The Day Everything Changed

April 26, 2020 Luke 24:13-35 Every thing has changed Year A Third Sunday of Easter Children’s Sermon Exegetical Aim: To teach that we need God's assistance to see. Props: Prescription eye glasses and an eye chart (the chart can be hand drawn). The ideal situation is to use the glasses that one of the children may be wearing. If you have an optometrist in your congregation ask them to participate and bring an actual eye chart. Lesson: Good Morning! (response) I want to ask child's name with glasses--we shall call her Gladys to come and sit beside me and I am going to need one other volunteer. Choose one of the children who does not wear glasses--we shall call him Mike. I have asked Gladys to come sit beside me because she wears glasses and I have asked Mike to sit on my other side because he does not wear glasses. I also have another volunteer who is going to help this morning. Introduce the optometrist or person who will hold the eye chart. They should sit up front and be ready to stand with the chart at this time. (Eye chart holder's name) has brought an eye chart. Does anyone know what an optometrist is? (response) And what is an eye chart? (response) Very Good. In just a minute (eye chart holder's name) is going to hold up the eye chart and I am going to have Gladys and Mike to read the chart but before we do that I am going to ask Gladys to give me her glasses. May I have your glasses for just a minute? (child should hand the glasses to you) Now I am going to ask Mike to put the glasses on. If either of your eyes hurt you can close them until I am ready for you. Make sure that the children's head sizes match so the glasses are not stretched. Eye chart should be held up at this time and the holder point to the appropriate lines. Now I only want Gladys and Mike to read the lines on the chart. No one else call out the letters. Gladys can you read the first line? (response) How about you Mike, can you read the first line? (response) Gladys can you read the second line? (No) How about you Mike? Can you read the second line? (No) OK, Mike you can take the glasses off and let's give them back to Gladys. Is there anybody here like Gladys and Mike who cannot read the second line? (response) Is there any body here that can't read the third line? (response) Use this as an opportunity to spot an eyesight problem but don't call too much attention to it during the children's sermon. What would happen if we couldn't see clearly? (response) That's right. We wouldn't be able to read, or watch TV and we wouldn't even know where we are going. Sometimes we can't even see God when he's standing right in front of us. That's when we need to come up to the altar--where we are sitting right now--and we need to pray, break bread with one another, and ask for insight. When we do these things God opens our eyes and helps us to see. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair Prelude Opening Prayer Dear Lord, you have so much to show us and to tell us— things that no human eyes have seen, things that no human ears have heard, things that you have prepared for those you love. Mighty God, your promises are like shelter in a storm— to us and to our children, to all those far and near, to everyone who hears your call. O, that we might have the mind of Christ, that we may know and understand your truth. We wait as empty vessels, ready to be filled to overflowing with your living water, as you reveal your love for us through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Stewardship Moment Your offering last week empowered ministry within our congregation and in response to the needs of our community. It also supports the work done at our general church agencies, who in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, have continually mobilized staff, working from their homes, to resource local churches. Staff are providing relevant worship resources, training in how to stream worship services, webinars on ways to continue funding mission and ministry and manage budgets during the crisis, and offering support for families on ways to include faith formation for children, youth, and adults—all while practicing social distancing. Ministries like these happen, thanks to the way the people of The United Methodist Church live and give connectionally. I invite you to give generously, as we worship God through sharing our gifts, tithes, and offerings. God of righteousness, God of mercy: We have been called through the apostles to live in reverent fear – not a fear that immobilizes, but a fear that empowers us because we know how much is at stake. We know there are implication for what we do and what we don’t do. Dedicate the gifts we give this morning to do the things your heart longs for your church to do; help our eyes to be opened to where you would use us. We pray in the name of our risen savior, Christ our Lord. Amen. (I Peter 1:17-23) Scripture Luke 24:13-35 Common English Bible (CEB) Encounter on the Emmaus road 13 On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. 15 While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. 16 They were prevented from recognizing him. 17 He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” They stopped, their faces downcast. 18 The one named Cleopas replied, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place there over the last few days?” 19 He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth. Because of his powerful deeds and words, he was recognized by God and all the people as a prophet. 20 But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago. 22 But there’s more: Some women from our group have left us stunned. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 and didn’t find his body. They came to us saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who told them he is alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women said. They didn’t see him.” 25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about. 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets. 28 When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead. 29 But they urged him, saying, “Stay with us. It’s nearly evening, and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?” 33 They got up right then and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying to each other, “The Lord really has risen! He appeared to Simon!” 35 Then the two disciples described what had happened along the road and how Jesus was made known to them as he broke the bread. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Child - "How old are you, Grandpa?" Grandpa - "I'm 81, dear." Child - "So does that mean you were alive during the Coronavirus?" Grandpa - "Yes, I was." Child - "Wow. That must have been horrible, Grandpa. We were learning about that at school this week. They told us about how all the schools had closed. And moms and dads couldn't go to work so didn't have as much money to do nice things. They said that you weren't allowed to go and visit your friends and family and couldn't go out anywhere. They told us that the shops and stores ran out of lots of things so you didn't have much bread, and flour, and toilet rolls. They said that summer holidays were cancelled. And they told us about all those thousands of people that got very sick and who died. They explained how hard all the doctors and nurses and all essential workers worked, and that lots of them died, too. That must have been so horrible, grandpa!" Grandpa - "Well, that is all correct. And I know that because I read about it when I was older. But to tell you the truth I remember it differently... I remember playing in the garden for hours with mom and dad and having picnics outside and lots of bbqs. I remember making things and fishing with my Dad and baking with my Mom. I remember making forts and learning how to do hand stands and back flips. I remember having quality time with my family. I remember Mom's favorite words becoming 'Hey, I've got an idea...' Rather than 'Maybe later or tomorrow I'm a bit busy'. I remember making our own bread and pastry. I remember having movie night three or four times a week instead of just one. It was a horrible time for lots of people you are right. But I remember it differently." Remember how our children will remember these times. Be in control of the memories they are creating right now, so that through all the awful headlines and emotional stories for so many that they will come to read in future years, they can remember the happy times. Author unknown These are tough times indeed. But perhaps we should all focus on what these times will mean for our children. How did they experience this time? What lessons will they take on in their lives from this experience. We have to keep in mind that they will take their cues from us, they will define these times based not on what we say, but how we treat them. We may not have a lot of control of a lot of things, but we do have complete control over how our young people will remember these times. As a learned about the history of the world, I remember making my grandmother a hero for all of the historical events that she loved through. I treasure those conversations of asking what those times were like. Even though I must say, my own lifetime is turning out to be quite a historical event. Easter 2020 – having to create community over the computer will be one of those memorable events. The Easter season is always my favorite time in worship. 8 weeks of worship is about celebrating the resurrection of Christ. Easter season is my favorite time to preach – the scriptures are different, all of them have a special message just for this season. One major theme of easter scriptures is recording the disciples encounters with a risen Christ. There are twelve encounter stories throughout the new testament. In each encounter, Christ comes to the person in real life, they don’t recognize that it is Christ until later. And each person is changed permanently from the encounter. They become a lifelong follower of Christ. The most popular encounter story is the walk to Emmaus story, only found in the book of Luke. This story takes place on Easter evening, when word gets out that Jesus has risen and appeared to his grieving disciples. Two of his disciples are walking home, when they encounter a stranger. We don’t even know where Emmaus actually is, even though the scripture says it is 7 miles away from Jerusalem. But that does not matter, because Emmaus is not so much a story about a physical place, but a spiritual place. Emmaus is the place in our own spirits where we come in contact with our Risen Savior. We all have a lot going on in this time. We all have questions, we are all anxious about the future, we are all discouraged about some things, we are all in danger of losing our faith. But I want to challenge you to look for where you have encountered the risen Christ in our life. What special messages has God given that would only speak to your own spirit? The travelers in the Emmaus story – express sentiments that we all have had – as they are talking to the stranger and telling the story of Jesus – they say – and we had such high hopes for him. We had hoped that he would make a difference for us all – and now he is dead. Remember back in January, when we had such high hopes for 2020 – this was going to be our year. And look at where we are in April – everything gone, no hope for anything happening this year, everything cancelled for who knows when. I have been amazed at how many conversations that I have start with – Life as we knew it is gone forever. One lady said – we are never going home, because home does not exist anymore. And if it seems that things are tough now, as a pastor I worry more about the grief that so many of us will feel after this is over with. How do we deal with so many broken dreams and unexpected changes? No one is going to come out of this situation untouched – we have all been affected, we all have to heal. Where is the risen Christ in the midst of all of this? That is why this story in Luke is so important and why it speaks to so many of us. As the travelers were walking along and talking to the stranger he asks – what happened. And they ask him are the only person living under a rock that has not heard the story. And Ironically it was them who really didn’t know – that they were talking to Christ. Slow to Recognize Greatness Karl Barth, one of the twentieth century’s most famous theologians, was on a streetcar one day in Basel, Switzerland, where he lived and lectured. A tourist to the city climbed on the streetcar and sat down next to Barth. The two men started chatting with each other. “Are you new to the city?” Barth inquired. “Yes,” said the tourist. “Is there anything you would particularly like to see in this city?” asked Barth. “Yes,” he said, “I’d love to meet the famous theologian Karl Barth. Do you know him?” Barth replied, “Well as a matter of fact, I do. I give him a shave every morning.” The tourist got off the streetcar quite delighted. He went back to his hotel saying to himself, “I met Karl Barth’s barber today.” That amuses me. That tourist was in the presence of the very person he most wanted to meet, but even with the most obvious clue, he never realized that the man with whom he was talking was the great man himself. It reminds me of Mary’s reaction on Easter morning. In her grief, she thinks the man she is speaking to is the gardener. It is not, of course. Until he called her name she did not realize that she was speaking with the risen Christ. And, of course, it reminds me of that scene on the road to Emmaus, when later that same Easter day, two of the disciples walk for a while with the resurrected Jesus, and they, too, had no idea with whom they were conversing. