Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christ has Risen! HE has Risen INDEED! Alleluia! Happy Resurrection Day! Happy Easter!
Today we gather after celebrating the Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday with the Stripping of the Altar and ending in silence. Then the Good Friday Tenebrae Service ending with only the Christ candle and our individual candles reminding us that Christ is in us and we are not alone. It is Friday but Sunday is coming! Now we are here! Celebrating a SONrise service starting outside and going inside at 7:45am with a Easter Breakfast at 9am and then the Resurrection CELEBRATION at 10:07am.
I can not wait to share the truth of Christ's Resurrection both with the lessons of the SONrise Service, hearing of Mary's faithful response to our Lord in John 20 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. We will ask how even though we are confused by all the things the Lord has said and does we can still share the truth as Mary: "We have seen the LORD!"
During the Resurrection Celebration Service we will ponder as Peter the "IDLE TALE" that many people today experience when they observe Christianity from the outside. We will ask how we can experience and impress upon others that the truth is not an "Idle Tale" as we hear in Luke 24 nor "NONSENSE" as the NIV translates it. Luke 24: But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
But that we have over 2000 years of proof that the Resurrection has the POWER to change lives! So let us not just marvel at what happened but move forward sharing this wonderful truth.
May tomorrow be a day that we celebrate the truth that "CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! These are more than words. They are our battle cry! We know the power of the LOVE, HOPE, JOY and PEACE these words bring to us! We can not help but share HIM!
Happy Easter!
Love in Christ our RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR,
Pastor Bryan
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Palm Sunday Mar 24, 2013
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday! This is the beginning of our journey through the last week of Lent or Passion/Holy Week. We are coming to the end of this Lenten journey and looking back over these 35 days, not including Sundays, we can see the Lord at work in many ways. For me the study, fasting and prayer has been a great challenge. I know some who have been doing the partial, Daniel and other fasts. My question for us all is: "What has the Lord been saying to His people?" The words that have been touching my heart are the references to confessing our sins and receiving the gift of HIS forgiveness won with the all availing sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and HIS precious Blood shed for us all!
Today we begin the service outside with palms, balloons and singing. We process into the sanctuary reminding us of the joy of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. "Hosanna!" "Save us now!" is the cry. Then we will hear how in John 12:
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up[g] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
This is a long passage of Scripture but as we end the Series on Spiritual Disciplines we are ending with two Disciplines that Richard Foster called "Corporate Disciplines." We are going to look at "Confession and Guidance." These go with "Worship and Celebration" as things we do together as a BODY or FAMILY. I think it is appropriate as we look at the New Testament lesson from Philippians 2:5-11 that we hear about Christ's attitude of service in the time we will experience in this coming week when we remember HIS state of humiliation. As St. Paul says:
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
We are called to confession as an obedient child of the Father as we humble ourselves. We recognize as Jesus did that the Will of God is the best way for us. That is why when we humble ourselves, God the Father will reveal HIS plan through the Holy Spirit and we will have his guidance on what HE is saying to us this day.
I hope that we expect to hear the Lord as Jesus and His Disciples did in John 12, when our Lord admits his heart is troubled but as He always does HE gives all things over to the Father and says: "Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."
My prayer for us is that we humble ourselves, confess our sins and through God's Word, HIS Sacraments and the Body of Christ, we would accept the guidance and live lives that glorify the NAME of Jesus!
Then we will celebrate the end of our New Testament lesson:
May we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
Remember the Palm Saturday family event will be at 9am today (Palm Sunday). Also join us for the UPward Basketball Closing Ceremony at the EMU Convocation Center at 4pm.
We will also have dancers during the Children's Message. It is going to be a great day!
Maundy Thursday the Seder will start at 6, there is still room if you want to join us!
Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 7 and Easter Sunday Sonrise at 7:45, Breakfast at 9 and Service of the Resurrection at 10:07! This is an amazing week of Hosanna! to Crucify HIM to HE IS RISEN!!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Bryan
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday! This is the beginning of our journey through the last week of Lent or Passion/Holy Week. We are coming to the end of this Lenten journey and looking back over these 35 days, not including Sundays, we can see the Lord at work in many ways. For me the study, fasting and prayer has been a great challenge. I know some who have been doing the partial, Daniel and other fasts. My question for us all is: "What has the Lord been saying to His people?" The words that have been touching my heart are the references to confessing our sins and receiving the gift of HIS forgiveness won with the all availing sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and HIS precious Blood shed for us all!
