Pastor Kathy shares her thoughts just days after a cancer surgery on hope, gratitude, and God's movement when we face difficulty.

Too many times we don't recognize the special, significant, or profound times until it's too late. How would it transform your everyday life to recognize God's presence in the present? We'll look at the remarkable story of Jesus accompanying two of his broken-hearted and confused followers on the road away from the empty tomb. But! They don't know it's him. They don't know he's right there with them. Only after Jesus disappears do they finally see. The disciplines for us, then, is to recognize God's presence in the present and to tend to the fires of awareness within us each moment.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Luke 24.13-35 (NIV)

// FOCUS QUESTION: How would it transform your everyday life to recognize God's presence in the present?

// QUOTE: "Each moment is a revelation of God." (Jean-Pierre De Caussade, The Sacrament of the Present Moment)

// 3 DISCIPLINES OF RECOGNITION: 1. Reflecting, 2. Remembering (or Recording), 3. Reciting

// Q: How fast is God's speed? A: About 3 mph (the average speed a person walks)

// Just because we don't recognize God's work doesn't mean God's not working.

// Remembering (or recording) God's movement in the past is vital to trusting God's movement in the present. ( Exercise: do a Bible search on the word "Remember" and start reading the hundreds of reminders not to miss it this time!)

// 1. WE’RE ALL ABOUT JESUS: Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, our understanding of church, and our engagement with society. We are committed to follow Jesus and worshiping him. (Anabaptist Core Conviction 1 from The Anabaptist Network)

// 2. WE'RE JESUS-CENTERED BIBLE READERS: Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship. (Anabaptist Core Conviction 2 from The Anabaptist Network)

// QUOTE: "God is the God who appears from behind the God who has disappeared." (Paul Tillich)

// QUOTE: “God, I guess, is more expansive than every image we think rhymes with God. How much greater is the God we have than the one we think we have.” (Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart)

// Storytelling is a spiritual discipline that helps us to dust for God's fingerprints with others.

Easter is not a one day event! In the Christian Calendar, it is a 50 day celebration. And so, we continue the celebration Easter as we look at I Peter 1:3-9.

We live in a world that is broken and distorted, but God has not given up on his creation. And there is coming a day (The Great Renewal) when He will act so powerfully that it’s going to turn things around. This promise is for the whole world! Because of the Resurrection, our lives should be permeated by Hope. Eugene Peterson says, “The Resurrection Life is a practice…we engage in a life that is permeated by the presence and companionship of the resurrected Jesus…” We can live with Hope, Conviction, and Confidence that God will bring Shalom through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

When was the last time you were amazed? The last time you were nearly speechless? The last time you knew your life would be different from that moment on? We meet two women on Easter Sunday who came to the tomb of Jesus as mourners and left as messengers of a new reality unfolding right before their eyes. Their invitation is the same as ours -- to "Come and See" God's new creation and to "Go and Tell" that God's new beginning is possible here and now.

RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28.1-10

// FOCUS STATEMENTS:

- The invitation of Easter is to “Come and See” God’s power then to “Go and Tell” of God’s new creation.

- Easter challenges us to believe that life, light, & love really are stronger than death, darkness, & evil.

- Faith is not the absence of doubt but trusting Jesus in the midst of it.

- Can we allow ourselves to hold the "Beads" of grief, pain, illness, and brokenness against the light of God's new creation and trust that it will be made new?

- If not now, then.

// QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

- When was the last time I felt amazed?

- What keeps me from “Coming & Seeing”– taking a step toward Jesus? Fear of disappointment? Doubt? Feeling I’m not “good enough”?

- How can the hope of God’s new creation (“If not now, then”) light up the brokenness I am perceiving or experiencing in this season of life?

- Where are the places and who are the people in my circles that need to hear stories of the new life that’s available in God’s kingdom?

The crucifixion and the resurrection are the central events of the Christian faith. But why? It seems disturbing to focus on the suffering of the cross, can't we just skip to the happy ending? The truth is, we can't fully understand the cross without the resurrection, nor can we understand the resurrection without the cross. But in the week before Easter, we look at the staggering account of the taunts, torture, and death of Jesus of Nazareth as God's King is enthroned on a cross.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// KEY QUESTIONS: Where is Jesus in the story? Where is our world in the story? Where are we in the story? Where is our hope?

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27.35-50 (NIV)

// FOCUS STATEMENT: Salvation is living with God in his kingdom by trusting God's King. (It starts now and stretches beyond death, forever.)

