The Third of July

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July where we remember our Declaration of Independence from England. We declared that we were given rights by our Creator, not by government. July 3rd, had a different significance. We fought a Civil War to preserve that government. It is the day in 1863 where Lee was defeated in Gettysburg and where the tide of the Civil War turned and the die was cast that the south would lose. It was only a matter of time. A song became an anthem during the Civil War written by Julia Ward Howe. We all know the first verse which begins, Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the LORD….but how often do we sing the last two verses? I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel: "As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal"; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since God is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat; Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. Glory hallelujah! The song encouraged the union, but it underscored the battle between Satan and all that is good that God created. At the time of the fall, Satan, the serpent, went to war to divide us from God and God told him that an offspring of a woman would crush the head of the serpent with his heal. In this ongoing battle for the hearts of mankind Satan believed he would have a great victory at the cross, but it became his ultimate defeat as Jesus conquered death and seal Satan’s fate in a battle which shall continue till judgement day. If your soul has been swift to answer Jesus call to salvation we ask you to join us in communion.

While We Were Still Sinners

We come to a special time of worship, and it should be very special. We worship God for loving us when we were unlovable. Christ made himself a sacrifice for our sin because….because of something we did? Because we are so wonderful? Because of all our great works he wanted us on his team? Yah, that’s it. God wants me because I am a big deal. No, that is not it. The apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans 5: 6 For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! 9 Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. We do not come to salvation in our strength, but in our humble weakness. Jesus gives this illustration in Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Christ sacrificed himself on the cross for those who know they need a savior. We do not come to him in our strength, but in our humility. If you have come to worship with a humble heart thankful that we have been given the gift of eternal life through the grace of a sacrificing savior, we ask you to join us in our time of communion.

Memorial Day 2016

We are in the midst of another Memorial Day Weekend. Memorial Day commemorates those who lost their lives in the service of their country. The young men and women we honor gave up their Earthly tomorrows with their families and loved ones so those they loved most dearly would be safe from slavery and tyranny. They went to foreign lands to die so we could live. Memorial Day was set aside to allow time to decorate the graves of the fallen and to remember their sacrifice. We also visit memorials that have been erected to their memory. Some of these, such as the Vietnam Memorial have inscribed on it the names of those who gave up their lives. We have these memorials so that we may never forget the service of those who have died. We have a weekly memorial service here Sunday. We take time to remember during communion the sacrifice of Christ Jesus who left his Heavenly home to go to a world full of tyranny and sin to give us hope for peace in eternity. He sacrificed his life so that we could live with the hope and assurance of life eternal with Him. Unlike the memorials we have where we list the names of the many that died for our sakes, the memorial we have is a cross that represents one perfect sacrifice. Inscribed in that memorial, the Lambs Book of life, are the names of those who live eternally because of the perfect sacrifice of the one who was without sin rescuing us from our sin. If you have accepted Christ Jesus’ gift of grace and life, we ask you to join us in our time of remembrance of Jesus’ death as a sacrifice for our forgiveness and His resurrection providing us with the hope of life eternal as we pass the trays with the bread and the juice.

How Disappointing

The scene. A man hanging nailed to a wooden cross between a couple of thieves also hanging on crosses. Above his head is a sign, “King of the Jews. How ironic. Just a week earlier this man was being celebrated and cheered as he triumphantly and humbly entered into Jerusalem. The people who had cheered him on that day, a week later were calling out for him to be crucified. What was the heinous act this man had perpetrated to warrant such a change in opinion in one week? He committed the crime of disappointing them. The people had watched his ministry for several years, seen his miracles, and heard his words of love. They had been promised a Messiah, a savior and now he had proclaimed himself. The promise had been fulfilled. They were going to have the kingdom re-established through the line of David and Judea would again have a king who would lead them, Rome would be expelled, and they would be saved from a time of oppression and tribulation. But, that was not what was happening. He had not expelled Rome and those who celebrated him had now gone from celebration to dissolution to disappointment to utter hatred. That is the problem. They did not understand you do not get to pick your savior and that can be very disappointing. We want to be in charge of selecting the person who will be our Lord. We do not have multiple saviors to choose from. Fortunately Jesus chose us before the beginning of time. He sacrificed himself for our sins. He will accept us into his eternal kingdom if we choose to follow him where he leads. This is our time of communion where we reflect on a God who became flesh and walked among us and died so that we may live eternally with him in paradise.