Today we begin the service outside with palms, balloons and singing. We process into the sanctuary reminding us of the joy of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. "Hosanna!" "Save us now!" is the cry. Then we will hear how in John 12:
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,“Hosanna![d]”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[e]“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up[g] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
This is a long passage of Scripture but as we end the Series on Spiritual Disciplines we are ending with two Disciplines that Richard Foster called "Corporate Disciplines." We are going to look at "Confession and Guidance." These go with "Worship and Celebration" as things we do together as a BODY or FAMILY. I think it is appropriate as we look at the New Testament lesson from Philippians 2:5-11 that we hear about Christ's attitude of service in the time we will experience in this coming week when we remember HIS state of humiliation. As St. Paul says:
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
We are called to confession as an obedient child of the Father as we humble ourselves. We recognize as Jesus did that the Will of God is the best way for us. That is why when we humble ourselves, God the Father will reveal HIS plan through the Holy Spirit and we will have his guidance on what HE is saying to us this day.
I hope that we expect to hear the Lord as Jesus and His Disciples did in John 12, when our Lord admits his heart is troubled but as He always does HE gives all things over to the Father and says: "Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."
My prayer for us is that we humble ourselves, confess our sins and through God's Word, HIS Sacraments and the Body of Christ, we would accept the guidance and live lives that glorify the NAME of Jesus!
Then we will celebrate the end of our New Testament lesson:
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
May we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
Remember the Palm Saturday family event will be at 9am today (Palm Sunday). Also join us for the UPward Basketball Closing Ceremony at the EMU Convocation Center at 4pm.
We will also have dancers during the Children's Message. It is going to be a great day!
Maundy Thursday the Seder will start at 6, there is still room if you want to join us!
Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 7 and Easter Sunday Sonrise at 7:45, Breakfast at 9 and Service of the Resurrection at 10:07! This is an amazing week of Hosanna! to Crucify HIM to HE IS RISEN!!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Bryan
Saturday, March 16, 2013
5th Sunday in Lent: Spiritual Disciplines #5: Evangelism and Celebration
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
First let me apologize for the lack of blogging that has happened during this Lenten Season. We have been really busy and excited about studying the spiritual disciplines and christian personal relationships during this Lenten Season.
I began the Season by celebrating this "spring" which is what "Lent" means by urging fasting, prayer and study, the first three disciplines we studied. I have heard from some that during this Lenten Season they have found that doing a full fast (3 day), partial fast and Daniel fasts (21 days) have been helpful. Many have given up something in order to spend more time in prayer for the Lord's will to be done in our lives as individuals and together as our Cross and Res family. I have been enjoying the study of God's Word and Service during this time of Prayer and Fasting. We are very thankful for the successful trip to Petal Mississippi for the Tornado Relief that we did with Samaritan's Purse. I know the group had a good time of serving. We met some enthusiastic people of God and were able to grow. I am thankful to Norma for coming along and leading. Next year we are going to go to Waveland MS for spring break.
The spiritual disciplines we studied thus far: Prayer, Fasting, Study, Worship, Service, Solitude and Silence, Discernment are all leading us to grow as disciples. These are not laws which have to be obeyed because we are saved by Grace alone! But these are ways that we change our habits and patterns to grow as Children of God. We hear St. Paul's desire for us in Phil 1:6 "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus!" May we grow as we BELONG, BELIEVE AND BECOME!
This week we continue the spiritual disciplines study with "Evangelism and Celebration." Why do we put evangelism with celebration? I put these together because I believe the best evangelism is not a program approach but a personal relationship approach. "Come and See Jesus" might be the refrain which best describes the hope I have for us in reaching out. I think of John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’[k] the Son of Man.”
Can we be Philip to our family, friends and neighbors? I think we strive at Cross and Res to be submissive to our Lord in Worship and let the Holy Spirit lead. We want the PRESENCE, POWER AND PROMISE of Christ to be felt by all. We trust in Matthew 18 that Christ is present when two or more are gathered. We believe in uniting in prayer and in celebrating the true presence of Christ in the Means of Grace through HIS LIVING WORD AND HOLY SUPPER! It is our opportunity then to seek our our Nathanaels and find ways to invite and bring people. I chose the Matthew 10 passage of Jesus sending His Disciples out to underscore how we move into Evangelism by the POWER of the Holy Spirit as Covenant people who the father has chosen to name as his own, our identity, and therefore in obedience we fast, pray and study so that we may in solitude and silence meditate and discern when, how and to whom we share the celebration we experience in worship. We have referred to the people who are our Nathanaels as "People of Peace" which we hear of in Matthew 10:
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
We also recognize from this scripture that we operate as Kingdom people whom the King of Kings has given Authority and Power to live as evangelists, even if this is not our Ephesians 4 "office" gift.
