Sing, O Sing

[The following is a manuscript of my brief devotion delivered on Sunday morning, the 30th of April, 2017.  This was our Fifth Sunday service, with The Directors Trio bringing their ministry of music.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Before we bring our music group back up, I’d like to read just a short passage from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  In this letter, Paul is laying down the very foundations for living a Christian life.  He is telling us what we should do, and not do.

He has told us that in Christ, by our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord, we become a new creation.  And now he is describing the very character, the essence, of that new person we have become.  Listen and follow along to Paul’s words, to us and to the church in Colosse, from his letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12 through 17…

12 God loves you and has chosen you as His own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.

15 Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. 16 Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of Him.

--Colossians 3:12-17 (CEV)

Isn’t that a beautiful passage?  God loves us and has chosen us as His own special people!  And since we are now God’s special people, we should act like it.  Since God loves us and gives us so much, we should do our part in return, and especially how we treat each other.  We should be gentle and kind, humble and meek, and patient in our dealings with one another.  We should be willing to love and forgive one another, just as Christ Jesus loves and forgives us.

After all, we are each, as believers, a part of the body of Christ left on earth to carry out His mission.  And He chose us to all live together in peace, the peace that comes when we allow Jesus to control our every thought and emotion.  Paul wants us to let the Good News of Jesus completely fill every aspect of our life so we can use it to teach and instruct others.

And then comes the part so pertinent for us this morning.  With thankful hearts, let us sing praises to God.  Let us sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.  All in the name of Jesus, in thanks to God our Father because of Him.

Amen.

Our Living Hope

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 23rd of April, 2017 - the first Sunday after Easter.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The Apostle Luke wrote to Theophilus and told him of Jesus, and what happened after our Lord arose from the grave and later ascended into heaven.  Luke recalled the final words Jesus said to His followers, and of how one was chosen to replace Judas as an apostle.

Then Luke recounted the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 or so disciples who were together in one place and in one mind and spirit.  There was a sound the Spirit made as He came down and touched each disciple, a sound loud enough to draw in many from the city, devout Jews who wanted to see what was going on.  Even though these Jews came from all parts of the world, they could clearly understand everything the disciples said, as if they were speaking their own language.

The Jews couldn’t quite figure it all out, and some mocked that the disciples must be drunk on wine.  So Peter stood up to set them straight.  Listen to what happened next, as recorded by Luke in his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, from chapter 2 verse 14 and verses 22 through 32, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know — 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses."

--Acts 2:14, 22-32 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You gave us the wonderful gift of Your Holy Spirit the moment we accepted Your Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Your Spirit needs no words of any language to get Your point across.  Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit directly into our hearts, that we might receive, understand, and obey Your message this morning.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building.  So he was a little annoyed to find out the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute.  The substitute wanted to know what to play.  "Here's a copy of the service," he said impatiently.  "But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make an announcement about our finances."

During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty - the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more.  Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up".  At that very moment, the substitute organist played "The Star Spangled Banner".  And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!


Sometimes even ministers fail to trust God to provide for our needs.  It’s like we’re afraid to put our hope in the Lord, that somehow He will make things turn out right.  Thank heavens for organists, though!  I think all of us suffer from this failure to trust at one time or another.  We forget where our true hope lies, and why.

I’m reminded of a little girl whose mother asked what the Sunday School lesson was about after church.  “Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilt”, she answered.  Needless to say, the mother was quite puzzled by this response.  Later in the afternoon, the preacher stopped by for tea so she asked him just what the Sunday School lesson had been that morning.  He replied, “Be not afraid, thy Comforter is coming.”

I guess in a way Jesus is kind of like a quilt: He comforts us and protects us and keeps us warm.  And oh, He is coming again, and He will make everything right.  Jesus is our hope, in whom we can place all our trust.

Last year as we were planning for our first 5K run fundraiser for the Workshop of Davidson, as a committee trying something completely new, we thought that we’d be doing good to raise $5000.  I challenged the committee to put our hope in the Lord and set a goal of $10,000, a goal we met and exceeded by a little, all with the help of God.  This year I bumped that challenge up to $15,000.  The Workshop has a need, and God will provide.  We just have to keep trusting Him.


The Book of Acts records many of the Apostle Peter’s sermons, and our scripture reading centers on one.  Jesus chose Peter to be His disciple.  He and his brother Andrew were the first men approached by Jesus and invited to follow Him.  Peter accepted that invitation and stayed by our Lord’s side - helping with His ministry, going where he was sent - for three years, right up until the night when Jesus was arrested and carried off.  Even then, Peter followed and hung back in the shadows, afraid to admit that he had been with or even knew the Nazarene.  So Peter was devastated when His Master was hauled off, beaten, executed and buried.

But then Jesus appeared to the Mary’s at the tomb, and later to ten of the eleven in the Upper Room, and later still to all eleven, and hope was restored.  Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people!  And although the Gospel accounts and the Apostles’ letters were all written and circulated while many of these 500 were still alive, no one ever refuted that Jesus rose from the grave and appeared before them in body!  Not one person ever said this was a lie, this amazing news that Jesus lives!

On the day of Pentecost, Peter was not only filled with the Holy Spirit, but also with an intense fire to serve his risen Lord.  This sermon is directed primarily to the Jews who came in to see what was happening.  He spoke to them of King David, a figure they would be very familiar with, and of what David said of the coming Messiah, of Jesus.  Then Peter went on to point out that David is dead and buried.  Everyone knows the location where his remains can be found.  This mortal David, knowing his own fate, still spoke of the one who would be raised up from the dead, whose soul would not be left in the place of the dead, whose flesh would not see corruption.  David foresaw that the Messiah’s earthly body would not be left to rot in a grave but would be raised up to life again!

And then Peter exclaimed this to be Jesus, the Messiah, the One God raised up from the dead!  He could make that claim because he, and hundreds of others, saw Jesus after His resurrection.  He and all those others were eye-witnesses of the risen Lord!


The Book of Acts records other instances of Peter testifying to Jesus being the Messiah because of what he had seen with his own eyes, felt with his own hands, heard with his own ears.  His sermons were all fiery and his stance strong and unshakeable.  I can’t help but wonder if maybe his earlier denial of even knowing Jesus might have played a part in how passionate he was in his efforts to let others know all about his Lord and Master.

