March 29 2015 Palm Sunday and Youth Sunday - Give It UP - Guest Room

March 29 2015  Give It Up – the Guest Room” Mark 11.8-11, 14.13-16 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

The bible makes a BIG deal about hospitality. We all know how a warm welcome and tasty treats makes us feel good. Sharing pleasantries and feeling accepted for who we are is God’s way of building all of us up to be better together than we are alone. The bible makes a VERY BIG deal about hospitality. [slide # 1 umbrella]

Jesus knows well how delightful it is to be welcomed, to have others roll out the red carpet, to be received with glad smiles and open arms. Jesus knows. On Palm Sunday a crowd cheered him as he rode into the city. It was a holy parade, an awe inspiring and happy moment. It was exciting and God was pleased! [slide # 2 yellow welcome ]

Lord knows if you are going to measure up to God’s high standards for welcoming – even strangers – you need a whole lot of wisdom and discernment. This is exactly what Jesus had when he sent two of his disciples on an errand in verse 13:

13So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” 15He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ [ slide #3 verses 13-15 ]

Jesus had all the wisdom and discernment to direct God’s people on how to prepare for a gathering. He knew who to ask, what to ask, where to ask, and when to ask in order to get the preparations in order. [slide #4 key ] Like Jesus we are using that same wisdom and discernment in constantly making preparations. We too want to celebrate God’s blessings of deliverance and provision. That is why we gather together at the communion table and why we share testimonies. We too want to eat good spiritual food and prepare a feast for those who hunger for God. That is why we study, pray, and serve in missions together.

We gather, not simply as children of the most high God on an ordinary day, but we gather in a guest room because the occasion of being together is special, because we are special and our experience is special and always extraordinary. We gather so that we can nurture one another and support one another. Gathering is how we grow strong in the Lord, strong enough to stand in the day of testing, strong enough to stay so united that our enemies will find no loopholes in our covenant with one another. [ slide #5 loopholes]

It is our joy to gather. God intends that we have joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It is also our need to gather. We need to be in the presence of God in order to grow and mature as disciples. We need the wisdom that we glean while mingling, serving, and worshipping with others who have the Holy Spirit living in them and around them. We need to be together at the same table, not only for those who already have faith, but for those who are ready to confess their faith for the first time.

Every year churches are asked to report the bottom line of their ministry. We are asked to tell how we have prepared a blessing for those who are hungry and homeless. We are asked to show how we have prepared a place in our heart for those who are new converts, people who come to the table from no religious background, a non-Christian background or no official church home.

We are asked whom we are inviting to this table. We welcome others for fellowship with us in the Holy Spirit. We welcome them for power to do good deeds in a world filled with evil.

One church with a budget of $1.6 million began to seek God for new priorities in their missions. They thought they needed God’s guidance because after an entire year, they thought they wanted to launch out into deep waters and seek God’s guidance to broaden their pool of invitations, to see who God was calling them to invite.

Youth Sunday is our reminder that it is good to prepare a special space for those who are young.  We have reserved space for them to be themselves and share what God is doing in their lives. We are blessed beyond measure to worship with so many youth. God is pleased.

May the Holy Spirit put in each of our hearts the names and faces of others who are ready for our invitation to the place that we, by the grace of God, are preparing for them, a place where they can find rest for their souls [slide #6 resting with God] and a feast for every place they hunger. [slide #7 bowls  ]  May it be so today. Amen. [slide # 8 resting in grass ]

March 22 2015 Give It Up - FORGIVE

March 22 2015 “Give It Up – Forgive” Jeremiah 31.31-34 Jacqueline Hines

Kyle, a college student, pale and bald from chemo treatments, was rolling his mother in her wheel chair in a movie theater. When they reached the wheel chair row, [slide #1 wheel chair] he grabbed the rail and struggled to pull himself up one step to the seat. There was a lady sprawled in the aisle seat in front of him. Kyle said, “Excuse me, would you mind moving down one?   

She hiked her feet up on the railing and barely gave him a glance. “This is my seat,” she said.

“My mom’s in a wheelchair. And my brother and grandma are coming. I’d like to sit behind them, but I can’t climb over you.”

