Did you catch the snappy change in this missive’s title.  Yes….yesterday I spent most of my time sitting next to my lovely wife, watching and listening to a 45 minutes sermon preached by the children of the Chancel Choir (3^rd-5^th graders).  It was great!

Mary Grace Collins, Jonathan Jain, Bodey Ellis, Marshall Brown, Hunter Hamlett, Parker McClain, Molly McClain, Zach Porterfield, and Tynaijah Wilson didn’t miss a beat as they played their parts as students, teacher, and administrator of “Follow U”; a place where knowledge and grace meet.  They proclaimed scripture, sang songs, and showed us that God’s love offered through Jesus’ life does make a difference.  God’s light heals the hurt when our spirit mixes with God’s Spirit; Christ’s broken body empowers the light of God’s love to change us when we learn to trust God’s promise of care.  It was very good.

Thanks to Jan McDaniel, the Chancel Choir Director; to Malinda Harris who built the set and choreographed the movements (some pretty funky moves at one point); to Daryl Wilcoxson for setting up the sound; to David Lynn for helping on the sound board; and to the parents who demonstrated the importance of worship by carrying their kids to rehearsals and such in the midst of this busy “end of school/beginning of summer” season.  You all provided a wonderful blessing to me and all the rest who gathered to worship God at the corner of College and Washington in Kennett, Missouri.

In Christ’s Love….Gary

What’s Happening This Week?

Mon.          6:30pm – “Whispers of Hope” meets in CLC Nursery 2

Tues.          6:30pm – “Led by Thread” meets in CLC Meeting Room

7:00pm – “Hour of Prayer” meets in Sanctuary

Wed.          9:30am – “Ladies Prayer & Share Bible Study” meets in CLC Meeting Room

5:30pm – “Sister’s Circle” meets in the Hospitality Room

6:30pm –“MidWeek Bible Study” meets in CLC Meeting Room “Five Practices of Fruitful Living”

Carol & Chancel Choir Rehearsals

7:30pm –“Sanctuary Choir” (Adult) rehearsal

8:30pm – “Praise Band” Rehearsal

Sun.           MOTHER’S DAY

8:30am – “UpWords” in Sanctuary

9:30am – Sunday School for all ages

10:30am – “The Celebration” in Sanctuary

5:00pm – Middle School Youth United in Christ (YUiC)in Youth Room (2^nd floor Ed. Bldg)

6:00pm – Youth Meal

6:30pm – Youth Worship in Chapel (1^st floor Ed. Bldg)

7:00pm – High School YUiC

On Summer Hiatus

Wednesday’s “Methodist Meals” is taking a summer vacation.  Thanks to all of you who gathered to share a meal together each week.  Thanks to those of you who took time to prepare the meal.  They were all very, very good.  Thanks to Chris and JoBeth who accepted some of the extra work these gatherings require.  Special thanks to Julie Lynn for coordinating this weekly offering that not only helps us stay connected as a community of faith, but also provided the opportunity for us to complete payment for the new front step entry into the sanctuary.

I’ve already forgotten how crumbly and dangerous the old ones were and what an improvement these new ones offer for our ministry of hospitality.  These meals were a God-send to me seven years ago when I moved to Kennett.  They helped me become better acquainted with you…another example of the “radical hospitality” offered by the Christians called United Methodist in Kennett.  Thank you all.

One Day to “Change the World”

1^st UMC’s Outreach Committee invites you and your family to a day of service to God as we take the church out of the building to clean up Kennett’s Oak Haven Park. (south on Hwy 412 across from Legacy Implement))

I’ve been there a couple cold mornings as Cub Scouts and their parents rolled out of sleeping bags and tents for Sunday morning devotions.  It’s a nice place that could use a little TLC.

We’ll be there from 9:00am to noon on Sat. May, 19^th.   Please wear sturdy footwear, working gloves and bring garden rakes – also bring your water & lawn chair -  Other community service workers will also be there to help make the project a success – come an hour or 3. If you are scout leader & need a service project this would be a good one!

Acts 17:1-9 and 1 Thess 1:1-10

Acts 17: ^1-3 They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they’d been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that “this Jesus I’m introducing you to is that Messiah.”

^4-5Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas.

^5-7They broke into Jason’s house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn’t find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, “These people are out to destroy the world, and now they’ve shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!”

^8-9The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/i-just-dont-trust-the-new-pastor-yet,10925/

I Just Don’t Trust The New Pastor Yet

By Trudy Schoenert
June 23, 1999 | ISSUE 35•24

Today marks exactly three months since Pastor Bufenkamp’s retirement dinner. I’ve really been trying to be a good Christian and open up my heart to the new pastor, but the truth is, I just don’t trust him yet.

Pastor Logan seems like a good man. Maybe a bit too young to lead a flock, but still a good man. Nevertheless, he does a lot of things differently from Pastor Bufenkamp, and I simply cannot approve of some of them.

First off, there sure is a whole heck of a lot more fooling around in church under Pastor Logan. He lets the parish’s children take turns reading the Word of God the first Sunday of the month, and, honestly, it just isn’t working: Most of the children either giggle through the entire reading or speak too softly to be heard. There’s also a lot more singing going on during services. Three Sundays ago, Pastor Logan went so far as to let two guitarists play the communion hymn. Can you believe it? Rock-and-roll instruments in the Lord’s house!

Then there’s the small matter of the cartoons that have started to crop up in the Sunday bulletin, right next to the “Next Week’s Ushers” listing. Now, I’m all for having a little fun, but I hardly think last week’s drawing was appropriate for a church bulletin. It depicted a pastor delivering a sermon, and, sticking out from behind the pulpit, there was a set of golf clubs. And as if it weren’t bad enough that a pastor would drag his dirty old golf clubs right up onto the Lord’s altar, the pastor in the picture is saying, “I’m going to keep today’s sermon short…”

Goodness! A pastor should have more important things on his mind during a Sunday service than a golf game! Even though Pastor Logan doesn’t play golf himself, I don’t think he should find this sort of casualness on the part of another clergyman—real or cartoon—funny. I know Pastor Bufenkamp wouldn’t.

