Oh Beloved…
They say it’s uncouth to greet each other with “happy Good Friday” as that day was such a dark and painful one for Jesus and his loved ones. It is to be a day of mourning and reflection they say (who is “they,” anyway? …but that’s another topic…). I would suggest that our perspective on today is different. Yes, it was a terrible day when viewed from Friday’s side of the story. It was a wretched day when viewed from earth’s side of reality. But when viewed from what happened next, and from what was happening behind the curtain… wow… what a day! I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below… But first…. · This Sunday is the biggest celebration of our year--9:00 and 10:30 a.m. for our Easter services. I bet you know the story. I’ll flesh it out a bit more in Deeper Thoughts below, and then we will raise our hearts together on Sunday. Join us and invite your unchurched family and friends. We will make the experience incredibly welcoming and navigable for them! o In-person is always best if you are able… come stand with the people of God in mighty celebration; online-livestream will be available both services, 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. for those who need it. o Kids Connect and Middle School programs will be held at 10:30 a.m. only. o Easter Egg hunt at 11:45 a.m. for the kids! Come hang out with us outside and watch them have a ton of fun! This would be great to invite your unchurched neighbors to participate! o Our nursery will be staffed at the 10:30 service; if you need nursery at 9:00, please click here to let us know so we can line up care for your infant or toddler. o Parking!! We expect a challenging load to our parking lot this Sunday. Please remember that the gravel parking areas across the street from the church (along the wood line) belong to Mt. Hope; we also have remote parking back beyond the firepit. If you are able to walk some distance, please consider filling those areas first so newcomers can find a spot closer to the facility. Next up: · Men’s Breakfast Saturday, April 6. Great food, fellowship, and challenging growth! · Church-wide Spring Spruce Up Workday: Saturday, April 13, 9:00 -12:30. We will have lots of opportunities to match your skill levels, abilities, and interests—indoor and outdoor, heavy-lift and light duty…whatever you will enjoy the most! · Volunteer Info Meeting for serving our Kids and Teens: Sunday, April 14, for a no-commitment information and vision-casting meeting. Lunch included!! Click here to let our family ministry team know you’ll be coming! · All-church “Freedom in Christ” teaching and healing event Saturday, April 27. We will step across lines of faith into practical, actualized healing. RSVP will open next week! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who are numbed by the Easter story. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… I wonder if the day moves you that much anymore. Sometimes I think I’ve become a little complacent with it. You? It really is the biggest story in all of human history. At no other time on this planet has natural law been so shaken. At no other time has death been so wildly reversed. At no other time has a spiritual transaction been so forcefully made. At no other time has the volatility and fickleness of human politics been so radically leveraged for an ultimate good. On the surface, it makes for a great fantasy action movie. A beloved but controversial hero gets killed and all looks terribly dark. Three days later, his fortunes are supernaturally reversed, and he rises again. He and his victorious followers launch out to change the world, and everyone lives happily ever after. We believers recognize this is more than an unrealistic and entertaining superhero action flick. Deep down we know there is truth to the story—that God is indeed capable of such miraculous things as resurrections. But since we routinely celebrate it each year with familiar songs, fancy clothes, beautiful Easter lilies, colorful eggs, and a happy bouncy bunny, has it become just too familiar to us? I wonder how much it really moves us. If the empty tomb is not just religious folklore--as most non-Christians (and even many nominal Christians) would see it—but is an actual and literal event, the implications are tremendous. Not only has God demonstrated His ability to upend natural law by raising the dead; He has also decisively established Jesus Christ as Lord of everything. If Jesus literally rose from the dead, the necessity of our submission to his Lordship is inarguable. For the people of Jerusalem, those volatile seven days were life-shattering. A lot can happen in seven days. The week began with intoxicating political excitement and fervor. Rumors and speeches about how God had finally provided the much sought after Messiah stirred the entire city. This miracle-working rabbi embodied all their hopes for a political revolution. The oppressive Roman occupation of their cherished homeland would finally be overthrown. Jesus was more than happy to oblige their political fantasies as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds waved palm branches in front of him symbolizing their coronation of his kingdom. But he had a twist up his sleeve. As the week progressed, it became clear that Jesus had no intention of political revolution. His was an internal revolution. His kingdom would be nothing more than submission to the Lordship of God inside of every individual. The crowd would have nothing to do with it. What started on Palm Sunday (last week) as a joyful coronation ended on Maundy Thursday (yesterday) as a betrayal, and by Friday (today) a violent cry for his torturous execution. God could not have been happier. Friday would be good. Very good. Before the creation of the world, God had planned this fateful day we now call Good Friday. His crucifixion through Jesus would not only decimate the ill-conceived expectations of a politically victorious messiah, but it would irreversibly settle the score on everything that was wrong with humanity. Our sin would be crucified. God would once and for all open the window to our radically transformed life. The cross was just the beginning—a crack in the impenetrable wall of sin that blocks us from abundant life. Once that crack was made, God kicked a massive hole in that wall through Jesus’ resurrection. The window is now open. You and I can live a brand-new life. And this is very good. A lot can happen in seven days. An ill-formed coronation turns into a bloody crucifixion. A torturous death turns into an earth-shattering victory. A resurrection turns into an individually transformed life. Do you see it? Do you want it? Over this weekend, will you once again soak in the glory of those tumultuous seven days? Carefully read Luke 19:28-44; 22:1 – 24:35; Romans 6:3-7; and Romans 8:31-39. Let’s make this Easter Sunday a fresh and joyful “Uncharted Territory: Taking Life Where You Have Never Been.” Much love to all… I can’t wait to celebrate with each of you!! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend
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