Were You There …

our sins have died with Christ … Good Friday at Redeemer’s “Crosses of Calvary” display

At last night’s Good Friday service, we all “laid our sins” on the cross of Jesus Christ.  There they were put to death with Him!

His blood became your blood as He died to take the punishment you deserved … and I deserved … and the whole world deserved.  Why? … Because He loves you.  How? … Because He is the Son of God.  Only His Blood has this power – to do what no other blood could ever do.

“¹¹ Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.“ (Hebrews 10:11-14)

Now as we wait for Easter Sunday, we wait patiently with hope – because we know the end of the story!  Jesus does not stay dead …

“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime” – Martin Luther

… and neither will you and I!  Look around you – flowers are coming to bloom.  Seeds are sprouting to life.  They were lying dormant in the ground, only to burst forth in beauty and splendor!

It is so fitting that Easter is in Spring.  What a great reminder that Christ’s death … and our death too! … only looks like it’s the end.

May you be filled with hope as you await the Resurrection!

Only by God’s grace,

Pastor Augie.

“I Have Done No Wrong … “

Since we are in Holy Week, the Psalm reading in the Life Journal for April 17th, struck me to be applicable to Jesus’ Passion (i.e. His suffering and journey to the cross) …

“I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!“  (Psalm 59:4)

Doesn’t this remind us of Our Lord, Jesus?  In His perfection, He was attacked and sent to the cross for our sins.

And the Psalmist’s crying out in anguish, “Arise to help me; look on my plight!” sounds much like Jesus’ plea in the Garden at Gethsemane, “if it be your will, Father, may this cup pass me by” (Luke 22:41-43) … and again from the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

May your “triduum” (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter) be filled with thoughts of reflection, penitence, and ultimately … joy!

Contemplating Christ’s sacrifice with you,

Pastor Augie.

Why Lent?

Lent is upon us!  Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 5th this year, and ends on Easter Sunday which falls on April 20th this year.  Lent is a period in the church calendar that is designed to be a penitential season of reflection and preparation.  The word Lent derives from a root word meaning “lengthen.”  In the season of Spring the days are lengthening. That’s perhaps a part of what Lent is about.  But also, historically in the Church, the practice of observing the Easter vigil was “lengthened” to 40 days – and thus this period of time became known as Lent.

Why forty days?  In the Bible, 40 days is a holy and complete time.  We see significant events in the Bible occurring in 40 days.  Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the 10 commandments for 40 days.  During the flood of Noah it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.  When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, it was for 40 days.  And so the early Christian Church set the calendar for Lent at 40 days.  (Note – when you add up the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday you actually get more than 40 days.  That’s because the Sundays in Lent don’t count toward the 40 days.  On Sunday, the Lord’s day, the Church breaks from the penitence for one day of rejoicing and praise recognizing that Christ has overcome the grave and is alive and reigning! See Matt. 9:15)

So what happens during the 40 days?  Since Scripture does not mandate what is to happen during Lent, there is freedom and variety in how to observe this period of preparation.  I would suggest that anything that we can do to increase our awareness of Christ’s sacrifice, and what it means for us, is beneficial.  So at our church this means that we change things a bit by adding some things and taking some things away.  During Lent, we add midweek worship services that provide an extra opportunity to gather for prayer, meditation and reflection of the Lord’s passion and crucifixion.  And we also take some things away.  Usually decorations and celebrations are kept to a minimum, and in our worship services we generally choose hymns with a more somber tone, meaning that hymns and liturgical responses with “Alleluia’s” (a word expressing jubilation) are usually avoided.

What about for you?  I likewise recommend that in your individual observance of Lent that you also add some things and take some things away. For the period of Lent, you may want to consider adding some extra devotion time.  For your convenience, we make free Lenten devotional booklets available so you can have some special time of focus through Scripture and prayer.  You also may want to add in some time of corporate worship. Each Wednesday in Lent we offer a special evening service that is simpler in form and allows you the opportunity to sing and pray with other believers.  But also for the forty day period of Lent you may want to take something away.  We call this “fasting” and it is a spiritual discipline that has been practiced for centuries.

We see that in the Bible fasting is a spiritual discipline that was practiced by prophets, kings and apostles.  We see that many significant Biblical characters were blessed by God through fasting – Moses, David, Elijah, Nehemiah, Esther, Daniel and Paul, for example.  Even our Lord Jesus fasted as a way to draw closer to the Father while He was being tempted by the devil in the desert (see Matthew 4).

