Bufe looks at the clues of the emotional state of Jesus as He nears the cross.  He wept, He hurt, His impending death was like the ticking of a time bomb inside Him.  Pain is pain and Jesus felt it in His anxiety.  Anxiety causes us to cry out to the Lord.  But Jesus also had compassion for others during that time.  

Mark 13, Hebrews 5:7

Bufe shares Four Great Notes of the Christian Faith which includes the reality of the resurrection being key to your belief in Jesus.  Also, the cross was a necessity.  Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.  And the message of salvation should be sent throughout the world.  

Luke 24, Isaiah 53, Acts 2:38

The subtle influences of the New Age Movement are with us every day.  Word had recently leaked out that Ronald and Nancy Reagan were into astrology.  Bufe talks about how easy it is for us to slip into the mystical and experiential and not stay focused on the reality.  You can approach truth from two angles.  You can be concerned about content only.  You can approach truth from the other extreme, only experience.  You need both.  Bufe talks about the Definition of the New Age Movement, the Deception of the New Age Movement, and the Defense against the New Age Movement.  He talks about the New Age Consciousness that the New Age Movement preaches.  Wholistic, Synergistic, Networking, Oneness, Energy, Transformation are words that they use.  Shirley McClain wrote the book "Out on a Limb" where she says we are co-creators with god.  She believes that we are all gods.  Bufe suggests we read Unmasking the New Age by Douglas Groothuis.  He says that the New Age Movement believes:  1. Everything is one.  2. All is god. God is an impersonal energy force.  3. We are god.  4. There needs to be a change in consciousness.  We need to be enlightened.  5. All religions are one.  Christ is replaced with Christ-consciousness.  6. There is cosmic evolutionary optimism in the New Age.  As Christians, our hope for the world is for the individuals and them coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The New Age has its roots in the Garden of Eden - promises that you will not die (reincarnation) and that you will be like god.  Bufe talks about the book "Chariots of the Gods" and how it was influenced by New Age Movement.  The book, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" was influenced by the New Age Movement.  A Course in Miracles is a part of the New Age Movement.  The Mormon religion was started with the same message, you can become a god.  As Christians, the scripture teaches man was created in God's image, but man has a downside - Man is separated from God.  We see Jesus as the God-Man.  God is the designer and creator and He holds us accountable because He is the creator.  We believe the Bible is truth revealed by God to man.  We need to know our creator personally.  

Ephesuians 6:12, Genesis 3, 2 Corinthians 11, 2 John 7, John 16:8, Hebrews 9:27

This is the Sunday after Bufe's son, Randy (RD), died.  Randy was very gifted in the area of music, playing the piano, singing, arranging, and had been working at the church as music director.  Bufe thanks all the people who expressed their love and concern during that difficult time.  Bufe opens his heart to the congregation and shares how children of God have great strength during the most difficult times.  He talks about healing and faith in God's healing.  He talks about coming back to the Word of God and believing that God is sovereign, God is in charge.  We can ask God to heal us or others, but we need to remember that God knows the end from the beginning, He knows the whole story and we need to trust Him in the answer to our prayer.  Bufe reminds us that we cannot get out of this world alive.  Death is the last enemy of every person on this earth.   Bufe tells a story about Chuck Estabrook, a friend, who was affected deeply by the death of Bufe's daughter in 1969.  Chuck dedicated his life to the Lord and affected many young lives through Youth for Christ.  The deciding issue with how you react to the death of a loved one is faith.  Bufe also tells the Christians they need to pay attention to their responsibilities as a Christian.  

1 Corinthians 15:50-58, Romans 10

Bufe tells the story about Artful Eddie, a lawyer during prohibition, part of the Al Capone gang.  It's a story about a father and son and the risky love of the father for his son.  Bufe talks about the last week of Jesus' life.  It was at a dinner party in Bethany.  It was the home of Simon the healed Leper.  A woman came in and poured expensive perfume on Jesus.  Bufe asks us to look at 4 people: Simon the healed Leper, Lazarus who had been raised from the dead, Jesus, and the woman with the perfume.   When was the last time you did something risky in the name of love?  The impulsive things in life sometimes open great doors.  Bufe ends with the end of the story of Artful Eddie.

Matthew 26, John 11, 1 John 5

Bufe talks to the men during this service.  The Christian ethic is the reciprocal ethic.  There are obligations and responsibilities for a Christian husband.  Before the gospel came, women had no rights unless you were royalty.  Today most men don't have any training before becomiong husbands.  But the Word of God has something to say about how husbands should treat their wives.   Men are to be understanding of their wives and thoughtful of their needs.  Husbands are to honor their wives as the weaker sex.  Treat her with value and esteem.  Don't take your wife for granted.  Remember your wife has equal spiritual rights.  She is your full partner is receiving God's blessings.  If men fall short in these responsibilities, their prayers will not be answered.   Bufe also points out when you are loving your wife, you are loving yourself.  He ends the message talking about forgiveness, how God forgives us and we need to forgive each other.  

1 Peter 3, Matthew 6, Ephesians 4, Ephesians 5

Bufe talks about the mercy of God.  Most of us don't think too much about the mercy of God in the Old Testament.  We tend to think it is shown more in the New Testament but it is also in the Old Testament.  Bufe tells about Moses and the people in the wilderness.  We need to understand the justice of God to understand the mercy of God.  Bufe talks about 3 Hebrew words for mercy that God uses in Exodus 34.  God's love is constant and unconditional.  God displayed that love in the New Testament by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins.  The dilemma to understanding Jesus' death on the cross is understanding that it is at the cross that justice and mercy meet.  

Exodus 32-34, Isaiah 49:15, Isaiah 55:6-7, Micah 7, Psalm 103

Bufe joins the Men's Choir with a song that is one of his favorites.

Victory in Jesus

I heard an old, old story,How a Savior came from glory,How He gave His life on CalvaryTo save a wretch like me;I heard about His groaning,Of His precious blood's atoning,Then I repented of my sinsAnd won the victory. ChorusO victory in Jesus,My Savior, forever.He sought me and bought meWith His redeeming blood;He loved me ere I knew HimAnd all my love is due Him,He plunged me to victory,Beneath the cleansing flood. I heard about His healing,Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.How He made the lame to walk againAnd caused the blind to see;And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,Come and heal my broken spirit,"And somehow Jesus came and bro'tTo me the victory. I heard about a mansionHe has built for me in glory.And I heard about the streets of goldBeyond the crystal sea;About the angels singing,And the old redemption story,And some sweet day I'll sing up thereThe song of victory.

Bufe reads what happens on an average day in America.  Lots of energy, money, and trauma going on each day just in our country.  But then think about the rest of the world.  We only live in part of the world.  Jesus died for the whole world.  We need to tell the whole world about Jesus.  The world has lots of needs - hunger, loneliness, bewildered with life, but the most important need they have is for salvation through Jesus Christ.  Jesus talked about the waiting harvest.  We are the people who have to go to work in the harvest.  

Psalm 136, Matthew 9:38-39, Luke 7, Mark 1, John 4

Do you focus on the real reason for Christmas?  Or do you focus on the parties, celebrations, and decorations?  There's nothing wrong with any of that, but as believers, we have responsibility to celebrate the real reason for Christmas. We need to share with others the good news of Christmas, the coming of Jesus, God in flesh, to the world.  We should be spell-bound and astonished about the Christmas story.  Spend time praising God during Christmas.  Ask yourself, 'Am I a cultural Christian only?  Or are you a Biblical Christian?'  

Luke 2