His passion for getting the truth out can also be seen in the letters he wrote, to be circulated to the far-flung churches throughout the world.  We all need to hear his witness, his testimony, because really it is our own as well.  Listen to what Peter says in his 1st letter, chapter 1, verses 3 through 9, from the Modern English Version…

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that does not fade away, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now, if for a little while, you have had to suffer various trials, 7 in order that the genuineness of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tried by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom, having not seen, you love; and in whom, though you do not see Him now, you believe and you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, 9 receiving as the result of your faith the salvation of your souls.

--1 Peter 1:3-9 (MEV)

God has given us a new birth through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!  And that new birth is the basis of our hope, our living hope, because Christ Jesus lives!

And just as Peter noted how David said that the body of the Messiah would not be corrupted, Peter claims that our inheritance through Jesus’ resurrection is also incorruptible and undefiled.  It’s an inheritance kept in heaven for us, protected by God Himself through our faith in our salvation.  Even if we do have to endure trials and tribulations in this life, we can rejoice because of our sure knowledge of what is to come.  And our faith will be strengthened and purified by the fires, to become more precious than gold.  Our faith is witnessed to by the praise and glory and honor we give Jesus, who we love and follow even though we have never seen Him.  We believe in Him without ever seeing His flesh, hearing His voice, or feeling His wounds.  So we can rejoice, with unspeakable joy, full of glory.  For our faith results in the salvation of our souls.

To this, Peter attests.  To this, Peter witnesses.  To our living hope, Peter testifies.  He lived and walked with Jesus for three years and knew Him as his Master and friend.  He saw Jesus beaten and hung on a cross to die.  He saw the tomb where they laid His body, and then he saw that same tomb barren and empty!  He witnessed the risen Jesus, and now shares that testimony to all the world!

Our Savior lives!  This is our hope.  This is our living hope!  Jesus lives!

In the holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Master.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You gave us the chance for rebirth, for new life, by resurrecting Your Son Jesus from the grave.  By our belief and our faith, You promise us resurrection and eternal salvation, too.  We know that even if we have to face trials while we live this life on earth, nothing here and now can compare to the blessing You have in store for us in heaven!  Thank You so much, Father, for fulfilling all Your promises, and for raising our Lord Jesus from the dead.

Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, acknowledging our belief in Your Son Jesus and our acceptance of Him as our Master, rededicating ourselves to His service, promising to repent of our disobedience and sin, seeking Your forgiveness, listening for Your voice…

Lord Jesus, because You still live, we have hope for a brighter tomorrow.  We have assurance of salvation and eternal life with You and our Father God in heaven.  We know that because He raised You from the dead, He will raise us and save us from eternal death, too, because we have that promise through Your great sacrifice.  You are our living hope, Lord Jesus, and we praise Your holy name.  Thank You, Jesus!

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.

The Hour Has Come

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Easter Sunday morning, the 16th of April, 2017, Resurrection Day.  Today’s service included the observance of Holy Communion.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

What we normally refer to as the Lord’s Prayer is actually the model Jesus gave us to pray by.  It’s supposed to be an example we can use to base our own prayers on.  It’s not a prayer our Lord Himself prayed, at least not as recorded in our Bible.

We can find a number of places in scripture where Jesus prayed to our Father God.  But by far, the longest and most complete was saved for us by the Apostle John in his Gospel account.  The time was near the end of Jesus’ ministry, just before He was arrested.  Jesus knew what was coming in the days ahead, and it weighed heavily upon Him.  I’m willing to bet He felt like there was so much more He needed to do.

So He turned to His Father in prayer, completely laying open His heart’s desires.  Listen and follow along to the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 17, and I’ll be reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible…

1 When Jesus spoke these words, He lifted His eyes toward heaven and said:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may also glorify You. 2 As You have given Him authority over all flesh, He will give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.

6 “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that all things You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given them the words which You gave Me. They have received them and certainly know that I came from You, and they have believed that You sent Me. 9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me. For they are Yours. 10 All that are Mine are Yours, and all that are Yours are Mine. And I am glorified in them. 11 I am to be no longer in the world, though these are in the world, for I am coming to You. Holy Father, through Your name keep those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I have kept those whom You have given Me. And none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 “But now I am coming to You, and I say these things in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word. And the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You. May they also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory which You gave Me, that they may be one even as We are one: 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfect in unity, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may see My glory which You have given Me. For You loved Me before the creation of the world.

25 “O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me. 26 I have declared Your name to them, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

--John 17 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, Your Son Jesus prayed to You as the hour approached when His work on this earth would come to a close.  We pray to You now, Father, seeking Your word.  Please let Your Holy Spirit speak into our hearts the message You need us to hear this morning.  And then help us live that message.  In the beloved name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


While a family watched the Easter story on television, the young daughter was deeply moved.  As Jesus was tortured and crucified, tears rolled down her cheeks.  She was absolutely silent until after Jesus had been taken down from the cross and put into the tomb.  Then she suddenly grinned and shouted, “Now comes the good part!”

We first hear about the suffering and death of Jesus.  Then comes the good part!  The tomb is empty!  Jesus is risen from the dead!


On Easter morning we normally revisit the empty tomb and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  Last Sunday morning and evening we cheered as Jesus and His disciples entered Jerusalem, shouting Hosannas with all the people.  On Thursday evening, we joined together with Jesus in commemoration of His last meal on earth, taking of His body and His blood, and we watched as He was arrested and carried away.  Friday at noon we witnessed His great suffering at the hands of those He came to save, His horrible death by crucifixion, and His burial in a borrowed tomb.

And this morning at our Sunrise Service, we stood there at the tomb and looked in, astonished to see it empty!  Death could not keep a grip on the Son of God!  Jesus rose from the dead, walked out of that grave, and lives still!  Jesus lives!  Let the whole earth rejoice!  Alleluia, Amen.


In this story of passion and resurrection, we see both aspects of Jesus - fully man and fully God.  You could say that we watch as the Son of God emerges from the Son of Man.  We can almost feel what Jesus felt - not just the physical pain but also the pain of taking the world’s sins upon Himself.  We see the glory and grace and power of God as He raises His Son from the dead into life everlasting.

But let’s not miss something that helps tie all this together, that gives it a bit more meaning.  Let’s not miss Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to His Father God, asking Him to have mercy on us.


The hour has come.  Jesus knew the end of His time on earth was near.  He also knew there was much work yet to be done, and that soon others would have to carry on His mission.  But notice that first, Jesus asks His Father to glorify Him so that He in turn can glorify His Father.

