Welcome Home!

I don't know about you but when I watch the news and see the excitement of family and friends greeting their loved ones who are returning from a dangerous situation, for example like war, I can only imagine what happens when the family returns home. I picture a grand celebration filled with love, food, and laughter. During Holy Week leading up to Easter, we are focused on the events that occurred ultimately leading up to the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of our Lord. Following Jesus' resurrection and the many eyewitness accounts of the risen Lord that we read about in Acts 1:3, Jesus gives His disciples the final instructions to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come. Jesus promises them that they will receive power to carry on His mission, bringing the gospel to the entire world. (Acts 1:4-8) Then we read in Acts 1:9-11, "After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven." (NIV) 

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

From that point forward we read about the unfolding story of the birth of the church. As I was meditating on Holy Week I found myself asking the question, I wonder what it was like for the angels and the hosts of heaven to receive their King back? Jesus was returning from a "dangerous and costly mission" after descending into time and spending approximately 33 years on earth. God who exists outside of time and eternity is not bound in the same way we perceive the passing of time. Peter tells us, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8 NIV) Nevertheless, the King of glory stepped down from His throne in heaven to fulfill God's plan for our salvation. We are told in Luke 22:43 as Jesus prayed and agonized in the garden of Gethsemane, "An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him." (NIV) The Bible doesn't tell us anymore about this angel but one can presume the angel returned to heaven after ministering to Jesus, to await with the other angelic hosts, the return of their Lord. When Jesus returned to sit at His Father's right hand, was there a grand celebration in heaven? Did the angelic hosts sit at Jesus' feet and ask Him to tell the story of His time on earth? What was it like to take on human flesh? How did it feel to experience the needs that are unique to the human body, like sleep, hunger, and thirst? There was certainly plenty of love overflowing from Jesus to the saints and angels in heaven and vice versa. 

HOME GOING

While we celebrate our risen Savior at Easter which is the hallmark of Christianity and separates our faith from all other religions, let us not forget to take time to remember the home going that awaits all those who have committed their lives to following Jesus. There will be love overflowing and a great feast awaiting us as we read about in Revelation 19:6-9, "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: Hallelujah! For our Lord Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.) Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God." (NIV) 

Peace and Blessing to all God's people! Happy Easter! HE IS RISEN!

Pastor Sheree

"Do Not Be Afraid"

 As we approach Christmas Day and the New Year, there exists an underlying environment of tension, uneasiness, and a feeling of anxiety among many people. Christmas has been heralded as a time of joy and certainly there is much to celebrate, yet there are some real life challenges that many people are facing. Prices on goods are higher and some people are barely making ends meet. Others have lost jobs and are struggling to find employment. Still others have experienced a life changing situation that has resulted in great sadness and distress, like the loss of a loved one or an unexpected diagnosis. While this year has brought many changes to our country and our world that have negatively impacted many people, there remains the desire and the hope that as the calendar flips to 2026 that things can only get better. However, many express fear that not much will change in the New Year and there's the real possibility that things will only get worse. In the gospel of Luke, we read about a group of people who didn't have much to look forward to in any given year. They were considered the lowest of the low in society. This was a class of people with whom one did not want to keep company. They hung around with animals and didn't smell very nice. Luke talks about these people in chapter 2 of his gospel, "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." (Luke 2:8-10 NIV)

FROM SHEPHERDS TO EVANGELISTS

 Can you imagine what these shepherds were thinking and feeling? They knew they were considered outcasts in society and perhaps the appearance of the angel indicated some kind of judgment against them. Why else would an angel appear to them, a group of nobodies? Their reaction, rightly so was one of terror. However, the angel quickly calms their fears and tells them he has come not to judge them but to encourage them, to lift their spirits, and give them a reason to rejoice beyond their wildest imaginations. Notice the angel specifies that this is a message for them and they are included among all people. There is no exclusivity or separation by class, ethnicity, or profession. The angel of the Lord in essence is communicating to these shepherds that they are of such worth to God, that they have been chosen to be among the first to receive the good news. Luke goes on to tell us that the shepherds didn't hesitate to go and seek out the special baby the angels declared had been born in Bethlehem. They didn't wait and discuss what others will think or will they be rejected by Mary and Joseph when they arrived because they were considered unworthy to be in the presence of Christ. When they arrived and saw the child, they knew that they were no longer mere shepherds but heralds of the good news. In essence they were the first "evangelists." In fact, Luke tells us in verse 2:19 that rather than reject the news from the shepherds, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (NIV) Imagine that! Mary treasuring the words of shepherds! These men who scraped out an existence tending to sheep, these men who couldn't look forward to having a large circle of friends with whom to spend time, these men who lived an isolated existence with little to hope for in the future, were given a hope far beyond wishful thinking. 

HOPE IS ALIVE!

That hope that the angel announced to the shepherds was for all people is the same hope today for all people. Yes, there are plenty of struggles and heartache to go around but we need to hear the angel's declaration again, "Do not be afraid!" Believers in Christ can embrace the reality that no matter what happens in any given year, the good news that Christ came to earth to live among us, die for us, and be raised to life again is a hope that nothing on earth will ever take away. So, I encourage you at Christmas and in the New Year, fear not! Take a cue from the shepherds and spread the good news that our King has come and will one day return for those expectantly waiting for Him. Moreover, like Mary, take the time in the New Year to treasure up all these things and ponder them in your heart.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Pastor Sheree

True Freedom

What a glorious sight as we witnessed the release of the surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas! Much negotiation and many prayers went into the process of finally securing freedom for the survivors. Here was a moment of real freedom from physical bondage. It's ironic in our culture when it comes to defining "freedom." When we hear the word freedom, it is often defined as a lack of all restraints. Freedom is characterized as the ability to do whatever we want without interference or any kind of hinderance. If an individual wants to say ugly things to another person whether face to face or on social media, people do not want to be censored in any way, shape, or form. If someone wants to go speeding down the highway, they don't want to have signs limiting how fast they can travel. The reality is that what we define as freedom is actually bondage. 

A LACK OF LIMITS LEADS TO SLAVERY

If there are no boundaries or limits, we become slaves to whatever we are pursuing. Many will mock Christianity and claim it hinders freedom. They will state that Christians are just a bunch of mindless rule keepers without purpose and the ability to be free to live as they choose. Christians will be likened to mindless zombies blindly following a Being at the expense of their personal freedom. The folly with this argument is a failure to understand who Christ is and what He has accomplished in His resurrection. The kind of freedom Christ offers is eternal. The kind of freedom Christians receive is rooted in a Person not some temporary pleasure. Paul states in Romans 6:15-16, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (NIV) The unfortunate results of an attitude where restraint is thrown off and an "anything goes" mentality is adopted can be seen in our culture and our world today. People become slaves to the "gods" to which they bow down. (i.e. addictions, social media, sexual immorality, etc.) 

TRUE FREEDOM IN CHRIST

Christ wants us to be free from spiritual bondage. The kind of freedom Christ offers cannot be found in this world. It is a freedom unseen, it is a freedom of the spirit, it is a freedom that is not chaotic but orderly, it is peaceful and not encumbered by the thoughts and attitudes of others but by the release and presence of the Holy Spirit. It is a freedom that doesn't worry about what will happen tomorrow but rests in the knowledge of the One who holds all our tomorrows. Do we want to experience freedom in the true sense of the word? Jesus states in John 8:31-32, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV) Let us open the window to freedom in Christ.

Shalom,

Pastor Sheree