Resurrected in Christ - "I Then Shall Live As If...."

During this Easter Season as the spring buds of warmer days loom on the horizon, Christians around the world are worshiping and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Messiah, Son of God, Holy Servant Leader. The 40 Lenten days of self-denial, personal, and communal reflections carried us into the Holiest days of the year. As we journey through these days and on through the year, I find myself reflecting on Pastor Melinda's Easter Day message, and on the One who created us in God's image.

In the midst of these thoughts, once again I hear the question.....What does it mean to live our lives as if Christ truly took on the sins of all humankind?.....as if God truly is merciful?....as if we are walking with God in the dailyness of our lives?....as if we have been Resurrected in Christ?

Some time ago I came across the following song which responds in kind to these thoughts. I am a music lover and believe music can reach across language barriers and into the human heart and spirit. I was moved by these words and hope in some way they will also touch you.

I Then Shall Live As One Who's Been Forgiven
(printed with permission by Gather Copyright Management. 2011)

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven.
I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my God;
I am God's child and I am not afraid.
So, greatly pardoned, I'll forgive my brother (and sister);
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who's learned compassion.
I've been so loved, that I'll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I'll dare to see another's point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I'll be there to care and follow through.

Your Kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me.
Your Hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.

Amen.

In Easter's Blessings.....Shalom,
Susan Moss

See the choir of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX sing it here:
http://youtu.be/7v5xGPbTCyA

Into Your Hands....

Good Friday services are the solemnest of the solemn, a veil of sadness behind which joy resides.

We are invited to put ourselves in Jesus' shoes and to walk the steps to the cross. Can we do what he did? Forgive those who know not what they do? Offer a word of comfort to someone who is in an extreme a situation as we may be?

In any comparison of "magnitude of suffering" we will come up short. We cannot fill Christ's shoes. We can only begin to imagine the suffering he underwent. So why then do we make the Lenten journey every year?

One of the reasons I do is so that can make another attempt to just put myself in the shoes of someone else. To try to live a life with more compassion for others than I did the year before. To give up a little more of the "Me" that gets in the way.

Whole sermons could be written about the meanings in Salvador Dali's painting Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus), but one aspect of the painting that has always spoken to me is that Jesus is represented as the 3-Dimensional human facet of the 4th dimensional being God. That Jesus was the only way we, as humans, could begin to see and experience something as profound as the limitless and unknowable God.

On the hypercube cross, in the death of his 3-D human self, Jesus became 4-D life for others/everyone/me. So -- in my own limited way, can I give up a little more of my 3-D"me" to become a more dimensional spirit? To become hands, heart and mind through which God can continue to work in the world? Is that the solemn joy behind the veil?

Let it be so.

Amen.

Paul Sannerud

Being At The Last Supper.....The Passover Seder

"The streets are busy. Folks watching...waiting....scurrying around.....preparing for sundown as the eve of Passover approaches. A familiar event...yet tonight would be different. It is essential to ensure every person of Hebrew lineage have enough to eat and drink for this celebration, enough lamb, enough unleavened bread, enough wine...and someone to recount our story with. God had called upon us to make sure of this each year as we gather to remember our journey, giving thanks for our freedom and praising God for our blessings. Tonight we will be sharing this unleavened bread and wine with Jesus! Can you imagine? I still can not believe it!

We are in an Upper Room of a building off the street now, settling down..getting ready to recount our story and enjoy the Seder feast. But what is happening? I can not believe what I am seeing! Jesus, our Messiah, is kneeling....on his knees...with a towel and basin of water washing our feet...one by one! Now Peter then John and on. This evening will become even stranger as time passes on....nothing like that which I had expected. I thought we would just be discussing our journey from slavery and enjoying this time of celebration with our respected Messiah. And now I hear that one of us is going to betray our Leader, if he has not done so. Who would do this? Why?

Jesus is telling us to eat this broken unleavened bread...that this bread is his body....and now to drink from this cup in remembrance of him? He says he is going to God's kingdom. What does he mean? Why after we have followed him on this journey, won't he take us with him? He's saying Peter will deny him before the sun rises. Would I ever deny him? Has he received some news about plans being made to harm or even worse kill him? Why does this have to happen now after we are finally gaining some freedom? What more can happen?"

