What a week it has been! Movie of the Last Supper and discussion last Thursday, attended the funeral of Jesus with a couple hundred of my best friends on Friday, and then there was Sunday… Wow! I always expect the best on Easter morn. I mean, I anticipate the Sunrise on the hill at Swain’s Lake will be touching and meaningful. But I didn’t necessarily expect the Wind of the Living Spirit to move across the top of the hill with resounding force and determination when one of my colleagues, Pastor Lynne, mentioned that Wind by name in her message! I expect God to move in new and powerful ways during Holy Week, but I must admit that I didn’t expect fourteen customers to gather around and hold hands before the Open Door Free Store began its shopping day, snug between Good Friday and Easter morning. We prayed for a baby starting chemotherapy, a family member struggling with addiction, and praised God for the depth of his love for us through his Son Jesus. And I always anticipate the children to “ooh” and “ahhh” when the tomb opens seemingly on its own accord and the light comes pouring out, as we open Easter worship back at the church. But I can’t say I expected to be so overwhelmed by God’s love for us that I would begin crying so hard it made it impossible for me to sing along with the entire congregation, choir and band when we hit the crescendo in the song “I Will Rise”!
Fourteen years in ministry and I guess one would expect for the glory and amazement of Easter to at least diminish with all the administrative and logistical demands of the season, but no. Each of these movements of God came absolutely unexpected this year. They just kind of snuck up on me, and then wrapped themselves around me like a swirl from my ankles all the way up around my shoulders.
The climax of Holy Week had to be Sunday morning Easter worship. The Worship Team decided this year to start in the dark, but without the tomb opening. This year’s message seemed a precursor to the tomb opening and the Easter hymns or songs being sung, rather than a postlude. I had been preaching on the Seven Deadly Sins for six weeks so I wanted to wrap up those teachings with the premise that all those sins of ours not only separated us from God, but they also could be defeated by God. So in the dark of the morning, with all the windows covered in black cloth and the lights still off in the Worship Center, I offered my message of despair in sin being defeated by faith in Christ. I finished it up with this incredible poetry slam video on Youtube.com called “Propaganda GOSPEL”. This young man eloquently versed the Good News in a compelling and creative way. Then one of our band members read the Easter morning text from the eyes of the writer of the Gospel of John. When the reading was done and the Christ candle was light, our band director Jeff Brigham began singing with a voice he was given from God while he was still in his mother’s womb. “There's a peace I've come to know, though my heart and flesh may fail. There’s an anchor for my soul, I can say ‘It is well’. Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won, He is risen from the dead…” and as he finished the second verse and hit the chorus for the second time through “And I will rise when He calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagles' wings, before my God fall on my knees… and rise…I will rise…” the tomb fully opened and light poured out onto the stage, the cloth was torn off all the windows, the overhead lights were all turned on simultaneously, and a choir came from both the left and the right, gathering before us all while singing those words, “I will rise…when He calls my name…” and we all rose, every woman and man and child. We rose from our seats and the darkness in our own lives, and we sang out these words of hope and calling and grace and forgiveness. We sang with those fighting addiction and those receiving chemo. We sang with those standing on a hill when the Wind passed and those gathered in circles of prayer in small, downtown businesses. We just kept singing and together… together, we found hope. Tears ran down our cheeks and it was hard to sing out to a God so wonderful, so incredibly irresistible, so worthy of our praise. But we sang nonetheless.
I hope I never stop expecting God to move and I hope I never stop underestimating His power and authority when He does. Don’t stop believing just because Easter is over. Don’t stop anticipating just because the holiday has passed. Easter is a way of life. Easter is a changed heart. I have been redeemed… and so have you! I need to go find another tissue…
Monday, April 9, 2012
A Deal with the Devil
The palms have been waved overhead, a Passover Meal was shared between friends, and then all hell broke loose… literally. As Holy Week unfolds, so does the opportunity for evil. It rears its ugly head, vomiting envy, greed, hatred and selfishness upon all in its path. Before turning the corner into the garden where Jesus’ tomb lay empty, we have to stop in a garden called Gethsemane were envy and greed showed up in a deal with the devil.
Just as one of Jesus’ followers turned from friend to foe, we can so easily get caught up in wanting others around us to do as we say or pay the consequences. Our eyes begin to rule our desires instead of our heart and we find ourselves making deals we might not otherwise make. Judas turned Jesus in to the religious authorities for a mere pouch of coins. From there, Jesus was captured, interrogated, tortured, and eventually murdered. I’m not sure Judas’ motive was about the money, but it certainly was about envy and greed. Judas wanted Jesus to rise up an army to defeat the power Rome had taken over the Jews. He had another opportunity to join the army Jesus was gathering, one spreading goodness and kindness. But that wasn’t enough for Judas, so he sold his own soul, and Jesus’ whereabouts, to the devil.
