Easter

 

       No religious institution in history has ever risked all of its credibility and right to be taken seriously as has the Christian church on the matter of the resurrection of a single person on a given day some two thousand years ago. Early Christians had no weapons, no political strategies, no ethnic allies, and certainly no Utopian fantasies. They simply believed that Jesus of Nazareth had died for their sins and been resurrected from death. That whatever else might happen to them, Jesus lived and was providing the power to free human beings to experience the Grace of God and fullness of life, and of course, that the rest of the world ought to know about this.

       At first, it seemed that every sermon started as an Easter sermon: “Because Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, has been raised from the dead…” Whatever followed was based on the presence of a living Christ, the Kingdom of God, the effect of Christ’s presence in this life, and the inevitable future encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

       The whole vast gospel enterprise of the Christian church rests on the solid foundation that Jesus has indeed been raised from the dead and has become the “guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.” (1 COR 15) Little wonder then, that St. Paul wrote, “If there is no resurrection. Then we (Christians) are of all humankind most to be pitied.” We have staked everything on the Easter event, the resurrection of Christ. Of course, he wrote in the next phrase, “But the truth is that Christ has been raised and the last enemy to be defeated is death.”

       We are very close to celebrating Easter for this year. There will be more than a billion of us who will celebrate. We have kept the festival for almost two millennia, and during that long history of celebrating Easter many varied customs and traditions have come forth. Yet, at whatever time and place Christians gather for Easter, a remarkable, singular truth is lifted high: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And, yes, our world still needs to hear it as much as ever.

Go with God!

Pastor Jansen   

Talking to God 101

A five-year-old boy announced to his parents that he never wanted to pray again. When his mother probed the child’s unbelief, she got this simple explanation, “I prayed and prayed for a new puppy, and all I got was a new baby brother.”


There are times when we question prayer. We ask for guidance and all we hear is silence. We get what we want and wind up not wanting what we get. Unlike Garth Brooks, we don’t always find it easy to thank God for unanswered prayers. Yet people pray—in fact 80% of Americans pray and over half pray every day. So why is prayer so important in our lives? Why pray? What are the benefits of prayer? What do we do when prayers aren’t answered? How do we pray?

Prayer is not our asking for favors, or presenting God with some shopping list, or begging God and bargaining with God to give us what we want. Prayer is offering ourselves to be what God wants. Prayer is not asking what God can do for me, but listening to what God can do in the world through me. Prayer is not something you do that gives you a better day or week. Prayer is something you are that makes you a better disciple, which transforms you as a person. 

Prayer is one of the most powerful things we can do in life. Have you ever walked into a room where people were praying? Then you have sensed that hallowed aura, that special power that comes through the power of prayer. It is no wonder that the first of our Marks of Disciples is “Pray daily”. Prayers at meal time, devotional time, bed time, or on any other occasion are a great interlude into the cares and burdens of the day. 

Paul was right on the mark when he wrote to the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

Marks of Discipleship: Making the Pieces Fit

“I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.”  John 10:10

Sitting on the shelf in our home office are sixteen volumes of my life. For the past sixteen years I have written one page per day of the activities, people, events, and reflections that have made up my life. I wake up in the morning; enjoy an early morning walk on one of three routes around the neighborhood with my wife Sandi, then return to reflect on the previous day by writing for ten minutes. I can tell you exactly what I did, where I was, and the memorable events in my daily life for these years.

In my spiritual life I also have routines. My earliest recollections from childhood are practices of faith that my parents imprinted on my life. We went to church every Sunday. Dad didn’t allow any farm work on that day except to care for the dairy cows and other livestock. Every meal began with prayer, morning devotions were part of breakfast, and every night we went to sleep with a bedtime prayer. My parents gave generously from their meager income. They were always helping a neighbor with whatever they needed, and strong relationships were just part of this farm community. Everything I needed to know, I learned from these experiences.

These faith practices have never changed. How can we put faith practices into our daily lives that will make an impact not only on our lives but the lives of others? Jesus provides a guide. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” When Jesus said, “Follow me,” he meant it. The practices of Jesus have been recognized for centuries as the core activities of the spiritual life. Lord of Life calls them Marks of Discipleship: pray daily; worship weekly; read the Bible; serve at and beyond Lord of Life; build caring relationships; and give of my time, talent, treasure. 

We have been created with an inner hunger, with a need for God. To be human is to be spiritual. To be a man or woman is to have eternal longings. When we neglect this part of ourselves, we have little or no spiritual resources that we can call on to meet that deep need, to satisfy our spiritual hunger.

We live busy lives. In the hectic routines of our daily life each of you will be encouraged to find the time to make the important pieces of faith fit. When you do, you will find that life will take on deeper meaning. Let’s journey deeper into faith together.

 

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

The Lenten Season

I know people who just don’t like the church season of Lent. They say that it’s dreary, somber, and too focused on the negative, namely our sinfulness. I’ve known it to be described as a “nagging killjoy” as we talk about trying to change bad behavior and combating evil thoughts. It can sometimes feel like a time of self-absorption and selfishness; after all, it is a season in which we are encouraged to look inward and focus on becoming better people.

Yes, this is Lent and it does often take a more serious tone. And yes, we are encouraged to look inward; however, it’s with the ultimate goal of looking outward. There is also so much richness and joy to the season for which we often do not give it credit.

It is kind of like the Law. We have the Law and some probably also describe it as a “killjoy” giving us direction as to how we should live even when we want to go wild and do our own thing. But the Law is in fact, a gift. It helps bring some order out of an often chaotic world. Perhaps most especially, it shows us our sin and helps us to recognize that we are in need of a Savior. It points us to Christ and the Good News of Jesus through whom we come to have the hope of salvation and to know peace and joy.

Lent too points us to Christ and the Good News of Jesus. We recognize our sin and know that we can’t do life on our own. We begin to see that it’s not about us and our actions, but about Jesus, the One whom God sent to take away our sins. This is how we are able to look outside of ourselves and find joy in knowing that we can do nothing; Christ has done it all.

 

God’s Peace!

Pastor Darcy