I wonder…  do we ever ask God to make us glorious so that we can better glorify Him?  We’re supposed to be humble, right – humble servants?  But even in humbleness, when God makes us more glorious, we can turn it around to the glory of God!  This is all Jesus asks: to be made glorious, just as He was in heaven before the world even existed, so He can reflect that glory back onto His Father.

Then we get a little piece of proof of our salvation, that wonderful gift I told the kids about earlier.  Most of this beautiful prayer is devoted to us: those who believe in and follow Jesus, those whom God has given to Him.  Jesus prays for us, even while knowing the suffering He will soon endure on our behalf.  Jesus, God in flesh, prays for us and our eternal souls.

Now understand that He is only praying for believers here, for His followers.  The people who already believe in God belong to God, and those who also believe in Jesus as God’s Son are then given to Jesus to be His own.  These are the ones who follow Jesus, who have been taught God’s word, who do indeed know, by faith, that Jesus was sent from God on high.

Jesus makes it clear in verse 9 that these are the ones our Lord is praying for, and not the world.  He emphasizes that He does not pray for the “world”, which is everyone else, but to those who God gave to Him because of their belief and faith.  Jesus offers this prayer while He is still in the world because those He is praying for are still in the world.

He asks that God watch over us in this world, and that He allow the joy of Jesus to fill us and be fulfilled in us.  How is Jesus’ joy fulfilled in us?  When we share His joy and love with others, all others.

He asks God to sanctify us, to set us aside for His service, to carry on His ministry of love, to spread the Good News He carried to a lost and hopeless world.  Because just as God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus is sending us, His followers, into the world to continue His mission here on earth.  Jesus set Himself apart from the world for our sakes, to show us by example how to serve.


Now all along I’ve been using the words “we” and “us” as the objects of Jesus’ prayer, when it might seem like He is actually just praying for His disciples of that day.  Why do I think He includes us in His selfless prayer, we today who call ourselves Christian?  Because Jesus Himself tells us we are included, right there in verse 20.  He is praying not only for His followers right there at that point in time, but also for all who will come to believe in Him through the words and testimony of those disciples.  And that is how each of us today came to Jesus: through the words of His disciples as recorded in our Holy Bible, just like the passage containing this prayer.

Jesus wants us all to be as one, just as He and God are one.  We are to be the one church, the one body of Jesus Christ left on the earth to continue His work.  And while it may seem we are pretty fractured as a body, with all the different sects and denominations, we all still believe in the true Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.  If not, then we’re not really part of the body.


And then we have the promise, in verse 24, that where Jesus is, there we, His followers, should also be.  Jesus is in heaven now, with God our Father, and this is where He wants us to be when our life on earth is over.  He wants us to all be together – those of us still left on this earth to be together as one, and all of us, including Jesus and God, to be together in heaven when our day comes to go home.  He wants us to be together for all eternity.

There was a part of this prayer I skipped on purpose, just to save it for here – the part where Jesus talks about our eternal life.  God gave us to Jesus, who has authority over all flesh.  Because of our belief and obedience, Jesus will give us the gift of eternal life, which He tells us is simply to know God, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom God has sent to man.

To know God and to know Jesus is more than just having knowledge of Them.  The demons and unclean spirits that Jesus cast out knew Him very well.  No, to know God is to be one with Him.  To know Jesus is to be one with Him.

Eternal life is to be in total and complete communion with them.  Heaven is to always be with God, to never again be apart from Him and His Son Jesus.  For this reason Jesus declared God to us and asked His Father to love us just as much as God loved Him.  So that we may be in Him, and He in us, forever.


In a few minutes we will take part in Holy Communion with our Lord Jesus.  Some day we will be in full communion with Him, but for now we can only observe it as His last meal and His command to remember Him.  We will take of His body, broken for us, and of His blood, shed for us.  We do it to remember Him, to honor Him and the sacrifice He made on our behalf.

The Apostle Paul cautions us to not take Communion in an unworthy manner or with an unrepentant heart.  Otherwise, he warns, we will be just as guilty of the body and the blood of Jesus as those who beat Him and hung Him on the cross.  We must examine ourselves, examine our hearts, to make sure we are right with God.  And we need to do that right now, right here before we receive the sacrament.

In a moment we will confess our sins before God.  We need to truly confess, prayerfully, with full consideration of what we are doing.  We must go past the words and lay our hearts out before God, just as Jesus did in His prayer.  We must take this time of confession to repent of any sin and promise once again to follow and obey Jesus.  Because by taking of the bread and the juice of Communion, we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our Master.

Jesus loved us enough to pray for us.  Let’s show our love in return by honoring His commands.  All in the holy name of our Lord and Master Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, Your only Son, when He walked among us as one of us, loved us so much that He stopped and prayed for us.  He was soon to face unspeakable cruelty at the hands of the very people He came to save, and He knew it.  Yet He asked nothing for Himself, for His own comfort – only that You would watch over us and love us just as You have loved Him since before the creation of the world.  He wanted nothing more than that we all be together, as one.  Glorify us, please Father, so that we can glorify You to the world.

Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, acknowledging our belief in Your Son Jesus and our acceptance of Him as our Master, rededicating ourselves to His service, promising to repent of our disobedience and sin, seeking Your forgiveness, listening for Your voice…

Lord Jesus, You tell us just what eternal life is: being at one with You and God forever and ever.  You asked our Father God to sanctify us by Your truth, to set us apart from the world so that we can go into the world speaking Your truth, that the world may come to believe in You and Your Son that You sent us.  You command us to love one another so that Your love can be shown.  Just as You were sent to share God’s word and grace with a sinful world, You send us out spread the Good News and to make disciples of non-believers so that all might be saved.  Give us the strength and courage to do just that, Lord.  Walk with us as we continue the walk You began so long ago.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.

He Is Here!

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered for our Sunrise Service on Easter morning, the 16th of April, 2017.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Hear the words of the Apostle Matthew, in the 28th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 9…

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

--Matthew 28:1-9 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, this is that wonderful day when You resurrected our Lord Jesus, when You brought Him bodily from the grave so that He could defeat death.  And You and Jesus did it all just for us!  Your Son suffered, and You had to stand by and watch, just so we might enjoy everlasting life in paradise with You both… if we only believe in Him and follow His voice.  We believe, Lord Jesus.  We believe that You are the one true Son of God, and we believe that You rose bodily from the grave.  We are here this morning to celebrate that glorious day.  Bless us Lord, and help us to better serve You and to never falter in our belief and faith.  In Your sweet name, Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.