Working or Discipling

Paul, while under house arrest, wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. A church he had pastored for a while. He gave them praise. Paul writes, For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Paul goes on later to say, For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. In a very pagan culture, the church in Ephesus was reaching out, it was bearing fruit, it was creating disciples. They were sharing the gospel in a dark land that Christ died for their sins and was raised from the dead and was now at the right hand of God. How different things were 30 years later when John wrote to the church in Ephesus as recorded in the Revelation. John speaks to a church that is busy working, working, working, but they have no heart. They are just busy. They are doing a lot of work among the pagans but they are not sharing the gospel and they are not disciplining. It is good that we are in this series on discipleship. We need to know that at the end of the day, feeding the lost just keeps them healthy till the day of judgement. We need to always share the gospel. We need to be the church that Paul was writing to. Because…Even though I was a sinner, Christ died for me. If I was the only sinner on Earth, Christ would have humiliated himself on the cross taking my sins on his shoulders to provide me a way to be with him in eternity. It is also good that we remember that each week in our time of communion. We take time to recall how Jesus broke the bread and shared the cup with his disciples and told them how as often as they eat the bread and drink of the cup, they proclaim his death till Christ comes again. He is coming again and we need to be sharing and disciplining.

Prodigal Grace

As we have been studying Luke 15 and the parable of the Prodigal Son, there was an element that stood out to me. The son found himself destitute and came to himself. He tells himself, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants." Listen to what the son is saying. He has a plan to work himself into the father’s presence. The son is willing to confess what he has done, but also has set the conditions of his acceptance into the household. If I serve you, you will provide for me again. I will earn my keep and have a place in your house. Maybe you will even forgive me someday. It’s a plan. See this young man in his soiled tatters walking along the path; rehearsing over and over the speech which he hopes will get him a place in the father’s house. When his father sees him and runs to embrace him, the son starts to give his rehearsed speech. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But, before the son can utter what he will do to fix this, how he will be a servant, his father embraces him and calls for a robe, sandals, and the symbol of his son ship, the ring. The father allowed the son to confess his transgression and repent, but prevents him from making it about what his child will do for him, but instead made it about the father’s forgiveness. This Prodigal had a debt too big to pay himself. It was forgiven at a cost to the father. Our debt is sin and it is a debt we cannot pay. But, our sins were forgiven at a cost. They were paid on a rough wooden cross. The blood of a sinless savior washed away our debt. Our salvation does not come from our work, but from grace. Jesus died to pay our debt so we could be in his father’s presence. We are restored by what Jesus has done and not because of what we have done. We give thanks for that gift of grace when we come together to worship around the Lord’s Table of communion.