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com How many times in our life, do we wait for Christ to show up in our lives, totally oblivious to the fact that he has been there all along? He is probably here right now, we just don’t see it. We are totally blinded by our circumstances. Grief has a way of shaping our view, we miss a lot of encounters with love. Blinded by sadness They just want to go home and climb into bed and feel sorry for themselves. They didn’t notice anything or anybody. Jesus could have been walking right along with them, and they would not have noticed. As a matter of fact, Jesus was walking along with them. They just did not recognize him as the Christ. There are people in the world today, who do not know that Easter has come and gone. They are still living the same life. Sadness, depression, pessimism, disbelief, an unwillingness to see change, all shade our thinking and our seeing. When we are caught up in our feelings, we are not open to Christ’s presence in our lives. We just want to crawl into a dark hole and stay there. In this case, possums are actually smarter then people. Possums and graves Possums like to crawl into holes too. But before they crawl- they look at the foot prints of those who may have crawled in that same hole. If there are only one set of foot prints going into that hole, they don’t go into that hole. If there are only one set of prints in the hole, then that means that whomever crawled into that hole – for some reason is still there. Either they crawled in and did not make it out alive, or they are still in there alive and well and just waiting for someone else to crawl in. You don’t want to crawl into somewhere that you cant crawl out of. If there are two sets of tracks into and out of the hole – them it is safe to go in. there comes a time in our lives when you have to crawl out of the hole and see the light. And live in the light. Jesus is our second set of tracks. Jesus is the source that can give us the power to crawl out of our hole. The resurrection gives us the power to crawl out and live in the light. Our travelers are nice enough to at least invite the stranger home with them, they talk with him, but it is not until they eat with him that it becomes clear – that they are talking with the risen Christ, and he disappears. Scripture says that they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. We break the bread during communion – to help us to look for and see Christ in the midst of our present circumstances. Communion is the place where you recognize for yourself that Christ has been there all the time. Sometimes it takes tough times like this for us to look for Christ. Christine Burgos says that Christ has a way of coming to us in the times that we need him. He stays with us in our time of need. And when that need is over, he leaves. He doesn’t stay as long we want, but just as long as we need. He does not stay forever. And he has a funny way of telling us, I am here, but not in the way you expected. And that is the gospel lesson for us today – Christ has come to each of us in our Emmaus to lead us to the other side – from despair to resurrection. And in return, we can be witnesses to the risen Christ in order to help someone else make it to the other side also. Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread – in Jesus Christ. Luke tells this story because he is trying to help us understand that each of us lives in a moment in history. There is a moment in all of our lives when everything changes. Without Christ, we may struggle with how to carry on. But when we encounter Christ – we are given the strength to face the future and go on. We may not know what the future holds, but we can be clear about who holds the future. Why does Christ come to us in times like this. I want to share this old poem. Fay Inchfawn wrote, “Sometimes, when everything goes wrong; When days are short and nights are long; When wash-day brings so dull a sky That not a single thing will dry. And when the kitchen chimney smokes, And when there’s naught so ‘queer’ as folks! When friends deplore my faded youth, And when the baby cuts a tooth. While John, the baby last but one, Clings round my skirts till day is done; And fat, good-tempered Jane is glum, And butcher’s man forgets to come. Sometimes I say on days like these, I get a sudden gleam of bliss. Not on some sunny day of ease, He’ll come … but on a day like this!” We look for Christ in our best days, when he really comes to us in our worst days. We want to be ready, we want to be in control – and nothing happens. We look for God in the sunset, but he comes in the sunrise. We were put here for such a time as this. This is our moment in history – to encounter Christ and to understand the true meaning of resurrection. May we look for the Risen Christ in every moment! Let us pray….. Pastoral Prayer Time of reflection Benediction Additional Illustrations Three Table Fellowships "The Scriptures speak of three kinds of table fellowship that Jesus keeps with his own: daily fellowship at table, the table fellowship of the Lord's Supper, and the final table fellowship in the kingdom of God. But in all three, the one thing that counts is that 'their eyes were opened, and they knew him.' "The fellowship of the table teaches Christians that here they still eat the perishable bread of the earthly pilgrimage. But if they share this bread with one another, they shall also one day receive the imperishable bread together in the Father's house." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954), 66. he Resurrection Changes Everything There’s a story about a young boy named Walter Elias. Born in the city, his parents one day moved out to the country to become farmers. Walter had a vivid imagination and the farm was the perfect place for a young boy and a wondering mind. One day in the apple orchard he was amazed when he saw sitting on a branch of one of the apple trees an owl. He just stood there and stared at the owl. He thought about what his father had told him about owls: owls always rested during the day because they hunted throughout the night. This owl was asleep. He also thought that this owl might make a great pet. Being careful not to make any noises he stepped over sticks and leaves. The owl was in a deep sleep because it never heard Walter Elias walking toward it. Finally, standing under the owl, he reached up and grabbed the owl by the legs. Now, the events that followed are difficult to explain. Suddenly everything was utter chaos. The owl came to life. Walter’s thoughts about keeping the bird as a pet were quickly forgotten. The air filled with wings, and feathers, and screaming. In the excitement Walter held the legs tighter. And in his panic, Walter Elias, still holding on to the owl, threw it to the ground and stomped it to death. After things calmed down, Walter looked at the now dead and bloody bird and began to cry. He ran back to the farm, obtained a shovel, and buried the owl in the orchard. At night he would dream of that owl. As the years passed he never got over what had happened that summer day. Deep down it affected him for the rest of his life. As an older man he said he never, ever killed anything again. Do you see it? Something significant happened after that event. Something that Walter didn’t miss. Something which transformed Walter Elias, something that redeemed him from the pit of despair, something that resurrected him, something that made Walter Elias Disney give life to thousands of animals on the big screen. The resurrection changes everything. It transforms us. It moves us from despair to new possibilities of life. It takes us in our blindness and opens our eyes. It transforms ordinary bread into a holy meal. It takes two sad and lost brothers on the road to Emmaus who had lost the only the world they knew and gives it back to them. Jesus comes to them and says see I am not dead. I am alive. Now tell the world. Brett Blair,www.Sermons.com Sermon Opener - The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh Transition times. Life is full of them . . . times of transition. As Eve allegedly said to Adam as they were leaving the Garden of Eden, “We are living in a time of great transition.” Transition times. No times are more filled with possibility and promise. No times are more filled with peril and despair. In transition times, everything is possible, and everything could fall flat and fail. Think about every time you started a new school. Think about the first time you moved out of your parent’s home. Think about the SECOND time you moved out of your parent’s home. (Maybe DON”T think about the third time you moved out of your parent’s home!) Think about when you graduated from high school or college. Think about when you got married. Think about when your first child was born. Think about when your first child got married. Think about the first day you were officially “retired.” Think about the first day that is tomorrow. But let’s not get too flowery too soon. The rabbi and novelist Chaim Potok (1929-2002) summed it up in his autobiographical novel In the Beginning (1975): “All beginnings are hard.” It is hard to be a new baby. It is hard to start a new school. It is hard to move to a new home. It is hard to be a new teenager. It is hard to be a new husband or wife. It is hard to be a new parent. It is hard to be a new widow or widower. It is even hard to be a new convert, a new disciple, even of Jesus the Christ. The truth of our text this morning is this: these two disciples traveling to the village of Emmaus were basically rats fleeing a sinking ship. The tumult and tragedy of that transition week in Jerusalem had deeply traumatized them. Talk about “difficult.” Jesus had been arrested, convicted, condemned, tortured, crucified, and entombed. Adding insult to injury was the disturbing report they had received from some women in their group, a report that Jesus’ body was no longer in its tomb. Here was a transition had left the disciples in the throes of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Shock Disorder). It was then they admitted their own faithlessness. ‘Some women of our company have astounded us: they went early to the tomb this morning and failed to find his body . . .’ They were neither cheered nor bewildered by this account. Nor had they gone to the tomb themselves to find out if it was true, They had simply and sadly tramped home. What, we might ask, had they been doing in Jerusalem all day? The women had gone to the tomb at break of day and now it was late evening. It was about seven miles from the city to their village, about a two-hour walk. Probably they had lain low until it began to get dark, scared of being picked up by the police (Ronald Blythe, The Circling Year [Norwich: The Canterbury Press, 2001], 75) But as darkness began to fall in earnest, these two slithering disciples invite a stranger to stay with them, a companion who had been offering them surprising solace on their journey. In their honesty about their confusion and depression, their “slow hearts” (v.25) began to beat faster with a cadence of hope. They began to hear a song of divine possibilities and dreams. As they walked and talked with the unrecognized resurrected Jesus, they received their own personal (remedial?) instruction. They began a new way of understanding scripture, a new way of understanding the Messiah, a new way of understanding suffering love, a new way of understanding true redemption. The Emmaus Walk is the journey that walked the disciple-community into its new identity as the body of Christ. It is hard to be a “new” anything. Including being a new, or I should say, an “always new” disciple of Jesus. Yet as we go along in life, even new beginnings take on a rich patina from our past. After two years we do understand gravity. After five or six years we do know how to read. After a few more years we do figure out a few things about interacting with other human beings. The most basic skills for dealing with these new beginnings are part of our childhoods. In the nineteen-twenties a wannabe poet/writer decided to put down a few stories and verses about his young son, a four year old named Christopher Robin. Like all four-year-olds, Christopher Robin doted on a large collection of stuffed animals. You now know the rest of the story. A.A. Milne’s remarkable collection of novels known as “Winnie the Pooh,” “The House at Pooh Corner,” “When We Were Very Young,” and “Now We Are Six.” Unlike today’s “series stories,” where writers stretch out their characters to fill three, or seven, or even ten volumes, Milne only devoted two books to the special relationship between the little boy, Christopher Robin, and his beloved stuffed bear, Winnie the Pooh. The “Winnie the Pooh” volume introduced readers to the world of childhood. “The House at Pooh Corner” was the opposite of an “introduction,” or what the wise Owl informed Pooh was a “contradiction”, the end of the story. In the final chapter of “The House at Pooh Corner,” Christopher Robin is preparing for a transition: he is being sent away to school. It will be an ending, and it will be a whole new beginning. Christopher Robin understands this; his simple stuffed animal friends, not so much. But as the one who knows, and the ones who don’t know walk forward towards this new future, they find their feet guided by four simple steps: Participate, Anticipate, Relate, and Liberate. These four steps of transition — to emigrate you must first participate, anticipate, relate and liberate---are the same four stages outlined in the Emmaus Road encounter of Jesus and his disciples. ell Others the Good Word A 9-year-old girl named Erica was so filled with joy when she came to know Jesus that she insisted that all her friends know him too. One day she took me to her neighborhood to invite the children to a vacation bible school our church was having. We went with colorful flyers in hand. I expected that we would tell the children and their parents about the dates and time and place of the vacation bible school, leave them a flyer as a reminder, and be on our way. Erica saw our job differently. When we got to the first home and the door was opened she stepped right up and said, "We've got great news about Jesus and my pastor will tell you all about it." I stood there flabbergasted, but she was right. Our job was first and foremost to spread the Word, proclaim the Good News, tell others about our Risen Lord. Erica and I worked hard that day because she did not want any child in her neighborhood to miss out in hearing about Jesus and the vacation bible school. Erica knew in her own way, Jesus' claim on our lives and the magnitude of that claim. We are Jesus' witnesses and those who need to receive our witness is the entire human family. Minerva Carcano, The Good News is for Everyone When the Circus Comes I am reminded of the story of the little boy whose grandmother regularly took him to her weekly prayer meeting. He was bored silly, but being a good lad he endured it. One day he was invited to attend the circus. He had never been to a circus before. He came away from this experience anxious to share with his dear grandmother what he was feeling. "Grandma," he said, "I went to the circus today, and let me tell you, once you have been to the circus you'll never want to go to another prayer meeting." And so it will be when God opens our minds to understand and experience God's marvelous, incredible risen presence. Something happens that sets us free, which renews and refreshes our sense of God's love, grace, and forgiveness that simply cannot be contained. Greg McDonell, Out of the Ashes Jesus' Post Resurrection Appearances To Mary Magdalene Jn 20:14-18; Mk 16:9 To the women returning from the tomb Mt 28:8-10 To Peter later in the day Lk 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5 To the disciples going to Emmaus in the evening Lk 24:13-31 To the apostles (except Thomas) Lk 24:36-45; Jn 20-19-24 To the apostles a week later (Thomas present) Jn 20:24-29 In Galilee to the seven by the Lake of Tiberias Jn 21:1-23 In Galilee on a mountain to the apostles and 500 believers 1 Cor 15:6 At Jerusalem and Bethany again to James 1 Cor 15:7 At Olivet and the ascension Acts 1:3-12 To Paul near Damascus Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor 15:8 To Stephen outside Jerusalem Acts 7:55 To Paul in the temple Acts 22:17-21; 23:11 To John on Patmos Rev 1:10-19 The New Unger's Bible Handbook, Merrill F. Unger, Revised by Gary N. Larson, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984, Page 397-398 Christ Never Gives Up There is a story of a British soldier in the First World War who lost heart for the battle and deserted. Trying to reach the coast for a boat to England that night, he ended up wandering in the pitch black night, hopelessly lost. In the darkness, he came across what he thought was a signpost. It was so dark that he began to climb the post so that he could read it. As he reached the top of the pole, he struck a match to see and found himself looking squarely into the face of Jesus Christ. He realized that, rather than running into a signpost, he had climbed a roadside crucifix. Then he remembered the One who had died for him . . . who had endured . . . who had never turned back. The next morning the soldier was back in the trenches. Maybe that's what you and I need to do in the moments of our distress and darkness - strike a match in the darkness and look on the face of Jesus Christ. For Christ is here. He comes to us just as he came to those two disciples on the road to Emmaus even though we may not recognize him. He takes the initiative. He knocks on the door. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com

