Take On The Challenge!

Are You Satisfied?

On several occasions I have heard professional athletes describe their training in this way. “I’m always trying to improve- trying to get stronger and quicker and better.” Great athletes are never ever satisfied with their workouts and performance. They are always seeking to improve.

I would ask us as followers of Christ if we are satisfied with our discipline and devotion to Christ.  Here are some questions to challenge us:

Am I worshipping often enough to honor God and Christ?

Am I reading scripture to learn more about God’s Word and his love for me?

Am I serving others in the name of Christ enough? Is there more I can be doing?

Am I taking time to pray and reflect on my life and the lives of others?

Am I inviting and bringing others to church?

Am I giving a generous offering from my heart to the heart of our congregation’s mission?

As you think about these questions you may find yourself feeling guilty- guilty for not doing enough, right?   I hope not.

My purpose in asking these questions is to motivate you to grow in God’s kingdom- increase in your love, serving, giving, etc.   Of course, we make choices that can help us improve and strengthen our discipleship. But….it is God’s Holy Spirit that moves us, inspires us, and motivates us to serve Christ.

Are you satisfied with where you are at?  I hope not! I hope and pray you will move ahead in your life of faith to serve and grow in Christ. The fall is a great time to re-engage after the summer. Get ready to step up your giving and discipleship.

See you in church!

-Pastor Durk

Good Doubting

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Good Doubting

Today we turn to that familiar story of Doubting Thomas from the gospel of John. In John Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb of Jesus alone. The only one. She sees that the tomb is empty and panics. Where did the body of Jesus go. She goes and tells Peter and another disciple what she’s seen. They go to the tomb and find it empty as well. They take off, but Mary stays. Two angels talk with her and asks why she is weeping. She tells them that someone has stolen the body of Jesus. She feels someone standing behind her and turns around to see a man she thinks is the gardener. But, then the man says to her, “Mary!” And she immediately recognizes his voice and falls down to worship him.  She then runs and tells the disciples what she’s experienced.

Where were the disciples? Where did they go. It says in John’s account that they went home. Yes. They heard the good news and they went home.  But then we hear that they locked themselves in a room. Locked themselves in a room to protect themselves from the Jews. From the Jewish authorities who they feared would find them and then execute them like Jesus due to their association with Jesus.   

What do you think the disciples were feeling? Were thinking? Were experiencing right after the death of Jesus? After Mary, Peter and the other disciple found the tomb empty? Feelings of sadness- they had lost their teacher, their mentor, their Savior, their leader. Sad, just sad. At the same time, they were getting nervous about their futures. What would the future bring?  What would happen to them?  And, there were shaking in their sandals.  What would happen to them now? Would they be arrested, put on trial, nailed to a cross just like Jesus. Where is Thomas?  What is Thomas doing? We don’t know, but he is not with the disciples.

Let’s jump from that world of Mary and the disciples to us here at Cross this morning… The disciples closed and locked the door to protect themselves from the Jews. Take a look at your life right now.. Who or what are you trying to keep out of your life?  Who are what have you locked the door on?   Perhaps, you’ve locked out a good friend who hurt you or spoke ill of you. Perhaps, you’ve locked out or closed the door on your spouse or one of your children.  (out of painful or tough issues to be talked about). Or, perhaps there is a co-worker whose words and actions have led you to lock him or her out.  And, dare I ask if you’ve locked out the Holy Spirit’s presence and power? Even though it’s real and there for you….

Back to the story. Back to Thomas the doubter. I like Thomas because he is a realist. He asks the hard questions. He is honest. He doesn’t sugar coat his feelings, beliefs or insights.  Even though the disciples tell him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” Thomas holds back. He is reserved and calculating. Unless I see Jesus I won’t believe. Unless I see the marks of the nails and put my finger in those nails. Unless I see the wound in his side and place my hand in the wound of his side, I will not believe.

In a previous call of mine I went out to visit a couple who had just had a baby.  I went out to congratulate them and to speak with them about getting their child baptized.   After a nice conversation I raised the subject of baptism…and then there was a pause. Long pause. Finally, the father cleared his throat….and said this, “Pastor, I can’t do this because I have to see before I can believe. You are talking a lot about Jesus. Well, I can believe in Jesus because I can’t see him!” And, I  don’t want my child baptized in the name of Jesus, because I don’t know if he is real or not!”

You may find yourself entertaining doubts.  Did God really raise Jesus from the dead?  How can we know for sure with so many different accounts of the resurrection and so many resurrection appearances.  And, will God really raise us from the dead? And, what about those who have already passed or died, will they be raised from the dead?   And, what about us? Can we really trust that one day we will be raised in the resurrection with Jesus?

The apostle Paul helps us with these hard questions. First, in our 1 Thessalonians reading.  There were those Paul was writing to who were worried about the fate of their loved ones who had died. Paul assures them that because God raised Jesus from the dead, that their loved ones in Christ will also be raised, first. And then those who are alive in Christ will be raised.  At the last trumpet, at the call of the archangels the dead will be raised.

And, then in this letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul makes the same argument.  Because God raised Jesus from the dead,  we will also be raised and will be given a new body in Christ, a new heavenly body, a new spiritual body. A body that will last forever!