“Not moving,” she said, turning her back, without even offering to step into the aisle so he could get to the empty seat beside her. “No.” She crossed her arms and looked him right in the face.

Resisting the temptation to act like the demon possessed star in the movie The Exorcist, the family did wonder if they had ever been so cruel as this woman was to them.

*They had been taught to “be kind all the time, no matter what. Turn your empathy on high. Look around for others who are hurting and go out of your way to make a small difference in their day. We have no idea what someone else is dealing with, they thought. And we have to encourage each other and stick together.” They were careful never to share words that had an R-rating. This family has mastered the art of forgiveness.

Yale Professor and Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf [slide # 2 photo of Miroslav Volf] in his book Free of Charge – giving and forgiving in a culture stripped of Grace, says that there are three types of persons in this world: takers, getters, and givers. The takers take what they want illicitly and immorally. The getters are out to get all they are supposed to get, fairly, morally. The givers identify and condemn injustice and demand what is due them, but they don’t let what is owed them stop them from giving.

More than anything, God is a giver, says Volf. Everything we have comes from God. If we believe that - we are demonstrating our faith, and if we have faith, we will be grateful, and if we are grateful we will make ourselves available to be a blessing, and if we make ourselves available, we will participate with God’s people - the Church, and if we participate, we will give freely as God gives - including giving forgiveness.

We forgive because we are in a delightful covenant that God described to the prophet Jeremiah: [slide #3 Jeremiah]

33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the LORD’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. [ slide # 4 for I will forgive…]

We can forgive because forgiveness is one of the gifts [ slide #5 gift ] we have received from God. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. [slide #6 all have sinned] We have forgiveness and we are to give it to others as freely as God gives it to us. God does not just give; God gives liberally.  [ slide #7 showers of blessings]

Being extremely poor and severely afflicted has no ultimate power to keep us from being givers like God; being wealthy does not make us great givers. Being in God’s presence [slide #8 man in sunshine ] transforms us and frees us to give like God gives. [slide # 9 children giving]

God’s good gifts can be threatened with ruin when we are exposed to a lot of spiritual pollution. For example, there are video games [ slide # 10 video store] that encourage players to be vengeful, ruthless, shoot or kill anyone, steal anything, enjoy anything and anybody anyway you want, whenever you want. These actions cause a lot of damage and hurt feelings, but forgiving generously is not a part of the world’s game plan. [ slide # 11 map]

God moves by a whole different set of rules. One of the biggest rules is to forgive. [ slide # 12 forgiveness ] By asking us to forgive, God is not asking us to pretend that an injustice has not been done to us. In fact, we need to identify and name any evil. When God asks us to forgive, God reminds us that we must condemn sin, but God is the avenger, and we are not.  

The innumerable inhumane acts referenced in world history and today’s news are unspeakably horrible… [slide # 13 tear ] Forgiving can be excruciatingly painful and difficult. Deep wounds require deep healing. [ slide # 14 God heals] But, forgiving heals the body of Christ because it purges us of the resentment and bitterness that poison our lives and threaten to turn our church into a country club and make our ministry irrelevant. Forgiveness helps to mend broken relationships. Who wants to be broken when we can be healed? [ slide # 15 forgiveness heals]

Forgiving is not forgetting. The pain and memory of our injuries may last for more than one generation, [slide #16 generation] even though the resentment and bitterness are long gone. [slide # 17 when you forgive…]

The quality of our church reflects the quality of our relationships. [slide # 18 healthy relationships] Healthy relationships make for a healthy church. Who does not want a healthy church? Let today be the day we take the next step toward God’s presence that helps us forgive. [slide # 19 green bud] 

After all, God forgives all our slime and grime. What a gift! Let’s share it! [slide # 20 if you really… ]  Amen.

*Lori Freeland.  lafreeland.com.

March 15 2015 Give It Up Darkness

March 15 2015 “Give It Up – Darkness” John 3.14-21 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

We begin the conversation with John talking about snakes. Snakes get mixed reviews. On one hand, the skins they shed make lovely handbags and shoes. On the other hand, snakes bring to mind the spirit that deceived Eve, enticing Adam to eat forbidden fruit.  Usually, snakes provoke fear and disgust. There are poisonous snakes and snakes that kill. [ slide # 1 brown snake ]  There are also snakes that are cute, colorful, and harmless. [ slide #2 green snake ]. Snakes are often portrayed as a symbol in the medical profession [ slide #3 medical symbol].