Then there’s Pastor Logan’s style of dress. At service, he always wears his robes and nice dress slacks. But during off hours, it’s a whole different story. He actually showed up for the mother-daughter banquet wearing tennis shoes! I’ve got to remember that God loves all kinds and turns away none, but I personally can’t imagine saying a prayer over a meal dressed like that.

And speaking of church events, Pastor Logan up and moved the date of this year’s Spring Flower Raffle and Pancake Breakfast. Just up and changed it on the church calendar without even talking to me, who has only co-organized the event for the last 11 years! That Spring Flower Raffle and Pancake Breakfast has taken place the weekend of my birthday for the last 11 years, but not this year. And why? Because the new pastor is organizing a youth-group trip to that awful Splashwater Gulch waterpark over in Plovis. All I can say is, the Lord works in mysterious ways.

To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t be surprised if that no-good choir director, Diane Francona, was behind all of this. She’s been in like Flynn with Pastor Logan from day one. In fact, I’m beginning to think that all of us in the Church Wives’ Circle hardly even matter anymore. We invited Pastor Logan to sit in on our June planning and prayer meeting, but instead, he went with the choir to an ecumenical sing-off over at that Methodist church down the street.

Maybe, in time, I will come to understand the new pastor and even trust him as much as I did Pastor Bufenkamp, bless his soul way down there in Tampa. But in the meantime, I am asking the Lord for the strength to accept the things that I cannot change.

1 Thessalonians 1: ¹I, Paul, together here with Silas and Timothy, send greetings to the church at Thessalonica, Christians assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ. God’s amazing grace be with you! God’s robust peace!

^2-5Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.

^5-6You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

^7-10Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.

Prepare to Worship Next Sunday

Galatians 1:1-9; 5:1-6, 13-14

“Right from Wrong”

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Communion Sunday

Scripture

Acts 14:8-18

Sermon:

“Not Without a Clue”

Call to Worship

Come, walk in green pastures.

We follow the Shepherd.

Come, lie down in green pastures.

We trust the Shepherd.

Come, dine at the table of abundance.

We are fed by the Shepherd.

Come, dwell in God’s house.

We live in the Shepherd’s care.

Hymns

He Leadeth Me – 128

Precious Lord, Take My Hand – 474

Abide in Me – 700      

Opening Prayer

Loving Shepherd, you know our names; you care for us.  When we face darkness and death,

walk beside us.  When we hunger for your love, fill us with your presence.  When we are fearful,

feed us at your table.  May we dwell in the house of goodness and mercy all the days of our lives. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Good Shepherd, we take your care for granted.  In the midst of your many blessings, we complain of not having enough.  In the presence of danger, we fail to trust your abiding love.  When you set a table before us, we turn aside from you.  Call us back into your care and help us trust your caring presence, that our actions may proclaim your truth. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.  God forgives our failures and calls us back into the flock.

Benediction

Nourished by the Shepherd’s abundant love,

go forth to walk in the paths of righteousness.

Love one another in truth and action.

May God’s abundant blessings abide in you forever.

April 23, 2012

Dear Church Family:

Grace and Peace to you all in the Name of the One who names us, Jesus Christ.

My grammar checker tells me that first sentence is an incomplete thought or fragment.  I’ve re-read it several times, trying to understand what’s wrong; trying to restate it another way, but I can’t think of a better way to greet you.  It is my prayer that you experience the grace and peace offered when we follow Jesus’ way to God’s Kingdom.  It is my hope that you claim the name “Christian” and that it becomes the adjective that modifies your noun.

Worship yesterday was filled with the sounds of very young children and the smiling faces of Grandparents and Parents.  All that joyful noise was a real blessing as we worshiped together.  Thank you for bringing your children (any children) to worship with you.

Thank you Tom; for inviting six people to join us at “The Celebration” and for bringing five along with you.  It was good to see the new faces and have their voices join ours as songs of praise were offered to God on high.

God continues to plan great things for the Christians called United Methodist here in Kennett.  The words, “peace” and “joy”were offered by the two study groups I’m part of, as reasons (or maybe results) of faith in God through Jesus Christ last week.  Good words; peace and joy.

The word translated as “peace” in our bibles is often the Hebrew word “shalom” which is more than an absence of conflict.  It points toward health, wholeness, prosperity, safety, happiness, and a movement toward fullness.  I recently heard that “joy” is not something we receive from experience but an attitude we carry into our experiences.  It is sometimes interchanged with the word, “happy”.  But Mike Mowrer suggested during last night’s Lay Leadership Development group that the main difference between “joy” and “happy” is that, “you can’t buy joy.”

Do you need some “joy” in your life?  Are you longing for a little “peace”?  Remember, God doesn’t give “a little” of anything.  Jesus shows us that God always gives it all.  Be ready offer the same right back and most of the people at 1^st UMC will tell you that the result will be joy and peace.  Come and see as together we live and teach, “Putting Christ First…Every Day.”

In Christ’s Love…..Gary

What’s Happening This Week?

Mon.          6:30pm – “Whispers of Hope” meets in CLC Nursery 2

Tues.          6:30pm – “Led by Thread” meets in CLC Meeting Room

7:00pm – “Hour of Prayer” meets in Sanctuary

Wed.          9:30am – “Ladies Prayer & Share Bible Study” meets in CLC Meeting Room

5:30pm – “Methodist Meal” in CLC

6:30pm –“MidWeek Bible Study” – “Five Practices of Fruitful Living”

Carol & Chancel Choir Rehearsals

7:00pm – “Youth Choir” rehearsal

7:30pm –“Sanctuary Choir” (Adult) rehearsal

8:30pm – “Praise Band” Rehearsal

Fri.             Leave after school and return Sat. evening – “Confirmation Retreat” at Blue Mountain

Sun.           8:30am – “UpWords” in Sanctuary

9:30am – Sunday School for all ages

10:30am – “The Celebration” in Sanctuary

5:00pm – Middle School Youth United in Christ (YUiC)in Youth Room (2^nd floor Ed. Bldg)

6:00pm – Youth Meal

6:30pm – Youth Worship in Chapel (1^st floor Ed. Bldg)

7:00pm – High School YUiC

Chancel Choir Leads Worship – May 6th

Mark your calendars now for this annual blessing offered to us by 3^rd – 5^th grade Chancel Choir.  Director Jan McDaniel and helper Malinda Harris will lead the kids as they help us worship with the musical, “Follow U“.

