to die, he died so in order to have life life. I want us to watch this short video of what is possible Because of Christ resurrection. Finally let me ask – What needs a resurrection? What stones need to be rolled away? What needs to be brought out of the dark caves of this world, brought out into the light? Where is new life needing to be encouraged, unearthed, resurrected? On this Easter Sunday, on this day when we tell the ancient story of death not having the final word, what word do we need to hear? What needs a resurrection? Additional illustrations…… More Hope than We Can Handle Earlier this week, an old couple received a phone call from their son who lives far away. The son said he was sorry, but he wouldn’t be able to come for a visit over the holidays after all. "The grandkids say hello." They assured him that they understood, but when they hung up the phone they didn’t dare look at each other. Earlier this week, a woman was called into her supervisor’s office to hear that times are hard for the company and they had to let her go. "So sorry." She cleaned out her desk, packed away her hopes for getting ahead, and wondered what she would tell her kids. Earlier this week, someone received terrible news from a physician. Someone else heard the words, "I don't love you anymore." Earlier this week, someone’s hope was crucified. And the darkness is overwhelming. No one is ever ready to encounter Easter until he or she has spent time in the dark place where hope cannot be seen. Easter is the last thing we are expecting. And that is why it terrifies us. This day is not about bunnies, springtime and girls in cute new dresses. It’s about more hope than we can handle. Craig Barnes, Savior at Large, article in The Christian Century, March 13-20, 2002 p. 16. Yes, There Is Hope In the early part of World War II, a Navy submarine was stuck on the bottom of the harbor in New York City. It seemed that all was lost. There was no electricity and the oxygen was quickly running out. In one last attempt to rescue the sailors from the steel coffin, the U.S. Navy sent a ship equipped with Navy divers to the spot on the surface, directly above the wounded submarine. A Navy diver went over the side of the ship to the dangerous depths in one last rescue attempt. The trapped sailors heard the metal boots of the diver land on the exterior surface, and they moved to where they thought the rescuer would be. In the darkness they tapped in Morse code, "Is there any hope?" The diver on the outside, recognizing the message, signaled by tapping on the exterior of the sub, "Yes, there is hope." This is the picture of our dilemma as we worship this glad Easter Day. Humankind is trapped in a dreadful situation. All around we are running low on hope, and we look for a word from beyond offering it to us. This world in which we live is plagued with war and famine, mounting debt and continual destruction. The more we try to rescue ourselves the more we seem to fall behind. We wonder: Is there any hope? Bill Self, Is There Any Hope? God Cannot Die Martin Luther once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes. "Who's dead?" he asked her. "God," she replied. Luther rebuked her, saying, "What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die." "Well," she replied, "the way you've been acting I was sure He had!" Many of us have been caught in that trap. This is also what had happened to Mary. Ray C. Stedman, The Incredible Hope Birth into a New World In his book, Teaching Your Children about God, Rabbi David Wolpe, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, recalls an ancient Jewish parable about twin unborn children lying together in the womb. One believes that there is a world beyond the womb "where people walk upright, where there are mountains and oceans, a sky filled with stars." The other unborn twin can barely contain his contempt for such foolish ideas. Suddenly the "believer" of the twins is forced through the birth canal leaving behind the only way of life he has known. The remaining unborn twin is saddened, convinced that a great catastrophe has befallen his companion. Outside the womb, however, the parents are rejoicing. For what the remaining brother, left behind, has just witnessed is not death but birth. This, Wolpe reminds us, is a classic view of the life beyond the grave--a birth into a world that we on Earth can only try to imagine. The Easter message is that we have an older brother who HAS traveled beyond the tomb, down the birth canal of eternity and has returned to assure us that God is love, and that there is a place prepared for any who will accept the Good News. Whether our name is Marie or Mary or Peter or even Judas, Christ came into the world to save sinners. Won't you accept his offer of a new life today? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

Preview to the Passion