If the truth be told, we feel ambivalent about snakes. Even as the best medicine cures, it may have unpleasant and deadly side effects. So, we may hesitate to avail ourselves of the cure for concern about the side effects. We may hesitate to approach a snake because we are unsure of the possible outcomes. We may be hesitant to approach Jesus for the same reason.

John quotes Jesus in chapter 3 of this morning’s lesson as saying, “14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent (the snake)[ slide # 4 snake on pole with crowd  ] in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” [slide #5  verse 14And just as Moses……may have eternal life.”]

Moses raised the serpent, lifting it high so all could see it in the wilderness [stick prompt from closet] because God told him to do so. They needed to clearly see the bittersweet realities of the journey ahead. They were trained to have faith, give thanks, and praise God every step of the way. Free from slavery, on their way to the Promised Land, they were happy, but they still found things to cry and complain about. You would think they would be grateful for deliverance, ecstatically dancing for joy. But we all know, it is easy to be negative.

In order to give God the praise and honor that is due God we have to have help from the inside. Like the sails on a sailboat, we are whipped around by tough winds. Sails withstand because they have weights that keep them keep them on course. [ slide #6 sails  ] Praying and meditating, and worshiping and fellowshipping really are weighty enough   [slide #7 weight ]  to keep us moving along in our journey, in spite of how the world blows them off.

God’s people complained because they thought it would do some good, at least bring some relief. They were deceived. Complaining and negativity only came back to bite them like a poisonous snake. It weakened them. Do not scriptures teach us that the joy of the Lord is our strength? [ slide #8 joy]  Looking up and giving thanks would save them and bless them to prosper.

So when they lifted up the snake in the wilderness, they could keep their negativity, but by looking up they could never miss seeing God. [ slide #9 looking up] It seemed silly of God to direct the traumatized children to lift up a snake, but when we try it, we know if works. No matter what we are going through, if we dare to look up, we always see God and our hearts are always stirred to gratitude [ slide #10 gratitude ] and we see rainbows [ slide #11 rainbow ] and silver linings [ slide #12 cloud]. We see the shooting stars and the guiding lights [ slide #13 light house ] we so desperately need.

On our way to any of God’s promises to us, the journey may have a few rough patches. We may complain and get a little negative. But, just as Moses lifted up the serpent (the snake) in the wilderness, so we must lift up Jesus. The Son of Man is to be lifted up, 15that we might believe in him and have eternal life – that is life that is as wide as the heavens and as deep as the ocean.”

And if we lift him up, as the songwriter echoes, “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.” Do we all not long to be drawn and driven by such a great and awesome love? It is time to look up to the one who has been lifted up.

If we have issues in our bodies, it is time to look up. If we have financial worries, it is time to look up. If one of our relationships is in a tangled mess, it is time to look up. If our fears and anxieties are getting the best of us, it is time to look up. Snakes may surface, but if we look up, we will see what we need to see in order to make it to the Promised Land. We will see the cross as well as the crown.

A church that looks up sees the light. A church that looks up finds the poor and needy in our homes, our hearts, and neighborhoods that God is crying out for us to see. A church that looks up finds the mission to which God is guiding them. A church that looks up finds solutions for scary problems that seem impossible. A church that looks up finds people who need the Lord and want to serve with us. A church that looks up constructs a handi-capable restroom, drives miles, talks for hours, and bakes cookies for shut ins a Compassionate Care Team. A church that looks up loves and cherishes God’s people, even sacrifices life, and limb, and kidneys, and hundreds and thousands of dollars, and endless hours in the classroom, the board room, the conference room - all at the impulse of God’s love. We love because he first loved us.