// Everything Jesus said and did was about bringing God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus declared, demonstrated, and embodied God's reign.

// Think about this: When armies advance, they leave prisoners, violence, and death in their wake...but when Jesus and his followers move through towns advancing toward Jerusalem, they left freedom, healing, and life in their wake.

// This is the irony, it is not in spite of -- it is because he is the Son of God that he will not come down from the cross. Jesus will save a suffering and dying world through suffering and dying so that he can forgive us and give us new life.

// "Jesus did not shed his blood to buy God's forgiveness; Jesus shed his blood to embody God's forgiveness." BRIAN ZAHND (Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, 106)

// SOME PARALLELS IN PSALM 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. PSALM 22.1-2 (NRSV)

// SOME PARALLELS IN PSALM 22: But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

“He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” PSALM 22.6-8 (NIV)

// SOME PARALLELS IN PSALM 22: My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. PSALM 22.15 (NIV)

// SOME PARALLELS IN PSALM 22: They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. PSALM 22.18 (NIV)

// You are not alone and God is not done.

// God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 CORINTHIANS 5.19-21 (NIV)

// God's arms are open wide to the world. Because reconciliation is a two-way street, the question is, will you run home to him?

We all know that the playground taunt "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me" is bogus. Words hurt. And words have a way of sticking around long after the scrapes, bruises, and black eyes have healed. How do we move forward when we feel the pain of mocking, hurtful, and scathing words -- both spoken and heard? How do we give and receive forgiveness? We start by looking at the example of Jesus -- the mocked, condemned, and crucified King who forgives his tormentors. He has freed us and formed us into a forgiving community of forgiven sinners.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27.27-31

// KEY QUESTIONS: 1) Where is Jesus in the story? 2) Where is our world in the story? 3) Where are we in the story? 4) Where is our hope?

// Jesus suffered physically, relationally, socially, emotionally, and psychologically on his journey to the cross. In solidarity with humanity, Jesus rescued a suffering world through his suffering.

// The soldiers' mockery turned out to be irony.

// JESUS' EXAMPLE IN 1 PETER 2.21-23 (NIV): 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

// PROVERBS 12.18 (NIV): The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

// How would it affect your relationships this week if you resolved to only speak words that bring healing and not harm?

// What if we "Stood up" to the bullies by "Looking up"?

// The words Jesus spoke over his mocking, abusing, torturers... “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (LUKE 23.34, NIV)

// Forgiveness does not always mean you will 1) forget the hurt and the hit you felt

or 2) forgive once and for all (you might have to forgive "70 x 7 times")

// Forgiveness is releasing the person and the pain from retaliation and to God's hands.

// Forgiveness is a one-way street, reconciliation is a two-way street. Both require heart work and hard work.

// The cross changed the world because the cross changes people. Sin and death are swallowed up by love and reconciliation. On the cross, God in Christ absorbed the worst blow the world and the evil powers could give. Then He turned the other cheek and forgave us.

// The cross has freed us and formed us into a forgiving community of forgiven sinners.

Things don't always go our way and sometimes even the best plans get blown up. Where do we go from there? What might God have in store for us next? We welcome guest preacher David Foster to share with us.

At the center of Christianity is the scandalous condemnation and crucifixion of the Son of God. We choose rebellion and condemn the innocent. After careful reading and reflecting, the sober answer to the question of "Who killed Jesus" is, "We did." Where's the hope on the other side of condemnation? Where is God when we condemn the Son he loves? Where is God when we condemn ourselves? When we explore these questions we find the heart of a forgiving Father reconciling the very ones who cry out "Crucify!"

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27.11-26

// KEY QUESTIONS: 1) Where is Jesus in the story? 2) Where is our world in the story? 3) Where are we in the story? 4) Where is our hope?

// If Jesus is really who he says he is, we have to rethink our assumptions about God and rearrange our lives around his way.

// History is God's story woven through our story and it's still being written toward God's happy ending.

// Reacting is impulsive, our default. Responding is sensitive to God and others.

// Jesus responds as one who knows he is securely in the story that God is still writing.