I know of very few people over the age of 30 who have not experienced the passing of someone close to them, who do not understand the terrible grief of losing someone they loved so much.  It’s a grief that hurts down to the very core of our being and leaves us wondering how in the world we’re going to carry on.  Matthew opens his resurrection account with an expression of this grief.

Jesus of Nazareth was executed on a cross and buried on Friday.  The following day was the Sabbath, the day of rest.  On the third day, the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”, the mother of James the Less and Joses, come to the tomb where their Lord was buried just two days ago.  They’ve come to anoint the body of their Master with oils and spices, to show their respects to their loved One, to grieve their loss.

That last part isn’t all that unusual still today.  We often visit the graves of our departed loved ones.  We go, pay our respects, maybe place some flowers or a small token of our affection, perhaps share a few quiet words, probably shed a tear or two because we  still miss them.

We do this knowing full well that our loved one is not really there.  Even atheists know that nothing is there but the remains of the person that once lived.  We Christians understand that the soul of the person we loved has gone on to heaven.  The only thing left in the grave we stand before is the container that once held that soul.


The Mary’s may have understood this, but they still wanted to be with their Lord one last time, to touch His body, to give Him one last gift.  So they walk up to the tomb and…

What happened here?!?  There must have been an earthquake!  That huge stone they sealed the grave with has been rolled off to the side.  And an angel is sitting on top of it!  He’s as bright as lightning, his clothing as white as snow.  The guards are over there trembling in fear, afraid to even move.  The tomb is open, but where is the body of their Master, Jesus?

The angel calms the Mary’s with the simple command, “Do not be afraid”.  He knows why they are here, of course, but he also has a very important assignment to complete.  “The One you seek is not here.  He is risen.  Come, look in the tomb and see for yourself.”

Then the angel sends the women on their way, instructing them to tell the others this Good News.  For you see, even though Jesus has risen from the grave, He has not yet ascended back into heaven.  He needs to prove that He was resurrected to more than just two women and a couple terrified guards.  He still has over 500 witnesses to appear before, to attest to God’s great power and grace!

But before the women can do as the angel commands get back to the disciples with the news, Jesus appears to them and says “Rejoice!”  And they immediately rush to Him and worship at His feet.


The angel said of Jesus, “He is not here”, meaning in the tomb.  Our Lord conquered death.  His Father, our Father, God resurrected Him from the dead and He walked out of that grave.  He was no longer there, confined to a hole in the ground, bound by death, constrained by earthly ties.

But because of that, He is indeed here!  He is always at our side.  He is here within us.  And because He is still here, we have the chance for salvation if we only believe in Him, repent of our sin, and obey Him as our Master.  In our belief, we have the opportunity to build a better, closer relationship with Him, and to serve Him in ever more meaningful ways.  Because He is still here, He fills the holes in our lives that nothing else can quite fill.

But what about the rest of the world?  What about all those lost souls out there who don’t believe, or won’t believe, or haven’t had the chance to choose to believe because they haven’t yet heard the Good News?  They try to fill their holes with all the things the TV commercials and magazine ads tell them will make them happy and content.  They need Jesus, and they need our help to lead them to that empty tomb so they can look inside.  They need us to witness to the greatest news mankind has ever been told.  And this is what our Master Jesus commands: to love all these enough to go out into the world and spread this Good News that Jesus lives, and to make of them disciples for our Lord.

Jesus lives!  Our Lord is not dead!  He lives even to this day!  And for that, we rejoice!  For that, we worship Him!  Christ the Lord is risen today!  Alleluia!  Amen.

Let us pray…  Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Master…  We stand before Your empty grave, we see the stone rolled away, we hear the angel’s words, and we are in awe, too amazed to believe what our eyes and ears tell us.  And then You speak: Rejoice!”  And all we can think to do is to sing Alleluias and worship you.

You sacrificed all for us, You died for us, You were buried for us.  You bore no sin of Your own so You carried all the sins of the world to the grave and left them there to free us of our sinful ways.  You shed every last drop of Your precious blood just so we might be washed clean when we stand before God at our last.

We praise You, Lord Jesus, and we thank You!  Words alone could never convey just how thankful we are, so we give You our hearts in gratitude.  We give You our lives – take and use them as You will.  In Your glorious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

Father, Forgive Us

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at noon on Good Friday, the 14th of April, 2017.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The Apostle Luke describes that dark day when man showed just how cruel he can be.  Jesus came to mankind to offer the greatest gift of all: salvation from sin and life eternal with God in heaven.  And in return, we taunted Him, we beat Him, we tortured Him, and we nailed Him to a rough cross, there to die a horrible death.

Not once did He ask for mercy.  Not once did He cry out begging to be spared.  Not once did He condemn any man for the terrible actions of that day.  Not once did He call out to His Father God to send an army of angels to rescue Him.

Listen to Luke’s Gospel account from chapter 23, verses 13 through 56, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible...

13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”  17 Now it was necessary for him to release one prisoner to them during the Passover celebration. 

18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 

22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.” 

23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished. 

26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by casting lots. 

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” 

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

44 By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. 

47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was righteous.” 48 And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. 49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. 

50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, 51 but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. 54 This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin. 

55 As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.

--Luke 23:13-56 (NLT)

Betrayal.  First Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve He chose to follow Him and help with His ministry.  And then He was betrayed by the very people He came to offer salvation to.

Just a few days ago, these very Jews had cheered Jesus as He entered the city of Jerusalem.  "Hosanna!”, they shouted.  “Hosanna in the highest!”  And now, at the stirrings of the religious leadership, they cry out to the Roman governor demanding His blood.  “Crucify Him!”, they scream!  And again, even louder, “Crucify Him!”  That quick turnaround and act of betrayal must have hurt Jesus more than even the whips and rods.


Humiliation.  When Jesus was first taken before the high priests, they accused Him of blasphemy and spat on Him, tore His clothes, and beat Him.  He spoke not a word in His defense, so they beat and slapped Him some more.

At the feast of the Passover, by tradition the governor would release one prisoner back to the people.  It was usually someone who had committed a minor crime, or a political prisoner.  Pilate was reluctant to have Jesus executed, so he offered the people a choice between Jesus, in whom he could find no wrong, and Barabbas, a renegade who had incited the people to riot against the Romans and who had in fact murdered others.  The people preferred that Pilate release this hardened criminal rather than Jesus.