Person Fear

I have had some fears in my life. When I was younger, I had a fear of loosing my hair. As I got older, I became afraid I would loose my trim, manly physique.(see profile picture) And as I was going through health issues that were making it hard for me to stand and were risking my ability to work, I was afraid of loosing my job. As I would see people in those motorized scooters, I would become morbidly afraid I would loose the ability to walk and have to use one. Well, anyone who has known me for over ten years knows that I did loose my job and during that time I received medical help I needed which caused me to be in a wheel chair for several months. During that time I realized something. The things I had feared most in my life had happened. God had showed me I could deal with my fears. I will admit I quit adding things to my fear list. No reason to test what can be dealt with. Also, in helping me deal with my own fears, Christ showed me how to have compassion for others that are hurting; something I sorely lacked at one time in my life. Maybe that is why the job I have now is working with people coming to grips with their greatest fears. I may not be able to solve their problems, but I can help them come to grips with them. You see, when you look at Jesus among other gods, he is unique. He does not sit in the lofty heights and wag a finger at us. He came and experienced our troubles and temptations personally. In his ministry, he never had a place to call home. He would find himself surrounded by people all the time and would go through times of exhaustion. Ultimately, he was lied about and slandered to the point of execution on the cross. The cross was a feared thing and he feared going through it, but he overcame his fears and because of his sacrifice, gave us a way to salvation. That is why I sometimes see Christ, not only as the great I AM, but the Great Been There, Done That, OVERCAME. I won’t tell you I never have concerns in my life anymore, but with the eternity Christ promised at the cross, I know I can give thanks gladly daily, even during times of great trouble, because of the salvation I received from the foot of the cross. We have come to that portion of the service…..

Justice or Forgiveness

I have often asked, "Could God not have forgiven people without going through the pain and the violence of the Cross?" As nice as that sounds, reality forces me to ask: When is forgiveness not painful? True forgiveness cannot occur unless the hurt is acknowledged and called for what it is. When you look a wrong in the face but choose to accept the hurt instead of returning it on the one who did it, that is always painful. Jesus illustrates forgiveness by telling the story of a servant who owes his master more money than he could possibly repay (See Matthew 18:21-35). The master originally threatens to sell the servant's family and possessions to get some return for the debt, but when the servant begs for mercy, the master is gracious and forgives the debt. Yet the same servant not only refuses to forgive the debt of his fellow servant, but also has him thrown in prison as punishment. Since the second servant could not repay, he was then punished. However, the master chose the way of mercy when he forgave the debt, neither requiring reparation nor inflicting retribution. If God has really forgiven us like the master forgave the servant, we ask, then why all the pain and death of the Cross? In asking these questions, we show a misunderstanding of both justice and forgiveness. Justice can never be achieved by reparation or retribution alone because like the servants' debts, true wrongs can never be repaid. The hurt and pain caused are not reversible. Punishing the guilty person does not undo the hurt either, even if it brings brief satisfaction to the victim, just as the first servant did not get his money back simply because the other man was in jail. Justice must be about much more than balancing out the wrongs of the world. It must be about making things right, about the kind of restoration that does not reverse the pain, but moves beyond it toward something new. And just as wrongs cannot be erased by punishment or repayment, they cannot really be erased by simple forgiveness either. When the master forgives the servant's debt, the debt does not simply disappear. The master takes the loss! He accepts the full brunt of the debt himself. Similarly, when a person forgives, he or she accepts the full brunt of the hurt or injustice rather than returning it on the one who caused it. Although it is painful, this is the way that healing and restoration begin. This is why there is no way to avoid the bloody Cross. And this is why God's love is terrible. Think of what it includes: us, with our best and our worst, with our failed attempts and outright cruelty, with our wrong motives for right actions and our right motives for wrong actions... us, with the mess we have made of the world, with our brokenness and despair, with our rebellions and inadequacies. We are the ones included in and redeemed by the deep and wide love of God. Paul is astonished by this reality when he emphasizes that Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8)! Instead of demanding that we pay what we cannot, instead of punishing us for not paying what we cannot, the God we see in Jesus Christ accepts the loss himself and opens his arms even to those who would murder him. The Cross does not represent God's mercy being tamed by his anger; rather, it demonstrates that God's mercy is much bigger than we think. The Cross is a graphic picture of God's terrible love. Think of all it includes.

Why Blood Sacrifice?