// SOME BREATH PRAYERS: “Abba, I belong to you” / “I am one in whom Christ dwells” / “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy” / “I am safe within the unshakable kingdom of God” / “Holy Spirit, breath of God, lead me”

// QUOTE: “God, I guess, is more expansive than every image we think rhymes with God. How much greater is the God we have than the one we think we have.” / FATHER GREGORY BOYLE, Tattoos on the Heart

// QUOTE: “While we look for him among priests, he is among sinners. While we look for him among the free, he is a prisoner. While we look for him in glory, he is bleeding on the cross." / GERALD O'COLLINS

// QUOTE: "On Good Friday we see that our violent system of blame and ritual killing is so evil that it is capable of the murder of God. And once we see it, we can repent of it, be forgiven for it, and be freed from it. This is how the cross saves the world.

"God did not kill Jesus. God's action on Good Friday was to surrender his beloved Son to our system. And our system killed him. But on Easter Sunday God overthrew our satanic verdict by raising Jesus from the dead! God did not kill Jesus; we did. What God did was to raise Jesus from the dead and in Christ give us a new way of organizing the world. Instead of being organized around blame and ritual killing, the world is to now be organized around forgiveness and co-suffering love.

"The cross is not the place where God vents his wrath on Jesus. The cross is the place where human fear and anger are absorbed into God's eternal love and recycled into the saving mercy of Christ.

"It's at the cross of Christ that the world and its violence are condemned so that the world, at last, might be saved by the love of God. The cross is not about the wrath of God finding a suitable sacrifice. The cross is about the love of God offering humanity a way out of the vicious cycle of producing endless victims. The cross of Christ is the end of sacrifice. It's not the appeasement of a vengeful deity but the supreme demonstration of God's everlasting love." / BRIAN ZAHND, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God (114-115)

// QUOTE: "Where do we find God during the suffering of Christ? Do we find God in the high priest Caiaphas demanding a sacrificial scapegoat? Do we find God in Pontius Pilate requiring a punitive death to satisfy imperial justice? No! On Good Friday we find God in Christ absorbing the sin of the world and responding with forgiveness.

The cross is where God receives the most vicious blow of human sin, turns the other cheek, and forgives..."Jesus didn't die on the cross to change God's mind about us; Jesus died on the cross to change our minds about God! It wasn't God who required the death of Jesus; it was humanity that cried, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' When the world says, 'Crucify him,' God says, 'Forgive them.'" / BRIAN ZAHND, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God (85)

// FOCUS STATEMENT: There is no more condemnation from the One we condemned, only love.

// You can never out-believe your belovedness.

Our first tendency in the presence of suffering can often be to lean away. In the second sermon of our Lent series, we put ourselves in the shoes of Peter the night that he stepped away from and denied Jesus. We watch how quickly denial can progress, even for those who love Jesus. In denial, we create space for distracting forces to creep in and guide us down paths that lead further away from the Lord. If we do find areas of denial in our lives, where do we find our hope? And what does Jesus have for us next? [NOTE: The first sermon in this series was not recorded due to technical issues]

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

Matthew 26:69-75

Matthew 16:13-17

Matthew 26:31-35

Psalm 1:1-3

John 21:15-17 and 19b

In our church we talk a lot about giving to and serving the poor. We talk a lot about prayer. But what about fasting? Of the three classic spiritual disciples Jesus talks about in Matthew 6, how often do we incorporate fasting into our life with God? Fasting is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity. Maybe saying "No" so that we can give Jesus a heartier "Yes" is just what he's inviting us to this season. In this message we look at the motivation, lessons, and invitation of fasting so that we can feast on God and all he has for us.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6.16-18

// FASTING is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.

// We DISENGAGE to more fully ENGAGE with God

// Spiritual disciplines are about rearranging our lives for transformation

// Jesus' refrain in Matthew 6.4, 6, and 18: "Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

// DISCIPLINE OF SECRECY: Consciously refraining from having our good deeds and qualities generally [or publicly] known, which, in turn, rightly disciplines our longing for recognition. (Renovare Spiritual Disciplines Index)

// A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE is a practice that places us before God so that he can transform us. In other words, we do what we CAN and let God do what we CAN'T.

// We determine our MOTIVE through discerning our desired outcome.

// “Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained…Physical benefits, success in prayer, the enduing with power, spiritual insights—these must never replace God as the center of our fasting.” (Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline, 3rd edition pp. 54, 55)

// The LESSONS of fasting: 1.) We don't need everything we want, 2.) God sustains us more than food.

// Fasting restores balance and focus to our life.

// The INVITATION of fasting: 1.) From consuming food, 2.) From consuming media, 3.) From attitudes and actions.

// “More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.” (Foster, ibid.)