Easter Sunday 2008: Passing the Peace...

There were 137 in worship on Easter Sunday...

Not sure why the video is silent; the original version isn't, and I've uploaded it twice...

Happy Easter 2008

These photos taken at our sunrise service...

Matthew 28
1 …at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly, Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Mark 16
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Luke 24
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

John 20
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." 16Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Happy Good Friday

"A Donkey's Tale" by Bud Jenness

ONCE UPON A TIME, not too far from the Mount of Olives in Israel, there lived an elderly farmer and his small, little wife. Their names are unimportant, but what is important is the fact that they were a couple of great faith. The elderly farmer was not a handsome man, and his wife wasn't beautiful - nor were they rich (they barely eked out a living on the farm). They weren't really talented in any way either, but they trusted God with all their hearts.

Every morning the elderly farmer and his wife wouldrise up to begin their day and they'd pray, "Father God, wedon't have much, but what we do have is yours. Thank youfor lending it to us for one more day."

Over the years the elderly couple had seen hardshipscome and go, but they never let it deter them from thanking God for his daily provision - even after everyone in their respective families had died and left them all alone to fend for themselves.

To be quite truthful the elderly couple led a very quiet and seemingly insignificant life together, but they were content and, although they had few friends, everyone who lived near them knew, if they were ever in need, and the elderly couple could help them - they would.

One day some youngsters from Jerusalem snuck over to the elderly couple's homestead under cover of night and stole some of their livestock. The next morning, when they discovered what had been done, the elderly couple remained calm, and the elderly farmer said aloud (to no one in particular), "That which has been stolen from me will either be returned or replaced. We honor the Lord, and acknowledge that all that is on the earth is His. He has only lent us all that we have. He will provide for us when we are in need, and we will give freely to those who come in His name. " Then the elderly couple set out to begin their day, as they normally would have.

The boys who had stolen from the elderly couple heard all that had been said (they were hiding behind a nearby stable), and felt guilty immediately. They returned the farmer's animals the next night, and brought back even more than they had taken.

The elderly man praised God when he saw this the next day. He fell to his knees, and began to pray. "Father God," he said, "I thank you for all you have provided, and acknowledge that I not only appreciate but need your generosity. This may sound silly, but...Lord, if you ever need anything from me - anything at all - I will be most happy togive it to you without question. "

The elderly man felt funny when he said this prayer but knew - deep down inside - that this was exactly how he felt in his heart. He wanted desperately to return to God some of the generosity that he, himself, had been blessed with, lo these many years.

Not long before he said this prayer, the elderly man had been hearing rumors in town about a traveling teacher who had reportedly been performing signs and wonders, and preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven. This mysterious man's name was Ye'shua, and the elderly man had no real opinion about him. The elderly man had worshipped in the temple with his family all of his life, but had never really given much thought to traveling teachers or preachers, or wondered (like others) if the Messiah was about to come around the next bend. Perhaps this Ye'shua was the Messiah, perhaps not. He'd have to see him and hear him before he could make a determination, and even then he wasn't too sure of what would happen. The elderly man's sole goal in life was to please God, not worry about what others said or did. His wife felt exactly the same way.

Now, of all that the elderly farmer had in his care, his favorite thing was his young colt. The elderly farmer loved this colt, and sang to it every evening after dinner. The colt was very responsive to the elderly man's singing, and it tickled the elderly man dearly, because the colt would shut his eyes when the elderly man sang, as if he were really listening and appreciating what the elderly man was singing about.

Despite the fact that his young colt had been bred for riding, the elderly man refused to let anyone even try to ride his pet. Several folks from town mentioned that they'd like to try to break the beast because he truly was a magnificent looking animal, but whenever anyone got near the colt, it would kick and bray, and it let no one near him but the elderly man.

