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Life is surrounding us everywhere, from the flowers and trees in full bloom to the promise of eternal life present in the Easter season. This is the highest “Holy Day” for us in the church; it is the day that validates our belief, vindicates our past and gives us victory in the future. While every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection, this special “Resurrection Sunday” calls us back to the promise of life and fills us with hope.

What a great day to share life with those we love! Part of the reason we are going to the Capitol is because our little auditorium just can’t contain the celebration. We need a big space to gather as one family under one Lord. We need a great big meeting hall to fill with our friends and family. We are celebrating the way of life for everyone, the party should be big!

That said, I dare say that there aren’t even enough of us in the church to adequately celebrate Easter. We need you to go out and gather those standing at the highways, byways and water coolers. Let me share with you an excerpt from Luke 14:16-24 in The Message:

“There was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’

Then they all began to beg off, one after another, making excuses.

And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’

The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’

The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.’

The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full!’”

God wants a big party to celebrate his son’s resurrection, let’s not disappoint him! Let’s fill the Capitol on Easter with people who know God and who are searching for God. What a great opportunity for you to invite those who don’t go to church, for Easter they still won’t have to go to church! The church is coming to them for a giant celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I’ll see you there!

For those of you on Facebook we have created an event page for you to easily share an invitation to this event.  Click here for the church’s Facebook page and a link to the event.

1. God’s timing and reality cause questions. (17-22)

• It seems that sometimes there is a collision at the intersection of faith and reality.  The things we expect and pray for sometimes don’t match up with reality.
  • God’s timing is not our timing and his reasons are not our reasons.  God’s design is not our design and his allowance of sin and death do not always lend themselves to joy.
  • Martha questions Jesus’ timing, “If you had been here…” in other words, “Where were you God?”   How often do we pray this prayer?
• Part of Martha’s faith died along with Lazarus and if you’ve ever experienced loss you know this is true.  Whether it’s death, illness or a relationship that fails – any of these can cause a true faith crisis.

2. We give up on seeking truth and are too easily satisfied with easy answers.  (23-24)

• We give up on God’s power to accept easy answers.  I think the reason for this is that it’s much easier to accept the standard and normal answers – even if they’re not the best.
• We are too often like Martha, easily satisfied with the same old one-liners that don’t work.  If they seem empty to you it’s because they are.
  • Martha doesn’t seem to want to dare to hope, to dare to have faith for fear of experiencing more brokenness.
  • She’s attempting to defend herself like us from yet one more hope that is dashed.
• We need to be more like Jacob, wrestling with God in order to understand his truth and receive his blessing. (Genesis 32:22ff)
• If we don’t then it’s here at this point, where we become very dead spiritually.
  • Because our religion is no longer based on the bold pursuit of love and truth but on religious catchphrases.
  • We substitute faith for apathy and justify it because it makes “sense” and keeps us from getting hurt.

3. Jesus calls us to deeper questions and bolder faith. (25-26)

• In the midst of trial Jesus challenge to Martha is “Don’t just believe in the resurrection to come, but the resurrection standing before you now.”  And that is his challenge to us, don’t wait for me to work and resurrect your deadness until you’re buried – ask me for resurrection power now!
• What does this look like?  It’s the person who’s faith survives, the Psalmist who cries out, “God where are you.  It’s even shown by Jesus on his darkest of all days, when he cries out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me.”
• Sometimes we cause our trials, sometimes the fallen world and our fallen condition cause trials, and sometimes God causes our trials.  Regardless of the cause God gives us the strength to continue, if we’ll keep pressing on towards deeper meaning and life.  Through faith in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
• I  don’t know about you but I don’t want to wait until I’m dead to see God’s power.  I want to see his resurrection power now!  I want to be so filled with resurrection power like Elisha who resurrected someone from the dead after their body was thrown on his bones!  (2 Kings 13:21)

4. Faith in Christ, not his plan, is enough to bring his action and power. (27)

• But where does it start?  Sometimes the future seems so uncertain, how do you have faith that everything will be alright?  You don’t.  I don’t.  We don’t have too.
  • Did you notice that she did not answer Jesus’ question?  Jesus asked about the resurrection, she told him about the Messiah!
  • We don’t have to know the details just have faith in Christ.
• Christ says, “Follow me.”  Not follow my map or do you like where we’re going.  He didn’t tell us where, only that he was going somewhere and he thought we would enjoy it.
  • Last week we looked at Jesus the Good Shepherd.  We see there great reasons to believe in him, because of his sacrifice, his familiarity, his unity and his eternity.
  • We don’t have to know the answers, just trust in Christ.  We don’t have to know his plan, we just have to know him.
• When we do have faith in Christ amazing things happen. (John 11:38-44)
  • I wrestled with this passage until I went back to Christ’s words.  What I thought he said was, “I am the repairman of life.”  But, he didn’t say that, he said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
  • Mary thought that Jesus wanted to repair the pain and resurrect his life in eternity.
• The problem is that we thought Jesus was a mortician.  But, he doesn’t want to put a pretty face on death – he came to destroy it!  He didn’t want to comb out Lazarus’ hair for a viewing.  He wants to give him new life.
  • Jesus didn’t come to repair he came to resurrect!  He wants to bring back the parts of you that are dead!
  • He wants to give you a new life!  New marriage!  New parents! New children!  New health!  New righteousness!
• There is no deadness beyond the resurrection power of Christ – because dead is dead.   If you want life, Christ wants to give you new life!

And it’s here in the very deadness of Lazarus that Jesus is shown to be powerful and relevant.  In our very worst of times Jesus is at his very best.  If you’ve experienced loss you know that some part of you feels very dead.  But a powerful resurrection life is unstoppable!

Back in 2007 the NFL started to threaten churches with legal action over Super Bowl parties (click here to read one pastors’ story) this continued through 2008 until finally congress and US citizens everywhere protested. This year the NFL has officially blessed churches showing the “big game” on any size screen. This means that Christian men will finally be able to return to their places of worship for this most holy of days. They will be able to celebrate with gluttony and revelry in the church (much like a potluck).  They will gather together singing praise (led by Hank Williams Jr.). They will passionately pray condemnation on the officials and opposing team (much like a sermon I heard once). Finally, when the decision time comes they will respond with lifted hands or repent with bowed heads (most church services don’t close with that much emotion). So, with every head up and every eye open let the services begin!

In all seriousness, this is fantastic.  One U.S. senator made a great observation saying, “In a time when our country is divided by war and anxious about a fluctuating economy, these types of events give people a reason to come together in the spirit of camaraderie (See Christian Post article here).”  Amen!  I just wish we had that kind of spirit every Sunday.

Ice storms and freezing rain may be dangerous, but it sure is pretty.  Here are some pictures of the ice storm last night that I took this morning from our yard.  This should be pretty educational for my California readership who has never seen freezing rain…

A Bush Dripping Ice After The Freezing Rain

Freezing Rain Ices The Lawn

A Close Up...Every Blade Of Grass In Ice

A Tree In Ice