In the 24th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the story of the first Easter emphasizes the empty tomb, pointing to the risen Jesus as Lord over all. To call Jesus Lord is a confession of faith. As Lord, the risen Jesus brings saving repentance and forgiveness. As Lord, Jesus is the center of our lives.
Remember how he told you…. That the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this…
Key then for the Church is the order to “remember” Jesus’ words. To remember and share the good news of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is the mission of the two women in Luke’s Gospel. It is the mission of all who would follow Jesus. Remembering is the beginning of faith. To remember Jesus’ words is to securely tie together his crucifixion and resurrection and all that it means for us.
So, we have our mission – to remember the story and to tell it. It must not be a secret. There are those who do not know the story or its significance for their lives. What clues that point towards the risen Lord can be found in your life? What do you see? What do others see? Tell them what it means to you that Jesus is Lord and to know that you are loved and forgiven.
Blessings of the Easter Season, Pastor Kay
The Cross Was His Own
They borrowed a bed to lay his head, when Christ the Lord came down,
They borrowed the ass in the mountain pass; for him to ride to town.
But the crown that he wore, and the cross that he bore were his own –
The cross was his own.
He borrowed the bread when the crowd he fed, on the grassy mountain side;
He borrowed the dish of broken fish, with which he satisfied.
But the crown that he wore, and the cross that he bore, were his own –
The cross was his own.
He borrowed the ship in which to sit, to teach the multitude;
He borrowed a nest in which to rest, he never had a home so crude;
But the crown that he wore, and the cross that he bore, were his own –
The cross was his own.
He borrowed a room on his way to the tomb, the Passover lamb to eat,
They borrowed a cave for him a grave, they borrowed a winding sheet.
But the crown that he wore, and the cross that he bore, were his own –
The cross was his own.
- Author Unknown
CHURCH AS A BEFRIENDING COMMUNITY To “befriend” is to act as a friend to; to help. Why and how is the Church Community – our church community - to befriend one another/others? The WHY is more obvious. This is the time of the season when we hear of Jesus as the vine and we are the branches; we are to produce fruit and the fruit he describes is love. The energy we receive as we trust in Jesus is meant to be used for love. We know that we are commanded to love one another and then Jesus speaks of friendship. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. John 15.13f How do we become a “befriending community?” The ultimate virtues of Christian friendship – faithfulness, kindness, and patience are most perfectly shown to us in the example of Jesus himself. Jesus was a friend to a broad range of people, even befriending the outcasts of society. Jesus also had “best friends” in his community. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were among them. The twelve disciples were his most intimate friends and the ones he called “friends.” The Old Testament gives us other examples: I and II Samuel tell of the friendship between David and Jonathan, Proverbs has sayings about friends, the Psalms mention friends, and the Book of Job relates some of the difficulties of friendship. There are many faces to friendship. Jesus, by his example as well as by his teachings, instructed that humans were not to be individualists, but to be in relationship – in community. Jesus endorsed the OT view of solidarity. Jesus was always a faithful friend. Jesus showed us the way. Make friends a priority. Jesus trusted his followers, opened his heart. Be kind and gentle in criticism, forgive, and be a friend to yourself (a low self-image is not a friend to grace). Friendships permit us to go beyond merely quoting Jesus to living out Jesus’ summary of the law – that we love God with our whole self and love others as we love ourselves. Christ’s spirit present in the circles of friendship broadens them to include more and more people. Community is a gift. Christian unity is a gift also and Christian unity can begin in friendship. Jesus had friends whose names we know; he also befriended the nameless poor, the outcasts, the hungry, and the ill. Friends have in common a unity of spirit. If we are to be friends of Jesus, we are also called to befriend those whom Jesus befriends. Many people turn to the church seeking relationships; the Church, this church, has the opportunity of becoming a “befriending” community and welcoming all people.