During the weeks past, we have learned so much from this Messiah...his teachings...his stories. I admit I don't always understand everything he says or does...yet for some unknown reason this man of God called upon us to follow him. He is always reminding us to be mindful and have faith....so how could I forget. Still with all the political rumblings and battles for power maybe it's easy to lose focus...I hope not. I hope when the sun rises tomorrow Jesus will still be with us. I hope we will remain free and remember our blessings. I hope when Jesus leaves, he will remember us. I hope God will shine mercy on us. I hope.

God be with Jesus tonight and in the days to come......be with us through all our days.....

Shalom,
(from the past and now)


Susan Moss

Will I Praise Jesus all Week Long?

I love Passion Sunday, commonly referred to as Palm Sunday.  There's a buzz in the air.  It's one of the few Sundays in the church year when Lutherans are encouraged to wave our hands as we praise God.  Children parade through the sanctuary singing "all glory, laud, and honor to you Redeemer King!"  This is worship!  You can almost feel a sense of relief that the contemplative season of Lent is drawing to a close and Easter is almost here.  As I leave worship, I am renewed, and I can barely wait to return to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord.

But wait.  There's more.  There is so much more  that will happen between Passion Sunday and Easter Sunday, and I need to be a part of it.  I need to praise Jesus all week long.  I need to be with Jesus all week long.  It's easy to praise Jesus when the crowd is praising Jesus.  The Jesus who healed the sick, fed the multitudes, calmed the sea, and raised Lazarus from the dead.  But I need to praise Jesus all week long.

But will I praise Jesus all week long?  Will I praise the Jesus who washed the Disciples' feet, modeling what it means to be a servant?  Will I praise the Jesus who kissed the very friend who would betray him?  Will I praise Jesus when he stands defenseless before Pilate, while he is sentenced to be crucified?  Will I still be praising Jesus when he prays "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do?"  Will I praise Jesus when he dies on the cross for my sins?

I need to praise Jesus all week long.  I need to take the journey all the way to the cross with Jesus.  But will I?  Will you take the journey with me?

Dear Lord God, help me to not be tempted to "fast forward" to Easter Sunday.  Give me the faith and courage to take the journey all the way to the cross with Jesus.  Grant me the humility to see my own sin as I take this journey.  God of Mercy, thank you for the gift of your Son.  May I praise him all week long.

In His name we pray,  Amen.

Cara Hartfield

Breathe in Life

“Thus says the Lord God to these dry bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:5, NRSV)

Pastor Melinda’s sermon this week reminded us that God breathes life into us when we feel as dry and dead as the bones of Ezekiel’s vision. Just as he entered the stench and death of Lazarus’ tomb to restore life, God will renew us.

Throughout Ezekiel 37, the word for breath is ruwach, which can also be translated as wind, spirit or Holy Spirit, according to a trusty Hebrew lexicon. Ruwach appears in Genesis 1:2 in the creation of the world, with Moses when he divided the Red Sea in Exodus 14:21, and in Psalm 104 when He renews the Earth. God’s breath/spirit has been present since the beginning of creation and continues to create within us.

As we prepare for the holiest week of the year, I invite you to breathe in His renewing spirit. Perhaps you will incorporate breath prayers into your day, meditate on the words of the hymn “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”, or simply breathe and know that He is here.

~Rachel  

‘I am the resurrection'

A commentary on John 11:1-45


Jesus’ conversation with Martha in this passage includes one of the biggest “Good News” messages in the whole New Testament. When Jesus finally arrives he finds Martha distraught because Lazarus had died. But, Martha believes in Jesus, telling him that she knows if he had arrived earlier, Lazarus would have lived.
         Jesus flat out tells Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” Martha replies.

Oh, to have the faith that Marha had.

         
Let us pray: “Dear Jesus: We ask that we may have the understanding and faith that Martha had in you. Amen.”


-Brad Q

Step 1: I Admit That I Am Addicted… to Me.

The title of Karen Armstrong's new book Twelve Steps To A Compassionate Life brings to mind the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. First we must admit that we are addicted -- addicted to our ego -- "our pet hatreds and prejudices give us such a buzz of righteousness; like addicts we have come to depend on the instant rush of energy and delight we feel when we display our cleverness in an unkind remark..."