To further humiliate our Lord, the Roman soldiers taunted Him, putting fancy clothes on Him, giving Him a “royal” staff to hold, making a crown from thorns and cramming it down on His head, drawing blood.  They mockingly bowed down to Him and addressed Him as King of the Jews.  Then they took off the fancy robe and beat Him time after time with the staff.


Torture.  Among the many beatings Jesus had to endure this brutal day, the worst would have been the flogging Pilate ordered.  A cat-o-nine-tails would have been used.  This is generally a somewhat short whip made from combining many straps of leather, often nine (and hence the name), and tying them onto a short wooden handle.  Then bits of broken pottery and scraps of sharp metal would be tied onto the leather strips.  The result is a near-lethal tool of torture, intended to strip the flesh off its victim, leaving them bleeding and raw.

After the flogging, Jesus was paraded through the streets of the city, His clothes and His flesh in tatters and hanging from His battered and torn body.  They would have forced Jesus to carry His own cross to the hill called Golgotha, but He was too weak from the beatings.  So they grabbed an innocent worker returning from the fields and made him carry it.

They laid the cross down, stretched Jesus out over it, and drove crude iron nails through the flesh of His hands and into the wood.  Through the flesh of His ankles and into the wood.  Then they hoisted the cross upright, pulling our Lord into a painful position of His weight being supported by the nails through His flesh.

Breathing is difficult, hanging by the outstretched arms like that, so crucifixion victims would try to put their weight on their feet, as painful as that would be, so that their lungs could extend and take in air.  But soon their legs would give out and they would slump, again only to be supported by their hands, again to labor just to take in breath.

If the victim did not die fast enough, either from blood loss or suffocation, their legs would be smashed with the hammer and broken so they could no longer support themselves to breathe.  Jesus succumbed before that last act of barbarity became necessary.  And this was to fulfill prophecy that speaks of the Passover sacrifice, as in Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12, and of God’s Servant’s sacrifice in Psalm 34:20, that “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

I know of no form of execution devised by man that is crueler than crucifixion.  Even that last breath, that last shout, would have been sheer torture.


Why?  Like His captors and His tormentors and even His fellow victims on the cross, we wonder why did Jesus go through all this?  He is the Son of God.  He is God!  He could have called down an army of heaven’s host and stopped this madness at any point.  He could have defeated the Romans and all other tyrannies on the face of the earth with one sweep of His hand.  He did not have to suffer!

Yet rather than doing any of this, He quietly stood before the Jewish high priests, before Herod, before Pilate, before His tormentors, before His torturers, before the people He had come to save who turned against Him.  He stood there, He hung there, and took the punishment that we deserve.  He died there on that cross so that we might be spared eternal death and damnation.

And as He died, rather than ask His Father God for vengeance, He instead pleaded for mercy on our behalf.  He begged, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

But now we do know.  We know exactly what we are doing.  We know who and what Jesus is.  We know why He came to us as one of us, we know where He is right now, and we know what He will do at some as yet unknown time in the future.  Now we know, and we have no excuse.

Each time we disobey Him, each time we disobey our Father God, we drive a nail into the hand of our Lord Jesus.  Each time we fail to show His love to another, when we feel hatred or contempt, when we judge or condemn, when we curse someone or lie to them or take something we shouldn’t take…  we drive a nail through Jesus’ flesh.

Father, forgive us!  We still don’t really know just what we are doing.  We still don’t fully get it.

Jesus, the only sinless Man, bore the punishment we deserve for our sins.  He took all our sins right up onto that cross and hung them there for all the world to see.  Then He carried them to the grave, and left them there, so that we might be seen as sinless in the eyes of God.  He shed His blood so that we might be washed clean when we stand before our heavenly Father.  Please don’t let that tremendous sacrifice go to waste!

In a moment we will confess our sins.  It’s a simple reading - easily repeated without much thought.  But I encourage you to truly confess prayerfully.  Go past the words and lay your heart before God.  Take this time to repent of any sin and promise anew to follow only Jesus.  Let us stop driving nails into His hands.

Father, forgive us.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Lord Jesus, we cannot even imagine what You went through that last day of Your mortal life, during what we now call Good Friday.  Even the years leading up to it weren’t all that easy for You.  The Jewish religious leaders were constantly questioning You, trying to trap You in something that they could have You arrested for.  They plotted Your death.

And every step of the way, You knew what was coming, dear Lord.  You knew how each day would end, how Your ministry on earth would come to a close.  You knew exactly how God’s plan would work out.  You knew that You would have to take the crushing weight of the sins of all mankind upon Your shoulders, heft them onto the cross, and carry them to the grave.  You knew that every precious drop of Your blood would be needed to wash us clean of our sin so we could stand presentable before God.  You knew how horribly painful it would all be, especially the pain of our sin, yet You bore it all for our sake.  You bore it all because it was Your and our Father’s will that You do so.  You bore it all on the chance that we might understand, believe in You, repent of our sinful ways and disobedient nature, and follow Your commands.  You bore it all because of God’s love for us, because of Your love for us.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for caring that much about us sinful, mortal beings.  Thank You, Father God, for giving us another chance.  In Your precious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.  Amen.


Let us seek God’s forgiveness by confessing our sin:

Leader: Merciful God, we confess that so often our discipleship has been weak, when we have failed to serve as Jesus served;

People: Father, forgive us.

Leader: When we have failed to love one another as Jesus loves us;

People: Father, forgive us.

Leader: When we have been happy to proclaim our devotion to Jesus with our lips and then denied Him by our actions;

People: Father, forgive us.

All:       Merciful God, empower us by Your Spirit to be steady and true to You in every time of trial; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Leader: Jesus said: "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world", and having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them even to the end.  The good news therefore is this:  In Jesus Christ, we are loved and we are forgiven.

All:         Thanks be to God!

The Lamb of God

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Maundy Thursday evening, the 13th of April, 2017.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The Apostle Mark describes our Lord’s last meal before being hung on the cross, and some of the events that occurred before and after that supper which we will observe in a few minutes.  Listen to Mark’s Gospel account from chapter 14, and I’ll be jumping around a bit starting with verses 1 and 2, then verses 10 and 11, then verses 12 through 26, and ending with verses 43 through 46, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible...