It will happen on May 6^th at 8:30’s UpWords and 10:30’s “Celebration”.  Mark your calendar now.

MidWeek Bible Study – Wednesdays at 6:30pm

“How do we live as followers of Jesus?”  That was the obvious question after completing our work with Kyle Idlewood’s Not a Fan.  We’re using Robert Schnase’s Five Practices of Fruitful Living to help us find the way.

We know that, as a church, we have to work at being hospitable to everyone who risks learning about Jesus at that place we call “our church”.  But practicing radical hospitality is also a way to relate to God.  In order to follow Christ we have to be welcoming to God.  “The welcoming requires of us an extraordinary hospitality, a radical receptivity, a willingness to allow God to come in and dwell within our hearts.” (Five Practices of Fruitful Living)

Come and see what other attitudes and life skills will bear fruit for God’s House; find that joy and peace that Jesus offers; Wednesday at 6:30pm after the Methodist Meal.

Opportunities Abound

One aspect of our experience with Spiritual Gift Discovery is that the important gift of “Teacher” was in the top three for three people.  I celebrate that two of those are teaching Sunday School classes and the other often provides special programs to various groups.  Thanks to all of you who are filling this very important role.  Your offerings are important to the work of God’s House.

But …since we’re filled with people who teach in the local school systems I have to wonder what’s going on.  The gift of “Teaching” as a spiritual gift is defined as, “The divine ability to understand and clearly explain God’s truths, and to show how we can apply these in our lives.  People with this gift enjoy studying the Bible and inspire listeners to greater obedience to God’s word.  They prepare through study and reflection, and pay close attention to detail.  In addition to communicating facts, they are careful to show that the Scriptures have practical applications.  They can adapt their presentation in order to communicate God’s message to a particular audience effectively.”

I’ve got to wonder what, in this definition, is the stumbling block that keeps all the excellent public school teachers from claiming their gift as useful for God’s vision of life.  Or maybe it’s not the gift but the working conditions, the “way we’ve always done things” that is stifling the Spirit’s work.  If so, then it could be a signal from God that the way we’re currently trying to teach God’s story is in conflict with the way students today have learned to learn.

If any of you professionals out there have any insights, please talk with your Pastor.

The Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 11:19-27 and 13:1-3

“What’s in a Name?”

Did you ever ask your parents how you got your name?  It’s an interesting exercise that I’m going to have to do one of these days.  I can remember the trials and tribulations of choosing a name for our first born.  There was talk for a short time of a “Gary Jr.” but I didn’t really want that.  We settled on Nathaniel, a gift from God.  Now I don’t remember the girl’s name.  Cory was named after a grandmother, Cora.  By the time Jennifer came along we couldn’t even imagine the idea of having a little girl.  Big brother Nathan actually suggested her name, Jennifer.  I think it too means a gift from God and that has proven true.

The big question today actually has to do with nick-names.  Luke, who we believe is the author of the part of the New Testament we call “The Acts of the Apostles” is telling us how the community gathered to follow Jesus’ way expanded from Jerusalem into what is now Turkey and Cyprus.  It doesn’t take long to figure out that this particular book is mis-titled.  Luke is really telling us what the Holy Spirit did to encourage the spread of Jesus’ vision of God’s Kingdom.  The action today centers around a town about 330 miles (531 km) north northwest of Jerusalem named Antioch and a man with a nick-name.

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. 20 But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.” 27 At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. (Acts 11:19-27 NRSV)

Did anyone ever give you a nick-name?  I asked that and several named “Robert” shared they were called “Bob”.  Some named “Richard” were called “Dick”.  Truthfully….I don’t consider those nick-names.  They’re too common.

I know we’ve got a couple “Buds” in the group and I’m almost sure I’d never find them in a hospital using that name.  That almost fits the definition.  “Ginny”, whose name is “Virginia”, revealed she was called “Scooter” by her father.  Now that’s a nice nick-name.  I tried but could get no one to share those “quirky” names their high school friends called them.  Mine was “Baby Fat” (stop laughing).  The one who gave that one to me we called “Boose”.  Those are the only ones I’m willing to share with those gathered in church today.

If I were going to choose a new name; if we were a faith that gave its members permission to change their names when they were “born from above” I’d to choose the one Joseph received from the Jerusalem Disciples.  He’s the central character sent by those same disciples in Jerusalem when they heard that the hand of the Lord was doing amazing things in Antioch.  They sent Barnabas to see what was going on and how they might help.  Barnabas started life as Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus.

Acts 4:36 introduces Joseph whom the apostle’s called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”) when he sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostle’s feet.” (NIV)  It was right after the second time the Holy Spirit shook their meeting place and filled them all so that they spoke the word of God boldly.  Luke was describing how this young community survived by giving everything they had to the apostles who distributed it to anyone who had need.  From the beginning Joseph was known for the way he used God’s gift of encouragement to support God’s work with other followers.

It was Barnabas who introduced the newly converted Saul to the apostles and told them what Saul had told him about his experience on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:27)  Remember, Saul had been a leader of the group that was going from town to town arresting followers of “The Way”.  Saul was a leader of “The Persecutions” that scattered those who followed Jesus clear from Jerusalem to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and … Antioch.

Barnabas was a good choice for this mission because he was from Cyprus and those who were leading the revival at Antioch (which for the first time included non-Jews Luke called “Hellenists”) were from Cyprus and Cyrene (Cyrene is 783 miles from Antioch).  So he went, saw that God was in what was happening, encouraged the followers to remain faithful, and then went for some help.  He went to Tarsus to get Saul and together they spent a whole year meeting with the church and teaching them what Jesus said about God.

