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Easter has the power to change us!

This year, we celebrated “Easter” (Resurrection Sunday) on Sunday, April 24^th.  Why so late, many of us wondered? Here’s why: For many years, it has been agreed that Easter falls on the first Sunday, after the full moon, that occurs on or after “the spring equinox” (March 21^st). If the full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is the next Sunday. This means that Easter can fall as early as March 22^nd, or as late as April 25^th. Next year it falls on March 23rd, the second earliest date possible. Easter last fell on the latest possible date, 25 April in 1943, and will next fall on that date in 2038. However, this year it will fell on April 24th, just one day before this latest possible date. (It’s from this that we get the phrase “moveable feast!”)

We celebrate it yearly, but the resurrection is more than just an event that happened once in history. It’s the source of the power we can experience in our own lives, every day. The same power that resurrected Jesus from death to life is available to us, and if we tap into it, we’ll see amazing transformation in our own lives, too.

The apostle Paul wrote “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10)

As we live the month of May, following this year’s Easter celebration, I wonder if we are living as though “Easter has the power to change us!”

In his book “24 hrs. That Changed the World,” Adam Hamilton writes about the change that occurred in those first followers of Christ. Those same disciples that were filled with fear and doubt and despair, were changed after the Resurrection. They changed. Now, “they faced life with hope and confidence. When we hear, trust, and celebrate this Easter story, we reclaim the same faith and discover the same joy and hope the first disciples had. Easter has the power to change us.” That same Peter who denied Christ three times, later became a leader of the church, and wrote these words: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Pastor Hamilton has served as pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection for over twenty years. He says, “People ask me, ‘Do you really believe this story of the resurrection?’ And my answer is always the same. I not only believe it, I am counting on it.”

Grateful for a God we can count on and His Son’s Resurrection power available to all of us!

Pastor Bec.

“24 hrs. That Changed the World”

Jesus “gave his life to redeem and save the human race from the brokenness and sin that have left us alienated from God and from one another.”

This is what Jesus did. This is why Jesus came. 

This is why Jesus left all the “comforts of home,” (Heaven), and lived on earth for 33 yrs., and then died on the cross for all of us.

The opening words to this message are from Adam Hamilton’s powerful little devotional book entitled “24 hrs. That Changed the World.”

He says that “this is the most tragic, moving, and powerful story ever told.” I agree. He also hopes that our reading and meditating on this story will reveal to us things about Jesus, the Father “he sought to serve,” and about us.

There is so much in this book that comes from The Book, (the Bible) that inspires, comforts, gently corrects, encourages, and teaches us about Christ, our Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, and ourselves.

Did you know that at that Last Supper, Jesus didn’t just command the disciples (and us) to “remember him by means of a meal of bread and wine;” but also to “serve one another,” “abide in Him,” and “love one another.” (Luke 22:19, John 15.) As Jesus prepared to leave his disciples, he called them to “abide in me.” He used the metaphor of the grapevine and its branches to describe what he was asking of them – and of us. We are to remain connected to Jesus even if we cannot physically see him. We are to draw strength and spiritual nourishment from our relationship with him. We are to do this through prayer, meditation, worship, and the study of his life and teachings as found in the Scripture and through talking about him with others.

I pray that as we bring to close a 40-day period of spiritual journeying (Lent), and approach Holy Week with deeper contemplation, and then celebrate the glorious event of Easter with great joy… we can join in the prayer at the end of this book: “Jesus Christ, I put my trust in you. Forgive my sins. Wash me clean, and make me new. Thank you for the hope I find in you and for helping me see the love of God. I wish to live as your disciple. Help me to follow you.”

With the deep love of Christ and His (resurrection-power) joy! 

Pastor Bec.

“God is love. That is why he suffers.”

