Do Not Be Afraid

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Don't be afraid. We say it all the time to our kids as they try something for the first time, swimming, school, driving, leaving home. Don't be afraid, we're right here to walk you through this, Nothing bad is going to happen to you. This is a good thing, the next stage in your life.

In Matthew 28 the angel tells the women not to be afraid after they experience an earthquake that turns soldiers into quaking mounds on the ground. The angel, white as lightning is almost as frightening. And then, just a little while later, Jesus says the same thing. Don't be afraid. Your world is shaken, your perceptions stretched to the limit,  everything is off kilter because dead men aren't supposed to get up, walk and talk.

And yet, Jesus calms their fears and sends them to tell.

On Easter Sunday we are going to celebrate the end of fear as we live into the resurrection story once more.

Lord Remember Me

Death bed conversions don't seem fair to many of us. Would God really forgive someone who has lived a godless life, done their own thing, never volunteered a moment of their time, or given to a worthy charity? Would God really let someone like that into the kingdom just because, at the last moment, they realize there is no way out, death is inevitable, and Jesus might just be the only way to be saved?

The story of the criminal crucified with Jesus who, after asking Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom, is assured of his salvation, tells us Jesus does honour last minute conversions. The larger message though, is in the fact that salvation is God's work, not ours. While we may feel we have brought a lot to the table, making ourselves worthy of salvation, we have the same as this dying criminal, absolutely nothing. Our hands are empty, our bargaining chips useless. We are saved by grace alone.

Join us on Good Friday as we remember what Christ has done for us.

Dead Man Walking

John writes his gospel with the expressed purpose of relating the story of Jesus so that the reader might believe. By the time we get to John's account of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus has already fed five thousand people, walked on water, healed a man born blind and a man who couldn't walk. Over and over he describes himself as God's son. John of course has described him as God himself, the word made flesh.

One would wonder why John needs to add the story of Lazarus. It certainly is likely the most spectacular of Jesus' miracles. Raising a man who had been dead, (and lots of people knew he was dead) after he had been in the grave for four days, seems like overkill. Shouldn't the other stories have been enough? All through the passage though, there seems to be a background of skepticism, an underlying "but". Maybe raising someone from the dead is not enough to inspire belief.

This Sunday we will look at what Lazarus' raising means for us today.

Of Shepherds and Sheep

Have you ever noticed the way sheep are usually portrayed as being sort of stupid, bland, formless creatures, running away from the slightest noise or upset. Sheep are not creatures you would normally think about building a relationship with, loving even, and yet, shepherds seem to have a fairly strong reputation. They are seen to be caring, loving, brave, tender, the adjectives could go on. In fact, a good shepherd is reputed to be willing to lay down his life for his sheep, stupid and undesirable as they might be.

This fourth Sunday of Lent, we will look at the shepherd, the sheep, and the Good Shepherd who does lay down his life for us his sheep through the words of Psalm 23.

Conversation in the Dark

You have to feel a little sorry for Nicodemus as he is portrayed in John 3. He comes in the dark to have a conversation with Jesus and, it seems, leaves very much in the dark as well. Jesus makes statements which don't seem to have a lot to do with what Nicodemus wants to know. They just don't connect. It seems the trouble is that Nicodemus has his feet planted firmly on the ground while Jesus is on a whole different plane, a spiritual plane.

We sometimes do this with Jesus work as well. We want to pull it down to earth, to see it make some change in our lives, our physical challenges, right now. Jesus promises an eternal solution, which starts now, and extends into the spiritual realm. This Sunday, we will open God's word and study the passage which includes one of the most famous biblical texts: John 3:16.

Mountaintop Experiences

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We remember our mountaintop experiences. Some of them define who we are. They effect us so deeply that the direction of our lives is altered because of them. This week we will examine Peter's reaction to his mountain top experience. His reaction to Jesus transfiguration and the visit of Moses and Elijah has many parallels to the way that we deal with our mountaintops. Yet we need to look at these experiences through the lens of Jesus Christ. What do they tell us about Jesus and our relationship to him? How do these experiences help us to know Jesus better and help us to share the gospel with others.

You Have Heard it Said

We continue further into the Sermon on the Mount this week, right to the center of it in fact. Here Jesus presents us with six sets of "You have heard it said" but "I say" discussions on the law. We could take these restatements of Moses Law, as a new set of rules to apply to our lives. On the other hand, we could see Jesus setting the bar so high to drive home the fact that we cannot keep the law at all, to drive us in despair to the cross. Both of these interpretations may be correct, but there may be a third way, a way that tells us about God and about God's kingdom.

Join us this week as we explore.