Scripture
– NIV
Matthew
28:1-10 –
After
the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary went to look at the tomb.
There
was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and,
going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like
lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him
that they shook and became like dead men.
The
angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for
Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come
and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has
risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see
him.’ Now I have told you.”
So
the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to
tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to
him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be
afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
James
3:4-5 –
Or
take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong
winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
Ephesians
4:29-32 –
Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for
the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and
slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one
another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Bob’s
thoughts:
With
recent upheaval in our lives, we were looking forward to a quiet service where
we knew what to expect. But today our grandson had a troubled day. It is easy
to be upset when there is seemingly nothing you can do and most troubling when
it is not the normal behavior. I didn’t expect him to sing along, but noticed
he was watching the rear wall projection and mouthing the words.
An important
thought from today’s message: “Jesus can change your path” …something He is
doing in our lives right now.
I interpreted
a line of the sermon, “Run toward the pain”, as a take-off of the Marine motto,
“We run toward the gunfire”. We were admonished to pray and speak as bridge
builders.
I
realized that as annoying as it is to me to repeat a line from praise songs
over and over, during Communion, it works. We were given a time for confession,
and I got a personal message for me from God: I need to be more of a bridge
builder.
Jan’s
thoughts:
We
had one of our grandchildren with us most of the weekend and wanted to make
sure he attended church where he usually goes, so we found ourselves here.
As
always, the coffee was delicious, the people were friendly and welcoming, and
the music was well done.
The
message was the last in the 3-part series and was called Encountering Jesus Redirects Us. This was timely for me, as He has
done just that this past week when my job ended. The pastor pointed out that when
we meet Jesus, we become messengers of hope, which means we run toward the pain
in this world and we can pray and speak as bridge builders. He reminded us that
we make a difference with the compassion we show and the hope we bring to
others, and that courage is contagious.
This
message reminded me that God indeed has good plans and that Jesus’ redirection
of my life is an opportunity to discover those plans.
Our
prayer for this church:
Father,
we are grateful that You continue to guide Your church to where You want them
to be. Amen.
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