Easter

remember when I was younger and attending church with my family. There was a hymn that had these words, “stricken, smitten and afflicted.” Those words stick in my mind and pertain to Good Friday. The Lord was pierced for my sins and yours. Tonight we are going to focus on the cross and the passion of Jesus Christ. Jesus was passionate for you and gave his life in your place. I don’t know about you, but I want to honor him tonight. I want to draw close to him. I want to be honest about my sin and express my commitment. This past Sunday I handed out a note card for you to use as a personal response to Jesus, emphasizing his sacrificial death on the cross. What would be your confession? How would you express your commitment to Jesus? That’s the emphasis tonight and I hope you will join us at 7pm. (Nursery provided)

Obviously, Easter follows Good Friday and we will gather together with all those that will be attending at 8, 9:30 or 11am this Sunday. It will be wonderful and the Gospel will be shared. I look forward to seeing you then.

One more thing. Don’t forget the Easter Egg Hunt Saturday (tomorrow) morning at 10am. Everyone is invited. Children (toddlers up to 5^th grade) will have a great time. We are excited to host our Angel Tree families for this fun event also.

If you are connected with our church you have probably already heard that Dave Milo has passed away. Dave’s funeral service will be held next Saturday, March 29^th at 10:30 am. The service will be at our church, and there is a visitation on Friday, March 28^th from 6-8pm at Howell-Edwards-Doerksen Funeral Home at 1350 Commercial St. SE, Salem. Please pray for the family, especially Grace and Amanda.

Will you worship?

News of a terrorist bombing flashes across the TV screen. A politician’s character is assassinated in the name of good competition. Peace treaty efforts yield more violence. The world is a political mess.

A church splinters over worship style preferences. A prominent elder storms out of a congregational meeting. A young Sunday school teacher cries after being scolded by a parent. The world is an ecclesial mess.

Divorce rates climb. Children rebel. Rivalries between siblings rage on. The world is a familial mess.

We haven’t mentioned anything about economics or cultural tension or personal demise. All of these could be added to the story. Life seems to be an unpredictable set of challenging experiences. What do you do with that as an individual? How are we to respond?

In Acts 16 the power of God delivers a slave girl from the bondage of a demon. This is very hopeful and exciting. A few minutes later, the men who have faith to pray in the name of Jesus for the slave girl are being dragged to the city square and accused of arousing the city with confusion and religious turmoil. It won’t be long for these two individuals to be in the inner cell of a jail, experiencing the brunt of a messed up world. What should they do? Where should they turn? What would happen next? I’ll let you know Sunday morning at 9 or 11am, whichever service you choose. This is the gathering of God’s people at New Harvest Church, as well as offering a welcoming heart to our guests and visitors. See you then.

Salvation

I have a question for you: How much does salvation pertain to heaven verses the here and now? When Jesus offered eternal life, do you think he was also concerned about life right now? And how about this question: When does eternal begin? In Romans 12:1 it says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” The phrase “in view of God’s mercy” points back to the wonderful promise of salvation that is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes . . .” And then every chapter in Romans gives teaching on this marvelous salvation that offers us eternal life. But the phrase “living sacrifices” is about the here and now. The sense is that God not only wants us to be assured of the gift of heaven, but he also wants us to live these new lives right now. In fact, living heaven right now is more essential to the mission of God than going to heaven later. Our lives right now are the mirror of heaven for the world we live in.

This Sunday we will complete chapter 15 of Acts, which answers the question: What must I do to be saved? Salvation is the gift of faith. But the early church did not end with that alone. It also pointed to how to live life now. How many of us believe we are living heaven now? Not very many of us. I hope that God will challenge us all with these words found in Ephesians 4:1, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”