Have you ever walked into a room and saw someone looking up at the ceiling? Naturally, we look up so we can see what they see. [ slide #14 man looking up ] That is the best reason of all for all of us to keep looking up. For, there are others who have yet to see the light and the love that we have seen. That person may be a neighbor, a coworker, a relative. They may not know anything about the church we have grown to love and appreciate. But, as we look up they too will look up and find a church where members are united, forgiven, blessed, and talking and walking in a love that the world cannot duplicate because it does not live by the power of the Holy Spirit like we do. As we look up, they will be stirred to gratitude as they see the rainbows and silver linings and shooting stars and guiding lights.[slide # 15 lighthouse ]

For God’s sake and for those who need a savior, let us look up today.       [ slide #16 looking up  ]Amen.

March 8 2015 Give It Up - Destruction

March 8, 2015 “Give It Up – Destruction” John 2.13-22 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Jesus turned the tables over in the Temple. [ slide #1 tables turned ]There he was again, disturbing the peace. Has Jesus ever disturbed your peace? If so, take heart. The whole purpose is to bring you greater peace. [ slide #2 peace ] Doing God’s will brings great peace and a clear conscience.

All four gospels include the story of Jesus turning over tables and shouting for the sellers and buyers to get out of the Temple. His reason - it could no longer be identified as a house of prayer [ slide #3 people in prayer ] for all nations as God intended.

Jesus did this during Passover when worshippers came from all corners of the world. They came to celebrate of God’s deliverance for allowing the angel of death to pass over their homes. Like the pope coming to Philadelphia, every hotel and business looked forward to an increase in sales during Passover. And of course, they had to exchange foreign money as needed.

What a beautiful sight that must have been though, each worshipper wearing clothing made with designs and fabric from their world. Backpacks filled with exotic snacks eaten as they hummed melodies from regions we have seen only in pictures. Each heart encompassed stories of how God worked wonders in their villages that were just as awesome as those in cultures far, far away. Though big and burly, some soldiers, some farmers, they humbled themselves, obeyed God’s mandate to gather, remembering God’s blessings at Passover. 

It does something marvelous for the soul to pray together in unity with others,      [ slide #4 plug prayer] for we are all the same even when we are different. Gathering together in one house of God for one purpose takes us to higher heights and deeper depths of God’s love and human harmony.  A diversity of people with one mind and one prayer gives strength with which we can do what otherwise seems impossible. It is no wonder that Jesus wanted to push the issue and passionately remind everybody that God’s was a house of prayer for all nations, but it had become a den for thieves. They had not only stolen by hijacking the poor and needy, they had bankrupted the magic, majesty, and miracles that God had lovingly given.

God was not pleased and everybody knew it. Some wanted proof that Jesus had the right to confront them. They said, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” For making a whip of cords, driving  both the sheep and the cattle out of the temple, for pouring out the coins of the money-changers and overturning their tables, for telling those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’  What sign can you show us for doing this? Where are your credentials, your prophetic authority, your impressive remarks and powerful deeds that prove you are high and mighty, that prove you are sent by God?

The only answer Jesus had for them was beyond their comprehension. He said, “In three days I will raise up the Temple that you destroy. “ At first they thought he was talking about tearing down the beautiful temple that had taken 46 years to build. [ slide #5 Temple  ] The Temple was 35 acres, the size of 24 football fields, and one of the largest constructions in the First Century. We can picture the double colonnades of[ slide #6 columns  ] the  temple fortified with stone walls with three gates on each side –[ slide #7  gate  ]. In total there were 12 gates whose names through the years, like streets and avenues, represented their function, history and activity [ slide #8 people socializing at the gate  ]: the horse gate, lion gate, sheep gate, garbage gate, flower gate, valley gate, tanner’s gate, golden gate, (which Jesus is said to have entered on Palm Sunday) and the Eastern gate that led worshippers to the sanctuary - for everyone knows God enters our lives from the East, which is on the right. [ slide #9 candle ]

One scholar* notes that the Greek word for Temple in this text does not refer to the whole 35 acres of the temple, but just the sanctuary, which is also symbolized as the body of Christ, the Church, and all us members united for the cause of Christ. The temple was like a tiny town. It would serve no purpose to eliminate all socialization and sales.

One day when I was a substitute high school teacher, a gang of hoodlums came to the room and began to throw dice for serious money. When I told them to stop, they defied me because they viewed me as having no authority. They attempted to turn a place of learning into a place for illegal activity.  