Notice how Jesus instructs his disciples in verse 7 to proclaim "the kingdom of heaven is near" and how they are to share the gospel with words and signs: "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons." We should, as Kingdom people live lives as evangelists.
I know that setting up evangelism committees and outreach programs causes a lot of anxiety and frustration for some. I have to confess that I have experienced this myself. We are living in a different time when packaged programs do not work and just quoting the Great Commission is received by many as LAW and Guilt. I did not chose Matthew 28:18-20 "18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” as the Gospel lesson this week for this reason. Although there is a huge amount of Gospel there, such as "ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO CHRIST AND THROUGH HIM TO US!" HE IS WITH US ALWAYS! Yes!
Evangelism is a part of who we are and we start as witnesses to what we have heard and seen. Our experience of Celebrating the forgiveness of sins, new life in Christ, healing, joy, hope, power and PEACE are what we share in our lives in "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth." This is our sermon lesson from Acts 1:4-8
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
This is awesome news again because of the fact that we are expected to start at home discerning those "people of peace" in our lives and by the POWER of the Holy Spirit share with them as St. Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 "15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." My prayer for us this Sunday is that we not fear or despise evangelism but see it as a discipline which simply means keeping a sensitive spirit to the people whom the Lord our God is calling to himself by the Holy Spirit which we believe, teach and confess as Lutheran Christians in the Third Article of the Creed: "By the Holy Spirit He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies."
May we grow in Celebrating who we are as Covenant and Kingdom People and be as the quote in our Spiritual Discipline pamphlet shares from Donald S. Whitney's Spiritual Discipline for the Christian Life: "Evangelism is a natural outflow of the Christian life." Are we willing to discern who the Lord wants us to invite and bring to the celebration? May the Lord impress upon our hearts HIS WILL and PLEASURE.
Please check out the BIBLE on History Channel. It is too much for the children because it is so realistic, but I think adults may grow from the experience. Please join us on Wednesdays and Sundays for the Christian Personal Relationships class, it has been great. Also please pray for the UPWARDS Basketball program that we sponsor as it winds down and NEXT Sunday at 4 will have the Closing Celebration at the EMU Convocation Center. Please join Vicar Paul and all the volunteers who make this program possible! Also Next Sunday we will have our Palm Saturday Family celebration on Palm Sunday at 9 this year. Please bring your family and friends to this wonderful family event!
Holy Week and Easter Services are coming up in two weeks. Please plan to be at the Seder Meal and Stripping of the Altar on Maundy Thursday starting at 6, Tenabrae Service on Good Friday at 7 and Easter Sunday at 7:45 for Sonrise and 9 for Breakfast and 10:07 for Resurrection Celebration. (We are taking orders for Easter flowers until tomorrow.)
Love in Christ our gracious and loving Savior,
Pastor Bryan
First let me apologize for the lack of blogging that has happened during this Lenten Season. We have been really busy and excited about studying the spiritual disciplines and christian personal relationships during this Lenten Season.
I began the Season by celebrating this "spring" which is what "Lent" means by urging fasting, prayer and study, the first three disciplines we studied. I have heard from some that during this Lenten Season they have found that doing a full fast (3 day), partial fast and Daniel fasts (21 days) have been helpful. Many have given up something in order to spend more time in prayer for the Lord's will to be done in our lives as individuals and together as our Cross and Res family. I have been enjoying the study of God's Word and Service during this time of Prayer and Fasting. We are very thankful for the successful trip to Petal Mississippi for the Tornado Relief that we did with Samaritan's Purse. I know the group had a good time of serving. We met some enthusiastic people of God and were able to grow. I am thankful to Norma for coming along and leading. Next year we are going to go to Waveland MS for spring break.
The spiritual disciplines we studied thus far: Prayer, Fasting, Study, Worship, Service, Solitude and Silence, Discernment are all leading us to grow as disciples. These are not laws which have to be obeyed because we are saved by Grace alone! But these are ways that we change our habits and patterns to grow as Children of God. We hear St. Paul's desire for us in Phil 1:6 "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus!" May we grow as we BELONG, BELIEVE AND BECOME!