What comes to mind when you think of fasting?  Is it something that only “super-spiritual” people do?  Is it something you think people do for attention?  Is it a gimmick?  Is it a diet program?  It is none of those things.   A simple definition of fasting is abstaining from something for spiritual purposes.  Often it’s food that we forgo when fasting, but really anything that we give our attention to is something that could be removed in order to create more room for God in your life.  When you fast, your desire is to draw closer to God and to ask God to reveal himself to you.  Sometimes our lives get so full of the blessings of God, that we crowd out the One that is doing the blessing – God Himself.  Sometimes we have so much going on that if God wanted to speak to us there is so much noise and so much activity in our life that we couldn’t hear Him if He said something to us.  Remember, God often speaks in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12).  The purpose of fasting is to increase your awareness of and dependence upon God.

That is my prayer for you, that this period of Lent will be used by God to draw you closer to Himself, and to increase your awareness of how God is working in and through you to proclaim the cross of Christ.

Remembering and proclaiming Christ’s Sacrifice,

Pastor Augie

Today You Are Leaving

Scripture: “Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.  Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving.” (Exodus 13:3-4)

Observation: The ten plagues have occurred.  Pharaoh’s heart is hardened.  There is a wake of God’s destruction in an unbelieving nation. And God’s people are free.  After 430 years in captivity (Ex. 12:40), the people of God are freed from slavery.  They have made unleavened bread and eaten it in haste, and they have left Egypt with wealth as the Lord made the Egyptians give them their articles of silver, gold and clothing.  But the words that strike me are the words of Moses to the Hebrews: “Today, you are leaving!”  430 years later, dozens of generations, and just like that, they are now set free. After years of bondage, with a simple statement, God tells them about their entirely new reality – “you are leaving!”  They undoubtedly had prayed for the day, waited for the day, hoped for the day, and perhaps given up hope for the day… but now it is here… “Today, you are leaving.”

Application: Why is it so hard to believe that God can set us free with a word?  If he created light with a word, and spoke the universe into existence with a word, why can’t he set captives free with a word?  I imagine that there were many of the Hebrews that scoffed at Moses’ message from God, “Today, you are leaving.”  And yet it was God’s will.  God did not ask, He did not bargain, He did not call them into a committee to deliberate, He simply declared “Today you are leaving!”  I wonder how hard it was for them to believe that it really was happening.  I wonder how frightened they were to leave Egypt – their familiar land of chains.  And I wonder how difficult it is for the forgiven sinner to leave their life of bondage.  They are just as much a slave, and also just as familiar with its constriction.  I wonder how challenging it is to believe the message of God, when He says to you and me, “Today, you are leaving” … when He declares to us that we are no longer the property of the devil.  How hard is it to accept the spoken Word of God that assures us that sin and slavery is no longer our home, and that today He is setting us free and leading us out?  Because that is God’s Word to you and me today, no matter what bondage we find ourselves held captive by – “Today, you are leaving!”

Prayer:  Father, thank you for speaking your Word of freedom to me today!  Thank you for declaring to me through your Son Jesus that I am free to leave my land of slavery.  Help me to trust you completely that you are calling me out of the darkness into your marvelous light – Today.  Amen!

Godless Chatter & False Knowledge

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

What has been entrusted to Timothy’s care? … the Word of God, and the Truth and teaching therein.  Has that not also been entrusted to us?  What does it mean to “care” for the Word of God?  The next sentence clarifies: “turn away from godless chatter.” When you think of what is most opposite of the Word of God, it would be “chatter” (with no basis in truth or value) and “godless” speech (either opposes God, or speaks of no God).

And what’s worse, this godless chatter is “falsely called knowledge.”  It is interesting that those who we often regard as the most learned and astute can propose ideas that oppose God’s Truth.  Further, those ideas – often untested and unproven – are then taken to be knowledge.  But we could ask – what value is knowledge if it is false?  The Apostle Paul explains what the value of false knowledge is: it causes some to “depart from the faith.”

You and I are urged by Scripture to “turn away” from theories and false knowledge that are opposed to God, because they are ultimately useless chatter, which opposes God and can cause people to reject faith in God.

We pray: Lord – Please guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and give us a  hunger and thirst for your Truth!  Amen.

The Impact of the Resurrection

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)

It’s true, isn’t it?  If Christ has not been raised from the dead then it means several (bad) things:

1. He wasn’t who he said he was
2. He didn’t have the power he said he had
3. Either God doesn’t care or is powerless to raise from the dead
4. or the Father didn’t accept Christ’s sacrifice
5. much more…

But thankfully Christ WAS raised from the dead, and in fact He *is* still raised, living and reigning on the throne of heaven!