Rejoice in Hope

April 19, 2020 1 Peter 1:3-9 Easter: Rejoice in Hope 2nd Sunday of Easter Children’s Sermon Object: An athletic shoe Many of you may have tennis shoes or running shoes at home like these. Some of you might have some shoes that say "Nike" on them. It is not my purpose this morning to give a commercial for Nikes. It is the name that interests me. We are told that back before the time of Jesus there were terrible wars just as there are sometimes today. When an invading army approached a city, the defenders would go out to face the army. The fate of the city would be determined. If there was defeat, the men would be killed or enslaved, the women would be abused, families would be torn apart, and children would be sold as slaves. The people in the city had no way of knowing the news of the battle except by a message carried by a runner. If there was defeat, he tore his clothes, put on ashes and cried, "Woe, woe, defeat." People would try to get away but rarely could. When there was a victory, the runner would be stripped to the waist. He carried a palm branch in his hand. As he ran, perspiration would cover his body. He would be shining in the late afternoon sun. People knew the message even before he arrived. He would run through the city gates and cry, "Nike! Nike!" Nike means victory. The runner was shouting, "Victory! Victory!" This is the first Sunday after Easter. This is a time of putting on our running shoes and shouting, "victory, victory." In our lesson from Peter today, we read about "inexpressible joy." That is what Jesus' resurrection brings us--inexpressible joy. Nike. Victory. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Prelude Welcome and announcements Congregational care – what does recovery look like? Attendance in the comments The following Liturgical elements for worship are reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources. For all other uses, please contact the copyright holder. Invitation to Worship (p. 60) God calls us to worship, AND WE COME! Some with laughter and songs of joy. God calls us to worship, AND WE COME! Some from a sense of obligation or habit. God calls us to worship, AND WE COME! Some with hearts heavy with grief. God calls us to worship, AND WE COME! Some with distraction or exhaustion. God calls us to worship, AND WE COME! Some with eagerness or enthusiasm. God calls us to worship, AND WE COME! Some with stress, loneliness or depression. As God’s dearly loved children, We bring all our joy and pain, hurt and hope Into this place of Spirit-given grace, love, and hope Stewardship Moment This is the season of Easter – the season of new life. Our theme for today is hope. But we also cannot deny that there is a lot of hopelessness right now. There is a lot for us to be discouraged about. Have you ever noticed that when you are hopeless, you start to feel that nothing that you do makes a difference. You become convinced that there are no answers that have not been tried. We become convinced that there is nothing that God can do to make a difference. We start to shut down, close the doors and refuse to let the sunshine of God in our lives. Easter is about opening the pathways of life. Hope is that opening. Hope gives us the power to make a difference. Hope leads to a giving spirit. – When we gives to others, we give to ourselves. We are here as a church to give the world hope in spite of what the news says. Let us not forget our church, most importantly let us not forget the mission to bring hope to the world. In this easter season, reach out and give to the church. Offering plate will not be passed, but you can send in your offering, or online giving, or automatic giving. That offering makes a difference. Scripture 1 Peter 1:3-9 Common English Bible (CEB) Thanksgiving 3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 4 You have a pure and enduring inheritance that cannot perish—an inheritance that is presently kept safe in heaven for you. 5 Through his faithfulness, you are guarded by God’s power so that you can receive the salvation he is ready to reveal in the last time. 6 You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. 7 This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. 9 You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon All of the scriptures of the lectionary fell together in a special way today. Usually I only focus on one scripture so that I can stick to one theme. But today they already have a common theme. That theme is faith. They contrast a faith that we can see and a faith that we cannot see. The Gospel lesson is about doubting Thomas, who needed to see the nails in Jesus hand in order to believe. Jesus obliges his faith, but says that blessed are those who don’t see and yet believe in Jesus for themselves. That will be the lesson that many people will hear today. But I thought I would talk about the lesson in 1 Peter. Which focuses on those who have undying faith in a Christ that they have never seen. I want to start out actually sharing the words of the Psalm 16. Once when I was going through a faith crisis, these words spoke to me and I printed them out and put them on my wall to read everyday. Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you. 2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord. Apart from you, I have nothing good.” The words that I needed to cling to You, LORD, are my portion, my cup; you control my destiny. 6 The property lines have fallen beautifully for me; yes, I have a lovely home. CEB The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. NIV In the midst of all that I may have, all that I may have lost, God is my inheritance. 1 Peter is known as the letter of hope. And Peter uses the concept of inheritance to give hopes to Christians all over the world who are going through a difficult time. The Easter season last for 8 weeks, until Pentecost. And 1 Peter is the epistle lesson for all of that time. If you know me, I rarely stick with one lesson from week to week. But 1 Peter is a very short book I would encourage you to read the whole book. Peter is considered a catholic epistle, catholic with a small c means universal. Peter is talking to Christians where ever they may be in the world and whatever situation they are going through. 1 Peter is important because it sums up the Christian message of hope, using all of the concepts of faith. The 3 important concepts of 1 Peter are inheritance, being a soujourner, faith in a God that we cannot see. You know, usually when we think of inheritance, we think of money, property or land. Inheritance is what our parents leave us to continue their legacy. Inheriting Faith George and his wife were visiting his widowed sister Elaine in their hometown in Nebraska, Elaines and George’s mother had died two years ago and this was the first time George and his wife had been able to visit Elaine since the funeral. So there was a good deal of reminiscing about their mother and father and life in the farm that they grew up on. They talked about the years of the Great Depression, the dust storms, the drought, the joys of growing up in a large farm family. They always had enough to eat and often wore hand me down clothes, yet in spite of some hardships, they spoke warmly of those earlier years. As their conversation drifted back to their late parents, Elaine suddenly said with excitement in her voice, George, do you know what, when mother died I got that old trunk of hers, and I have never opened it. With a feeling of childlike excitement, the three of them hurried down the basement steps. Sure enough, in the corner of the basement was the familiar old trunk. After they removed numerous items from the top of the trunk, they gingerly opened it so see what treasures it might hold for them. As the trunk lid squeaked open, the three seekers were met with nothing but stale air. The things is empty, so much for our inheritance. After they had returned upstairs and were sipping coffee, the three of them laughed at their peek in the trunk. We all knew that there was nothing in that trunk. Elaine said, we knew good and well that the folks never did have much in terms of material goods, so there was not anything for us to inherit. Doug told her not to jump to conclusions. He said that they inherited things far more valuable then money. They inherited good values, honesty, integrity, hard work. That is far more valuable than money. They both agreed that the most important thing that they got was their faith in Jesus. The Isrealites considered themselves to be Chosen by God because God had given them a land that would be theirs and passed on from generation to generation. But as the story points out we inherit much more than material things from our parents and others who come before us. We also inherit their values, their understandings, their skills – but as the story points out the most important thing that we get from our parents is their faith. Our parents, or some other mentor teach us what it means to be a faithful person. Many of us go to church today, because of what someone taught us. And we can be grateful for the values that they instilled in us. Many of us criticized those immaterial lessons that our parents taught us, until we get much older and we understand why they taught those lessons. If you don’t think the faith lessons that you inherited are important listen to this story. In 1955, The Cambridge Humanist Society was formed at Cambridge University in England. Sir Julian Huxley explained that their purpose was to enable people to cope with their environment without resort to the idea that there is a God. He said that one hundred years hence, people would find it as hard to believe in God as they currently do to believe the world is flat. A few years later, another distinguished man of science was asked to address the faculty at Canbridge. He opened his address with these words: “Before my lecture, I want to tell you something. I am a Christian. I was brought up in a Christian home with my brother, and the two of us were closest friends. We were both at the University together. My father and mother were deeply religious. My brother and I had no time for religion. We thought that religion was all right for old people, but we were scientist and we thought we had found our way through by what we were pleased to call scientific methods. Then my brother was killed. My father and mother has resources . And with these resources they met the shattering loss. But I had no one. I had no resources at all. One night, brokenhearted and with all my proud science in ruined uselessness at my feet. I knelt down. I did not know how to pray. I had scorned prayer, but I put out my hand, and I found it was grasped. I knew that someone was coming to my help and somehow I knew it was Christ. I have been a Christian ever since and no one, nothing will take Christ from me any more. The faith that we inherited makes a difference in how we deal with difficult situations. The world tells us there is no hope, there are no answers, it is what is is. But when we have faith, we always look for something more. When things don’t happen the way we plan, we have the patience to wait for something more. We can go forward in life when we don’t have the answers. I remember the pain of a youth who once attended church until his sister died. And then he was so mad at God he could not come to church. I prayed for him because a deeper faith would have helped him to move forward in his faith in spite of his pain. The faith that we inherit from our parents makes a difference. Studies actually show that a child cannot grow emotionally or spiritually without the support of a parent. We may learn more information than our parents, we have different skills from our parents, but emotionally we will always be connected to them and what they taught us. That is why it is critical that we pass our faith in an infinite God onto the next generation. We have to make sure that we give them our faith. It makes all of the difference in the world. It makes the difference in whether they will have hope or no hope, whether they will learn to cope or not cope, whether the glass is half empty or half full. Why is faith so important? Faith gives us hope, it enables us to love what we cant see, it sings for the joy of salvation, it strengthens us, it guides us, it saves us. But it does not protect us from earthly harm. Because we live in a world filled with challenges. And just being faithful does not protect you from harm. And we were not given any real guarantees. That is why Peter wrote this letter of hope – he was writing to a people who were struggling. People who did not fit in, People who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. When Peter writes this letter to anyone