Blindness takes many forms. Color blindness, night blindness and macular degeneration are physiological.
Then there are the spiritual blindnesses: walking past a beggar without seeing him, the inability to see the hurt of an insensitive comment, the self blindness of criticizing another's faults but not seeing one's own.  Is it possible that we are all born blind in some way " so that God's works may be revealed in us" [John 9:3]?

When we give up something for Lent -- what fills in its place? Do we give that space to something else we indulge in? Or do we open up that created space and time to God so that he may be revealed in us? Can I give up the blindness of of ego to become more compassionate? Can I give up the blindness of being "right" in favor of just being kind?

Lord, help me to see the beauty in each person I encounter. may I give up to you space and time in my life so that your love will be revealed to others through me.

Amen. Amein. Ameen.

Paul Sannerud

Our Journey Through Lent, In Community

I've been thinking about my blogs on Exodus, the Sabbath and Ash Wednesday...and how in real life their essences intertwine...like flowing streams of water....in and around community.


Here goes.....

As I reflect on Psalm 51:10, the words seem to express well the heart of Ash Wednesday and Lent: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a right spirit within me.” Up to a certain point, I believe it is safe to say you and I can assess the health of our spirit through Scripture, Prayer and our relationship with God. Yet to gain a true and fuller understanding of who we are in heart and spirit, we also rely on others to mirror our presence and our actions (whether or not we agree).

Those colorful Old Testament stories expound on the creation of community life...with all their struggles and joys. In Exodus, we read about the spiritual and practical plight of the Israelite community in the desert... during which time they received God's Ten Commandments. The first two spoke of loving God and of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Then and now, amidst the complexities and richness of differing cultures across this globe, I believe in some way we are all meant to live in community.

The early celebrations of the Sabbath and Holy Days, wherever possible, took place in community, whether this meant family, the body of the Temple, or a village.

Today, whenever we gather for worship, as I take and receive communion, I am reminded of both: my communion with God in Christ and my communion with others by God's grace.

Reflecting upon Lent, I believe this time of reflection and cleansing is meant to be journeyed both individually and collectively. The Last Supper or Passover Feast was a communal event. This is where the gifts of communion began and where we are invited to lively fully, before, during and after Lent.

As I reflect upon my relationship with God, may my reflections also include my life in community.

“Like a roaming stream that knows no end, but for Your Grace I'd go my way.”

Shalom,

Susan Moss

The Man Born Blind John 9:1-41

The Man Born Blind John 9:1-41

Remember the saying “looking through rose colored glasses” or similar seeing two dimensional instead of three dimensional. We in our human minds think we see everything but we don’t. Through trusting and having faith in God we can see things and circumstances differently or more clearly. Believing in God we have the ability to see the world and our own lives differently which makes a difference in how we live our lives.

So then the more we have faith and trust in God does this shift our paradigm of our life?

Julie

Life Lived Between The Dust

I've been thinking this past week about the words spoken on Ash Wednesday, "From dust you come, to dust you shall return." We hear these words every year as a Cross of Ashes is placed on our foreheads. I wonder how often these words so familiar to my/our ears are reflected on afterward.

This past week marked the anniversary of my beloved friend's memorial. Susan lived a full and vibrant life of nearly 70 years. She was a wife, companion, mother, foster mother, grandparent, animal lover, therapist, writer, and during her off and on battle with cancer a champion to many near and far. She lived her life passionately, with love, compassion, tears and laughter. In the end, Susan was cremated and "returned to the earth as dust." Yet I believe her spirit lives on.

I can say assuredly, having known Susan for over 34 years, that during her lifetime between “coming from dust and returning to dust” Susan was a blessing to more people than she could have ever known. Susan was Jewish. She loved God and reflected on her life as a gift....before and during her illness.

During a recent group meet, we talked about the miracles found in 'ordinary days.' So what do I reflect on in all this.....how do I spend my time in the ordinary dailyness of “coming from and returning to dust?” Do I spend enough time 'just being' with God and sensing God's presence in my life in the midst of, and outside familiar daily happenings?

We each have a path to walk....it's my hope that I am ever mindful of walking this path, between and in the midst of dust, with God. What about you?

Shalom,
Susan Moss