There are many such websites out there, but here are a couple that will provide much evidence and support for the Resurrection of Jesus.  Enjoy!

http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html (Josh McDowell)
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/proof-of-the-resurrection  (William Lane Craig)

Blessings in Christ – our RISEN Lord!

– Pastor Augie.

Your King Comes to You

As we are in the midst of Holy Week, preparing to witness our Lord being sent to the Cross, we hearken back to Palm Sunday’s verse:

Zechariah 9:9 “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.”

And we realize that whether it is a colt that carries the Lord … or the Lord that carries a Cross – He is still our RIGHTEOUS and VICTORIOUS KING!  Righteous, as he bears the burden of our sin before the Judgment of the Father, and Victorious as the cross and the grave could not contain Him!  Soon we will shout with joy, the phrase, “Alleluia, He is Risen – He is Risen indeed!”

Thank you Father, that our Righteous and Victorious King Jesus is reigning with you forever!  Amen.

Christ’s Humiliation

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”  (Philippians 2:8)

there are two words in that brief sentence that we are not really fond of, actually three.  The first two are:

1.) HUMBLED
2.) OBEDIENT

We don’t like to be humbled, and we don’t particularly like obedience.  Don’t feel too bad about it, you’re not alone.  In fact, it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden!  It’s part of our human condition!  We don’t like someone else telling us what to do!

And what about the third word … do you think I’m going to say “Death?” … that’s a possibility.  But actually the third word that I think we aren’t fond of is:

3.) MAN

We don’t like our human limitations at all!  In fact, “Death” is part of that human condition.  No, we would rather be God.  In fact, this is the root of our dislike of the other words in the sentence.  As man (human), we would rather be God and be in control of the things of our lives, and even the whole world.

No, we don’t like being Man, Humbled or Obedient one bit. And that’s what makes Jesus’ venture to take on our human flesh, humble himself, and be obedient even to death on a cross all that much more amazing!  The all powerful creator God of the universe … the one who makes all the rules!! … subjected Himself to humility and obedience and death … FOR … US!

We pray: Thank you Jesus that you were willing to endure our human condition so that we would one day be able to stand in the presence of God!  Amen.

Healing by Faith!

Scripture: “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man who you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him.” (Acts 3:16)

Observation: We often acknowledge that we are saved by faith in Christ alone – John 3:16, for example.  In this 3:16 in the book of Acts, we see another thing that faith is credited for – physical healing!  A beggar came to Peter and John and asked them for money, but instead of silver or gold (3:6) Peter told him to WALK … in the name of Jesus Christ.  And instantly, the man was healed (3:7).  He then went on to jump and praise God! (3:8)

Application: I think sometimes we believe that our faith in Jesus is just for the life to come – salvation.  Certainly it is. But that is not all it is.  It is also for healing and hope in this life!  Does that mean that if we believe in Jesus, any time we want to be healed we will be healed? Not at all.  There would be several problems were that true.  First is that it is likely that all believers would never die, since they would always be praying to be healed from something.  Second it would mean that we would need perfect knowledge to know best, and that God would have to follow our command and desire, rather than the other way around.  And third, it would mean that God could never work through suffering and death.  No, actually the opposite of these is true.  God does work through suffering – He did that when He worked through Christ’s suffering.  And He does it through this man’s trials when Peter says “God has glorified his servant Jesus” (3:13).  And God works through death.  He did it with Jesus, and He will do it with us – in fact death is the only way we get to enjoy eternity – unless Christ returns first.  In God’s perfect knowledge, He allows suffering… but in His perfect grace, He allows those who believe in Him to experience healing – if not in this life… in the next – whichever brings Jesus the most glory.  For it is in His Name which we trust.

Prayer: Father, give me the faith to trust in Jesus for my healing as well as my eternal home – all in your time and all for your glory.  Amen.

Christmas Day Message

What do you think of Christmas – BIG presents? FLASHING lights?  Think again.  Our Savior came into this world in a manner that was neither big nor flashy. His mother was a humble commoner in a no-name village.  His birthplace was in a manger where they kept the animals.  No, Christmas isn’t about flash and dazzle or about pomp and circumstance.  Rather, it’s about our Lord’s willingness to embrace the despised and lowly things of this world and to work in ways that may be hidden to us, but that truly glorify Him!  Click Here for the Audio of this Christmas Day Message.