Happy Easter!

Seven Springs Cemetery, Easter Morning 2009, 6:45 a.m.

The Easter Story, from the Gospel of John, Chapter 20...

The Empty Tomb

1Early 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. 2So 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!"

3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally 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.)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They 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." 14At 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).

17Jesus 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.' "

18Mary 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.

The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, circa February 2009

Egg Hunt 2009

Click here to see a slideshow;

click individual pictures and the slideshow will pause...

Everyone had a great time of Christian fellowship!

Have a Meaningful and Blessed Good Friday...

Sermon Notes for Palm Sunday 2009

Mark 11:1-10

1-3When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany on Mount Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: "Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never yet been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone asks, 'What are you doing?' say, 'The Master needs him, and will return him right away.'" 4-7They went and found a colt tied to a door at the street corner and untied it. Some of those standing there said, "What are you doing untying that colt?" The disciples replied exactly as Jesus had instructed them, and the people let them alone. They brought the colt to Jesus, spread their coats on it, and he mounted. 8-10The people gave him a wonderful welcome, some throwing their coats on the street, others spreading out rushes they had cut in the fields. Running ahead and following after, they were calling out,

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in God's name!

Blessed the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in highest heaven!

Sermon Notes for Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Matthew 27's accounting of The Crucifixion

32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" 41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 44In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Mark 15's accounting of The Crucifixion

21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!" 31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Luke 23's accounting of The Crucifixion

26As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' 30Then " 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ‘31For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" 32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Luke’s gospel offers hope for one of the two men crucified with Jesus, and it also gives us a better understanding of why there were three crosses on the hill that day. Each cross represented something…

Here are the three “R’s” of Calvary, and what each cross means:

Rebellion

Repentance

Redemption

The three crosses represent the Thief who rejected, the Thief who repented, and the Savior who redeemed...

Rebellion, according to 1 Samuel 15:23, is as the sin of witchcraft: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”

Repentance – In Ezekiel 18:23, God asks, “23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

Redemption is an act of God: Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Primary Scriptural Text for Sunday, March 22, 2009

John 2:13-22

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Sermon Notes for Sunday, March 15th, 2009

Tim Lancaster preached the following message in the pastor's absence:

Receiving His Word

Proverbs 2:1-6 (King James Version): My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee. 2So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

As we move towards Easter, let’s take a moment to consider a few things, we think about Christmas and Jesus's Birth and then in a few months we then fast forward around 33 years to his death on the cross.

In reflecting back let’s think about what the Gospel of John tells us, “and the word became flesh and walked amongst us”. In thinking about that let’s remember, when the Word of God came to Mary, Gabriel gave the Word of God to Mary, let’s listen in our hearts to her response, in Luke 1: 38...

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Ponder these words in your heart, and think about Jesus being raised in Nazareth, then at the age of 12 going with his parents to Jerusalem, staying behind for 3 days and causing worry to his parents. Let’s think about His response to his parents when they found him,

Luke 2: 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

Now let’s move on to Jesus’s work in Capernaum, remember his was a Pagan town that had Jews living there, and their influence spread into the town so much that a Centurion a man of wealth had built the Jews a Synagogue. Check out Luke 7, the Centurion had a special servant that was sick, he not being a Jew ask for God’s favor to heal is servant knowing that he wasn’t worthy of a Jew coming to his house just ask Jesus to heal him was enough, Jesus was touched by the man’s faith and said,: “I say unto you, I have not found so great of faith, no, not in Israel.

We all know the story of the lady with this issue of blood that lived in Ceasarea of Philippi, like in Pricetown and all town news travels fast. This woman from a Pagan town heard of a miracle worker, and she knew he was a Jew, remember the people talk. The story is all so familiar with us, songs have been written about it and many messages preached. Today let’s dig deeper in the thoughts of this lady. This woman realized she wasn’t a Jew, and being that Jews lived in the area, she had picked up on some of their teachings, remember we influence the crowd around us This lady was ashamed, a woman with her disorder was considered unclean, plus she wasn’t a Jew, we remember too what Jesus said, that he came to his own and they received him not. Even though the crowds were pressing, and many around him, she commented, if I could just touch the hem of his garment, I would be made whole. Remember she wasn’t a Jew, and she had guilt of being unclean to a Jew and Jesus was a Jew. He responded when she touched Him, “Who touched me?” She came before him and fell at his feet, he responded to her Daughter, your faith has healed the, go in Peace, and be free from your plague. He not only healed her, he washed her guilt away, remember she was Gentile, and considered unclean to Jews.

As we see him in his work in Capernaum, we are reminded of his work with the gentiles, we remember when he met the lady needed his mercy, and he mentioned. Matthew 15: 22And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 1. 23But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Let’s move on to what Jesus said about Capernaum, in Matthew 11

23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

We thank you Lord for your Holy Word, we ask you Lord to have mercy on us to receive your Word,

We Come to you our Father with Psalm 51 as David came to you.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 1. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Lord, Have Mercy on Us to received your Word.