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Pastor's Pen
"Why We Need Easter”
by Pastor Bruce Draper
March 2012
"Fall Focus"
by Pastor Bruce Draper
October 2011
There is already a briskness, a chill in the air. The heat of summer is gone and thoughts of homework and leaf raking, pumpkin pies and Kansas City Chiefs games (not off to a good start…), tell us it’s time to get prepared and focused for the winter that eventually but surely will come.
In worship we will finish our journey with the Israelites as together we wander through the deserts of life in our series “Lessons in the Desert”. We learn again that times may change but human nature is consistent. We are impatient and yes, sometime stubborn, in our expectations of God to meet our timetables and our to-do lists. The end of October we will begin our church-wide focus on Extravagant Generosity (elsewhere in this newsletter) – what it means from the bible’s perspective and what it looks like in real-life. Christians are generous. We have been blessed to be a blessing. Yet, we can improve in this and all areas of our spiritual life.
For members of Edgerton United Methodist Church, October will mean our task force teams are well underway. One will complete a draft Mission and Vision statement. Another will complete a draft Relational Covenant that sets boundaries and ideals for the best way for members to be in relationship with each other. (This is a pro-active document!) The drafts of the two teams will be reviewed at an upcoming Church Council meeting with the final approval coming at our fall Annual All Church Conference. Our third on-going team is what we are calling for now the “Land Acquisition Team.” EUMC knows that as we continue to offer Jesus to more and more people, especially as new people move into our community, that our dear church is just too small. We will first need to acquire land in Edgerton. There we will be able to build a facility that will provide great worship space and in a greater way fill multiple community needs.
Even with some challenges in the economy, we know that faithful Disciples around the world believe that God Will Provide. Edgerton United Methodist Church believes that as we continue with our forward momentum in missions and ministry as we give of our time, our prayers, our money, our worship, and our Christian witness.
To finish this article, let’s listen as the Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians in 3:16-21 CEB, even as we pray this same prayer for each other and all Christians, “I ask that [God] will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit. 17 I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love, 18 I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. 19 I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God. 20 Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; 21 glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen.”
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You have heard it said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” There is spiritual truth in that statement. Even Steven Tyler of Aerosmith (Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame) wrote that into a song called “Amazing,” after his successful drug rehabilitation years ago. He had to come close to his “permanent vacation” (which is also the title of an earlier Aerosmith album) before he “saw the light.” I don’t know about Tyler’s Christianity, but it is true that each day we are in motion. Each day is important on our journey.
Yes, we do have a destination – heaven. We are not there yet and we are not in a hurry to get there. And yet a piece of heaven is already here in you and me as Christians; a gift of the Holy Spirit, a glimpse of the joy and peace and love of God. But as we journey though life with purpose and meaning we encounter the ups and downs of life. Sometimes it seems all the bad news happens at once. Sometimes it feels overwhelming. My mom just went through heart surgery. They had to temporarily stop her heart and have machines pump the blood and breathe for her. She is recovering on schedule and doing quite well. What a blessing! It was a resurrection.
We all experience death and resurrection all the time, from the tiny to the major. Each day the sun dies. Sometimes the night makes us feel sad or lonely. Then, the sun comes up and we feel better, brighter, and happier. It is a NEW day, a new start, a new opportunity. That is a resurrection. The ancients feared the winter solstice – the days continued to get shorter and they feared it would eventually disappear. And then, as they documented, the daytime would start to get longer each day… you know, around December 25th. ;-) The sun was not going to permanently disappear after all.
Easter is all about the journey to and through resurrection. We are an Easter people. That means that though form time-to-time we all go through the valley of death, we will go through to the glory and joy of resurrection. We and our loved ones experience loss of health, employment, love, pet, and a loss of friendships and relationships.
The dramatic story of Lent’s preparation to get to the parade of palms to the Last Supper, to the passion of the cross, to death, and back to life – is complete in the resurrection of Jesus Christ our savior on Easter morning. That gift of his resurrection is what you and I receive, what we hang our hope on, and what we diligently share with others on our life journey to our final resurrection. We know that no matter what death we go through, there will always be a final Easter for us – a final resurrection of eternal joy, happiness, and complete unconditional love.
Come and experience this journey with us as together we worship toward the great resurrection, Easter!
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