Finally, one fateful day, two strange men came dashing into the elderly farmer's yard, and they began to lead his beautiful colt away. He ran quickly over to them, and was prepared to confront them, when one of the men looked at him with great compassion and said in a quiet voice, "The Lord has need of him. "

The elderly farmer felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He said not a single word, but waved the men away, granting them permission with a gracious smile. From a distance, the elderly man followed the men with his colt and he watched silently as they brought it before a bearded man with a seamless robe. The intensity of the elderly farmer's curiosity was nearly overwhelming! He watched with astonishment as the bearded man touched the forehead of the young colt and, to the elderly man's surprise, the animal closed its eyes and seemed to smile - just as it always did when he would sing to it in the evenings.

The bearded man mounted the colt and, to the elderly man's further surprise, the colt did not kick or bray or fight the bearded stranger. Instead, it merely let the man ride as if it had been ridden many, many times before.

Suddenly the nearby roadway began to be filled with the shouts of young children and people of all ages crying out "Hosanna!" and "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!" They took up palm branches and began to wave them about with great excitement, and to run all around the bearded stranger and the farmer's young pet, cheering them on as they entered the city, and treating the stranger like visiting royalty.

The elderly man watched this amazing processional with astonishment, and tears began to flow down his cheeks. He was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that - finally - he had been able to present a gift to God Himself.

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"Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass." - Zechariah 9:9

Notes from the Bunny Trail

The Man Who 'Lucky-Dipped'…

The story goes that a man in despair sought out answers from the Bible by "lucky-dipping," which is to open up the Good Book, let the pages fall where they may, and then blindly place one's finger on the text the Lord wants you to - supposedly - read. When he did, the first text he came upon was 2 Samuel 17:23 which read, "He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb." Shocked, he tried again, and came upon Luke 10:37 which read, "Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.' "

The texts emphasized in the Golden Citizen's message largely related to those with gray hair - but what about the bald? It would be recommended to leave them alone. Consider 2 Kings 2:23-24, which reads, "23 ...[the prophet] Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths."

Golden Citizens Scriptures & Poem

Leviticus 19:32 Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

Proverbs 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.

Proverbs 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.

Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Sermons We See (By Edgar Guest)

"I'd rather see a sermon

than hear one any day;

I'd rather one should walk with me

than merely tell the way.
---

The eye's a better pupil

and more willing than the ear,

Fine counsel is confusing,

but example's always clear;
---

And the best of all preachers

are the men who live their creeds,

For to see good put in action

is what everybody needs.

---
I soon can learn to do it

if you'll let me see it done;

I can watch your hands in action,

but your tongue too fast may run.

---
And the lecture you deliver

may be very wise and true,

But I'd rather get my lessons

by observing what you do;

---
For I might misunderstand you

and the high advice you give,

But there's no misunderstanding

how you act and how you live."

Notes for Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

The "Wee Little Man" was noticed by Jesus...

We've all known the Zaccheus song since we were little children, and we can all sing the words from memory:

"Zaccheus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he! / He climbed up into a sychamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see!

And the Lord said, "Zaccheus, you come down! For I'm going to your house today..."

What was it, though, that caused Jesus to notice him from everyone else in the crowd? Let's examine the Scriptures...

Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Zaccheus sought the Lord's face, he humbled himself, and he repented from his wicked ways...just as we are instructed to do in the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles 7:14 where God proclaims, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

God resists the proud, and He gives grace to the humble; 1 Peter 5:5 says, "Young men...be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

God wants us to be his children, and children should, ideally, be humble before their parents. Note Matthew 18:2-4...

2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Even in the heart of the Old Testament, we are told that humility is of key importance to our God:

Micah 6:8

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Note how Jesus honors child-like, humble faith throughout the Gospels:

Mark 2:3-5

Jesus Heals the Paralytic

3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Matthew, chapter 8, is filled with many such stories:

The Man With Leprosy

1When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

The Faith of the Centurion

5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." 7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." 8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Jesus Heals Many

14When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."

Even in the Epistles we are instructed to maintain a spiritual attitude of humility:

Ephesians 4:2 - "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

James 4:10 - "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

1 Peter 3:8 - "...live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."

1 Peter 5:6

- "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

When we make ourselves lowly, God sees us from on high.