Jesus wept

This last Sunday was Palm Sunday, and churches everywhere looked at the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. 

We did, too.  That was the topic.  Yet the sermon title was, "Jesus Wept."  Does it seem odd that on the day that the whole city seemed to come out and celebrate Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, shouting "Hosanna" and "Blessed be the King," that we would talk about Jesus weeping?

Yet in Luke 19:41, it says, "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes.'"
In this weeks message, we look at this passage from Jesus' standpoint.  We've talked about the shouting crowds, the expectations, the joy in the hearts of the people in the crowd.  But while they were joyful, Jesus cried.  Why did he cry?

To read this message, or to hear the audio recording, click here.

Thanks for reading!

Parental Rights vs. Godly Marriage

I was reading in Reader’s Digest the other night – you can’t beat the jokes, and April’s edition has some great pranks in it to get people ready for April Fool’s Day.

Every issue also has an article on a recent court case.  You read about the case and try to guess what the verdict was.  Some of them are difficult to guess, and I probably get as many wrong as I get right.  Which is a difficult situation for people today.  We try to do what’s right, but we don’t always know what’s right.

In this case, a man had a female friend who wanted a baby.  He donated sperm so she could be artificially inseminated.  It was successful, and a she became pregnant.  But after the baby was born, she refused to let the man have anything to do with the child.

According to Kansas law, men who donate sperm have no parental rights, and he pursued it all the way to the State Supreme Court, but lost.  He even appealed to the US Supreme Court, but they refused to hear the case, cementing the decision of the Kansas Supreme Court. 

Most people agree that the way God determined that children be born was in a committed and monogamous relationship He ordained.  That relationship is the “institution” of marriage.  Marriage has been under attack for some time now.  People seem to want all the benefits – children, health insurance, relationship – without making the commitment.

Biblically, what they did goes against the Word of God.  Too many people pursue other ways to get what they want.  I would much see them go without and be with God, then get what they want without God.

We need to get serious about our level of commitment to God.  What God gives is all we need.  Trust in God.

Resisting Evil...

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped; Therefore my heart dances for joy, and in my song will I praise him.

Psalm 28: 8-11

Last night we had an ALPHA Course that talked about How to Resist Evil. The discussion talked a lot about how we know that there is evil in the world. We see it in murders, abduction, bombings, school shootings. Over and over we see things that only a man possessed by evil could do. Unspeakable things.

Of course we talked about God, the source of goodness and mercy, and how the only explanation for the evil around us is the Judeo-Christian understanding of the Devil. I don’t know how else you can explain the evil around us.

Many religions teach that man is basically good, and if he does enough good, he will be rewarded with some type of heaven, paradise, or whatever end might be fitting. But if man is basically good, how does this evil happen?

The understanding of a Devil trying to lure mankind away from God may sound a little strange, certainly the image of the devil is not very beleivable, with the red skin, horns, tail, and pitchfork.  But I have yet to hear an explanation that makes better sense than an evil spiitual being, given what we see in the world around us.

One thing that was interesting in the ALPHA Course last night, did you know that if you add just one letter to the word “good” you get God. If you add just one letter to the word “evil” you get Devil.

I think the verse above is the answer. To resist evil, cling to God. The Lord is your strength and your shield. Trust in Him alone.

O Lord, have pity on me...

As for me, I will live with integrity; redeem me, O LORD, and have pity on me.

Psalm 26:11

As Easter is approaching quickly, I hope that you have the opportunity to do some daily devotions. We’ve again been blessed at Almond Union of Churches to offer a booklet of Lenten Devotions by Richard Rusbuldt. These are great devotions, I hope you have something similar that you’re reading through this season.

For me, Lent is a time of year when I am reminded of my never ending need for a Savior. I sometimes think that when I get to stand before God, I’ll probably be cowering behind Jesus. Fearful of the power and might of loving, yet just, God. In awe over His majesty, yet fully aware that I don’t deserve to be there.

Lent is time to reflect on that. Because in recognizing our unworthiness, we recognize Jesus’ worthiness. Only by recognizing our sin, can we recognize Jesus’ purity and lack of sin. And only by recognizing how our need for a Savior is, can we really appreciate our Savior.

We tend to think the best. Things will work out. We’re basically good people. We try our best. But especially during Lent, reflect on the fact that as good as we think we are, we still fall short. Things work out, we’re basically good people, able to try our best, because of the saving work of Christ on the Cross.

Without Jesus, none of us would be able to stand (or even cower) before God.

Carrying Your Cross...

Our message for Sunday, March 21, looked at Jesus' last day, leading up to the cross.  While we don't actually look at the crucifixion here, we do look a little at the punishment He received at the hands of Pilate, and at the events leading up to the crucifixion.

We see that because Jesus was so weak after the flogging and the beatings, that He stumbled trying to carry His cross.  The Roman Soldiers grabbed an innocent bystander, Simon, to carry the cross for Him. 

In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells us that "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."  Understanding the floggings, the beatings, and being forced to carry His cross to the hilltop, what does it mean for us to carry our crosses.  We know what Jesus went through.  What must we go through?

To read the message, or hear the audio recording, click here.

Thanks for reading.

Feel the Burn...

It's been a little while since I've posted anything here.  I was unexpectadly out of town for a couple weeks due a death in the family, then I started having some difficulties with the audio sermons.  Those difficulties have been resolved, and I think I'm ready to move forward again.

On March 14, our message at Almond Union was Feel the Burn.  We looked at 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 as our Scripture reading for the day.  The emphasis in this reading is that we are new creations in Christ Jesus.

To read the message, or hear the audio recording, click here.

Thanks for reading.

Some thoughts on Britains pending Equality Laws...

I just came across this from an article in Christian Today.  Pope Benedict has spoken out against pending equality legislation in Britain.  The legislation would guarantee equal rights to homosexuals.  A reason the church is so against this legislation is that it would make it illegal for a church to discriminate in its hiring practices.  While the Catholic Church deems homosexual activity as a sin, they would be unable to use that as a reason to not hire an individual that came looking for work.  To take that a step further, refusing to ordain an individual because of sexual orientation would also be illegal. 

The Pope had spoken out against this legislation.  In the article quoted above, Chief Rabbi Jonathon Sacks supports the Pope's condemnation of the legislation.  He writes, “We may not agree with the Vatican line on homosexuality. But the State is trampling on our rights as individuals.”

Here is an excerpt from the article...

There are times when human rights become human wrongs. This happens when rights become more than a defence of human dignity, which is their proper sphere, and become instead a political ideology, relentlessly trampling down everything in their path,” he said.

“This is happening increasingly in Britain, and it is why the Pope’s protest against the Equality Bill, whether we agree with it or not, should be taken seriously.”

He said the dismissal of a nurse for offering to pray for a patient, the closure of Roman Catholic adoption agencies for refusing to place children with same-sex couples, and the branding of a Jewish school’s admissions policy as racist were evidence that Britain was entering “dangerous territory” over human rights.

“When Christians, Jews and others feel that the ideology of human rights is threatening their freedoms of association and religious practice, a tension is set in motion that is not healthy for society, freedom or Britain,” he said.

“Rather than regard the Pope’s remarks as an inappropriate intervention, we should use them to launch an honest debate on where to draw the line between our freedom as individuals and our freedom as members of communities of faith. One should not be purchased at the cost of the other.”

Something to think about...