1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. 2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”

13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”

16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”

19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”

20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”

45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

--Mark 14:1-2, 10-11, 12-26, 43-46 (NKJV)

Jesus and His disciples made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Passover.
One of the three principal celebrations of the Jewish people, Passover is considered by many to be the most meaningful and important.  For it commemorates the night when the angel of the Lord swept through the land of Egypt killing the first-born sons of every household that was not marked by the blood of a sacrificed lamb.  The angel passed over the homes of the enslaved Jewish people, taking the sons of Egypt, including the first-born of Pharaoh.

God, through Moses, instituted this remembrance, as noted in the Book of Exodus, chapter 12, from verse 1 through the first part of verse 5…

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.’”

--Exodus 12:1-5 (NKJV)

A lamb without blemish, a first-born male.  God said each household was to take a lamb, or two households could share one if they were too small.  Long before the Exodus, at the very start of the Jewish people, God gave a directive to Abraham.  You know the story of Abraham and Isaac, how God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his own son to show his obedience.  Listen to how Moses recorded part of this event, near the end as father and son walked onto the mountain where Abraham was to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, from the Book of Genesis, chapter 22, verses 6 through 9…

6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

--Genesis 22:6-9 (NKJV)

God will provide for Himself the lamb to be sacrificed.  And in the end of that story, once Abraham has proven his obedience to God and the Lord’s angel stops the sacrifice, Abraham does find the lamb God provides, a ram tangled in the brush, and makes the blood sacrifice, the burnt offering, to God.

The Passover lamb, one without blemish, one that God provides.  The Lamb of God.  The Apostle John records the reaction of John the Baptist upon first laying eyes on Jesus as our Lord approached him at the Jordan River, coming to be baptized.  In the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 1 verse 29, we read…

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

--John 1:29 (NKJV)

And shortly after that, in verses 35 and 36…

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

--John 1:35-36 (NKJV)

Behold!  The Lamb of God!  The Lamb without blemish, without sin.  The Lamb provided by God Himself for sacrifice.  The Lamb whose blood washes us clean of our sin and marks us so that God’s angel of eternal death will pass us by.  And all we have to do is believe in Him, and in believing, obey and follow.

Tonight we will observe the Passover meal our Lord observed during His final days before accepting God’s will on the cross.  We will take the bread and the juice of the vine in observance of that last meal our Lord ate on this earth.  We will take of His body, broken for us, and of His blood, shed for us.

We do it to remember Him, to honor Him and the sacrifice He made on our behalf.  The Apostle Paul cautions us to not take Communion in an unworthy manner, for the wrong reasons, or with an unrepentant heart.  Otherwise, he warns, we will be as guilty of the body and the blood of Jesus just as those who beat Him and hung Him on that cross.

We must examine ourselves, examine our hearts, to make sure we are right with God.  And we need to do that right now, right here before we receive the sacrament.

In a moment we will confess our sins before God.  This is a short and simple reading, easily done without giving it much thought.  But we need to truly confess prayerfully.  We must go past the words and lay our hearts out before God.  We must take this time of confession to repent of any sin and promise anew to follow only Jesus.  Because by taking of the bread and the juice of Communion, we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our Master.  We recognize the bread is His body, broken for us.  And the juice is His blood, spilled for us.

In this act - that we too often do without really thinking about it - we are signing the covenant God made with us through Jesus.  We are agreeing to serve our Lord Christ, to dedicate ourselves to Him, to obey His commands, to love as He loved.

He gave His all to show His love for us.  This beautiful, unblemished Lamb of God.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, You looked down upon us when we were dead and lost in sin.  You saw our state of depravity.  And You knew that only a blood sacrifice could redeem us.  You took pity upon us, Father, poor lost souls that we are, and provided for our sake the perfect Lamb without blemish for that sacrifice – Your own Son Jesus.  Forgive us, Father, for being so disobedient.  Thank You, Father, for offering us a Light in our darkness, a way to salvation, a means to atonement for our sin.

Lord Jesus, You held back nothing.  Just as Isaac did not hesitate to do as his father Abraham commanded, even while being tied down upon the altar of sacrifice, You did not question our Father God or contest His will, even as You were nailed to the cross.  You gave Your all, allowed Your body to be broken, Your blood to be spilled, just so that we might find forgiveness in belief, and in forgiveness, eternal life with You and God in heaven.  Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for making You go through so much suffering and pain.  Thank You for offering us God’s grace.  Help us, please Lord, to always follow and obey You, and to love all others just as You love us so very much.  In Your precious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

Of Darkness and Light

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Palm Sunday morning, the 9th of April.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

One of the dictionary definitions of irony is an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.  It’s when something is almost completely opposite of what it appears to be.

Consider the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the last time.  Crowds gathered and cheered Him on.  They shouted “Hosanna” and threw palm branches and flowers at His feet.  And all the while, Jesus knew full well that in just a few days they would be shouting for His blood.  I believe we can say that the ultimate outcome was quite contrary to what might have been expected at the moment Jesus entered the city.  Of course, there’s more to it than that.

Listen and follow along to the Gospel account of the Apostle John, from chapter 12, verses 12 through 16, 35 through the first part of 36, and 44 through 46, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."

--John 12:12-16, 35-36a, 44-46 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we near that time when we celebrate the resurrection of Your Son, a happy and joyous day!  But that path leads us even closer to the cruel cross on which our Savior was put to death.  The whole world was cast into a greater darkness that day.  But then the light of our Lord shown for all who believe as Jesus rose from the grave!  Let Your Holy Spirit speak directly into our hearts the message You would have us hear this morning.  Help us keep our walk out of the darkness and in the light.  In the beloved name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


It was Palm Sunday, but because of a sore throat, five-year-old Sammy stayed home from church with a babysitter.  When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds.  Sammy asked what the palms were for. "People waved them and held them over Jesus' head as He walked by," his father answered.

"Wouldn't you just know it?", little Sammy complained.  "The one Sunday I don't go, and He shows up."


Since it is Palm Sunday, I had thought about printing Bible verses of the Resurrection on some of the palm fronds.  But then I realized that Deuteronomy 18:10 warns me not to let God's people practice fortune-telling, so reading palms would be against scripture.


I can understand little Sammy’s disappointment.  He’d been going to church all his life and the one day he has to stay home sick, Jesus decides to show up.  It’s a good thing for Sammy, and for us, that Jesus plans to come again someday.

I can’t help but wonder, though, if when He does come back, where will we be?  Will we be among those shouting Hosannas and waving palm branches and praising His holy name?  Or we will be in the group still plotting against Him?