Luke says that Antioch was the place where people who followed Christ’s way got a new name.  They were called “Christians”.  Like most nick-names, I doubt it started out as a complement.  Those who used it most likely saw people who were different then everyone else.  Their life was guided by priorities that didn’t match those belonging to the culture in which they lived.  They were “different” (root of the word “Holy”)  Maybe even strange.

But as the Spirit continued its work and the people began to learn Jesus’ story, that name meant that when people experienced the presence of those who followed Christ’s way they felt as if they were actually in Jesus Christ’s presence.  They represented Christ in everything they did, everywhere they were.  Those of us who have proclaimed Jesus as Lord have claimed the name, “Christian”.  The problem is that there are many times when we forget who we are.  Too often we are guilty of not actually believing what we say because we don’t act in ways that reflect those beliefs to others.

So, how can we live up to the name we’ve claimed?  How can we be a person who others would call “Christian?”  John Wesley once preached a sermon titled, “The Character of a Methodist.” http://www.crivoice.org/charactermethodist.html

Wesley writes, “What then is the mark? Who is a Methodist, according to your own account?” I answer: A Methodist is one who has “the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him;” one who “loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength. God is the joy of his heart, and the desire of his soul; which is constantly crying out, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee! My God and my all! Thou art the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever!”

How do we do that?  I think Barnabas would encourage us to look close to home and follow the advice found in the words that have guided our worship since this Christian year began.  Every Sunday we practice a way of life when we gather to worship.  A way that will help us follow the way Jesus taught us to live every day in God’s Kingdom.  For a number of years we’ve used the words hospitality, worship, generosity, faith development and mission to talk about what it is to be a Christian Church.  We can use those same words to describe how to live so that others will call you “Christian.”  They can become for us the way to keep those three simple rules all United Methodist’s agree to follow; do good, avoid evil, love God.

Antioch must have practiced radical hospitality.  They were among the first to include Hellenists in their fellowship and they accepted Saul, the one who was the reason for the persecution that drove them 350 miles north, as their teacher.  They listened as Barnabus, Saul, Simon (nicknamed Niger), Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen (an advisor to ruler Herod) helped them develop their faith. (Acts 13:1-3)   They were one of the first churches to respond to Jerusalem’s request for aid to the faithful who remained persecuted in Jerusalem.  They supported Barnabus and Saul (see above) and sent them to other places even as their own faith community grew in number and grace.  They must have worshiped together. How else do we find the strength and courage to stay the course?  Maxxie Dunnam once wrote, “a solitary faith is soon corrupted.”  We need the power revealed as we passionately worship and praise God through Jesus Christ to stand up to the powers and principalities that surround us still today.

What name will you choose?  What do you want to be called?  What name will you go by?  Choose “Christian” and allow it to be the adjective that modifies everything you do.  Then you will experience life, “Putting Christ First … Every Day.”

Next Week

Scripture:  Acts 14:8-18

Sermon:    “Not Without a Clue”

April 22, 2012

Third Sunday of Easter

Scripture

Acts 11:19-27, 13:1-3

Sermon:          “Even Them?”

Call to Worship (Luke 24)

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

We see children of God.

But who will you become?

We will become like Jesus when we see him as he is.

How will you get there?

We will purify ourselves as Christ is pure.

Come! Let us worship God.

Hymns:

Victory in Jesus – 370

Spirit of Faith, Come Down – 332

Trust and Obey – 467

Opening Prayer

Merciful God, you come to us in our darkness and fill us with your light; you come to us in our weakness and do not put us to shame; you come to us as we wander like orphans and call us your children.  Help us purify ourselves, as Christ is pure, that we may be fit vessels to carry your light to the world. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Tender, loving God, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, he showed them the wounds on his hands and feet, and shared with them a meal of broiled fish.  We long to see you as you are, that we too may see and believe.  Forgive our lack of faith.  Teach us to first believe where we have not seen, that in believing we may truly see.  Come to us in our moments of doubt and loss, and give us joy in the knowledge of your everlasting love. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Jesus appeared again and again to his disciples until they found the faith they needed to embrace the fullness of God’s power and salvation.  Open your eyes to the presence of Christ in our midst.  Feel his power and accept the salvation he brings.  In Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Benediction

Go as witnesses of the risen Lord.

Christ has fed us and made us whole.

Go as witnesses of the risen Lord.

Christ has brought us joy.

Go as witnesses of the risen Lord.

Christ has given us the kingdom.

 ”Jesus taught a way of life and invited people into a relationship with God that was vibrant, dynamic, and fruitful.  He said, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit … My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.’ (John 15:5,8)  Jesus wanted people to flourish.”

 ”Jesus and his followers developed core fundamental spiritual practices that sustained them in God and motivated them to relieve the burdens that restrain people from flourishing by protecting the vulnerable, embracing outcasts, healing the sick, welcoming children, caring for widow, confronting injustice, pardoning sin, preaching good news, releasing people from paralysis and suffering and the fear of death.  They presented the gift and demand of God’s grace to everyone.  They granted peace.”

 Those aren’t my words but words of Introduction to what I’d like to guide us as we follow Christ.  The practices have been named as a guide for our worship each week for all of this year.  They were originally applied to help us think about what it takes to be a church blessed by God.  But practices of Radical hospitality, Passionate worship, Intentional faith-development, Risk-taking mission and service, and Extravagant generosity will also lead us from fan-dom to following the One who calls us by name and provides a place for us in the world.

 Come and See at 6:30pm tonight and for the four weeks that follow;. Five Practices for Fruitful Living.  And join us for dinner at 5:30pm in the CLC.

Easter 2B is its “official” designation in the Church Calendar.  Easter is a big deal.  I’d like to be able to say that Easter is the longest season of the year.  But it’s not.  Lent (4 weeks) prepares us for Christmas (2 or 3 weeks) which leads to Epiphany (fluctuates depending on the date of Easter which is falls on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon).  Lent calls us to six weeks of preparation for Easter which lasts seven weeks; ending on the Day of Pentecost (read Acts 2).  Then it gets confusing.  I remember a season of Pentecost but now it’s called the season after Pentecost or just “Ordinary Time”.  Whatever it’s called, it ends with a Sunday called “Christ the King” which is the last day of the Christian year.