who was listening – he calls them sojourners – those who are just traveling through a land there are not home. The Greek word for such a sojourner in a strange land is paroikos. A paroikos was a man who was in a strange land and whose thoughts ever turned home. Such a sojourning was called a paroikia; and paroikia is the direct derivation of the English word parish. The Christians in any place are a group of people whose eyes are turned to God and whose loyalty is beyond. “Here,” said the writer to the Hebrews, “we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). We must repeat that this does not mean withdrawal from the world; but it does mean that the Christian sees all things in the light of eternity and life as a journey towards God. It is this which decides the importance which he attaches to anything; it is this which dictates his conduct. It is the touchstone and the dynamic of his life. There is a famous unwritten saying of Jesus: “The world is a bridge. The wise man will pass over it, but he will not build his house upon it The first sentence of the verse says it all – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ By his given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, indefiled, and unfading,kept in heaven for you who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to revealed in the last time. A sojourner is one who is on a journey. And life can be just like a journey, sometimes a journey in the middle of nowhere. But when we follow Christ – it is a journey to get closer to God. It is Easter – and 1 Peter shows us the path of life. So on this faith Sunday in 2020 let us face this crazy world Without losing hope; (2) Without becoming bitter; (3) While trusting in their Lord; Without having seen Christ, loving him . Let us pray…… Pastoral prayer Meditative Music Benediction Additional Illustrations They took her father captive months before young Ann was ever born. He was a prisoner of war. For Ann, her father exists only in wrinkled snapshots and in the memories of her Mom and grandparents. Ann has never seen him facetoface, but she has heard about his smile, and his agility as a highschool halfback. She has heard that he was looking forward to her birth with great eagerness. The last thing he said to her Mom as the train pulled out of the station was, "Look after our child real well." To Ann her father is a stranger and yet not a stranger at all. He is really very dear to her even though she has never laid eyes on him. Not having seen him, she still loves him. Such was the situation of that second generation of Christian believers. They were very much like young Ann. They were not among those who had walked with the Master personally. They were not privileged to be witnesses to his postresurrection appearances. They received all their information about him secondhand. They heard about him from followers such as Simon Peter whose experience of Christ was still fresh and vivid. Those who knew him personally spoke of his gentleness, his kindness and his ability to forgive, even as he hung upon the cross. They told how he prophesied his resurrection. They told of his promise that he was coming back. That's all these second generation Christians hadthe testimony of those who had known him and walked with him. That was all but that was enough. It was enough to convince many of them to leave everything they owned to follow him. In Peter's First Epistle, they are accorded this word of praise, "Without having seen Him, you love Him." I wish that every Christian could develop a spirit like Roberto DeVincenzo's. DeVincenzo, a tough Argentine golfer, won a major tournament and was given a check for his winnings. After the ceremonies, DeVincenzo walked alone to his car where he met a sadeyed young lady. Slowly, she walked up to him and said, "It's a happy day for you, but the doctors say my baby is dying of an incurable blood disease." Before she could utter another word, the champion golfer took out a pen, endorsed his winning check, and put it in the woman's hand, urging her to "make some good days for the baby." A week later DeVincenzo was told the woman had no sick baby and he had thus been tricked out of his winnings. On hearing this, this gallant gentleman merely looked up and said, "You mean there is no baby who is dying without hope? Why that's the best news I've heard all week!" (2) I believe that is the sort of thing Jesus would have said, don't you? We love him even though we have never seen him, first of all, because of the difference he has made in our world. Billy Graham tells a story about a family from South Carolina who went to New York City for a vacation. They told all their friends they would attend the Broadway play, MY FAIR LADY. Unfortunately, the play was sold out and they couldn't obtain tickets. They were disappointed. They were also embarrassed to have to go back home and tell their friends they missed the highlight of their trip. So they decided to do the next best thing. They picked up discarded tickets, purchased a program, and bought the musical tapes. In their motel room they learned all the songs and reviewed the program. Back home they sang and whistled the tunes to all of MY FAIR LADY's hits hoping no one would suspect they never saw it. There are people who have never really had Christ make a difference in their lives. These folks are active in church. They support all the right causes. But they are whistling tunes that belie what is really missing in their hearts. They admire Christ, they identify with his teachings, but they cannot be said to love him. He is still somewhat of a stranger. Inheritance in the bible One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 16 verse 5 says you alone are my inheritance, you make my lot sescure. Lamentations 3:24 says you alone are my inheritance, my hope is in you. The Greek word for such a sojourner in a strange land is paroikos. A paroikos was a man who was in a strange land and whose thoughts ever turned home. Such a sojourning was called a paroikia; and paroikia is the direct derivation of the English word parish. The Christians in any place are a group of people whose eyes are turned to God and whose loyalty is beyond. “Here,” said the writer to the Hebrews, “we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). We must repeat that this does not mean withdrawal from the world; but it does mean that the Christian sees all things in the light of eternity and life as a journey towards God. It is this which decides the importance which he attaches to anything; it is this which dictates his conduct. It is the touchstone and the dynamic of his life. There is a famous unwritten saying of Jesus: “The world is a bridge. The wise man will pass over it, but he will not build his house upon it v) When a man is reborn, it is to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). Paul describes the heathen world as being without hope

The Easter Choice

April 12, 2020 John 20:1-18 Easter Sunday Year A The Easter Choice 9:30 Service Children’s Sermon Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about some of the things that the followers of Jesus found when they went to the place where he was buried and found him risen from the dead. We talk a lot about that day a long time ago, but I want you to pretend that you were there the first day when it all happened. You are going to think about how sad you are to know that your very favorite person has died and was put into a grave on Friday. Today is Sunday and that means that Jesus has been dead for two days. This is already the third day since he died. You have thought about all of the good times that you had with Jesus. You remember when you went fishing with him and you caught so many fish that your nets broke. You remember the time you sat up all night with him while he told you stories about what he wanted to do and how he was going to make people happy. You remember the time that you saw a very sick friend healed by Jesus. These are the things that you were thinking about yesterday after Jesus had died on Friday. It has been a very sad time. Now this is even going to be sadder because we are going to visit the place where Jesus is buried. Maybe we are even going to see his body. Now we are at the place where they put Jesus, but things look different. His gravestone has been moved. The soldiers who were guarding him are gone. Everything is different. If we look inside the grave, we are going to be shocked by something else. Look over there. The clothes that he was buried in are kind of piled up, but there is no Jesus. And look here (Show them the napkin.), this is the napkin that was placed over the face of Jesus when he was buried. This is a special napkin that is used only when someone is buried. It is here. It was laying all by itself like someone had taken it off and put it down special. Jesus is gone. Someone may have stolen his body or something else terrible could have happened. We have the napkin that covered his face. That would have been a shock, wouldn't it? (Let them answer.) Suppose that you went to the grave instead of Peter and John and you had found that napkin lying in the grave. What would you have done? (Let them answer.) I hope that I would have done what they did. Peter and John went back to the other disciples and waited. Soon the word came from another follower. This follower was a woman and she had seen Jesus. He is alive. He is better than before he died. He is risen from the dead and he will live forever. That is what they heard and they told it so that we would know it also. Jesus is alive and he promises that the same thing will happen to us when we die. We shall also live forever. Hallelujah. Easter is here and we shall all live forever. The C.S.S. Publishing Compa, THE ONE-HANDED CLOCK, by Wesley T. Runk Prelude Greeting and welcome Christ the Lord is Risen – and you say He has Risen Indeed As we begin our holy time together, light a candle – use candle every Sunday to create a holy time. Stewardship Moment On this Easter, choose to follow God is giving of our heart. Take a collection physically – but want to remind everyone of the importance of giving to the mission of the church. Time to give – to reach out to others. Church is not closed, and Easter is not cancelled. Send in your offerings – your commitment to God. Ways to give – online, sign up for automatic giving, send it in, or drop it off. Giving to God – the world needs God more than ever. Scripture John 20:1-18 Common English Bible (CEB) Empty tomb 20 Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” 3 Peter and the other disciple left to go to the tomb. 4 They were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and was the first to arrive at the tomb. 5 Bending down to take a look, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Following him, Simon Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 He also saw the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. It wasn’t with the other clothes but was folded up in its own place. 8 Then the other disciple, the one who arrived at the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 They didn’t yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying. Jesus appears to Mary 11 Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. 13 The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” 14 As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene left and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord.” Then she told them what he said to her. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon When I think of life now, I think of 2020 before Covid19 and life after covid19. It seems that life has been a roller coaster of changes since March 13th. Everyday there is something different. As a pastor, the hardest part of all of these adjustments has been having to give up my plans for Easter. I spent all year planning and preparing, in one day all of that seemed to just go up in smoke. This has been a time when I have had to think back to the Easter’s of the past. My favorite Easter of all time, was when I was 7 years old. Not only did my mother plan a big dinner, and we colored easter eggs the day before. And on Easter morning, my mother planned this elaborate easter egg hunt throughout the house. I think she had more fun in the hunt than I did. The highlight was finding a pretty elaborate easter basket hidden in the dryer. I loved Easter as a child, but Easter was also a mystery to me. I ever quite understood what easter eggs, bunnies and getting new clothes had to do with the resurrection of Jesus. And no one has ever been able to explain that too me. Well, come to find out, eggs and bunnies and bright colors have absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection of Christ. They are all symbols of the coming of spring. Easter was a pagan goddess of spring, and people gave her offerings of eggs, bunnies, and flowers in order to have a bountiful spring. As Christianity spread to new cultures, the church felt that it was better to let people do what they always did. In a sense, they baptized those old habits and dedicated them to Christ. Truth, I love easter, but I think that there should be more biblical symbols of Easter. For instance, speaking of baptism – water is a good symbol of resurrections, because it is a good sign of life. Life conquering the forces of death. We all need water in order to live. Water is a powerful part of our lives. Water is powerful, and water can be dangerous, water can bring death if not handled with care, water not only bring life to us, but to all around us. When we are baptized, we are brought under the power of death and rise up out of it a new person living new life. Definitely a realistic symbol of new life. The second symbol of biblical resurrection – takes on new importance during these days of COVID-19. Corona virus has the power to bind our lungs and to suck the breath out of us. Breath – is given to us by God and it is very important for life. Never again can we take our ability to breath for granted. For myself not only do I check my blood sugar and blood pressure everyday to check on my health, but now also I take my temperature and oxygen levels everyday. Any room that I am going to spend any amount of time in make sure there is an air purifier and humidifier running to make breathing easier. Breath is definitely a realistic symbol of Easter. Breath is literally a sign of life, but the breath of God – not only gives us physical life, but also spiritual God. Inspiration – means the breath of God is inspired – or breathed into us. Breath is definitely a sign of life over death. The last one I want to mention today is the most important. That is the Easter Choice, our ability to choose life