The Apostle John tells us in verse 16 of our reading that even Jesus’ closest followers did not understand all the things that He tried to show them and tell them, not until He was finally glorified and had returned to His Father in heaven.  They probably didn’t even get the significance of Jesus entering the largest city in the nation riding on the back of a donkey.  But Jesus knew that by doing so, He would be fulfilling the words of God as spoken by the prophet Zechariah, as recorded in chapter 9 verse 9 of his book…

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey."

--Zechariah 9:9 (NKJV)

The people did indeed shout and rejoice, and the King came riding in on the colt of a donkey, offering salvation to all mankind, but no one really understood.

We have the huge advantage of seeing how the life of Jesus fully played out, and further, we know how the rest of the story goes.  But do even we truly understand?  Has the lightbulb clicked on over our heads yet?  Are we walking in the light, or still surrounded by darkness?

In verses 35 and 36, Jesus is foretelling His death and return to heaven, but His disciples didn’t really understand.  He’s trying to tell them that they needed to live their lives in the manner He is showing them, while He is still there to show them, because soon He will no longer be around to serve as an example.

As always, He’s painting a word picture to help them see and comprehend.  When we try walking around in the darkness, we can easily get lost, or at the very least bump our shins on the furniture.  If we turn on the lights, we can see and won’t get lost so easily.  The other night, coming back from Emanuel Church, I missed a turn because it was dark.  Fortunately we didn’t get lost, but that is how easy it is to become disoriented in the dark, and that is why we must go forth in the light.

Because by virtue of His words being recorded by John and preserved for us in our Bible, Jesus is trying to tell us the same thing, too!  We need to walk in the light while we still have the light, staying ahead of the darkness, so that we may become sons of light!


Ok, so maybe that last is a little confusing, staying ahead of the darkness and becoming sons of light and all that.  Maybe this whole business of walking in the light leaves us just a bit in the dark, the dark of confusion.

Our message text comes from the 12th chapter of John’s Gospel, but let’s go back and look at how the Apostle opens his account of the life of Jesus.  Listen to the very first five verses of John’s account…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

--John 1:1-5 (NKJV)

We’re very familiar with this passage.  We know Jesus has been with God from the very beginning, from before the beginning since God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit live outside of time itself.  Jesus was with our Father God in the beginning and everything that was made was made through Him.

Then we get to the good part.  In Jesus is life, and His life is the light of men!  Jesus is the light of man that shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend that light.

Now the New King James Version uses the word “comprehend” there, that the darkness did not comprehend the light.  But if we look back to the original texts, another meaning for the word used there can be “overcome”.  Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome Him.


Now that we know what Jesus means regarding the light, what about the darkness?  To put it simply, the darkness is what surrounds this world.  In the very beginning the earth was without form and in total darkness until God called forth the Light.

Ever since the fall of man, the earth has again been shrouded in darkness.  The Apostle Paul tells us who controls the darkness, in chapter 6 verse 12 of his letter to the Ephesians, when he says…

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

--Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

Satan rules the darkness.  Satan cannot overcome Jesus.  No matter how bleak things may seem…  No matter how dark the outlook may appear…  No matter what the devil may be putting us through…  Jesus cannot be overcome.  Jesus will triumph.


And that brings us back to another part of the irony I mentioned at the start.  When all the world was shrouded in darkness, God called forth the Light.  First in Genesis, but then again when He sent Jesus into this world to save us from ourselves.  We were lost in the darkness, and then God sent His Light to show us the way.

When Jesus was executed and laid in the tomb, the world was cast into darkness.  To His disciples, life could not have looked any darker.  They were afraid of what the future held for them.  But then God’s Light again shone forth and Jesus rose from the dead and walked right out of that tomb!

The darkness could not overcome the Light!  Satan cannot overcome our Lord Jesus!  And as long as we are in Jesus and He is in us, then Satan cannot overcome us either!

In the last three verses of our message text this morning, Jesus tells us that all we have to do is believe in Him and He will light our way.  He will be the life within us, the light around us.  By believing in Him we believe in the God who sent Him, who once again calls forth His light to guide our steps.

Jesus is still with us!  He is alive and in heaven and still lighting our way!  Believe in Him, and we will no longer have to walk in darkness.  Believe, and be saved.  All in the holy name of our Lord and Master Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, when nothing existed but the darkness, You called for Light.  Jesus brought light into the world, and into our lives.  Because of Him, we no longer have to stumble around in the darkness.  Because of Him, we no longer have to fear blindly falling into one of Satan’s trap.  Because of Him, the devil and the darkness cannot overcome us.  Thank You Father, for loving us this much, that You would send Your only begotten Son into this world of darkness to bring us light, to show us the way to salvation and life eternal with You in heaven!

Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, acknowledging our belief in Your Son Jesus and our acceptance of Him as our Master, rededicating ourselves to His service, promising to repent of our disobedience and sin, seeking Your forgiveness, listening for Your voice…

Lord Jesus, You walked among us as one of us for such a short time, yet Your presence on earth changed the world forever.  You shone a light in the darkness that still shines brightly today.  Because of You, we need not fear the darkness, because we know it cannot overcome You, and as long as we are in You and You in us, then the darkness cannot overcome us either.  Help us, Lord, to stay in Your light, to walk in the path You laid for us, to live in the manner You showed us.  You are still with us, Lord Jesus.  You still light our way.  Help us, please, to remain in Your light, that we may never again abide in darkness.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.

Denial

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 2nd of April, 2017, the fifth Sunday in Lent.  Today’s service included observance of Holy Communion.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

In 12 days our journey through the Lenten season will finally bring us to the cross on which our Lord was crucified.  Next Sunday we will celebrate along with the people of Jerusalem as Jesus rides triumphantly into that city, seated not upon some mighty steed by rather a humble donkey.  And that Thursday we will come together to revisit His last meal and subsequent arrest.

That night so long ago, Jesus spoke of one who would deny Him in front of others, and of one who would betray Him.  Listen and follow along to the Gospel account of the Apostle Luke, from chapter 22, verses 31 through 34, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

--Luke 22:31-34 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we near that time when we celebrate the resurrection of Your Son, a most joyous day!  But before then, we must walk a darker part of our path that leads past Jesus’ persecution, execution, and burial.  As painful as that surely was for Him, our Lord might have suffered more as one of His closest followers denied Him and another betrayed Him.  Help us, please Father, not cause Him additional pain.  Let Your Holy Spirit speak directly into our hearts the message You would have us hear this morning so that we might better understand Your will over our lives.  In the beloved name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


This is a story you may have heard, but possibly not in this much detail...