Have I lost you yet?  The above paragraph flows from recent ruminations about “time”.  I’m guessing that’s a normal thing when confronted with big life changes.  At some time in The Church’s history someone else thought about “time” and God led that person to a way of organizing it around the story of God’s love for us offered through Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God.  How do you organize your time?

Many of us begin our week with like-minded folks who have decided to practice putting Christ first by worshiping and learning about God first each week.  The center of that activity is often a building that provides a place for The Church to meet.  For me, that’s normal.  But it is not the only way to order your time around God.  Some look for ways to intentionally worship and learn about God at other places while doing other things.  The Church remains the important touch-stone of their faith, but they’ve learned to take it with them.  They are not alone in their faith.  Maxxie Dunham once wrote, “A solitary faith is soon corrupted.”  I believe that whole-heartedly.  We need the community of faith to inform our personal faith.

Okay…I’m moved in to preaching now.  All I really want you to know is that the community of faith did gather yesterday, as it always does.  We sang the songs (thank you Lydia and Daryl for your musical offering that helped us worship).  We read The Story of God.  We prayed together and talked about all the ways God had made us aware of His Holy Presence.  We thought about how those moments had changed us.  And God sent us out into a world that needs to know what we’ve experienced and the difference.

For those of us trying to live as a follower of God, “Putting Christ First…Every Day”; God has become like a computers “bios” system.  My understanding is that the “bios” is the base program upon which all the other programs operate.  It is at the heart of everything, anything called a computer does. (PC, Apple, Smart Phone, Laptop, Netbook, Tablet, PDA, etc)

If I’m right then, “God is my bios” is another way of saying that we live, “Putting Christ First…Every Day.”  What do you think?

Come and see.

In Christ’s Love….Gary

What’s Happening This Week?

Mon.          2:00pm – Susanna Wesley Circle meets in the Parlor

6:30pm – “Whispers of Hope” meets in CLC Nursery 2

Tues.         6:30pm – “Led by Thread” meets in CLC Meeting Room

7:00pm – “Hour of Prayer” meets in Sanctuary

Wed.         9:30am – “Ladies Prayer & Share Bible Study” meets in CLC Meeting Room

5:30pm – “Methodist Meal” in CLC

6:30pm –“MidWeek Bible Study

Carol & Chancel Choir Rehearsals

7:00pm – “Youth Choir” rehearsal

7:30pm –“Sanctuary Choir” (Adult) rehearsal

8:30pm – “Praise Band” Rehearsal

Sun.           8:30am – “UpWords” in Sanctuary

9:30am – Sunday School for all ages

10:30am – “The Celebration” in Sanctuary

5:00pm – Middle School Youth United in Christ (YUiC)in Youth Room (2^nd floor Ed. Bldg)

6:00pm – Youth Meal

6:30pm – Youth Worship in Chapel (1^st floor Ed. Bldg)

7:00pm – High School YUiC

An Invitation

As most of you know, Rev. David Norbury, our district superintendent will be retiring at the close of this conference year.  The District’s Superintendency team met recently and Ed Rhodes, Chair of the District Superintendency Team, announces plans for a celebration honoring Rev. David and Mary Norbury and their seven years of ministry among us.

The special event honoring the David & Mary is for both clergy and laity will be held on June 2 will be from 1-3 pm at the La Croix UMC in Cape Girardeau.  There will be a worship celebration in the Sanctuary followed by a reception in the foyer of the church.

The Spiritual Gift of “Help” and “Compassion”

“Serving from the Heart” defines the gift of Assistance/Help as, “The God-given ability to work alongside others in performing practical and often behind-the-scenes tasks to sustain and enhance the Body of Christ.  A person with this gift receives spiritual satisfaction from doing everyday necessary tasks; he or she may prefer to work quietly and without public recognition.  When a need is seen, the helper frequently takes care of it without being asked.  The helper’s work often frees up other persons so that they may carry out their own ministries.”

They define the gift of Mercy/Compassion as, “The God-given ability to see and feel the suffering of others and to minister to them with love and understanding.  More simply, this gift is compassion, moved to action.  People with this gift are called to reach out to someone who is hurt or rejected, easing the suffering.  They feel fulfilled when they can show others that God loves them.  They are skilled at gaining the trust of those in need and enjoy finding ways to comfort them.”

Thirty-five of the fifty-nine people who completed the “Spiritual Gifts Discovery Assessment” on March 12^th were told that either “Helps” or “Compassion” was one of the top three spiritual gifts God had given them.  That points to a reality anyone who visits 1^st UMC-Kennett experiences the moment they walk in the door.  There are people here who magnify the love they feel from God into the Kennett community.  That is a good thing.

Troubled

One troubling aspect of our experience with Spiritual Gift Discovery is that the important gift of “Teacher” was in the top three for three people.  I celebrate that two of those are teaching Sunday School classes and the other often provides special programs to various groups.  Thanks to all of you who are filling this very important role.  Your offerings are important to the work of God’s House.

But …since we’re filled with people who teach in the local school systems I have to wonder what’s going on.  The gift of “Teaching” as a spiritual gift is defined as, “The divine ability to understand and clearly explain God’s truths, and to show how we can apply these in our lives.  People with this gift enjoy studying the Bible and inspire listeners to greater obedience to God’s word.  They prepare through study and reflection, and pay close attention to detail.  In addition to communicating facts, they are careful to show that the Scriptures have practical applications.  They can adapt their presentation in order to communicate God’s message to a particular audience effectively.”

I’ve got to wonder what, in this definition, is the stumbling block that keeps all the excellent public school teachers from claiming their gift as useful for God’s vision of life.  Or maybe it’s not the gift but the working conditions, the “way we’ve always done things” that is stifling the Spirit’s work.  If so, then it could be a signal from God that the way we’re currently trying to teach God’s story is in conflict with the way students today have learned to learn.

