Volume 4, Number 3 March 31, 2009
*The Journey to The Cross*
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John_12:35, Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little
while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the
light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that
walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
For Christians, Lent is an annual journey, and it provides for us opportunities to
tell our faith stories. Ann Weems, in her poem 'Lent', says that "Lent is a time to
take time to let the power of our faith story take hold of us."
The Lenten journey, of course, begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter.
But why the cross why did Jesus have to go to the cross for our sins? Could it not of
been a whole lot easier and less painful. Why is it important to remember the cross?
The journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter is a long walk, and we do so reluctantly.
It is appropriate, then, that we ask God to grant us courage, forgiveness, and a
renewed faith along this walk. A renewed faith will enable us to take up our lives and
walk. We do not have to walk alone, because we walk with Jesus, and we walk with
one another.
The journey to the "Great Celebration" is one that challenges us each step of the
way during Lent to draw us closer to God and yet at the same time we want to hide
our eyes when it comes to the cross and the pain and suffering. But that*s all part of
the journey, the personal commitment to draw closer to God. It won*t be long till Holy
Week will be on us and the "Great Celebration" will begin! Are you ready?
The story of Holy Week is powerful and transforming. Jesus went into Jerusalem on
the back of a donkey, and he was treated as a hero by some and disdained by
others. The way to Jerusalem is a journey that we all must take and it*s easy for life
to clutter that process and get our eyes off the Celebration or not to take it as
serious.
The journey begins with the Last Supper, and Judas' betrayal, Jesus' death on the
cross and Peter's denial, and Jesus' entombment in a borrowed tomb and Jesus'
victory over death manifested in his glorious resurrection punctuate the Holy Week.
When we celebrate the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday, we relive the dynamics
of Jesus' last meal with his disciples: acceptance, betrayal, denial, desertion and
lagging faith. When we meet Jesus at the cross on Good Friday, we encounter
sorrow, pain, forgiveness, and death. On Easter morning, however we encounter
the risen Lord. We see victory in Jesus.
Why the cross! The cross continually reminds us that we are Easter people and if it
wasn't for the resurrection of Jesus Christ we could not be Easter people! As
Christian we must always see the importance of telling the stories of Jesus and
relive the events of Holy Week and Easter. Because we are indeed Easter people
and the journey through Lent helps us engage Jesus yet again as we seek to be
faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. As Easter people, we are empowered to go into
the world and make disciples of Christ. That is why the cross is so important! No one
can look at the cross and not make a decision. The question is what decision will
you make? Will you follow Jesus to Cross and celebrate the resurrection or will you
be too busy and decide to wait till next year! My prayer for each and every person
this year is that they will decide to follow Jesus and be challenged to make disciples
of Christ together, you see it takes everyone of us working together to build the
Kingdom of God.
Happy Easter from our family to yours;
Pastor Doug, Kim, JD, Cory & Zack.
- The Passion Movie will be on Maunday Thursday 4/9 7:00 at Christ Church
UM Everyone is welcome.
- There will be a 3 Cross Drama held near Taco Bell on Good Friday 4/10
from 12-6 PM. We need volunteers to to participate in all areas of the
drama. Men for the Crosses, Men, Women and Kids for all other areas.
Please help us make this a success.
- An Easter Musical will be held at 7 PM on Saturday, April 4th at Christ
Church and Sunday April 5th at Sutton Baptist Church. Everyone is invited to
attend both productions.
- Easter Sunrise Service 6:00 am will be at the top of the Sutton Dam this year.
Rev. Bill Hopkins will be bringing the message. Breakfast will be served at
Christ Church UM immediately after the service. Everyone come and enjoy
the fellowship. If the weather is bad the service will be at Christ Church UM.
Easter Musical to Be Held
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"No More Night" an Easter musical will be presented Saturday, April 4th at Christ
Church United Methodist and Sunday, April 5th at Sutton Baptist Church at 7:00
PM each evening.
The 34 member choir, lead by Judy Skidmore, represents six different churches
from Tesla, Sutton and Gassaway.
The choir will perform the following:
Celebrate Jesus with Crown Him with Many Crowns and He's Alive;
In Christ Alone; Remember Me; The Cross; He is Risen; Redeemer;
You Are My King (Amazing Love) and No More Night
United Methodist Women's Corner
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Guest speaker, Lindy Hornish, spoke to the UMW in March about the "Reignment
Center" ministry in Flatwoods. Lindy described the items available at their
establishment for a suggested donation of $1.00 per item. Items include:
Clothing-for women, men, infants, children and teens; Bedding; Small Appliances;
Small Furniture; and Other Household Items. She indicated that all the clothing is
very nice as they ensure that they are clean, in good condition and have all
buttons, working zippers, etc.
This year's Celebration of Missions event will be held at the Ben Dale UM Church
near the Armory in Weston on May 2, 2009. We will be collecting items for the
two missions the Wesleyan District has the responsibility of supporting this year
"Mary's Cradle in Bluefield, WV and the Upshur Parish House in Buckhannon,
WV.
The missions, in which the UMW are involved each year, are assigned by the
Wesleyan District. This mission is a Church wide effort and it should gather items
for auction or yard sale or craft table or food tables