What is it about us wanting what we want, when we want, and how we want? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were spoiled. Oh wait. We are. As Americans, we have more resources available than more than 95% of the world’s population. We have clean water, wood or cement floors and a roof overhead, food in the cupboards and fridge, clothes in our closets and drawers, and education at our fingertips. Yet we still want more. We see what a neighbor or family member has and rather than celebrate their accomplishment, we often grumble under breath wondering why they got it instead of us. We actually think we have the right to determine who should have what, when and even why… like we’re God or something. We even envy other people’s height, hair, skin or muscle tone… like God possibly erred and was supposed to give it to us.
Amazingly, once we do get what we want, it never seems to be enough. “More please” turns to “Give it to me!” real fast. We have this sense of entitlement, it seems. I am always amazed how many people come to the church wanting community service hours but really don’t intend to do much to get them. I mean, they’re lazy. “Here, sign my sheet” but I never really see them do much to earn that signature.
I asked my congregation this week “How much is enough?” It’s a good question for all of us. If my closet is full, is that enough? Or do I need my basement full too? Or once the garage fills up, is that the mark of enough? How do we know? When we’re satisfied? Does that ever happen for humans? I mean, do we ever get fully satisfied? Is there a point of saturation or can we always fit, fill, or use more than we already have? Maybe I can answer that question when I get back from my storage unit. I have a few more boxes to drop off there…
Envy and greed took Jesus to the grave. Will it take us too? Or can we learn something here? Peace and patience, goodness and mercy, they are enough. Love, joy, kindness and self-control, they are enough as well. They are enough to keep us faithful, enough to help us love God and love neighbor, enough to change the world. Go ahead, enter the empty tomb… what you’ll find there will be more than enough. Happy Easter my dear friends. Happy Easter.
Just as one of Jesus’ followers turned from friend to foe, we can so easily get caught up in wanting others around us to do as we say or pay the consequences. Our eyes begin to rule our desires instead of our heart and we find ourselves making deals we might not otherwise make. Judas turned Jesus in to the religious authorities for a mere pouch of coins. From there, Jesus was captured, interrogated, tortured, and eventually murdered. I’m not sure Judas’ motive was about the money, but it certainly was about envy and greed. Judas wanted Jesus to rise up an army to defeat the power Rome had taken over the Jews. He had another opportunity to join the army Jesus was gathering, one spreading goodness and kindness. But that wasn’t enough for Judas, so he sold his own soul, and Jesus’ whereabouts, to the devil.
What is it about us wanting what we want, when we want, and how we want? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were spoiled. Oh wait. We are. As Americans, we have more resources available than more than 95% of the world’s population. We have clean water, wood or cement floors and a roof overhead, food in the cupboards and fridge, clothes in our closets and drawers, and education at our fingertips. Yet we still want more. We see what a neighbor or family member has and rather than celebrate their accomplishment, we often grumble under breath wondering why they got it instead of us. We actually think we have the right to determine who should have what, when and even why… like we’re God or something. We even envy other people’s height, hair, skin or muscle tone… like God possibly erred and was supposed to give it to us.
Amazingly, once we do get what we want, it never seems to be enough. “More please” turns to “Give it to me!” real fast. We have this sense of entitlement, it seems. I am always amazed how many people come to the church wanting community service hours but really don’t intend to do much to get them. I mean, they’re lazy. “Here, sign my sheet” but I never really see them do much to earn that signature.
I asked my congregation this week “How much is enough?” It’s a good question for all of us. If my closet is full, is that enough? Or do I need my basement full too? Or once the garage fills up, is that the mark of enough? How do we know? When we’re satisfied? Does that ever happen for humans? I mean, do we ever get fully satisfied? Is there a point of saturation or can we always fit, fill, or use more than we already have? Maybe I can answer that question when I get back from my storage unit. I have a few more boxes to drop off there…
Envy and greed took Jesus to the grave. Will it take us too? Or can we learn something here? Peace and patience, goodness and mercy, they are enough. Love, joy, kindness and self-control, they are enough as well. They are enough to keep us faithful, enough to help us love God and love neighbor, enough to change the world. Go ahead, enter the empty tomb… what you’ll find there will be more than enough. Happy Easter my dear friends. Happy Easter.
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