If any of you professionals out there have any insights, please talk with your Pastor.

Another Invitation

To honor our parents, Rev. Richard and Julie Combs, on the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary,

You are invited to a reception on Sunday June 3rd 2012 from 2p.m. to 4p.m. at New McKendree United Methodist Church, 225 S High St. Jackson, Mo.  Enter by West (back of church) for no steps.  No Gifts Please –

Rebecca, Deanna, Alicia

We invite you to share a memory from your friendship with Richard & Julie.  These will be placed in a scrapbook and presented to them.  Memories can be mailed to Deanna Turner, 134 Autumn Ridge, Altenburg, Mo.63732 or E-mail Rebecca at julieandrichmemories@charter.net

Easter 2

Acts 3:1-8, 12-26

“Humanity 2.0”

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. ²And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. ⁴Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” ⁷And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God (Acts 3:1-8 NRSV)

“So…that’s what it takes to get you to church!?” That’s not my line.  I borrowed it from the Rabbi of The Temple in Atlanta, Georgia.  He used it to begin a sermon preached on the first Sabbath after The Temple was pretty much destroyed by a bomb blast in 1958.  The windows had been blown out, the doors were left hanging open, the interior was pretty much a wreck; but for that next gathering of the faithful the place was packed.  “So…that’s what it takes to get you to temple!?”

We can sympathize on this Sunday after an Easter congregation of more than 300.  I heard one of the choir members wonder as they entered where everyone was.  If I’d read ahead just a little I could have used that sentence at the beginning of last week’s sermon while the fear/amazement of an empty tomb was still fresh on our minds.  I know there have been more than a few times when I’ve walked into church looking for a way to understand what’s happening in life.

Remember the Sunday after September 11, 2001?  If you’ve forgotten, just search “9/11”.  Many faith communities reported a large increase in the size of the faith groups gathered after the World Trade Center / Pentagon / was attacked.  Questions of “why”, “how”, and “what now” filled our lives so it seemed only natural to go to those places set aside to talk with God.

The surprising event Luke reports in the book, “Acts of the Apostles” (really the Acts of the Holy Spirit) was that a man everyone knew was lame from birth was suddenly walking; no, leaping, and praising God.  We’ve celebrated that kind of thing here.  It’s possible we attributed the miracle to medicines and therapies and surgeries, but we claim that at the heart of those things we see God.  We’ve seen God in the eyes of our children and grand-children, in the beauty of creation, in the work of our neighbors.  We’ve gathered to hear the stories and nod our heads at the wonder of it all.  We’ve celebrated baptisms and weddings and even life beyond death.  We’ve also gathered at times that don’t match our definition of good.  We’ve prayed together after diagnosis of tumors and broken bones and broken relationships.

So…that’s what it sometimes takes to get us to church.  Peter saw they were attributing healing to him and John.  But Peter knew better and wasn’t afraid to say it.

“Oh, Israelites, why does this take you by such complete surprise, and why stare at us as if our power or piety made him walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated. You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place. You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead—and we’re the witnesses. Faith in Jesus’ name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet—yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.” (Acts 3:12-16 MSG)

He says we shouldn’t be surprised.  The One who healed is the same One worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  You know God.  You worship God.  This is who glorified Jesus, God’s Son. This is the one who raised Jesus from the grave.  It was faith in Jesus’ name that put this man on his feet – “yes, faith and nothing but faith made him whole before your eyes.”

I’m thinking those gathered really wanted another miracle.  They all knew someone who needed help with something.  Some were maybe even able to ask for that help for their own hurts.  They (we) want miracles.  Instead they got a sermon.

¹⁷“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets that his Messiah would suffer. ¹⁹Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, ²⁰so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, ²¹who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. ²²Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. ²³And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.’ ²⁴And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. ²⁵You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ²⁶When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:17-26)

This healing they had witnessed is part of God’s plan for us all.  It is what God intended from the beginning.  The first thing we need to do to experience what God wants is to stop crucifying Jesus every time he appears.  He knows we don’t mean too.  We just don’t understand that Jesus, God-With-Us, came to change us.  Peter says we need to repent, change our ways and turn towards God so that times of refreshing may come.  But we don’t like change.  We want to stay the same.  And that’s where I’ve failed you in the past.

I’ve been trying to get you to see God’s presence.  I’ve asked that question now for seven years.  But that’s only the first step.  When we regain our sight; when we’re able recognize that we walk in God’s presence. It ought to make a difference in us.  I need to start asking how your experience of God has changed you.  What affect has it had on the way you see the world around you?

It is nice to see the first blooms of spring.  How does seeing those blooms and recognizing them as God’s creation, affect the way you relate to creation?  When you see God in the way a friend cares for a neighbor and recognize it as God’s presence, how does that affect the way you treat your neighbor? I believe Kyle Idlewood (author of Not a Fan) would say that fans of Jesus see and applaud signs of God’s presence.  Followers of Jesus follow that sign to a lifestyle that honors God’s will.  He must have read Peter’s sermon.

“When God raised up his servant (Jesus), he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”  Wicked ways are any ways that do not reflect God’s vision of life.  Wicked ways are any ways that are contrary to the ten words God gave Moses after he’d convinced Pharaoh to set them free.  (Read Exodus 20)

Jesus’ resurrection was to create a new humanity, humanity 2.0, able to live life as God intended life to be lived; freed from past sin in order to be reborn a new people.  Freed to experience the peace God intended when chaos was changed into creation.  This new life is the result of deciding every day to live, “Putting Christ First…Every Day.”  Come and See.

Next Week

Please read and study Acts 11:19-27 and 13:1-3

Who was Stephen and what happened to him?

Why was his named mentioned?

What does the name “Barnabus” mean?

What difference does this scripture make in the way you relate to God? To neighbors?  To self?

So….here’s the scriptures and acts of worship that will help us lift our voices together. Take some time to practice the prayers, learn the words, read and pray over the scripture and be ready to join The Church as together we worship God through our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.  Come and See what a difference it makes.