over death. Life and death is inside of the choices that each of us make. We can choose to continue with life as usual and do nothing and die, or choose to use social distancing, and choose life. The Easter Choice When faced with new realities, you have at least three options for how to respond (and it is nearly certain that you will opt for one of these three possibilities). First, you can stay bewildered. You can let this event knock you flat on your back and then stay there. Second, you can engage in world-class denial. You can look at the facts and ignore them. Or third, you can, slowly perhaps, assimilate this new information. You may get knocked as flat on your back as the next person by this new realization, but eventually you pick yourself up. You embrace this new truth and then go through the long, sometimes painful, process of re-assessing life in the light of this new evidence. This is the Easter choice. When faced with the incredible proclamation that Jesus rose again from the dead, you can be agnostic and cynical by saying that you don't know what to make of this but then neither are you going to try. Who cares anyway? Or you can deny it. The whole thing is fiction, fantasy, a pious wish but something that never really happened. Or you can move past the shock toward acceptance. But let me caution you: if you are going to accept the truth of the bodily resurrection, you need to let it change you totally. That's the Easter choice. The problem for most of us is that we are not surprised enough by Easter to realize we face a choice. Easter is a part of the background scenery of our lives. We've never been afraid of Easter, never been bewildered by it. Believing that Jesus rose again from the dead becomes a little like believing the earth is round and that it orbits the sun. Once upon a time people didn't know that. They thought the earth was flat and that the sun orbited the earth. It caused quite a stir when this view had to be revised. But that was a long time ago and now we accept that picture of our solar system without much thought. Sure the world is round and we orbit the sun, but what does that have to do with anything? It doesn't change what I have to do at work tomorrow, does it? Is that what Easter becomes for us? We believe it happened but then, we've always believed that. Even Easter has somehow become part of the “routines” of this world. So why would it have much of an effect on what we do tomorrow? Easter is no longer shocking for us -- it surely does not make us re-evaluate everything else we think we know. And anyway, we're not sure we want to have everything in our lives changed. Of course, if we can believe in the resurrection at all, it is a gift of faith granted to us by the prior gift of grace. But if we have received that grace and accept the truth that gets proclaimed from every Christian pulpit in the world each Easter Sunday morning, then we have to know that this truth changes everything. This is not some fact we can ponder just once every twelve months. This changes everything.... and on EVERY day. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations If we have learned anything from all of thise COVID-19 crisis, it is the fact that life is precious. Life is a precious gift from God that we cannot take for granted. Easter is a choice to live in the face of constant death. Now I Can Go On Living There was a young woman living in Washington, D.C. during the Second World War. Her husband, who had been stationed at a nearby Army base, was killed a year earlier during a training exercise - they had been married just four months. During that whole year, this young widow felt more dead than alive. She merely went through the motions of living. Her family and friends were worried about her and wondered if she would ever "snap out of it." Easter Sunday came along and a friend asked the young widow to go to church with her. It happened that they went to hear the legendary Peter Marshall, who preached in an historic Presbyterian church which still stands in downtown Washington, a few blocks from the White House. That morning, Peter Marshall spoke of Mary coming to the tomb and how her tears turned to joy. He described the sound of a wind rustling through the tomb as if the breath of God were blowing by. He described the sight of Jesus rising up from that cold, stone slab, swaying a bit on wounded feet and then walking out into the garden. He described the smell, "the whiff of strange scents which must have drifted back to the Man from that tomb, [the smell] of linen and bandages, spices and myrrh, close air and blood ...(Peter Marshall, The First Easter). By the time Peter Marshall finished that sermon, the people in that church felt as if they had been there in the garden to witness the first Easter themselves! When the service was over, the young widow practically walked on air as she left the church and her friend couldn't believe the change which had come over her. "What happened to you in there?" she asked. "The weight has finally been lifted," the young woman replied; "now I can go on living again." Erskine White, Together in Christ We hear this story of the resurrection in John 20 every year. 18 verses, but every year there is a different lesson to learn. This year, surprised how many references to our present situation. For instance, when Mary realizes that she is talking with her teacher and friend, she wants to run up an hug him. But he tells her not to touch him, he has not ascended yet. Mary had ventured out into the garden by herself, but the other disciples were sheltered in place. They were not only afraid to go out, they were afraid to stay out for any amount of time. When they looked out, even though the sun was shining brightly, they were afraid of what was out there. They celebrated that Jesus has been resurrected, but they still were uncertain about the future. We too live in a world of uncertainty. We know this will end, but we don’t know when. And we don’t know what till happen in the future. I don’t know about you, but I will probably not be going to any summer gatherings, not this year. When I see pictures of people hugging, or shaking hands, or getting to close to each other I still cringe. It is going to take awhile to get over all of that. But the greatest symbol of Easter is the strength to face an unknown future – with joy, and happiness, not fear and trepidation. 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 Life has many exciting things in store – even in the valley of the shadow od death. But if we have Jesus Christ in our hearts and by our side – we can still chose life, and look forward to what exciting things are going to happen today and every day. Amen Intercession for Easter Day 2020 On this Easter Day marked by both sorrow and joy, our prayers for the church, the world, and all in need include both heartfelt lament and fervent praise. A brief silence. God our Sanctuary, we lament that we cannot gather today for public worship, that death stalks the church, and that our sorrows and fears blunt our songs of Alleluia. . . A brief silence. Show the church your mercy: Your mercy endures forever. And yet around the globe we praise you for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, for our baptismal washing in his life, for your presence come to us in the word, and for the hope the gospel brings. . . A brief silence. We praise you for the church: Alleluia! Thanks be to God! God our Creator, we lament that our life styles have harmed your creation and that our efforts to repair your earth are now postponed. . . A brief silence. Show the earth your mercy: Your mercy endures forever. And yet here in the north we praise you for the beauty of the natural world, for springtime flowers and budding trees, for the soil and rain that nourish the crops. . . A brief silence. We praise you for the earth: Alleluia! Thanks be to God! God our Governor, we lament that war and violence still rage, that countless people suffer injustice, that the plight of refugees seems beyond solution, that appropriate governmental action is delayed and inadequate. . . A brief silence. Show the world your mercy: Your mercy endures forever. And yet we praise you that there is peace on our streets, that some elected officials and many aid agencies are devoting themselves to save the people and to share our food, and that we are given connection to friends and family through technology. . . A brief silence. We praise you for community: Alleluia! Thanks be to God! God our Physician, we lament all who suffer, those we name here before you . . . but especially we lament the coronavirus and its incalculable suffering, the many thousands sick, the fear instilled, the loss of employment, the cancelation of plans, the overflow in hospitals, the scarcity of supplies, the exhaustion of medical staff. . . A brief silence. Show all the needy your mercy: Your mercy endures forever. And yet we praise you for health and well-being wherever it thrives, for the dedication of medical workers, for the goodwill of volunteers, for the generosity of benefactors, and for the comfort we receive from the power of the resurrection. . . A brief silence . We praise you for healing: Alleuia! Thanks be to God! God, our Everlasting Arms, mother us in our heartache and distress, receive now our personal laments, and help each of us to praise your name. A longer period of silence. We praise you for hearing our prayers: Alleluia! Thanks be to God! God our Life Eternal, we lament the thousands dead and the sadness of all who mourn, and we remember before you all who have died in the faith. . . A brief silence. Show to all humanity your mercy: Your mercy endures forever. And yet here we join in our Alleluias, and we praise you on this Easter Day for your promise of an endless banquet of joyous life in your presence, when diseases and sorrows will be no more. A brief silence. In life and death we praise you: Alleluia! Thanks be to God! God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are Source of life, Word of salvation, and Power of mercy, into your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your compassionate might, for the sake of him who lived, died, and rose for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. (Gail Ramshaw) Encourage you to put prayers for new day, personal for the church, community or world in the comments. Listen to this song of celebration Benediction In the midst of everything else going on, we have to find new ways to celebrate Easter. So as you go through your day – may you venture out and do something new today. After taking my regular Sunday nap, go for a walk and speak with God in nature. New day new adventure. Hoping to have some more surprises for you this week. Not allowed to make hospital visits, or home visits or funerals. Not going on vacation, but will be a week of self care – some personal things that need to be done. Back again next week – Easter is not over. After this is over, also posting a prayer for current times very good and thorough. But also posted a video this morning – death is the beginning – also speaks to worship of God encourage you to walk with God whatever you do to day Peace out! Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - Breath of God - John 20:1-18 This year, Easter Sunday falls during the COVID-19 pandemic. A time when we are secluded in our homes and told to wrap our faces in cloth if we dare to go out for groceries or supplies. Walk into the grocery store, and you’ll see people wandering quietly through the aisles with gloved hands and masked faces. Get too close, and you’ll register a wide-eyed look of alarm on the face of that passerby. We are in hiding from an invisible beast. “The Beast” is what people are naming the virus. It attacks ferociously in the night with spiked fevers, aches, lung binding, and hallucinations. COVID-19 is a “breath-taking” virus. It steals the breath from people’s bodies in a particularly terrifying way. It strikes suddenly leaving us frightened and breathless. With no cure in sight, the only thing we can do is hide away, covering our noses and faces with cloth, hoping to keep the aggressive beast away from our lungs. COVID-19 is a death threat that has already made good on many lives. This brutal virus makes us feel that we are locked up in a dark tomb for an impossibly long duration, as though the darkness of “Good Friday” might go on forever with little hope in sight. And yet all around us, we see signs of spring, signs of awakening, signs of hope, signs of resurrection. We know life as we know it may be dampened down for now, covered in what feels like “funeral clothing.” And yet, spring blooms eternal. All around us: Birds sing, the sun bursts out from the winter clouds, trees bud, flowers unfurl, the ground thaws, and God unwraps an entirely new landscape of color and life. But for now, we wait. I wonder what it must have felt like for Jesus those “three days” in the tomb, knowing resurrection was imminent, yet waiting for dawn to come on that magnificent morning when the stone was rolled away, and the sun streamed through, when an “angel of the Lord” removed the funerary cloth from Jesus’ face, and the Holy Spirit breathed again the holy breath of life into His stricken body and made it rise like Ezekiel’s bones from the valley of the shadow of death. Three days of darkness. Then, new and restored life. Not the same life. But a restored, resurrected life.... ________________________________________ 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. The Legend of the Touchstone Do you remember the Legend of the Touchstone? It's a great story to recall on Easter Sunday morning. According to that ancient legend, if you could find the touchstone on the coast of the Black Sea and hold it in your hand, everything you touched would turn to gold. You could recognize the touchstone by its warmth. The other stones would feel cold, but when you picked up the touchstone, it would turn warm in your hand. Once a man sold everything he had and went to the coast of the Black Sea in search of the touchstone. He began immediately to walk along the shoreline picking up one stone after another in his diligent and intentional search for the touchstone. He was consumed with this dream. He wanted desperately to find this miraculous stone. However, after several days had passed, he suddenly realized that he was picking up the same stones again and again. So he devised a plan... pick up a stone; if it's cold, throw it into the sea. This he did for weeks and weeks. Then one morning he went out to continue his search for the touchstone. He picked up a stone; it was cold... he threw it into the sea. He picked up another stone - cold! He threw it into the sea. He picked up another stone... it turned warm in his hand, and before he realized what he was doing... he threw it into the sea! That's a good parable for Easter, isn't it? Because that can so easily happen to us. We can come upon a miraculous moment like Easter... we can feel it turn warm in our hands... but then (so dulled by the routine) before we realize what we are doing... we throw it away. Absentmindedly, mechanically, nonchalantly... we toss it aside and miss the miracle of Easter. James W. Moore, Lenten Series on Mark, www.Sermons.com Time for Easter Dreams In a world of Good Friday nightmares, it is time for Easter Dreams. After the completion of Disney World, someone remarked, "Isn't it too bad that Walt Disney didn't live to see this!" Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios replied, "He did see it that's why it's here." Everything in life that we use or hold, eat or watch, wear, sit in or listen to in other words, everything that is a creation of human ingenuity started out as a dream. Before anything can become tangible, it must first become a reality in the mind of its dreamer. Only when the dream is real for one can it become real for all. Not until the dream is real for me can it become real for you. Zippers, Christmas tree lights, quadruple bypass heart surgery, combustion engines, cotton candy, x-rays, air conditioning, flush toilets, matches, eyeglasses, espresso all these things were once dreams in some person's mind. The dreams of others make our lives tasty, pleasant, sometimes even possible. So why is it that we live in a world furnished with the dreams of others, yet there are so many nightmares stalking the land? Why did we first nightmare up nuclear weaponry instead of dreaming up world peace? Why did we nightmare up high-tech security systems and gated communities instead of dreaming up communities of trust? Why did we nightmare up fast foods instead of dreaming up a way to feed every hungry child? Why did we nightmare up apartheid and slavery and Jim Crow instead of dreaming up societies of justice and equality? One member of the "buster generation" (those born between 1964 and 1983) put it this way: "I had a dream." Writing to his church's newsletter, this young man expressed the despair, cynicism and pessimism of his "buster generation" by speaking about the "death of idealism, of passion and dreaming ... of transforming vision." He spoke of an almost ubiquitous death of dreaming among his peers (as referenced by Sharon Dawn Johnson, "Vision in Mission," The Gospel and Our Culture 5 [September 1993]: 5). Because the Good Friday nightmare was transformed into the Easter Dream, the way has been opened for ending all nightmares and incarnating all dreams. The Resurrection means that Christians can expectantly: - dream of plenty in the midst of poverty; - dream of compassion in the midst of poverty; - dream of justice in the midst of inequity; - dream of holiness in the midst of hell; - dream of love in the midst of hate. Leonard Sweet, Easter Dreams, www.Sermons.com ___________________________________ We Believe You I ran across a beautiful story recently about a woman named Rosemary who works in the Alzheimer’s Unit of a nursing home. Rosemary and a colleague named Arlene brought the residents of the home together one Good Friday afternoon to view Franco Zeffirelli’s acclaimed production Jesus of Nazareth. They wondered whether these elderly Alzheimer’s patients would even know what was going on, but they thought it might be worth the effort. When they finally succeeded in getting everyone into position, they started the video. Rosemary was pleasantly surprised at the quiet attention being paid to the screen. At last came the scene where Mary Magdalene comes upon the empty tomb and sees Jesus’ body not there. An unknown man, in reality the risen Christ, asks Mary why she is looking for the living among the dead. Mary runs as fast as she can back to the disciples and tells Peter and the rest with breathless excitement, “He’s alive! I saw Him, I tell you! He’s alive.” The doubt in their eyes causes Mary to pull back. “You don’t believe me . . . You don’t believe me!” From somewhere in the crowd of Alzheimer’s patients came the clear, resolute voice of Esther, one of the patients. “WE BELIEVE YOU,” she said, “WE BELIEVE YOU!” Well, Esther, I believe it too. The evidence is overwhelming, and life makes no sense without it. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Rosemary Kadrmas in Jeff Cavins, et.al, Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart (West Chester, PA: Ascension Press, LLC, 2003), pp. 211-212., adapted by King Duncan 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 No Grave Deep Enough Several years ago, The Saturday Evening Post ran a cartoon showing a man about to be rescued after he had spent a long time ship-wrecked on a tiny deserted island. The sailor in charge of the rescue team stepped onto the beach and handed the man a stack of newspapers. "Compliments of the Captain," the sailor said. "He would like you to glance at the headlines to see if you'd still like to be rescued!" Sometimes the headlines do scare us. Sometimes we feel that evil is winning, but then along comes Easter, to remind us that there is no grave deep enough, no seal imposing enough, no stone heavy enough, no evil strong enough to keep Christ in the grave. James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True, Dimensions, 1994, p. 80. No Grave Deep Enough Several years ago, The Saturday Evening Post ran a cartoon showing a man about to be rescued after he had spent a long time ship-wrecked on a tiny deserted island. The sailor in charge of the rescue team stepped onto the beach and handed the man a stack of newspapers. "Compliments of the Captain," the sailor said. "He would like you to glance at the headlines to see if you'd still like to be rescued!" Sometimes the headlines do scare us. Sometimes we feel that evil is winning, but then along comes Easter, to remind us that there is no grave deep enough, no seal imposing enough, no stone heavy enough, no evil strong enough to keep Christ in the grave. James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True, Dimensions, 1994, p. 80. _______________________ 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 Easter Sunrise Her name was Carol. She was the organist at her church. She was an outstanding musician, but she did something no organist should ever do. She overslept on Easter morning and missed the sunrise service. She was so embarrassed. Of course, the minister and the church forgave her. They teased her about it a little, but it was done lovingly and in good fun. However, the next Easter, her phone rang at 5:00 in the morning. Jolted awake by the loud ringing, she scrambled to answer it. It was the minister, and he said, "Carol, it's Easter morning! The Lord is risen! ... And I suggest you do the same!" The message is clear: We too can be resurrected. Christ shares his resurrection with us. He rises, and so can we. We too can have new life. We too can make a new start. We too can rise out of those tombs that try to imprison us! James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not to be True

It is a New Day

April 12, 2020 Matthew 28:1-10 It is a New Day! Easter Sunday sunrise Year A 7am Sunrise Service Greeting – prerecorded Proclamation The light which the world tried to extinguish cannot be put out. Today we light the candles again, proclaiming the transforming power of God. As the light returns. We give thanks that God’s transforming love has been, is now, and will ever be at work within us. Today we celebrate new life, new joy, new possibilities. Christ is alive and living among us! As we light the candles, we acknowledge that there is still pain and suffering in the world. But we placed our trust in God and the way shown by Jesus Christ. In the midst of darkness. There is light. In the pain of death, there is life. In the face of what appears to us to be overwhelming odds, God is at work in us and in the world. Working for justice and peace, compassion and love, and life abundant. Christ is risen, Christ is risen in us, for where ever we gather in his name, he is there. Light the candles Alleluia Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed! (thank you Bettylou Linke Gather – it is easier in the chapel, and closer to the router, so less of a chance of losing the signal. The sun has risen, and the day has just begun. But great time to celebrate this great day. Start out the morning by sharing words of Matthew 28:1-10 Using the Message translation Matthew 28:1-10 The Message (MSG) Risen from the Dead 28 1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move. 5-6 The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. 7 “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.” 8-10 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.” The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson Prayer Let us pray: For Christians throughout the world who celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Easter morning, that we may know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, we pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer. For leaders of the nations and cities of the world, that they may be wise in their administration of government during this pandemic, and selflessly serve the common good, we pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer. For all bishops, pastors, and leaders of our congregations, that they may faithfully tend the family of God during this season of social distancing, we pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer. For doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who tend the sick and dying, that they fulfill their vocation without undue fear of personal danger, we pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer. For all who are sick and those alone in quarantine, that they may find comfort and care in their time of need, we pray to the Lord, Lord, hear our prayer. For the earth you have given to our care, and for all creatures who share it with us, that you may be glorified in all your works, we pray to the Lord, Lord, hear our prayer. For other concerns, [expressed here], we pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer. Loving God, we your children never pray alone, but only with all your saints in all the world. Therefore, we pray as Jesus taught us: Our Father… [Here pray the Lord’s Prayer] Stewardship moment Sunrise service is a time between darkness and daylight. Time between troubles and hope, time between life and death. Theme of Easter is choosing daylight, hope and life in the midst of all that is going on. On this Easter, choose to follow God is giving of our heart. Take a collection physically – but want to remind everyone of the importance of giving to the mission of the church. Time to give – to reach out to others. Church is not closed, and Easter is not cancelled. Send in your offerings – your commitment to God. Ways to give – online, sign up for automatic giving, send it in, or drop it off. Giving to God – the world needs God more than ever. 'Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began, Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land. People were sick, hospitals full, Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school. As winter gave way to the promise of spring, The virus raged on, touching peasant and king. People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen. They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned. April approached and churches were closed. “There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed. “There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out. No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.” Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest. The world was focused on masks and on tests. “Easter can’t happen this year,” they proclaimed. “Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.” Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went. The virus pressed on; it just would not relent. The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed. The virus still menaced, the people, estranged. “Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling. “They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming. “They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do! Their mouths will hang open a minute or two, And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo. “That noise,” said the world, “would be something to hear.” So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear. And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies. It started down low, then it started to rise. But the sound wasn’t depressed. Why, this sound was triumphant! It couldn’t be so! But it grew with abundance! The world stared around, popping its eyes. Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise! Each saint in each nation, the tall and the small, Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all! It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine Stood puzzling and puzzling. “Just how can it be?” “It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies, It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.” Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before. “Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.” And what happened then? Well....the story’s not done. What will YOU do? Will you share with that one Or two or more people needing hope in this night? Will you share of the source of your life in this fight? The churches are empty - but so is the tomb, And Jesus is Victor over death, doom, and gloom. So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer, As the virus still rages all around, everywhere. May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people. May the world see the Church is not a building or steeple. May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, May the world find Joy in a time of dejection. May 2020 be known as the year of survival, But not only that - Let it start a revival. Thank you to Kristi Bothur for those words that describe our time. The good news that Easter is not in a building, not in community, both important. Easter is in the heart of the Easter people. We spread Easter by giving, but more importantly by living. Benediction This is an Easter like no other, prayers we won’t have to worry about this again next year. Or anytime soon, but encourage you to enjoy the day. Remember social distancing, keep in touch with family and loved ones in responsible ways, whatever you do, find joy in the day. There will be another video – Death is only the beginning. Listen to Christ the Lord is Risen – Go in Peace…….