Jesus gave them a sign that was over their heads. He said, if you “Destroy this Temple,  “I will raise it in three days.” The thought of destroying that lofty Temple, was so ridiculous. The idea that what they built was indestructible was inconceivable. But, Jesus, the son of God, they could destroy at the blink of an eye, [slide # 10 Jesus on the cross  ] for he was of far, far less value than anything they were interested in.

Those worth less are always with us, so there is bound to be at least one poor soul on a list of people for whom others could not care less. Lent is a time to ask ourselves – who’s on my list? Lent is our time to let God examine the quality of our connections and our disconnections.

We do not want to be a part of destroying God’s great plans for us by turning God’s house into – a marketplace - an “emporion” [ slide # 11 Greek - emporion ], a place where worldly empires are being built and spiritual values are being destroyed. We want to be fully aware of all the ways the devil is trying to sell us a bill of goods.

Years ago, during a season of prayer, I found myself flooded with moments of great discernment. Many wondrous things happened. One day, I began to focus on a certain drawer in the corner of the living room.  I could not get my mind off of the drawer, so I finally looked in, wondering if God were trying to get my attention or did I just need more rest. I found an old piece of paper with a joke and some foul words on it. It did not please God, and I knew it had to go.

For, is not our house, God’s house? [ slide #12 table ] Amen.

 +++

 http://www.orlutheran.com/html/bscleans.html

Give It Up - Life

March 1 “Give It Up  – Life” Mark 8.31-38 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Our faith is all about life, not only life, but as Jesus says : “abundant life. Jesus said, “ I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” If we ‘seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, all we need will be ours.’    "Give, and it will be given to you, scriptures tell us, and it will be poured into our lap a good measure --pressed down, [#1 cup of flour]--shaken together, and running over [#2 overflowing cup].

Our faith is all about life, full life, wonderful life, beautiful life, vibrant life. That is what we aim for. That is what pleases God: life. It is God’s will that we have life.

We do know that life does include some trying and even bitter moments that are not a part of the life in which God ultimately calls us to enjoy and participate. Even though death and destruction come our way, God’s plan and God’s purpose for all of us is still abundant life. [#3 water flowing in hands]

When evil and destruction came as it did for Jesus, his goal was life. All his efforts were toward bringing life. He even died to bring life. He sacrificed for the sake of life. He faced the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and would not turn back until it was time. He gave his all for life. [#4 Cross]

Without our dedication to a Godly life, we risk death when God plans life. Just think about what happens to the lives of those who do not fight Isis. Isis takes over. [# 5 Isis soldiers] You have heard the news of three British high school teenagers who ran away from home to join Isis. They may be trying to join their girlfriend who left weeks earlier. Experts suggest that the need for jobs and a sense of purpose drives youth to run to gangs such as Isis. Whatever happens, we know God is stronger than Isis!

Life is serious business! The price of being indifferent, nonchalant, or fearful is very, very high. A youth named *Hallad ran away from home and joined the Isis child army when he was fifteen years old because he did not feel protected by his own government. His neighborhood was violently attacked. Hallad felt loyal to Isis when they provided much needed food and medicine. Hallad saw propaganda videos of children learning to shoot guns. Isis taught him to love Isis and hate their enemies, instead of love your enemies like Jesus taught. Then they put him in combat.

When young Hallad was shot, he was traumatized and escaped the Isis army. He now lives in hiding in a cheap hotel in Turkey. He began to tell a news reporter of the day his mother finally found him. “What did your mother say to you?” the reporter asked. “She told me to take care of myself.” Hallad began to cry and did not finish his story. We can only imagine the sad ending.

Sad endings are not part of the life we want for our children, nor is it what God intends. As Christians, we know that God intends the Kingdom life – joy, peace, and right living in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Whoever we are, when we keep our eyes on God, we find that kin-dom life and that life finds us.

At times, Christians come to me and share that they are no longer Christians because someone in the church has upset them,[# 6 upset child] made them cry, made them angry, wounded their heart, or broke their spirit. They came to the point where they just could not take anymore. It became “too much” and they chose to let go. It was more than they could manage emotionally and spiritually so they disengaged

We need to know that the Lord has an army to help us fight what terrorizes us, so we do not have to live in fear and disappointment. [# 7 soldier at the cross]The Lord gives the body of Christ weapons [# 8 weapon bible] that can defeat the enemy wherever the enemy seeks to take the life God has given us. If we give the enemy a foothold, the fight may take more than one generation.