April 15, 2012

2^nd Sunday of Easter

 Scripture Readings     Acts 3:1-7; 12-26

Sermon            “Humanity 2.0”

Call to Worship

Come and share the ample treasure of new life in Christ.

We celebrate our unity as God’s people.

Christ has died and Christ is risen!  Christ is with us forevermore.

Christ is our advocate, our helper, our comforter in times of need!

Hymns for 10:30am

Up From the Grave He Arose – 322

Breathe on Me Breath of God – 420

Easter People, Raise Your Voices – 304

Opening Prayer

Luminous Dancing Fountain of Easter, we give you thanks as we gather in this place to celebrate your love for us and for our broken world. Come among us with your power and bind us together as your people.  Enable us to go forth into the world with great grace, empowered as those who have seen and believed.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Holy One, like doubting Thomas, it is often hard for us to believe where we have not seen; it is even hard for us to accept your love when we have known it directly and felt the wounds carried by others on our behalf.

Forgive us, we pray, for our doubt and our unbelief. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Creator God sees our darkness and brings us light.  Christ, our Savior, knows our failings and intercedes on our behalf.  The Spirit blows through us and offers us peace.

Benediction

How good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

How great and powerful it is when they go forth to serve.

Let us leave this place, knowing ourselves to be bearers of God’s peace

and instruments of God’s love. Amen.

Yes, it was a beautiful morning to celebrate Easter.  The sun shined bright through the stained glass, highlighting the Spirits movement through our acts of praise and punctuating our prayers.  The Carol Choir (Pre-school to 2^nd Grade) led by Amy Williams and accompanied by Dianne Carter set the mood as they called those gathered for “UpWords” to worship.  We watched as a willow seed pod exploded and learned the ancient Easter greeting, “He is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!!”

Again we were blessed with God’s presence as the second crowd gathered to hear the story of an empty tomb and the frightened, confused women.  The Sanctuary Choir (Adults) led by Jan McDaniel and accompanied by Daryl Wilcoxson, sang “The Easter Song” and we shared signs of God-With-Us.  We almost got tired of singing “Alleluia!” (but not quite)

It was good to see several families who filled whole church pews.  It was good to have Dianne’s daughter and her three children with us for the weekend.  Better yet…I was able to eat the chocolate and drink the soda without guilt on this Monday.

Christ is risen….He is Risen indeed!

In Christ’s Love…..Gary

What’s Happening This Week?

Mon.          6:30pm – “Whispers of Hope” meets in Nursery 2

Tues.          6:30pm – “Led by Thread” meets in CLC Meeting Room

7:00pm – “Hour of Prayer” meets in Sanctuary

Wed.          9:30am – “Ladies Prayer & Share Bible Study” meets in CLC Meeting Room

5:30pm – “Methodist Meal” in CLC

6:30pm – Children’s Choirs Rehearse

“MidWeek Bible Study” / Final Session of “Not a Fan” in CLC Meeting Room

7:00pm – Youth Choir Rehearsal in Sanctuary

7:30pm – Adult Choir Rehearsal in Parlor

8:30pm – Praise Band Rehearsal in Sanctuary

Sun.           8:30am – “UpWords”

9:30am – “Sunday School” for all

10:30am – “The Celebration”

5:00pm – “Middle School Youth United in Christ” (YUiC)

6:00pm – “YUiC” Meal in CLC

6:30pm – “Youth Worship”

7:00pm – “High School YUIC”

Spiritual Gifts – “Mercy / Compassion”

Four of those who completed the “Serving from the Heart Spiritual Inventory” in March were told they had the gift of “Mercy/Compassion”.

This gift is; The God-given ability to see and feel the suffering of others and to minister to them with love and understanding.  More simply, this gift is compassion, moved to action.  People with this gift are called to reach out to someone who is hurt or rejected, easing the suffering.  They feel fulfilled when they can show others that God loves them.  They are skilled at gaining the trust of those in need and enjoy finding ways to comfort them.   (Matthew 9:36, Luke 10:30-37, Colossians 3:12-15)

Does this statement describe you?  What will you do with it?  Would you like to know the gifts God’s placed in your hands? Contact Gary or the church office to receive a copy of this Spiritual Gifts Inventory.  Or do a web search for “Christian Spiritual Gifts Assessment” and take an “on-line” assessment.  I did one this morning and it matched the results suggested by “Serving from the Heart”

Then ask, “How can I develop this gift so that others can see God?”

Can You Drive?

Charlie Arthur has been using the church van to “carry” people to worship at 1st UMC for the past few years.  Because of his commitment (and with the help of a couple others “back-ups”) we’ve been able to involve a family and several grand-kids in the family life here.  Charlie called this morning saying that, because of some health issues with Lou; he’s not going to be able to continue his participation in that ministry.  So…who will be the next one to step up and help bring people to church?

Currently that involves a couple adults and 4 to 7 kids who attend the 8:30am service.  Charlie normally leaves the church parking lot around 8:00am and then carries them home after Sunday School.  If you’d be willing to accept this work, please talk to me or call the church office.

Thank you, Charlie Arthur, for your faithful service.  And thanks to the next one who will carry it forward.

Easter Sunday

“Risen?”

Mark 16:1-8 

I doubt the day before would have been described as “normal” by any of the three women Mark talks about on that first day of the week, after the Sabbath after Jesus was crucified.  Perhaps their secret prayers that morning were that something they could call “normalcy” would return after all that had happened the week before.

Last week they were preparing for a trip to Jerusalem that had turned in to a parade of sorts, complete with palm branches and shouts of Hosanna.  Monday’s walk to the temple was a blur of flopping birds and bleating lambs and angry voices punctuated with a silence broken only by the sound of the Master’s voice explaining God’s vision for The Temple.  Tuesday was a day of surprising word games and arguments and revelations about the source of true authority.  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday blurred into one long event that began with a decision by the Chief Priests and Scribes to look for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.  It ended with Jesus’ words from the cross, “It is finished.”  Those days were scented with the aroma of pure nard, freshly baked bread and table wine powerful enough to almost cover the odor of betrayal, denial, fear, and death.