Is it all about Kings

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington April 5, 2020 Philippians 2:5-11 Is this all about Kings? Palm/Passion Sunday Year A Prelude - O Sacred Head Now Wounded Gathering We have gathered here through the internet week after week coming in search of Christ, looking for a deeper faith and a deeper experience of God. I invite you to now close your eyes and to let go of the things that distract and concern you and listen for God. The time is drawing near. Jesus is preparing to enter Jerulasem. How will we greet him? Will we follow him all the way to the cross? The power of Jesus is that he lived what he taught, even when it led to his death. He loved with the abiding awareness of God, radiating the light of God in all he said and did. But that light was too much for the world. There are forces today as there were in ancient Judea that conspire to it out. Where are we in the drama? What are we willing to risk to follow Jesus? A moment of silence As we extinguish this light, we acknowledge the darkness and pain of illness and disease in the world. Put out candle Let us pray. Loving God. There are so many choices before us everyday. Choices offered by our friends, our families, our culture our own past. Some of them encourage the well being of the earth, ourselves and neighbors, others are destructive. Help us to distinguish between them. May we learn from the choices of Jesus and embody compassion, justice and inclusion in all that we do. Amen. Welcome Children’s Sermon Object: Palm branches, one for each child Lesson: Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name. Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a very special day for us. We call it Palm Sunday or the Sunday of the Passion. Later on in our worship service we will hear the story of how Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us. We also remember something else that happened to Jesus not very long before he died on the cross. These palms here will help us tell that story. (Give a palm branch to each child.) Today we are going to pretend that you are the crowds of people who walked along the road with Jesus as he went to Jerusalem. Would you like to do that, boys and girls? (Let them respond.) Good. Jesus decided that he was going to travel to the city of Jerusalem so he could celebrate one of the special Jewish festivals. His disciples went along, too. Do you know what Jesus rode on to get to Jerusalem? (Let them answer.) Yes. He rode on a donkey. As he went along, crowds of people began to gather. They picked up branches, something like the ones you have, and began to wave them. Let's all wave our branches for Jesus, boys and girls. (Let them wave their branches.) Then they also started to shout and sing. This is what they said: "Hosanna to the King!" (Have them all say the phrase.) Very good! That's just what happened to Jesus when he went to Jerusalem. The people got all excited because they thought he was really going to become their king and rule over them. We know that he wasn't going to do that but the people didn't. They just kept shouting, "Hosanna to the King!" Let's wave our branches again, just like the crowd, and remember that Jesus really is our king -- the king of our hearts. And let's shout together: "Hosanna to the King!" (Have them repeat it.) Thank you, boys and girls, for helping me out with today's story. God bless you all. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, WE ARE THE CHURCH, by Wesley T. Runk Stewardship Moment We Don't Have To Do Anything About It, Do We? In his classic novel, "The Robe," Lloyd C. Douglas has a character called Marcellus, who had become enamored of Jesus. He wrote letters to his fiance Diana in Rome. He told her about Jesus' teachings, about his miracles, then about his crucifixion, and then about his resurrection. Finally he informed her that he had decided to become a disciple of Jesus. In her letter of response, Diana said, "What I feared was that it might affect you. It is a beautiful story. Let it remain so. We don't have to do anything about it, do we?" Oh yes, we do, Diana. Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, www.eSermons.com We have to remember to support our church, through giving. Even though we are meeting, you offerings are needed more than ever to continue our ministry. Please send in your offering, give online, automatic withdrawal, mail them in, drop them off at the mailbox. Scripture 5 Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: 6 Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. 7 But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God highly honored him and gave him a name above all names, 10 so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Paul’s message to the Philippians and to each of us is to put on the same mind that Christ has. The mind of Christ, what exactly does that mean? Does that mean that we should believe like Christ, act like Christ, or treat others like Christ would treat them. Maybe it means that we should smell like Christ. Well you may ask, exactly what did Christ smell like? There is a company that did some research and concluded that Christ would have smelled like apricots, frankincense and myrhh. In other words a little fruity. The company actually developed a perfume called virtue – banking that Christians would love to smell like Jesus Today we are going to talk about virtue, not the perfume but the characteristics of Jesus that Paul talks about – humility, obedience and self renunciation. Jesus was able to consider the needs of others, before his personal needs. And Paul tells us that we should be able to do the same. I love it when Paul says that Jesus was in heaven, equal to God – but he was willing to put all of that aside to come to earth and to be a human being. When Paul says that Jesus poured out himself – he uses the word Greek word Kenosis. Kenosis means to empty out – such as pouring the contents out of a cup so that it can be empty. There are 175 references to something being poured out in the bible. Such as pouring out the wrath of God onto man, pouring out the holy spirit. In this case Paul is encouraging each of us to pour our arrogance, disunity, discord an selfishness – and learn to be humble like Jesus. If you want to live as Jesus lived, you must be willing to look beyond you own needs to the needs of others. This does not mean you loathe yourself. Do you think Jesus loathed himself? Of course not. But, in contrast to most of the rest of humanity he did not live just for himself. He lived and died for you and me. Jack Kelley, a reporter for USA Today once told the story of the ravaging famine in Somalia, East Africa. In a village decimated by starvation, a photographer noticed a little boy suffering from malnutrition. When the photographer handed a grapefruit to the little boy, he was so weak that he couldn’t even handle the grapefruit. A member of the crew cut it in half and gave it to him. He picked it up, looked as if to say thanks, and walked back toward his village. There on the ground was another little boy, the first boy’s younger brother, who appeared to be dead, his eyes completely glazed over. His older brother knelt down, bit off a piece of the grapefruit and chewed it for a moment. He then opened up his younger brother’s mouth, put the chewed piece in, and worked his brother’s jaws up and down. Later, the news crew learned that the older brother had done that same routine for about two weeks until he, himself, finally died of malnutrition. The younger brother survived. (8) Friend, wouldn’t you love to have a brother like that? You do. Our #1 mantra in life should be Jesus is Lord. If Jesus is the Lord of our lives, what does that mean? On Saturdays the custom at the Erickson house in Peoria, IL, is for Ken Erickson’s wife to clean out leftovers from the refrigerator. One Saturday, she gave the one remaining portion of tortellini to their 6 year old son, Jeremy. However, their 8 year old son, Matthew, also wanted some of the tortellini, so bickering ensued. After several unsuccessful attempts to mediate the dispute, Ken decided on a theological approach. Hoping to convince Jeremy to share his portion with Matthew, he said, “Jeremy, what would Jesus do in this situation?” Jeremy, perhaps thinking about the feeding of the 5,000 immediately responded, “Oh, Dad, He would just make more!” (2) Maybe Jeremy’s right. Theologians warn us against trying to speculate too glibly about what Christ would do in any given situation. After studying Jesus’ parables in depth, one scholar said that the only reliable answer to the question, “What would Jesus do?” can be summed up in two words: “Something unexpected.” When Dr. Fred B. Craddock spoke at the ordination service of our Eastern Pennsylvania Conference on June 8, 1991, he ended his magnificent message with this litany that I believe could guide all of us to serve the living God, whether it be in the manner of the Apostle Paul or Timothy. Dr. Craddock shared: LIVE SIMPLY SERVE FAITHFULLY SPEAK THE TRUTH PRAY DAILY LIVE THE GOSPEL LOVE GENEROUSLY LET GOD - BE GOD! Theologian Leonard Sweet talks of the four “rules” by which we live: The Iron rule Do to others before they do to you; The Silver rule Do to others as they do to you; The Golden rule Do to others as you would have them do to you; and, The Titanium rule Do to others as Jesus has done to you. There’s the rule that we should strive for. The last time that I preached a sermon for Palm Sunday was in 2011. Usually use this day to tell the story of the passion of Jesus before his death – might do a version of it for Good Friday – in the interest of time and simplicity chose to tell a sermon. These are certainly challenging times – expect Christ to show up in unexpected ways. The point of the passion story is that gave up divinity, to come to be a human and to die one of the most humiliating deaths around, just so that he could again be lifted up and exalted by God. In the midst of the unexpected, find comfort that God emptied Godself of majesty – to live your life, understand your struggle and to give the message that you are never alone – God loves you. Let us pray. Prayer Communion – the story from Visions of a World Hungry by Thomas G. Pettepierce Music – Great is They Faithfulness Benediction Additional Illustrations A little boy was starting first grade. Still thinking about kindergarten, he went to the teacher after an hour and said, I am ready for my milk. The teacher explained that in the first grade they don’t serve milk. The little fellow sat down, in a few minutes he was back. Teacher, he said, when is recess? The teacher explained that they didn’t do morning recess in the first grade. The disappointed little fellow again sat down. However, at noon he got up and put on his coat, so the teacher asked where he was going. He explained that it was noon and time to go home. No the teacher explained, in the first grade, we stay until 3 oclock. The little boy stared at her for a minute and finally he said, who the heck signed me up for this anyway. (That is how I feel about all of this). Lose Yourself What does a Christ-like mind look like as we live in the world? We can see it clearly in the great saints and martyrs, such as Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer. I'm drawn as well to the idea William Placher suggests in his book "Narratives of a Vulnerable God" as he uses an illustration from the world of basketball. Professor Placher writes, "In basketball the players who are always asking, 'How am I doing? Am I getting my share of the shots?' Those are the ones who never reach their full potential. It is the players who lose themselves who find themselves. And it's that kind of self-forgetfulness that makes the best players." And isn't that the case with all of us in whatever we do? I read about one of the fastest growing churches in the world, with branches in 32 countries already. It is called the Winners Church, and according to its leaders, it lives by a motto that comes from America's religious culture. Here's the motto: "Be happy. Be successful. Join the winners." People flock to that kind of church, I guess. But it all depends, doesn't it, on how we define winning? I wonder what kind of church you would have if your motto were "Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant." Or about this one for a motto, "Those who want to save their lives will lose them and those who lose their lives for my sake, will find them." Joanna Adams, A Beautiful Mind Humility Rules One time there was a little Swiss watch that had been made with the finest skill and precision. But, the little watch was dissatisfied with its restricted sphere of influence on a lady’s wrist. The watch envied the lofty position of the great clock on the tower of City Hall. One day the little watch and its owner passed City Hall and the tiny watch exclaimed, “I sure wish I could be way up there. I could serve many people instead of just one.” The watch’s owner looked down and said, “I know someone who has a key to the tower. Little watch, you shall have your opportunity.” The next day the little watch was placed at the very top of tower. At that moment the little watch looked down and said, “Oh my! I am too small for anyone to see me. My elevation has resulted in my annihilation.” When we aspire for lofty places to achieve greatness we lose sight of those we influence who are within our reach. In other words, humility rules! Several years ago there was a newspaper cartoon that showed two fields separated by a fence. Each field was the same size and each had plenty of lush green grass. In each field there was a mule whose head stuck through the wire, eating grass from the pasture on the other side, even though it was hard to reach. In the process the mules’ heads became caught in the fence. They panicked and brayed uncontrollably at being unable to free themselves. The cartoonist wisely described the situation with one word: “Discontent.” Like the mules, when we focus on what we don’t have we become blinded to the blessings that surround us. There is nothing wrong with desiring something, but to think that life is greater in someone else’s pasture may result in our being trapped. We have new life when we live with humility. Later in the gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:11-12) Once again, humility rules. Keith Wagner, Humility Rules Palm Sunday: Historical Background The palm branches and the shouts harked back a century-and-a-half to the triumph of the Maccabees and the overthrow of the brutal Antiochus Epiphanes, the Saddam Hussein of his day. In 167 B.C. Antiochus had precipitated a full-scale revolt when, having already forbidden the practice of Judaism on pain of death, he set up, right smack in the middle of the Jewish temple, an altar to Zeus and sacrificed a pig on it. Hard to imagine a greater slap in the religious face to good Jews. Stinging from this outrage, an old man of priestly stock named Mattathias rounded up his five sons, all the weapons he could find, and a guerrilla war was launched. Old Mattathias soon died, but his son Judas, called Maccabeus (which means "hammer"), kept on and within three years was able to cleanse and to rededicate the desecrated temple. "Mission Accomplished?" Well, it would be a full 20 years more of fighting, after Judas and a successor brother, Jonathan, had died in battle, that a