John 12:1-9 Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C April 7, 2019 Preview to the Passion Children’s time Exegetical Aim: Honoring Jesus. Props: A bottle of fine perfume and a piece of 8.5 x 11 paper. Lesson: How many of you have ever been to a party? (response) What kind of a party was it? (response) What did you do at the party? (response) Parties are a lot of fun, aren't they? (response) Have you ever been to a party where someone was being honored? (response) Maybe it was their party because they were 100 years old. Or maybe they had just had a baby. Or maybe they had done something really great. Have you ever been to a party because someone had done something really great? (response) You may not get a response, but give them just a moment to think about it. What did they do that was great? (response) Jesus went to a party that was in his honor; he did something fantastic. Do you know what he did that was so great? He raised somebody from the dead! I mean, this guy -- his name was Lazarus -- this guy had been dead for four days and he had already been buried. And Jesus went to the place where he was buried and said, "Lazarus come out of that grave!" And guess what happened? (response) That's right. He came back to life. That's great, isn't it? (response) Now who do you think was throwing this party for Lazarus? (response) It was Lazarus' sister, Martha. She was so happy that Jesus had raised her brother from the dead that she threw a party for Jesus. Application: What do I have in my hand? (response) That is right. It is perfume. When Jesus was at this party, a lady named Mary came up to Jesus and she had a bottle of perfume in her hand. She knelt down in front of Jesus and put perfume on his feet. Splash a healthy amount of perfume onto the piece of paper so it wafts by the children. Then she began to dry his feet with her long hair. What a beautiful thing to do. Now, as you speak, pause a bit and move the paper around the inner circle of the children to produce a strong scent (verse 3b: And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume). You see, this was Jesus' party and Mary knew that Jesus had done a great thing, but as wonderful as that was -- raising Lazarus from the dead -- Jesus was going to do something even greater. What do you think he was going to do? (response) Jesus was going to die and he would be dead and buried for three days and then God would raise him from the dead. And, the great things is, he will never, never die again. And he promises that you and I will be with him. In fact, we are all going to this big party. We call this great party heaven. You will be there and I will be there and your mom and dad will be there. How great that will be! Let's Pray: Lord, we honor you this morning and look forward to a great party one day when we shall all be together. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Children's Sermons A to Z, by Brett Blair John 12:1-9 Common English Bible (CEB) Mary anoints Jesus’ feet 12 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. 3 Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound,[a] of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. 4 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained, 5 “This perfume was worth a year’s wages![b] Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” (6 He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.) 7 Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.” 9 Many Jews learned that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. Footnotes: a. John 12:3 Or a litra, a Roman pound, approximately twelve ounces b. John 12:5 Or three hundred denaria Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible I am just curious. What is the most that you would ever spend on a bottle of perfume that you loved? Some would say $5 – some would say $40, some might even ay $100 to 200 dollars. I don’t think that there is anyone who would say – 12,000 for one bottle. And I would think that if we ever did buy something that extravagant. We would be very frugal with it. A dab here and a dab there for only the most important occasion. And that would most definitely not be the perfume that lend to a friend. That is what makes this today’s story so special. Mary takes a perfume that is worth a years wages, and she pours the bottle on a friends feet and wipes it with her hair. I actually have not preached on this story very often, maybe once. But I think it is an important story for the last Sunday of lent. It is a preparation for the events to come. There is no dialogue as to why Mary felt the need to do this. Did she know in her spirit what was in store? She anoints his feet – preparing him to be a king and a martyr in death. Next week Jesus will choose to do the same for his disciples as he washes their feet. I would imagine that a 12,000 dollar perfume must have had some type of fragrance. A frangance that would have permeated the whole house, and made it smell good. Smells have a lasting effect on us Aroma: Bringing Back an Emotion Taste is 95 percent smell. What happens when you get a cold? Can't taste anything? In talking with others about their smells, what I have discovered is that there are regional differences to our favorite smells that often depend either on our food habits or on our outdoor customs. East Coast people prefer floral scents and Northerners the smell of the seasons. Southerners seem to prefer hearty snorts of pine. Midwesterners like the whiff of hay and farm animals. Westerners like the aroma of barbecuing meat. Whatever our pet smell, huge histories of time are relived within the microseconds of a sniff. Nothing can bring back a time, a place, or an emotion better than an aroma. Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Like lavender, eucalyptist, to bring a mood of calmness and peace in the house. What does love, kindesss, peace really smell like? If we looked back in or memory bank could come up with a collection of smells that remind us of a special time, or a special person – as sat watched this going on – definite smell to costly ointment. Remember that moment forever. John gives an important detail, that is not told in the other versions of this story. Jesus in in the house of friends. He was close to the whole family, and hear about them in several stories. I think we visited this village in Isreal. He has bought Lazarus back to life. Been to dinner at this house , several stories of best friends Mary, Martha and Lazurus. Martha cooks and prepares the meal, Mary anoints his feet. No accident that John makes this a story about frineds and enemies. Judas is also in the room. Plays his role in preparation. Betrayal. But now working to gain trust, no one questions his motives. Could have fed to poor with the money – wasting it . Always have the poor – not original in Deauteronomy 15. But doing a favor to me. Third: The most radical thing we can do is to try to find the face of Christ in others, and not only those we find it easy to be with but those who make us nervous, frighten us, alarm us, or even terrify us. “Those who cannot see the face of Christ in the poor,” Dorothy used to say, “are atheists indeed.” Dorothy was an orthodox Catholic. This means she believed that Christ has left himself with us both in the Eucharist and in those in need. “What you did to the least person, you did to me.” Her searching of faces for Christ’s presence extended to those who were her “enemies.” They were, she always tried to remember, victims of the very structures they were in charge of. She sometimes recalled the advice she had been given by a fellow prisoner named Mary Ann, a prostitute, when she was in jail in Chicago in the early 1920s: “You must hold up your head high and give them no clue that you’re afraid of them or ready to beg them for anything, any favors whatsoever. But you must see them for what they are—never forget that they’re in jail too.” Fourth, I learned that beauty is not just for the affluent. Tom Cornell tells the story of a donor coming into the Catholic Worker and giving Dorothy a diamond ring. Dorothy thanked her for it and put it in her pocket. Later a rather demented lady came in, one of the more irritating regulars at the house. Dorothy took the diamond ring out of her pocket and gave it to the woman. Someone on the staff said to Dorothy, “Wouldn’t it have been better if we took the ring to the diamond exchange, sold it, and paid that woman’s rent for a year?” Dorothy replied that the woman had her dignity and could do what she liked with the ring. She could sell it for rent money or take a trip to the Bahamas. Or she could enjoy wearing a diamond ring on her hand like the woman who gave it away. “Do you suppose,” Dorothy asked, “that God created diamonds only for the rich?” Profound story, profound challenge for us this Lenten season. Helping the poor. Jesus was poor, no place to sleep at night. – truly appreciated the extravagant gift given to him. How are we helping the poor. Making a sacrifice, or complaining. Bill Gates is congregationalist, wife is catholic. Wife goes to church every Sunday - Bill not so much. Not not a believer, not the best use of his time to go to church. More effective way of living our faith. Story lesson, not efficient, but loving. Following Jesus means being extravagant with our time, our energy, our money. Giving our best to God. Not counting the sacrifice, but remembering the love. What does love, kindness, peace smell like? What would we do to have that smell in our lives on a daily basis. Prepare for the coming days – remember the sacrifice of Mary – to show her love and care. Mary’s gift of extravagant perfume given to Jesus, Jesus died on the cross to give each of us that gift of love and salvation. Are we ready to receive the wonderful gift in our lives? Let us pray……Amen. Additional illustrations……… Intentional Acts of True Devotion IATDs - that's what this passage is all about. People were becoming more and more devoted to Jesus and they were expressing it openly in ever increasing ways. They even started doing IATDs - Intentional Acts of True Devotion. Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave and he came out struggling in the bondage of his grave clothing. But he came out, he had new life! Jesus had power even over death! The result was IATDs! People started following Jesus. Not only did they start following him, they become devoted to him, and their devotion was radical! Those who saw this resurrection put their faith in Jesus. The sense of the Greek in verse 45 is that people without reservation, without growing into it, at this one miracle put all their faith in him. And it showed in IATDs. At one time the Jews had been devoted to the Pharisees and the law. Now in wholesale crowds they were turning to Jesus, becoming devoted to him, radically devoted to him with the kind of devotion that is dangerous: "He'll upset the applecart! We can't have that around here! We'll lose our place and our power!" That was the thinking of the Pharisees, so they plotted to take Jesus life. We often think it was Jesus who got himself in trouble with the Pharisees, but the Pharisees wouldn't have cared a bit if he didn't have these followers with their IATDs. Their IATDs got him in trouble, too. Intentional Acts of True Devotion - they're powerful, they're dangerous, and they mark the lives of those who put their faith in Jesus. Bill Versteeg, Intentional Acts of True Devotion The Power of Fragrance Isn’t it amazing that John could remember this fragrance so many years after Christ’s ascension? That, when his mind drifted back to that last week of Christ’s life, it was the fragrance of Mary’s offering that framed his memory. What once was an oasis for Jesus, that helped comfort him so he could go forward, was now an oasis in John’s memory that helped him deal with the rigors of his trials. Still today, two thousand years later, Mary’s gift brings fragrance to our lives and while Mary was condemned by the apostle’s that day for her extravagance, she provided a gift that has been remembered for thousands of years. Her fragrance still fills our lives with the presence of Christ. Jerry Goebel, The House Was Filled With the Fragrance of the Perfume