Saturday, the Sabbath, was a day set aside to honor God; something we are taught to do in good times and bad; a habit that holds us up as we give everything to the One who created everything; who the Psalmist praises.

¹O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!

²Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

⁵Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

⁶With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?

⁷The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals.

⁹It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.

¹⁵There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;

¹⁶the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”

¹⁷I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

¹⁸The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

²⁰This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

²²The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

²³This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:1-9, 14-24)

So, on Sunday morning as they carried the spices they would use to anoint the body of Jesus they talked about the stone that would bar their entry into the tomb.  They saw the stone as one huge obstacle to the task they’d given themselves.  (I suppose they’d forgotten about the nard.)  They wondered who would roll the stone away for them.

⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (Mark 16:4-8)

Mark returns to his succinct ways as he tells this part of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Eight verses are all it takes.  About now I’m guessing you’re thinking that there must be more than this.  “Didn’t Jesus appear to Mary Magdalene in the garden?”  (if not, what garden are we talking about when we sing, “In the Garden”?)  What about his appearance to the Disciples as they hid in a locked room?  How about the breakfast of broiled fish he provided to them?  What about the mountain ascension and The Great Commission?  The oldest copies of Mark’s gospel say nothing about any of that.  He simply says, “..they went out and fled the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.”

But that can’t be right; I know the story of Jesus’ resurrection.  It can’t be right because we all know that something is missing.  If it was, then we wouldn’t. Right?

I guess it took a couple hundred years for anyone else to be smart enough to ask that question of Mark.  At least that’s what those who study every jot and tittle of God’s word think.  While the first copy machines worked to preserve Holy Scripture (Monks who spent their lives copying each letter from an original manuscript to another sheet of paper), someone penned “a shorter ending” of Mark 16:8b, “[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]”  Later someone else (probably) needed something more and wrote “a longer ending”, adding verses 9-20.  Most study bibles will note these additions.  Check it out for yourself.

We’ve spent Lent trying to get into Mark’s Gospel and pretty much ignoring what Luke, Matthew, John, and Paul (in his letters) had to say.  So what can we learn from Mark?  What does Mark want from us?  What difference does Easter the way Mark tells it, have to do with the way I relate to God, neighbor, self?  The answer lies in the words he uses to describe the women’s reaction and a little trick that doesn’t translate very well from Greek to English.

Alarm – Terror – Amazement are the three words used by NRSV translators to describe the women’s response to the young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side of the empty tomb.  Amazement is the common word in both definitions of the two “A” words; alarmed combines “terror with amazed.”  Amazement blends “fear and wonderment.”  It’s the middle word, terror that caught my imagination.  It comes from the Greek “echo” (English – “echo” which means to be “beside yourself”.

Do you remember a time when you were beside yourself?  It usually happens when something unimaginable happens.  Sometimes they’re good things.  Other times their bad.  When I ask each week where you’ve seen God, many of those reports include times when we’re beside ourselves; first spring blossoms, birthdays, success stories, “Ah-Ha!’s” – the passing of a family member, autumn colors, cancer, broken relationships, “Oh-No!’s”  They are moments when it seems as if we actually leave our body and are outside watching.  We are beside-ourselves.  The women were caught up in terror/fear, wonderment and amazement.  They were beside themselves, trying to understand what the empty tomb meant for them.  Have you ever been beside yourself?  What was that like?

The other three phrases that help us understand Mark’s intentions are “They went”, “They saw”, and “He said.”  What doesn’t translate well is the concept of “the historical present.”  It can be done with English but most word processors flag it as bad grammar.

When “they went” to the tomb, Mark is really saying that “they came” to the tomb.  When “they saw” that the stone had been rolled away, Marks wants us to think, “they see” that the stone has been rolled away.  When the young man in white robes speaks, “he said” it becomes “he says”.  Mark writes the story of Jesus’ resurrection in what we would call “present tense.”  It is happening right now.  It did not just happen then.  It is happening now.  When I ask you to share signs of God’s presence in your world, I’m actually asking for signs of Christ’s resurrection, in your world…today.

What are you feeling right now?  Alarm?  Amaze? Terror?  Fear? Wonder? Beside yourself?  That’s what Mark wants from you.  Mark wants you to feel just like the women did on that day 2000 years ago.  He wants you to know that the events of the past week; Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday are still happening today.  Competing powers enter our lives daily.  They way we used to do things have lost their true meaning and purpose.  Powers and Principalities fight for authority.  They look for ways secretly to kill Christ and his understanding of God’s vision.

And they do.  Or so they think.  But Easter is a statement of faith.  It is a realization that God has affirmed Jesus.  Rome and its corroborators have it wrong.  Jesus knew what he was talking about.  The world has been turned upside down, not by God, but by those who don’t know God’s vision and don’t follow God’s way.  Easter proclaims that God is turning creation right side up.

What are you going to do now?  The young man in white reminds the women that Jesus told them he would meet them in Galilee after his resurrection.  Galilee was where it all began.  So, we find ourselves in a continuous loop.  We go back to the beginning of Mark’s gospel which is, “The Good News of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.”  And with Easter eyes we read again about John the Baptist, Jesus’ first teaching, how he called his disciples, how he healed many, fed many, loved many.  The parables are somehow different now.  They’re not about seeds or baskets or storms.  They’re about seeds, and baskets, and storms.  The blindness he heals is our own blindness.  The signs he offers surround us every day.

And we carry that with us everywhere we go.  Easter says that Christian faith is not walled in to a time on a certain day or in a certain place.  We are called to put Christ first every moment and to live as if what God wants the world to be really is.  We respond by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength and our neighbor as ourselves.  We follow Jesus example to serve each other. (John taught us that)  The stone has been rolled away.  The curtain has been torn!  Nothing separates us from God!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed! Amen!

Next Week:

Acts 3:1-7, Acts 3:12-26

Easter is too big for just one week. Week 2 = “So What?”