Back to our story from John. Most importantly this morning I want to draw our attention to Jesus.  Our resurrected Lord, on the very first day of his resurrection He appears to the 10 disciples who are hiding behind their locked door- walks right through the door. And the first thing he says to them as their jaws drop to the floor and eyes expand wide open… “Peace be with you!” Peace be with you!    He then breathes on them the Holy Spirit and sends them out with message of forgiveness.   Thomas is absent. But  one week later Jesus returns to them and Thomas is there. Again, Jesus brings a message of peace and the Holy Spirit. He turns to Thomas and patiently tells him to put his finger in the mark of the nails in his hands and to put his hand in his side. Believe Thomas!

My friends,  our Lord Jesus is raised and has shown up right here at Cross and right in our hearts. Jesus says, “Peace be with you! I love you. And, I am now sending you out with the good news of Jesus.  I have given you the Holy Spirit and am sending you out in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Resurrection Joy!

Easter 2018

Remember with Joy!

The Great Forgetting…Ever had those moments when you forgot something? You ran out the door to work or school and got halfway there and you realized that you had forgotten something? Or, you didn’t take time to check your calendar and you got a call from the dentist office asking where you are. When I was growing a neighbor of mine, John, and his wife lived down the road with 3 girls.  John once shared his story of forgetting when his wife was expecting and the day she went into labor. John hopped in the car and took off for the hospital…only to realize a few miles down the road that he had forgotten his wife! Yes, we all have those moments of forgetting, don’t we?

Well, on that Easter morning the women were making their way to the tomb and experienced their own “great forgetting.”  They took with them the spices necessary for preparing a body for burial, ready to prepare the body of Jesus- after all he had died on the cross and his body carried by Joseph of Arimethea and placed in the tomb. As they walked along they were overcome with sadness at having lost their friend, teacher, and Savior, Jesus.  BUT, when they arrived at the tomb, his body was gone!  They were stunned! What happened? Where did it go? What?  But two men (angels) standing nearby said, “Don’t you remember?  Did you forget what you were told?”  Jesus told you during his life that he would suffer, die on the cross and be raised on the third day!” 

Hearing that, the women looked up from the ground, turned and looked at each other with smiles coming across their faces. Then, they quickly made their way from the tomb to start telling the disciples that Jesus had been raised?  They ran all over the place telling everyone that would listen that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Yes, he was alive. They two angels at the tomb helped them.

So, what helps you to remember?  Maybe it’s a calendar you have on the refrigerator at homme or the calendar you have on your smartphone or it’s written down on a piece of paper or your list of things to do and places to be. What works for you? Or, maybe you are like my son, Eric.  He can hear something once and then locks it in and remembers appointments and his schedule right off the top of his head without even writing anything down….

Well, my hope for all of you this morning is that Luke’s story will remind you of what Easter is all about. Will remind you most importantly “Why Easter?”  Why did God raise Jesus from the dead?  I would like to call Luke’s story the “Great Remembering!” Hearing his words is a way of “remembering why God had Jesus die on the cross and be raised for us.”

Now, we’ve heard the stories of the resurrection in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  All four stories are unique. I could spend time this morning comparing and contrasting the stories. The bottom line? All the stories are told to tell us that God raised Jesus from the dead to save us from sin and death. There it is in a nutshell: God raised Jesus from the dead to save us from sin and death.

To save us from sin….You may hear this as a depressing move to communicate on this day of celebration. But, Jesus took all our sins to the cross and the resurrection tells us that he took care of those sins.

Sins, yes.  Yes, Jesus took every sin to the cross- every mistake, every hurtful word, all commandments broken, all promises broken, all selfishness exposed, all the hurt and pain inflicted on others. Jesus took to the cross. Confessing Sins together!

Most importantly, Jesus dying on the cross and being raised bridges the gap of our separation from God.  Jesus brings us back together with God. Jesus.

And, the Easter message tells us that God saves us from death! Yes, the resurrection tells us that there is life beyond the grave! Life beyond death! That eternal life awaits us. That heaven is real and in heaven we will experience pure joy, pure love, pure grace, pure life!

Last week I visited my mother’s grave in the Kenyon Cemetery. She passed away nearly 3 years ago. I read her birth date and date of death carved in her headstone: May 21, 1935-July 19, 2015.  Her earthly life.  As I stood there I found myself thankful again for her life and thankful to God for her heavenly life.  Yes, her heavenly life. Made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Well, this morning I want to take you on a walk with me to the baptismal font.  The can be the “Great Remembering” greatest reminder we as Christians will ever need.  This is why we have the font here in the aisle for you to see when you enter the sanctuary.  Walk to the baptismal font:  For us, it all started on the day we were baptized in Christ.  On the day we were baptized, we were washed with the water and the Word.  On that day, the Holy Spirit was poured into our lives. On that day we were welcomed into the body of Christ, the church. On that day we were baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus.  We received the forgiveness of sins, protection from the Devil and the promise of everlasting life. 

Baptisms are such a great source of joy for me and for our congregation. Sign of life, love, promise, and, most importantly, the beginning of a baptismal journey in Christ.  A journey filled with grace and forgiveness. An Easter journey that includes those times of forgetting….and those times of remembering.  And at our life’s end, the baptismal journey on this earth ends and the heavenly journey begins.

What will remind you tomorrow…and the next day, that you are child of God? Saved from sin and death. Redeemed by our Savior. Recipient of God’s grace?Remember you are loved. Remember God raised Jesus for your sins. Raised Jesus to give you the promise of eternal life. AMEN!

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body.^{* 4}While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women^* were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men^* said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.^{* 6}Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.^*