Each week we get together for communion where we remember the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. Why sacrifice, why do we remember blood? When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they were sinless. Due to Satan appealing to Eve’s pride, she ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam not only stood by and watched her, but joined her, thus learning about good and evil, they realized for the first time they were naked and were embarrassed. To cover their nakedness, or sin, God slew and animal and provided it’s skin to cover their nakedness, this becoming the first animal sacrifice for the covering of sin. The Children of Israel conducted animal sacrifice for sin, but it, too was only to cover sin. They could not remove sin. They were told; though that a perfect sacrifice would be provided some day so they would no longer need to continually sacrifice bulls and goats. That perfect sacrifice came in the form of Jesus Christ, the son of the living God. As Hebrews 4:3-4 states: 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Vs 10 goes on to say: we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. It took a sinless savior to pay the price of our sins. It took his blood to wash away the sinfulness of a fallen world. That is why in a few moments we will be passing trays with bread representing the body of Christ and juice representing his blood. This we do in remembrance of Christ and his perfect love for us and his mercy. His blood covers us with his righteousness so we may be in the presence of God when we go to be with him in eternity. Than promise of eternal life also comes from his mercy provided on a rough wooden cross.

Wonderful Irony

God works in wonderful ironies in showing his power. He uses the small to defeat the large, death to give life. This was apparent when the young David overcame the giant, Goliath. A small stone in a sling brought down the daunting giant, then; David took the giant’s sword, the very symbol of his great strength and power and used it to cut off Goliath’s head, defeating him with his own weapon of destruction. Satan used deceit and deception to bring the full force of Rome down on Jesus leading to Jesus’ crucifixion on a cross, Rome’s ultimate symbol of pain and death. Jesus, like David use the weapon that was to destroy him as the very thing to defeat Satan’s plan and the conquer death. In turn, Jesus used the weapon Satan chose to destroy him, the cross, and turned it from a symbol of death to one of everlasting life giving hope to those who believe in and put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have come to that part of our service where we remember the last time Jesus sat and ate with his disciples where he took the bread and the fruit of the vine and made it a symbol of his broke body and blood spilled as a sacrifice for our sins. These emblems we use to weekly remind ourselves of mercy and love shown by a sacrificing savior. If you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, we ask you to join us as we pass the trays.

Founding Fathers Faith

The Fourth of July was celebrated as a religious holiday for decades after the Declaration of Independence was signed. And why wouldn’t it be? Listen to this part of the Declaration. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This form of government was started by men of faith in the God of the Bible. John Adams’ son, President John Quincy Adams, Sixth President Stated, : "The Declaration Of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth and laid the cornerstone of human government upon the precepts of Christianity. Noah Webster, Founding Father, scholar, author of the first American Dictionary: stated "The religion which has introduced civil liberty, is the religion of Christ and His apostles. Benjamin Franklin in a letter to the President of the first Constitutional Congress, 1789: " I have lived a long time, Sir, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? George Washington: "Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy Holy Word…direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. Bless, O Lord, all the people of this land." James Madison,” We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind to self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves… according to the Ten Commandments of God.", Why do we take time to remember these leaders? Woodrow Wilson, historian and 28th President, "A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, doesn't know what it is today or what it is trying to do… we're trying to do a futile thing if we don't know where we've come from or what we're about." As a nation, we remember each July 4th the people who through belief in someone one more powerful than them selves created this Federal Government. Did you know that Federal is Latin for Covenant? Each Sunday, we take time to remember another covenant started by our Lord Jesus Christ so we, too, do not forget what we are about. This covenant is the Lord’s Supper representing the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the promise of eternal life with him if we believe in and put our faith and trust in Him, Jesus Christ, our Savior. If you are a believer, you have the freedom to join us in this covenant of communion.

Where are the Crosses?