Today, we need a church where the army of the Lord is just like the United States Army. They may not always be visible, but they are always present. The army of the Lord is training and being deployed constantly. If you are a soldier in the army of the Lord, you have taken an oath and taken up the cross and you are willing to sacrifice all for the sake of protecting life. If you are a worshipper, you may very well be part of the army of the Lord, around the world, protecting precious children through your prayers and defending spiritual communities with good deeds. You have spiritual authority to arrest demons and carry out peace-keeping missions. You have what it takes to respond to a crisis. You have looked with kindness in the faces of those who suffer.

In our text from the gospel of Mark today, Jesus says that as the son of man – emphasizing his humanity though he was clearly divine –  he “must undergo great suffering.” Like Jesus, sometimes we know we are headed for a season of suffering. Like Jesus, we are aware when trouble is on the horizon. It may be for a day or a lifetime. We know, and we are ready. Like Jesus, our death may not at all be a surprise to us. Whether our death is a death by a cross, a creep, or a crisis, we know and we are ready.

Jesus’ right hand man, Peter, was trying to keep Jesus alive, eliminating all suffering and struggle. Peter, like most of us, was trying to hold on to life as he knew it. He wanted an abundant life on his terms, like most of us do. Jesus knew, however, that there are days that a good life may have to be sacrificed for a better life. There are those days when what we desperately need is not found in our physical circumstances, but is found only in the divine depths of prayer, while practicing spiritual disciplines and communing with the people of God.

The Lenten season brings seasons of suffering in full focus [# 9 camera]. The Lenten season prepares us. It toughens us up through repentance and confession [#10 confession ]. Lent shields us by giving us much to celebrate and sing about [# 11 child rejoicing]. Lent shelters us by baptizing us, [# 12 baptism ] inundating us, dunking us again and again in the Holiest of spirits as we are fasting and praying and giving and reading God’s word every day.  [# 13 child reading bible]

Like Jesus, we have to speak to all those voices that say, “Whatever you do, avoid suffering. Whatever you do, take the easy way out. Whatever you do, don’t die.” We hear Jesus speaking to those voices in verse 33, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” [# 14  ….not on divine things…]

Indeed God has much for us that is utterly divine, even better than material life. We hear that in the song lyrics inspired by Psalm 63, “Your lovingkindness is better than life. My lips will praise you. Thus, will I bless you. Your lovingkindness is better than life.”

Some days we see only a glimpse of the life God promises us. Nevertheless, as Monday’s Our Daily Bread devotional guide reminded us, Spiritual reality is like the invisible microbes on our hands. They outnumber all the people on the earth. Millions of these microbes can fit in the tiny eye of a needle. We do not see them, but they live in our air, in the soil, in our water, and on our bodies. We cannot see all there is in the spiritual world.

We trust God and believe in great wonders even though we cannot see them. We get a glimpse of God’s glory when we see of a newborn baby, or a rainbow, or feel the hope and joy that suddenly floods our soul when the choir sings, the word is preached, or we hear the inspiring testimonies of those who have tasted and seen for themselves that the Lord is good.

In this season of Lent we can hear Jesus speaking to us from verse 34 in today’s gospel of Mark ‘if any want to become my followers, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.’[ # 15 take up your cross]  In every cross we are called to carry, we have hope, for in the cross there is a life worth living, and there is a resurrection up ahead. So we can sing confidently with the songwriter:

Must Jesus bear the cross alone,

And all the world go free?

No, there’s a cross for everyone,

And there’s a cross for me.

How happy are the saints above,

Who once went sorr’wing here!

But now they taste unmingled love,

And joy without a tear.

The consecrated cross I’ll bear

Till death shall set me free;

And then go home my crown to wear,

For there’s a crown for me.

Today, and every day, let us choose life. [# 16 running with joy ]Like Jesus, let us live as if we know that love is something to die for, and let us die as if we have glimpsed the abundant life our loving God has for all God’s children. Amen.

*Morning Joe 2/23/15