This week we continue the spiritual disciplines study with "Evangelism and Celebration." Why do we put evangelism with celebration? I put these together because I believe the best evangelism is not a program approach but a personal relationship approach. "Come and See Jesus" might be the refrain which best describes the hope I have for us in reaching out. I think of John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’[k] the Son of Man.”
Can we be Philip to our family, friends and neighbors? I think we strive at Cross and Res to be submissive to our Lord in Worship and let the Holy Spirit lead. We want the PRESENCE, POWER AND PROMISE of Christ to be felt by all. We trust in Matthew 18 that Christ is present when two or more are gathered. We believe in uniting in prayer and in celebrating the true presence of Christ in the Means of Grace through HIS LIVING WORD AND HOLY SUPPER! It is our opportunity then to seek our our Nathanaels and find ways to invite and bring people. I chose the Matthew 10 passage of Jesus sending His Disciples out to underscore how we move into Evangelism by the POWER of the Holy Spirit as Covenant people who the father has chosen to name as his own, our identity, and therefore in obedience we fast, pray and study so that we may in solitude and silence meditate and discern when, how and to whom we share the celebration we experience in worship. We have referred to the people who are our Nathanaels as "People of Peace" which we hear of in Matthew 10:
10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2 These
are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called
Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother
John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
We also recognize from this scripture that we operate as Kingdom people whom the King of Kings has given Authority and Power to live as evangelists, even if this is not our Ephesians 4 "office" gift.
Notice how Jesus instructs his disciples in verse 7 to proclaim "the kingdom of heaven is near" and how they are to share the gospel with words and signs: "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons." We should, as Kingdom people live lives as evangelists.
I know that setting up evangelism committees and outreach programs causes a lot of anxiety and frustration for some. I have to confess that I have experienced this myself. We are living in a different time when packaged programs do not work and just quoting the Great Commission is received by many as LAW and Guilt. I did not chose Matthew 28:18-20 "18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” as the Gospel lesson this week for this reason. Although there is a huge amount of Gospel there, such as "ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO CHRIST AND THROUGH HIM TO US!" HE IS WITH US ALWAYS! Yes!
Evangelism is a part of who we are and we start as witnesses to what we have heard and seen. Our experience of Celebrating the forgiveness of sins, new life in Christ, healing, joy, hope, power and PEACE are what we share in our lives in "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth." This is our sermon lesson from Acts 1:4-8
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
This is awesome news again because of the fact that we are expected to start at home discerning those "people of peace" in our lives and by the POWER of the Holy Spirit share with them as St. Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 "15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." My prayer for us this Sunday is that we not fear or despise evangelism but see it as a discipline which simply means keeping a sensitive spirit to the people whom the Lord our God is calling to himself by the Holy Spirit which we believe, teach and confess as Lutheran Christians in the Third Article of the Creed: "By the Holy Spirit He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies."
May we grow in Celebrating who we are as Covenant and Kingdom People and be as the quote in our Spiritual Discipline pamphlet shares from Donald S. Whitney's Spiritual Discipline for the Christian Life: "Evangelism is a natural outflow of the Christian life." Are we willing to discern who the Lord wants us to invite and bring to the celebration? May the Lord impress upon our hearts HIS WILL and PLEASURE.
Please check out the BIBLE on History Channel. It is too much for the children because it is so realistic, but I think adults may grow from the experience. Please join us on Wednesdays and Sundays for the Christian Personal Relationships class, it has been great. Also please pray for the UPWARDS Basketball program that we sponsor as it winds down and NEXT Sunday at 4 will have the Closing Celebration at the EMU Convocation Center. Please join Vicar Paul and all the volunteers who make this program possible! Also Next Sunday we will have our Palm Saturday Family celebration on Palm Sunday at 9 this year. Please bring your family and friends to this wonderful family event!
Holy Week and Easter Services are coming up in two weeks. Please plan to be at the Seder Meal and Stripping of the Altar on Maundy Thursday starting at 6, Tenabrae Service on Good Friday at 7 and Easter Sunday at 7:45 for Sonrise and 9 for Breakfast and 10:07 for Resurrection Celebration. (We are taking orders for Easter flowers until tomorrow.)
Love in Christ our gracious and loving Savior,
Pastor Bryan
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