In the wreckage after 9/11, two steel beams were found, welded by heat into the shape of a cross. Many who worked at the sight found comfort from its presence, but when the city decided to place the cross in the 911 museum, there came harsh protest from the American Atheists organization. And of course they would, because a cross is a dangerous thing. If you drive three and a half hours north of LA into the Mohave Dessert Reserved, then another nine miles into the reserve on an outcropping of rock, was an 8 foot plain white cross, placed there in 1934 as a memorial to the veterans of World War 1. In 2001, a former Park Service employee sued the government, demanding that the cross be removed. This began a nearly decade-long legal battle. A judge ordered that the upper portion of the cross be covered by a plywood box, so that it looked like a blank signboard instead of a cross. The case was battled all the way to the United States Supreme Court. For some reason, a lonely cross out in the remoteness of the Mojave Desert was so threatening that a host of powerful organizations joined the campaign to destroy it. Those organizations included the American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, People for The American Way, and the American Civil Liberties Union. And why not? A cross is a dangerous thing. To the lost, it is an uncomfortable symbol. The cross is under siege. 1 Corinthians 1:18 The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. You see, the cross cuts both ways. For a believer, it brings you peace, for the non-believer, anger. It can represent eternal salvation or eternal damnation. You see, the cross is convicting, condemning and inviting all at the same time and it declares to humanity the need for a savior, a power beyond ourselves. It points to Jesus Christ who died on a cross and was raised on the third day.

Peace Child

What prompted Don Richardson’s research into the religions of primitives is itself an amazing story. He bravely brought his family to live with cannibals, took two years just to learn the language and tried to use the language to teach the gospel to natives for whom treachery was their highest virtue. This Irian Jayan tribe delighted in befriending strangers and showering them with kindness for months until their unsuspecting victims felt totally safe and accepted. Then they would suddenly kill and eat them. So perverse were these natives that when Don shared with them the Gospel story, Judas became their new hero. Jesus was the dupe to be laughed at. It seemed impossible for Gospel light to penetrate their darkened minds. Then it happened. Tribal war broke out and Don threatened to leave unless they made peace. They wanted Don’s medicines, so they decided on a truce. Richardson began to wonder how a peace settlement could ever take place between people who esteemed deception. A man sadly gave up his baby boy and offered it to the other tribe for adoption. For as long as the son lived, there would be peace. Don, seeing the connection, exclaimed that Jesus was the Peace Child given by God to the world. Suddenly, the natives saw everything in a new light. To kill a Peace Child was a grave offense. They knew that a person giving up his son was a person to be trusted. Because Christ lives forever, peace with God is possible. Don found other ‘Christ-foreshadowing beliefs’ in their traditions. Everything began to fall into place. It was not too long before they were building a church to hold a thousand people. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that who so ever would believe on him may not parish, but have everlasting life. This is our time of communion.

Worship and Communion

The early church would meet on the first day of the week and they would worship by singing together, praying together, and having communion together. This praise and worship would spiritually prepare them for learning about Jesus and his sacrifice and the promise of eternity with Him. William Temple, a minister, writer of philosophy, and Archbishop of Canterbury unfolds the depth and power of true worship. He makes clear that worship is a function of the whole human person. When we start moving more into this kind of worship we will find that the Christian life, and the promises of Scripture, make more and more sense. He says, and I quote…. “Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, Nourishment of mind by His truth, Purifying of imagination by His beauty, Opening of the heart to His love, And submission of will to his purpose. And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable.” And I would add, enabled by our faith in Him from His grace to us by His Spirit of truth because of His love for us seen in His Son Jesus Christ. We come together in communion as a congregation to share as one church…one family…one body of believers in worship of the holy Savior. We share in the bread representing his body given as a sacrifice for our sins and the juice representing the blood He shed on the cross. We share in his grace and we share in Jesus’ promise of eternity with Him and the Father in Heaven. This is why we give the Lord all our praise and worship and faith.

