A Grand Entrance

On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

                                                                          (John 12:12-13 KJV)

The beginning of Holy Week...

Jesus is treated like a king as he enters Jerusalem to celebrate the passover. The people go out to greet him shouting Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!

Ah, yes! What a grand entrance. But, how is he treated by the end of the week? 

He is betrayed by his treasurer; one of his followers.

He is denied.

He is deserted.

He is tortured.

He is crucified.

What are you doing this week? Although most congregations will not be having any worship services in their buildings; will you be remembering what our Lord suffered for us? Will you remember as you celebrate Easter Sunday in your homes that there would be no Easter; there would have been no resurrection without Good Friday; without the events of Holy Week?

Let us thank God for sending us His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins and remember this week and every day of the year, with thanksgiving, for the events of Holy Week.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Time To Embrace

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 KJV

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

As a young person, I often suffered from periods of deep depression. It was in those times that I often turned to the author of Ecclesiastes to commiserate with. "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Eccl 1:2) I could not have agreed with him more that everything was vanity and probably a really big waste of time; even life. Somehow the reality of everything being vanity got me through to a point where I realized that whatever I do amounts to not much more than survival. In order to really live, I had to trust in God and to live my life in Christ. 

We can never really figure out God's whole plan for us. We might think we know it and then whoosh... something happens and the plan changes just like that! What we thought was His plan for us is not. 

Today, I will lead the service at the funeral of a friend. He leaves behind a teen-age son. His wife, the son's mother, died years ago. It is a very sad time. It is a time to weep. As I consider the words of the preacher, I know that with the bad times; times of sadness; times of depression; God will also provide times of relief; but, in His time. God provides times of peace; times of love, times to build up; and times of embracing. 

Today is a time to weep; but, it is at the same time a time to love and a time to embrace one another. 

Whatever sorrow you may be enduring today remember the love of God in Christ Jesus for you and allow him to love you through others. And, don't forget to love others as Jesus loves you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Easter Without Good Friday

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 NIV

What a gift! In exchange for our sins, we have received eternal life through the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus. Tomorrow is celebrated as either Palm or Passion Sunday in many congregations. I prefer to celebrate both the final entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and the events following up to and including the crucifixion.  

It is important that we remember that even as everyone welcomed and honored Jesus when he entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, many turned their backs on him by Friday.

He died, an innocent man. As he hung on that cross he carried the weight of our sins upon himself. He bore them so that all who believe in him might be forgiven our sins and receive the gift of eternal life through the shedding of his blood. Without the events of Holy Week; without the death of Jesus; there would be no resurrection; there would be no gift of eternal life for us.

And, this is why we remember the entire Holy Week on Palm/Passion Sunday: way too many people have the mistaken notion that if they show up on Sunday (some believe Christmas and Easter is enough) that they are saved. The reality is: we are saved by God's grace alone by faith in the one who lived and died and lives again for us.

What a gift! We have eternal life because he suffered and died for us. Wherever you are, please, make the effort to attend worship throughout this Holy Week so that you might better grasp why it is that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and our eternal life on Easter Sunday. The resurrection and the gift of eternal life to us came at great cost. It cost Jesus his life. Hearing what he has done for you ought not be too great a cost to you.

There would be no Easter without the events prior to Jesus' resurrection. Without Good Friday; without the execution of Jesus, there would be no Easter morning. Remember, all that he has done for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fellowship And Growth

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42, 46-47 NIV)

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles today comes immediately following the extraordinary happenings on Pentecost and the baptizing of about 3000 people that day. We are reminded that once we are baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit we will do more than just show up once in awhile on Sunday morning. The people were so excited that they gathered often together both in the temple for worship and for fellowship over meals as with glad and sincere hearts they praised God, giving Him glory. And, then we hear "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."  The people in the early church were in a living relationship with God and with one another and the church grew. Being a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, means that we are in relationship with one another and to be in a living relationship with one another we need to communicate with one another. That generally means fellowship!

Last evening, many of us gathered together for a supper of soup following Worship. It was wonderful! It was the first such gathering that we've had at Christ Lutheran Church since I came here. My last congregation enjoyed many meals together throughout the years. They would have at least one or two meals a year for the whole community just so they could enjoy the fellowship of other brothers and sisters in Christ who attended other congregations as well as those who had no church affiliation at all.  

It was very good to be able to share a meal and conversation last night with those who have just recently begun worshipping with us. Won't you join us next Wednesday for Worship at 5 pm and for fellowship over a soup supper at about 5:30 pm? This Sunday (Mar 12, 2017), being in the midst of Bike Week (Motorcycles for those who don't live around here), we will have a special service at 9 a.m. to bless the Bikers followed by a coffee fellowship before our regular Sunday Worship at 10 a.m..

Let us take note: The people of the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. May God help us to recognize and remember the lessons the early church provides us with. Our context may be different; but, the Word is not.

God's Peace - Pr. J