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods. "What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!", he said to himself.  As he continued walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes. Turning to look, he saw a 7 foot grizzly charging towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. Looking over his shoulder he saw that the bear was closing in on him. His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear raising his paw to take a swipe at him.  At that instant the atheist cried out: 'Oh my God!...'

Time stopped.  The bear froze.  The forest was silent.  Then a bright light shone down upon the man and a voice came from out of the sky saying:  "You deny My existence for all of these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to a cosmic accident.  Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to now count you as a believer?"

The atheist looked directly into the light.  "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps, could you make the bear a Christian?"  "Very well", said the voice.

The light went out, and the sounds of the forest resumed.  Then the bear lowered his paw, bowed his head and spoke: "Lord, bless this food which I am about to receive and for which I am truly thankful.  Amen."


Some wise person once said, “There are no atheists in foxholes.”, meaning that when the enemy is approaching and the bullets are flying all around, everyone is praying to God, whether they ever did before or not.  I guess the same thing applies to being chased by a grizzly bear.


In that little story, God replies that the atheist had not only denied Him for so many years, he also taught others to deny God.  But at least most atheists are honest in their disbelief.  They deny the existence of any supreme, omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving, all-caring being, not just the one true Almighty God, our heavenly Father.  Too many, I fear, are more dishonest in their belief than the atheist in his disbelief.

Author Brennan Manning once said:  "Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat out denial of the gospel of grace."  Wow!  We acknowledge God and His Son Jesus, yet we continue with our petty ways, all the while trying to fix ourselves rather than rely on God’s mercy and grace.  That “gospel of grace” that Manning says we deny is in fact the very grace our heavenly Father showers on us when we accept Jesus as His Son and our Lord.  Jesus is that gospel of grace, the good news so important to all mankind!

But we deny our denial.  Like Peter, we swear we’ll follow Jesus no matter what, but when our personal safety or possessions or life is on the line, or even just our personal convenience, we quickly deny Jesus as our Lord, doing what we want rather than what He commands.  Peter was shocked when he realized after the fact that he had indeed denied Jesus before his fellow man, just as Jesus told him he would.  Would we be shocked to find out maybe we deny Him sometimes, too?

How do we deny Jesus?  When we ignore His commands, when we don’t obey Him as our Master, when we just do part of the Christian walk rather than stay the course every minute of every day, we deny His authority over us.  When we don’t love everyone the same way we love ourselves and our own family.  When we expect to be served, rather than to serve.  When we don’t go out into the world spreading the Gospel, we deny Jesus as our Lord.

This last is most easily done when we give our own testimony, when we witness for Jesus, when we confess Him before our fellow man.  There is a huge benefit to doing this.  In the 10th chapter, verses 32 and 33 of his Gospel account, the Apostle Matthew records Jesus saying…

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

--Matthew 10:32-33 (NKJV)

Do we really want to take a chance on being denied by Jesus when our time comes to stand before God?  Jesus warns of that time when we will be judged, when we will seek His advocacy.  Looking again at Luke’s Gospel account, chapter 13, verses 25 through 27, Jesus paints a picture of that time in a parable…

25 “When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’”

--Luke 13:25-27 (NKJV)

Our Lord more forcefully and clearly states this as recorded by Matthew in chapter 7 of his Gospel account, verses 21 through 23…

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

--Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

The very last thing I would want to hear Jesus say is, “Depart from Me; I never knew you.”  And we really have no excuse for even the little denials of Jesus as Lord.  We know who Jesus is, we say we believe in Him, we go by His name and call ourselves Christian.  But do we live that way?

The Apostle John, in his first letter to the far-flung church, chapter 2, verses 21 through 24, gives fair warning…

21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

--1 John 2:21-24 (NKJV)

We talk about the Antichrist with a capital “A”, but John warns that any of us could be an antichrist if we deny that Jesus is the Christ.  And remember, even though we may say all the right words, how we live can be a denial of Jesus as Lord.  But if we abide in Him, if we live for Him, He will abide in us as will our Father God.


In just a few moments, we will come to our Lord’s table to share in His last meal on earth.  At the start of this message, I said that one of Jesus’ closest followers denied Him and one betrayed Him.  We looked at how Peter denied Jesus even after declaring he would never do such a thing.  And we have to take a look at ourselves to make sure we aren’t denying Christ in our acts and how we live.

Jesus foretold Peter’s denials while they dined at that last meal.  But also seated at the table that night was the one who would soon betray our Lord.  Let’s go back to Luke’s account of that evening, in chapter 22 of his Gospel account, to verses 19 through 21.  Some of these words will be familiar, but the last verse may not be…

19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.”

--Luke 22:19-21 (NKJV)

His closest friends, His chosen followers, hand-picked to share in His ministry, all gathered together for a meal to celebrate the Passover.  One of these would deny Him in front of his fellow man.  One would betray Him, leading to His arrest, beating, and execution.

As we approach the table, let us each examine ourselves to make sure we are not a betrayer, not a denier of our Lord Jesus Christ.  If we see in our mirror a reflection of denial or betrayal, let us repent and set ourselves aright upon the straight and narrow way.

Let us confess Jesus before the world rather than deny Him.  Let us serve alongside Him rather than betray Him.  Let us come to His table with repentant hearts, recommitted to serving Him and those He loves.  All in the blessed name of our Lord and Master Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your only Son to mankind to offer us salvation.  Yet some of the ones He came to save instead denied Him, betrayed Him.  Sadly, some of us today still deny Him, even when our words say otherwise.  We deny Him by our actions and how we live each day, not just on Sundays.  We betray Him by not fully accepting Him as Master, by disobeying His commands, by ignoring His voice.  Forgive us, please Father.  Help us be more obedient to Your will and to Jesus.

Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, acknowledging our belief in Your Son Jesus and our acceptance of Him as our Master, rededicating ourselves to His service, promising to repent of our disobedience and sin, seeking Your forgiveness, listening for Your voice…

Lord Jesus, You came to save us.  You knew all along the sacrifice that would be required of You, yet You came anyway.  You came on our behalf out of our Father’s love, and we deny You, we betray You.  Forgive us, Lord.  We don’t really mean to.  We just get all caught up in the world and our daily lives and we fail to live as You would have us live, to love as You would have us love.  Lord, as we come to Your table, to join in Your last meal so that we always remember Your sacrifice, may we not be counted among those who deny or betray you, but as among Your servants, doing Your will on this earth.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.