Sons of Thunder

The children of Israel were looking for a Messiah, an anointed one who would be both priest and king who would lead them it what they believed to be a new kingdom on Earth. They were looking for a man. Not God in flesh, and certainly not a sacrifice. From the time of the transfiguration, Jesus started telling them he would be crucified, and they could not understand what he was saying. James and John, along with Peter had seen Jesus standing with Moses and Elijah. He then spoke of his coming death and they looked at each other in disbelief. Still believing in an Earthly kingdom, a while later, James and John went and asked Jesus if he would do something for them. They asked to be given the place on the right and the left of Jesus. I can see Jesus shaking his head and thinking, they just don’t get it. The Sons of Thunder, were the brothers of clueless. It could have been worse, though. They could have had their mother ask Jesus for them. Oh, yeah, they did that, too. Mar 10:38 Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" They did not know what he was asking, so they said, “sure.” Jesus was telling them he was about to be immersed in God’s judgement. He was going to be immersed in the wrath of a righteous God. He was going to be sacrificed to save the world from that wrath and judgement. It was not to be his choice who was to be on his right and his left. It was God’s choice, and God chose two thieves. The Sons of Zebedee, who ran when Jesus was arrested, did drink the cup that Jesus drank. They were to bookend the apostolic age, James the first Apostle to be martyred, John to be the last to die from old age after being exiled on Patmos, where he received the Revelation of Jesus. Although they did not realize what they were agreeing to when they asked to be in a place of honor, they found out what it was to be servants for the kingdom. We have come to the time of communion where we remember the wrath that Jesus took upon his shoulders. If you are ready to drink from that cup and be a servant to the king, we invite you to join us.

Memorial Day Communion Meditation

Tomorrow we celebrate Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally called. No one is certain of its origins. Many groups and cities claim to be where the tradition started. The decoration of military graves goes back into antiquity. In 1882 the term Memorial Day instead of Decoration Day was used for the first time. The tradition was to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. After the WWII, the tradition grew to include all soldiers who died in war. In 1968 it became a federal holiday. It is fitting we remember those who gave up their lives to protect us and the freedoms we enjoy. We gather together in this building without fear of oppression because of those brave individuals who sacrificed themselves so that we could gather here today. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. We remember lest we forget. The Children of Israel also set aside days for feasts of remembrance. It was during the celebration feast leading to the Passover when Jesus took bread and blessed it and the cup and said, “do this in remembrance of me. After having a time of communion with his disciples, he went to be a perfect sacrifice on the cross so our sins could be covered with his righteousness. He died on the cross so we could be free from the bondage of sin. And because Christ rose from the dead and provided us with a way to be with him in eternity, we will have an opportunity to see the loved ones who died in defense of our freedom again some day with Jesus in Heaven. 1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Dying to Self

Jesus said that if we are to truly be His disciple, we are to take up our cross daily and follow Him (see Luke 9:23). But what does that mean? To understand that, we need to understand the meaning of the cross in that time and culture. The cross has lost most of its original meaning today. It is shrouded in religiousness and mystery. It has become many things, from a religious icon to a fashion element. When we see the cross today, it is a symbol of faith—particularly the Christian faith. But in the time when Jesus made that statement, He had not yet died on the cross. So, in its original context, the cross was a symbol of death. In fact, it was the symbol of a very cruel death. The Romans reserved it for the worst criminals. It was a form of torture and humiliation, ultimately leading to a long and painful death. Why would He use the cross to illustrate what it meant to follow Him? Jesus intentionally used a gruesome symbol to get the people’s attention. He did this to say that following Him was not “child’s play.” It is not a game and it is not easy. In fact, it will cost you to follow Him as a disciple. But, on the other hand, it will cost you more not to follow Him. What does it mean to “bear the cross” today? The cross symbolizes one thing: dying to self. It really is a paradox: by “dying to self,” or “losing yourself,” you “find yourself.” Through death, you find real life. What does it mean to “die to self”? It means doing what God wants you to do, instead of what you want to do. Now let me ask you, “Are you dying to yourself and taking up the cross?” The fact is, when we do this, we experience joy and overflowing life! Paul summed it up well when he wrote: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV).