We were assigned a book to read a year ago. Its title is “Lament For A Son,” by Nicholas Wolterstorff. I did not want to read it. It sounded like it would be about the death of someone’s son. I have a son. I dearly love my son. And to think of the pain of thinking of the impossible – though no, not really impossible – was not somewhere I was willing to go emotionally. But our beloved and wise R.I.M. (Residents in Ministry) leader, Bob Bushong, had asked us all to procure it. So I did. And it sat on a shelf for a year. Recently, though, I was looking for something profound to read and decided it was time to read “Lament For A Son.” I knew it would be good if Bob recommended it. And perhaps I was more ready to read it because of personal growth in painful self-awareness over the past year. Regardless, I opened it up late one Thursday night, and had finished it by Friday night. It’s only 103 pages long, and many of the pages have less than half a page of text on them. But oh what a meaningful and important book this is. Nicholas Wolterstorff is a professor of theology at Yale Divinity School. And, yes, his beloved son Eric died when he was only 25 yrs. old. This gift of a book teaches those of us who have not experienced that depth of suffering what layers we may be actually missing. (Though Professor Wolterstorff would not have wished that on himself or on any of us.)


At VBay UMC, we’ve been studying the “Presence Based Church” and fine-tuning our focus as a church who is passionate about worship, prayer, compassion, outreach, Jesus, humility, and Presence-drawn leadership. More of Him – less of us. And now the season of Lent is upon us. All of this ties together. As we live to draw more people into more of God’s Presence, (Matthew 28:19), Nicholas Wolterstorff gives us a key to unlock a door into understanding more of the profundity of “sharing in the sufferings of Christ.” (Romans 8:17) And others. This season of Lent, as we reflect on Christ’s love and life and gift to the world, let’s work to grasp that “God is love. That is why He suffers.”


“Lament For A Son” Nicholas Wolterstorff. 1987/ Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mi., p.90.

God and People

   
   As I stood by the bed of an old friend who had died, and had the privilege of being with his family afterwards; and as I began to process the fact that a beloved family member could have been killed in the accident in which they were involved the very next morning… I became very quiet in my spirit. (Psalm 131:2 – "…I have stilled and quieted my soul…")  I realized, anew, that all the "stuff," that we worry about, and on which we expend so much time and energy… really doesn't matter.         


   At the end of the day, or the end of a life, all that really matters is relationships: our relationship with God, and our relationships with people.    
      
   At the end of the day, or the end of a life, as we're lying in that Hospice bed, or as we're standing next to the one in that bed; all the irritations and resentments and judgements and hurt and unforgiveness fade away. We want to "go out" on a love note. We want to forgive, and be forgiven. We want to feel nothing but love and gratitude to those surrounding us. We want to feel those same emotions towards the one in that bed, as well. And we realize that our relationship with God is the most important relationship of all.      


      At the end of the day…  Moses said as much to the people he was called to shepherd when he said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4, NIV)            


       The love relationship with God is not meant to be a half-hearted, or only occasional one.We are to love God with all our hearts. The New Oxford American dictionary defines the heart  as "the center of a person's thoughts and emotions…"    
  
      If we are to love God with all our hearts, then we are to love Him as the center of our thoughts and emotions! Does He take up the center of our thoughts? Do we spend more time thinking about, praying to, listening to, and worshiping Him more than anyone or anything else? Have we answered, or are we answering His invitation to get to know Him better? Are we intimate with Him?        


    At VBay UMC, we've been re-visiting "The Presence Based Church." We know that, as we continue to grow, (all glory to God for His great work), it is essential that we keep our eyes on Jesus. We know that nothing else matters more than seeking more of God's presence in our lives, our families, our church and our community. With more of His presence comes more of His power (healing, salvation, deliverance), and more of the fruits of His Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness, self-control. Want some of that? Seek more of Him. How do we do that? Worship – private and together. Prayer – (Communicating with God.) We will offer a class with Marty Smith (beloved Kenyan missionary and woman after God's own heart) in February, on how to pray. Through these two essentials, we grow in relationship with the most important person in our life – God! 


Happy seeking! 
Pastor Bec!