From Hosanna To Hallelujah!

Holy Week is that special time of year when followers of Jesus Christ remember and acknowledge Christ's sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world. The celebration culminates on Easter Sunday which is the most significant day of the year and the foundation of Christianity. Christianity is anchored in the reality that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. We have the gift of hindsight in understanding the significance of why Jesus came and how His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection changed history and changes lives. This is the heart of the gospel or "good news" for whoever believes in and commits their life to following Jesus. (John 3:16) However, when Holy Week events occurred in real time, the people had a different idea of who Jesus was and what He came to accomplish. 

SEARCHING FOR A SAVIOR AND KING

The Jewish people had been under great oppression by the Roman government. They had long prayed for deliverance and were looking for the Messiah to come who would not only free them from bondage but overthrow the Romans once and for all according to the Biblical Old Testament prophecies. The Sunday prior to Easter which we recognize as Palm Sunday begins the Holy Week remembrance. On that day the people celebrated Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem as some spread their cloaks and others palm branches on the road before Him. The people cried out, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!" (Mark 11:8-10 NIV) The word "Hosanna" translated means "Save us, now!" It was in essence a coronation of a king not in the same way the Roman Empire welcomed their conquering kings with pomp and circumstance, but rather the Jewish people remembered the words of the prophet Zechariah, "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey!" (Zechariah 9:9 NIV) What the people and the disciples didn't anticipate was Jesus' arrest and ultimate crucifixion like a common criminal. The "conquering king" that the people celebrated, the miracle working, compassionate, healing Master that the disciples followed appeared defeated by the Romans, once again dashing the people's hopes on the rocks of despair. However, three days later their Hosannas turned into Hallelujahs as Jesus conquered sin and death and rose from the grave! 

WE HAVE A SAVIOR AND KING!

Our world today is once again crying out, "Hosanna" "Save us now!" However, the cries are not for the arrival of a conquering king to free us from oppressive government rulers but rather people are seeking salvation and hope from the oppression of this world system. A world that is steadily growing darker with violence, racism, hatred, and confusion. A world in which people are engaging in behaviors that are unfolding just as Timothy declares would be representative of the last days prior to Jesus' return. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) A world that is calling evil good and good evil as the prophet Isaiah declares, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20 NIV) Easter is the day that our Hosannas are turned into Hallelujahs! The word "Hallelujah" is translated, "Praise Yahweh!" Jesus has freed us from sin and death. In the gospel of John we read, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:17 NIV) The world's cries for help have not gone unheard. God has saved us through the resurrection of His Son! This is what Easter is all about and what believers celebrate on earth will be carried into eternity. Christ will triumphantly come again as King of kings and Lord of lords and His faithful followers will live with Him forever. In John's vision in the book of Revelation he sees a celebration of heavenly hosts saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15 NIV) Let all of heaven and earth celebrate our conquering King! 

HALLELUJAH, HE IS RISEN!

Pastor Sheree

Happy New You!

It's a familiar scene every December 31st. Crowds of people huddled together in Times Square, New York, waiting with anticipation for the ball to drop ushering in a New Year. At the end of 2022, there was even more excitement for people to be gathered together after missing out during the covid pandemic. The countdown begins at 11:55 as the ball slowly makes its way down the pole until at 12am, the New Year's sign lights up 2023! The crowd cheers, couples embrace, confetti falls, and there's a renewed sense of hope that the old year is erased and somehow the New Year is going to be better. However, the reality is that although the page has turned on an old year, the New Year doesn't guarantee much in the way of change or even hope. People make New Year's resolutions that are quickly forgotten, there are ongoing wars and conflicts in various parts of the world, our government remains in chaos, and yes, the "c" word "covid" hangs on with new variants popping up faster than epidemiologists are able to keep track. People want to believe that situations and circumstances will improve but the reality is the hope that the world offers can become at times nothing more than wishful thinking. So what is there to look forward to? 

We Can Become New!

The Bible offers a hope that goes beyond wishful thinking. In fact the Bible talks about how individuals can become new. This is not a resolution but a revelation! This is not something that takes place only at the beginning of a New Year but can take place each and every day of each and every year. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!" (NIV) In Jesus Christ there is a hope that is permanent, purposeful, and eternal. All of our sins have been forgiven, past, present, and future through the shedding of His blood and His resurrection. We don't need to resolve that we will do better next year, for in Christ we don't have to earn our way to God. In Christ, God sees us as His children and as co-heirs with Christ and gives us His Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in Romans, "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." (Romans 8:14-17 NIV) 

God Is At Work

 God has promised us that He is actively in the process of making everything new and we will one day see and experience a new heaven and a new earth and not merely continue on with the same difficulties rolling into another New Year. (Revelation 21:1-5) So as we move through 2023, we will face many challenges ahead of us, some carried over from last year and some new to this year. Jesus tells us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33b NIV) This good news is our real and true hope for the years to come!

Peace and blessings,

Pastor Sheree 

What's On Your Christmas List?

Prior to starting my work day, I like to get up early and exercise. I have equipment in my basement and a CD player where I listen to music while exercising. Since it is the Christmas season, I have been listening to some of my favorite contemporary Christian artists. One of my favorite artists is Amy Grant. She recorded a song many years ago that is still played during the Christmas season. It's entitled, "My Grown Up Christmas List." In the song she contrasts how the things she longed for on her Christmas list as a child changed dramatically as an adult. The refrain states, "No more lives torn apart, That wars would never start, And time would heal all hearts. And everyone would have a friend, And right would always win, And love would never end, This is my grown up Christmas list." Doesn't this refrain echo the feelings of so many of us in this world filled with chaos, hatred, wars, and destruction? In fact the sentiments in the refrain of this song can be repeated year after year. Is there any hope that these song lyrics will ever come true? The answer is a resounding YES! 

JESUS IS THE ANSWER

This reality came true in the birth of the One we celebrate this Christmas season. God sent His Son into the world as the gift of hope for a world in darkness. Jesus' birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection brought purpose to life in the midst of a fallen world and eternal life for all who are committed to follow after Him. In Revelation 21:1-5, God provides an answer to the refrain of the song. "Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." While this vision that John experiences speaks of what is yet to come when Christ finally returns the second time as reigning and conquering King, the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Christ the first time in Messianic passages such as Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; and Isaiah 11:1-6. Many of the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah were prophesying to the people at a time of great turmoil when it appeared there was no hope. I have no doubt the people at that time could empathize with the refrain of Amy Grant's song. In the New Testament we read about the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies in Christ. 

TRUE HOPE

 So what's on your grown up Christmas list? Does your heart's desire echo the refrain of the song? Do you grow weary in hoping that things will get better with each Christmas and New Year? Do you live a life filled with purpose and hope? It is possible and the words Amy Grant sings in her refrain are made real in Jesus Christ. That is the reason we celebrate Christmas. For our hope does not lie in what this world has to offer but in the One who is the hope of the world! "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV) 

Have a blessed Christmas!

Pastor Sheree