Unredeemed, Redeemed, and Redeemer

¬From the 23rd Chapter of Luke. 39 Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.” There were three crosses on Golgotha when Christ was being crucified, and it was very symbolic. We had the one thief who wanted salvation on his terms. "Hey, you, if you are who you say you are and get me down from here, I will believe in you." Those one who believed with a contrite heart knowing they are sinners in need of a savior, and the one who sacrificed himself for sin. Picture that. Three crosses and on them, the unredeemed, the redeemed, and the redeemer. The one who purchased our sins. Or as Peter put it in his first epistle. 18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. Christ became the Passover lamb who’s blood was spilled for our sins. If you have come to Christ with the contrite heart of the second thief and believe that he has prepared a place for you in paradise, I ask you to join us in Communion where we take the bread that represents Jesus’ body and the juice symbolizing is spilled blood.

Taste and See

From a poem in Victor Buono’s book It could be Verse, You are what you eat said one wise man. If that is true then I am a garbage can. Basically he was saying you are what you put in your body. This is not only true physically, but spiritually. Proverbs 15:14 A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. From Luke 6- So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. Jesus wants us to consume him and his word. He wants us to be nourished by him, to be filled with him. Our spiritual health comes from his wholesomeness, his pureness. Our eternal life comes from Christ’s mercy given on a cross. 1 Peter 2:3 as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." Or as the Psalmist put it…Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! We are in that time of communion. A time of rememberance.

Tapestry Focus

If you have ever watched a wedding Sari, a giant tapestry being weaved in India, it is a pains taking task often times done by a father and son working together. The father and son work as one. The father sits above the weaving table directing the actions below. The son will be guided by the father moving the shuttle to the right and the left, the father choosing, gathering and pulling the threads together as the son does as instructed. From where the son sits below, there is not much to see. It is a jumble of threads and no particular pattern and it looks like chaos. The father above watches everything take shape until the task is completed and the final tapestry is revealed. The father is always aware of the big picture. Jesus and his father worked together weaving threads together, from the creation, the fall, the covenants, the law, a manger to a ministry, the son always saying not my will but yours be done. Leading from a betrayal, to a trial the crucifixion to resurrection, father and son working together pulling the threads together in harmony, those around Christ looking at what was going on below not making sense of it not seeing the final completed picture till it was finished. Father and son working together to make a beautiful tapestry of forgiveness and grace. From the beginning of time God knew if he gave us the choice, we would sin. And from the beginning he and the son started weaving a tapestry which lead to the cross. If you are ready to join us in our time of communion, we ask that you join us at this time. Christ crossed the fabric of time as he said as often you eat this bread and drink this cup; you proclaim my death till I come for you again. Past present a future woven together in a wedding tapestry of love and redemption.

Concentration Camp Forgiveness

In Nazi Hunter, Simon Wiesenthal’s book The Sunflower, he discusses a situation that occurred while he was in a Jewish Ghetto during the WW II. He was performing duties for the soldiers when a nurse came for him and took him to a hospital room where an SS officer named Karl lay dying. The officer stated he wanted to confess his sins to a Jew and proceeded to speak of his crimes. At the end, he asked Simon for forgiveness. Simon turned and walked away. The nurse implored him to return, but he continued to walk away. For years following the war, Simon asked himself and others, “Did I do the right thing?” I cannot say, but obviously Simon carried a burden the rest of his life for the decision he made or he would not continue asking the question. Conversely, Cory Tin Boon, a Dutch Reform Christian, the author of the “Hiding Place” who was sent to Ravensbrook Consentration camp for assisting Jews, where the rest of her family died, tells the story of giving a lecture in Munich after the war. She spoke of Christ’s love and forgiveness. After the talk she was approached by a man she recognized as an SS officer from the camp. She remembered the cruelness and mocking and the death of her family members. The one time guard extended a hand and stated, “How grateful I am for your message Fräulein”, he said “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!” Cory states, I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your Forgiveness. As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself. Jesus nailed to a wooden cross cried out to God to forgive those who were killing him because they did not understand what they were doing.