Christ is risen!

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Happy Easter! We had two wonderful worship services yesterday, one at the lake at sunrise and the other in our sanctuary. It's so good to be together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Today's reading tells the story of Christ's resurrection from Luke's Gospel. The women go to the tomb early Easter morning to anoint Jesus' body. We are still bearers of that good news today. How will you live the resurrection?

God bless,
Sam

Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 

⁸Then they remembered his words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

new year, new creation

Good morning friends,
The new year is a new beginning. God also gives us a new beginning in Jesus Christ. In Christ we are forgiven and given the chance to be new people through God's love. We have the opportunity to be reconciled to God and to become God's ambassadors in the world. Ambassadors do their best to represent their country favorably and to communicate the message their country sends to the world. As ambassadors of God, our job is to live in such a way it reflects well on God and to help others understand the message God wants them to hear: the message of love and reconciliation. That's our mission as Christians in this new year and always.

God bless,
Sam

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

¹⁶From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

ambassadors for Christ

Good morning sisters and brothers,
In our reading for today Paul presents the good news of God's redeeming love in Jesus. When we were far from God, God sent Jesus into our world to become sin so that we could become righteous in God's eyes. Through that ministry we are brought back to God. That offer to come home to God is always open, but we never know how much time we have left. That's why Paul reminds us that now is the acceptable time to come home.

We don't just bask in God's love, though, we also become ministers of reconciliation for others. Like Paul we seek to be ambassadors for Christ reaching out to others with God's love. We hear Paul's words about being careful not to put any obstacles in anyone's way. Our job is to make it easier for people to find God. So today and all Lent, be reconciled to God and reconcile others to him too.

God bless your ministry,
Sam

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

5:20bwe entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6:1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says,
“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!


3We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see — we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

living as ambassadors

Good morning brothers and sisters,
This letter is one of Paul's shortest letter, written to a leader in the church named Titus. Apparently, Titus was given the job of appointing elders in the various churches in Crete to strengthen the churches for their ministry. The point of the letter overall is that God's grace has saved us from the hostility, hatred and anxiety that is the situation of most of the world. Because of God's grace, we are called to live in a way that reflects God's love. In other words, we are called to treat others with love and to be self-disciplined to build up community. This new loving, disciplined, gentle life is a response to the way God has loved us.

It's also a result of wanting our lives to reflect our faith well for others. If people encounter Christians who are rude and judgmental or wild and irresponsible they will be less inclined to come to Christ. If they meet Christians who are loving, hospitable, kind and responsible, they will be drawn closer to find out more. Whenever people know that we are Christians our behavior testifies to our faith. Part of our calling is to be ambassadors for Christ by living in a way that reflects his amazing love for us so others want to meet him too. How will you show Christ's love today?

God bless,
Sam

Titus 2:11-14

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.