third brother, Simon, took over, and through his diplomacy achieved Judean independence. That would begin a century of Jewish sovereignty. Of course, there was great celebration. "On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered Jerusalem with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel." So says the account in I Maccabees - a story as well known to the crowd in Jerusalem that day as George Washington and the defeat of the British is known to us. David E. Leininger, A World in Turmoil Palm Sunday What is Palm Sunday? Maybe another way to approach that question is to ask another question: what if the gospel story ended with Palm Sunday? Like the disciples, we maybe would like it if the gospel could conclude right here. After all that the disciples had been through, and with their own secret hope that Jesus would be a political success on whose coattails they would ride to prominence, the disciples looked at the Triumphal Entry and thought, "Now this is more like it!" They probably wanted to capture and bottle that festive atmosphere. It was rather like Peter's reaction to Jesus' transfiguration when Moses and Elijah also appeared with Jesus on the mountaintop. Peter piped up and said, "Let's build some tabernacles right here so we can keep this great thing going forever!" So also on Palm Sunday: if they could have hit the pause button on the remote control of life, this would have been a wonderful image to freeze frame. The problem is that there is no salvation for anyone on Palm Sunday. The people cried "Hosanna," which means "Save us!" But given the world we are in, there could be no salvation from that kind of happy parade. That festive atmosphere, though in one sense befitting the true, deep-down royalty of Jesus as God's Son, still all that hoopla just doesn't fit our world. It doesn't address the problems that need solving. And maybe at this time of war and carnage, of terror and multiple threats of violence all around us, maybe we preachers don't need to work very hard to convince anyone of this point. If we look back upon history, we see that human sin has resulted not in one long string of happy parades but rather in a series calamatis, one long and sad parade of calamity and sorrow. Instead of a festive throng, history shows us things like the Trail of Tears on which Native Americans tramped into exile. History shows us boat-loads of black people in chains, taken from their native country and brought to a place called "America," then paraded before potential buyers, not of their services, but of their very lives. History shows us long lines of Jews marching not in some victory parade but shuffling along toward Nazi gas chambers in Auschwitz. History shows us the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the death squads of Rwanda and Sierra Leone. These are the real parades of human history. Carnivals of sorrow, festivals of death. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations Palm Sunday – Who Is That? Picture Fifth Avenue in Manhattan--the stretch of road where the Macy's parade is held each Thanksgiving Day. Imagine that one spring day a kind of makeshift parade is being staged along upper Fifth Avenue near Central Park. But this is not the Macy's parade, not by a long shot. This is a relatively small affair: no floats, no tickertape, no giant balloon figures floating down the street. It's just a crowd of people waving some tree branches and throwing their coats into the road. At the center of it all is a modest, average looking fellow astride a donkey's colt which actually is too small for him to ride with any kind of dignity. But the members of the parade entourage are nothing if not jubilantly excited. Especially the kids are making a lot of noise, singing and shouting. The enthusiasm of this little crowd is enough eventually to attract some attention. The people standing on the plushly carpeted steps leading into the Plaza complex swivel their heads. The horses hooked up to Central Park carriages turn a lazy eye toward the parade even as the people in the carriages peer out past the canopy to see what the commotion is all about. Shoppers coming out of Saks Fifth Avenue and the Time Warner Center also start to glance around to discover the source of all the hubbub. And inevitably people begin to ask, "Who is that?" In reply the branch-waving, coat-tossing folks excitedly answer, "Who is this, you ask! Why, it's Joshua Jones, a preacher from North Platte in Nebraska!" "Oh. So it's not Donald Trump? Not Tom Cruise or Katie Couric, not Bill Clinton? Joshua Jones from Nebraska? Oh. That's nice." But then eyes roll, eyebrows rise, and smirks are repressed as the big city folks go back to their big city business. Granted that Jerusalem circa 30 A.D. was not New York City. Granted that maybe Jesus' name on that Sunday long ago was a little bit better known than the Joshua Jones in my analogy. Granted, and yet . . . there is something about Matthew 21 which bears resemblance to this allegorical story. "Who is that?" the Jerusalemites ask in verse 10. In verse 11 comes the reply: "Jesus, the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee." Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations On My Account In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown and Linus are standing next to each other, staring at a star-filled sky. "Would you like to see a falling star?" Charlie Brown asks Linus. "Sure..." Linus responds. "Then again, I don't know," he adds, after some thought. "I'd hate to have it fall just on my account." In the book Parables of Peanuts, Robert Short uses this cartoon to make the point that a star did fall on our account. God came down to us as Jesus: like a lamb led to slaughter, He died on our account. What humility. What love and, oh, what he accomplished there. Charles Schultz, Peanuts, quoted by Robert Short What is God Like? Legend has it that during Marco Polo's celebrated trip to Asia, he was taken before the great and fearsome ruler, Genghis Khan. Now what was Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and adventurer, supposed to do before this mighty pagan conqueror? One false move could cost him his life. He decided to tell the story of Jesus as it is recorded in the gospels. It is said that when Marco Polo related the events of Holy Week, and described Jesus' betrayal, his trial, his scourging and crucifixion, Genghis Khan became more and more agitated, more engrossed in the story, and more tense. When Marco Polo pronounced the words, "Then Jesus bowed his head and yielded up his spirit," Genghis Khan could no longer contain himself. He interrupted, bellowing, "What did the Christian's God do then? Did he send thousands of angels from heaven to smite and destroy those who killed his Son?" What did the Christian's God do then? He watched his beloved Son die, that's what the Christian's God did then. For that was the way Jesus chose to ascend the throne of his kingdom and to establish his Lordship for all time. Not at all the way we would expect God to demonstrate his might and power, but that's the way it was and that is how we know what our God is like. John M. Braaten, The Greatest Wonder of All, CSS Publishing Co. Adapted. No Day like This One – Palm Sunday William Stringfellow, a distinguished lawyer who became a very distinguished theologian and who died much too soon, was a strong critic of the church. He was particularly feisty about Palm Sunday. He used to say that Christians go to church on Palm Sunday because they love a parade. I used to resent Stringfellow’s saying that. But I now conclude that he was partially right. I love Palm Sunday. There is no day quite like this one, is there? If there is a better moment in the life of this church than the children’s processional on Palm Sunday, I can’t think what it might be. They come down the aisle in numbers that astonish us. They fill the chancel and the sanctuary. They disturb the normal sedate dignity of worship. Presbyterians like their religion “decently and in order.” And there is nothing very orderly about several hundred children waving palm branches. (Although, truth be told, it is no small accomplishment of logistics to get them all here and lined up and in and out in a manner that lets us get on with the business of the day.) I confess, however, particularly when I have the unique blessing of meeting my own grandchildren in the parade that I sometimes feel that maybe they are the business of the day, they and the spontaneous joy of him coming into the city. In any event, there is no day quite like it in the life of this congregation. And there is no day quite like it in the church year. Someone noted recently that Palm Sunday has all the elements of a classic drama: great characters — frightened disciples stumbling along behind him, cheering crowds, conspiring politicians — and behind it all the clash of huge civilizations and religions and worldviews. And in the center — in fact towering over it all — the figure of one man, a young man, riding on a donkey, on his way to his own death. John M. Buchanan, No Day like This One Nine Winners Here is an example of a different kind of power: Jesus, a young carpenter, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. His disciples vie for the best seats and he takes a towel and basin to wash their feet. On the cross he meets their evil with a prayer of forgiveness. The one time Methodist Bishop of Mississippi Jack Meadors tells a wonderful story of an incident that occurred during the Special Olympics. Nine children lined up for the 100 yard dash. The gun sounded and the race was off. But only a few yards into the race, one of the children fell and began to cry. For some reason these challenged children did not understand the world's concept of competition and getting ahead and taking advantage when a competitor was down. The other eight children stopped running and came back to their fallen comrade. A young girl with Down's Syndrome kissed him and brushed him off. The children lifted him up together, arm in arm, they ran over the finish line. The audience rose to their feet in applause. There was not one winner, there were nine winners. For a fleeting moment these children showed us what the Kingdom of God is like. They challenged the world's concept that first place is everything. The world says defeating, even destroying, one's competitor is the way to go. The world says that competition and success is an indisputable law. Competition is touted. On Palm Sunday, and then again in the upper room, and then again on the cross, Jesus challenged the world's concept of power. Staff, www.eSermons.com Aw Shucks! A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, "Why do you have that palm branch, dad?" "You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today." The little boy replied, "Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!" Traditional Humor Acceptance and Awareness on Palm Sunday Father Henri Nouwen found a sculpture of Jesus on a donkey in the Augustiner Museum in Frieburg. He calls it one of the most moving Christ figures he knows. The fourteenth-century sculpture originally came from a small town close to Breisach on the Rhine. It was made to be pulled on a cart for the Palm Sunday procession. Nouwen found himself drawn to this sculpture. He sent postcards of it to his friends and keeps one in his prayer book. Looking at the face of Jesus he reflects, "There is melancholy, but also peaceful acceptance. There is insight into the fickleness of the human heart, but also immense compassion. There is a deep awareness of the unspeakable pain to be suffered, but also a strong determination to do God’s will. Above all, there is love, an endless, deep and far-reaching love born from an unbreakable intimacy with God and reaching out to all people, wherever they are, were, or will be. There is nothing that he does not fully know. There is nobody whom he does not fully love." King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We Are Responsible for a Dead Church Some years ago, a new pastor was called to a spiritually dead church in a small Oklahoma town. The pastor spent the first week calling on as many members as possible, inviting them to the first Sunday service. But the effort failed. In spite of many calls, not a single member showed up for worship! So the pastor placed a notice in the local paper stating that since the church was dead, the pastor was going to give it a decent, Christian burial. The funeral for the church would be held at 2 p.m. on the following Sunday. Morbidly curious, the whole town turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, there was a large casket, smothered in flowers. After the eulogy was given, the pastor invited the congregation to come forward and pay their respects to the dead church. The long line of mourners filed by. Each one peered curiously into the open casket, and then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look. For inside the casket, tilted at just the right angle was a large mirror. Each one saw his own reflection in the mirror as perhaps never before! That is still what happens when human beings allow the living Christ to confront them in their sinful brokenness. This special day calls us to make a choice to receive God's Christ, and to let our lives be made whole again by the power of God. As you begin this Holy Week, can you truly say in your heart, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" The choice is up to you! Robert A. Beringer, Turning Points, CSS Publishing Company. If you do this you will have the Master''s spirit and the Master''s brush, and you can paint a beautiful tapestry of life--to the honor and glory of God. Have you ever wanted to smell like Jesus? I doubt that any of us have ever given that question much thought, but there is a perfume maker in California where else? that promises exactly that. The makers of a perfume called “Virtue” claim if you wear their perfume, you will smell exactly like Jesus. I’m not making this up. Using the Bible as a guide to what kind of plants were used as perfumes in the Holy Land when Jesus walked the Earth, scientists at a perfume company called IBI claim that Virtue is a close approximation of what Christ and his followers would have smelled like. It’s a sweet blend consisting mostly of apricot, with a dash of frankincense and myrrh, which, of course, were given to the baby Jesus by the three wise men. (1) So there you have it. You, too, can smell like Jesus. Obviously that is absurd, but it does lead us to a much more profound thought by writer Max Lucado. At the beginning of his book, Just Like Jesus, Lucado makes this statement which I believe is quite important: “God loves you just the way you are,” writes Lucado, “but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” Now there is a statement you can take home with you. Let me say it again: “God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” This does not mean living your life as a doormat. It simply means valuing the welfare of others at least as much as you value your own life. I believe that is the definition of courage. I believe that is what it means to be a hero. I believe that is what it means to have the mindset of Christ Jesus who “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” What would Jesus do? He would do what was good for everyone concerned, not just himself. Go and do likewise.