Sermon Notes April 26, 2009

3rd Sunday of Easter Jesus became a sinner to pay for sins. At the resurrection he inaugurated a whole new creation. The power of the resurrection is at work in us and through us. Easter is not just a happy ending to a story but it is truly a happy beginning of a story. Jesus was resurrected at sunrise on the first day of the week--this began a new creation. Resurrection means this physical world--the whole created order is being renewed. Man was made out of the dust of the earth. People are living dirt--the destiny of man and creation are forever intertwined. Resurrection is the moment at which the whole creation is set free. Man and earth, the whole world will be re-born. The Bible gives us theology for the care of the creation. Christians have always been on the cutting edge of environmental stewardship. God is going to redeem the environment. The resurrection gives us hope for the cosmos. We expect new creation AND new culture. Isaiah 60:5 "Then you sall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you." God made man to re-shape culture into a mature fashion. The original creation of a garden is developed into a city. Eden becomes the New Jerusalem. All of history is about maturity. God put his hands in the dirt to make man. Now man must put his hands in the dirt to shape/create culture. Jesus engages in culture in his resurrection body. Jesus is the NEW Adam, the NEW gardener, the NEW caretaker. What are we going to be doing in our resurection bodies for eternity? We will have discontinuity and continuity. We will have jobs to do. There will be work to do in the new creation but there won't be anymore thorns and thistles. Our works follow us in the new creation. The new creation will include all that we accomplish in this life. All our life's work belongs to God. Karl Marx said that religion is the opiate of the people, meaning that religious people are so "other-worldly minded" that they are as if they are drugged and do not care about fixing the problems of this world....if religion is the opiate, resurrection is the smelling salt! Resurrection summons us to bring change to the world--it sets us ree to give up ourselves, our lives for the sake of the world. Death O Death, where is thy sting! We cannot be cynical about the condition of the world. The resurrection calls us to participate in God's triumph over evil. We must be governed by the standards of the Kingdom of God whih has already invaded the world at the resurection. The new creation will be free from sin and exploitation. It will be a place of peace, justice and love. Strive for such things NOW! The kingdom of God is at hand. Stand against tyranny and injustice NOW. Pull the future into the present. We are not polishing brass on a sinking ship. We can stand up for what is right in the face of death. Faith without works is dead! Faith that doesn't renew the culture is dead! Forward faithful ones!

Leithart exoneration upheld in Northwest Presbytery, PCA

http://deregnisduobus.blogspot.com/2009/04/update-on-peter-leithart-and-pacific.htm

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Don't just sit there, DO SOMETHING!

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Easter Sunday Sermon Notes...

I really loved our Easter Sunday worship service. The sermon was great. Here are a few notes. The title was "The Unfinished Gospel?" All four gospels end with the resurrection. Mark presents a unique set of problems..the oldest manuscripts stop at vs 8 of the last chapter. Verses 9-20 appear to be words and phrases pieced together from the rest of the gospels. Early Christians may have found the end at vs 8 unsatisfying--Mark's gospel is really Peter's story. Mark became Peter's scribe--it is the outline Peter would have used when he told the gospel. A double ending to a gospel was nothing new. It happened in John also. Why did Mark end the story abruptly in vs 8--as an incomplete narrative? The lack of resolution turns the story back on the reader--the reader is suspended. The fear and trembling of the women in no way calls into question the vindication of the cross or the triumph of Christ. Their emotions need to catch up.. "it takes your breath away." Mark wants to draw us into the story. He wants us to be engaged insiders in the sotry and make it our own. The question is, "Will you go and tell others the story?" Mark's Gospel has a deeply ironic ending. Mark loves puzzles and surprises. Jesus wanted to keep his messianic nature a secret until the time was right. The Jews needed to understand that death and resurrection IS the messiahship. At the resurrection, it was TIME to tell the story, resolve the tension, and bring closure to the story. Mark calls on us to supply the missing ending. Did the resurection really happen? The romans were professional killers--Mark names the women as the ones there witnessing the death and now the witnessses of the resurrection. A woman's testimony was not valid in court in that day! But God uses the women as the witnesses. We can thank Jesus for raising the status of women . The writing is counter-conventional. The stories teach a transformed body when he rose physically from the grave. This story was the only messianic story that did not end at the grave. The resurrection is an historical fact. N.T. Wrght said "historians have no option but to conclude that the resurrection was fact." The New Testament uses the resurrection to prove other things. What doe it mean to you and me? Jesus has triumphed. The resurrection is God's YES to all of creation. It is Gods hope for this world. Whatever is broken, sick and dying. Jesus can put it right. The whole creation will be re-made by Jesus. Through Jesus, YOU can change, THE WORLD can change, and every tragedy becomes a triumph. DO NOT BE AFRAID. At the resurrection, fear turns to faith and confidence! Death works backwards! Go tell the story! Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen.

The Lord is risen indeed...

O Lord, open thou our lips. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise. Alleluia. The Lord is risen indeed: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

Notes from today's sermon...

The Parable of the Prodigal Sons...or The Parable of the Running Father Luke 15: 11-32 We all have moments of temporary insantiy where we have fallen into sin. Repentance begins with a deep sense that we can never make ourselves worthy of God's favor--seeing oneself truly as we are is necessary....we must all "come to our senses" as the younger son did. Repentance is our ticket to the joyouse feast with the Father. Repentance is not about gloominess--it is about joy. Humble yourself and God will exalt you. Repent in deeper and deeper ways and you will find amazing grace. There is great joy when something has been lost and is then found! There is a feeling of celebration when it is found. LOVE is the heart of the law of God. Flannery O'Connor in Wise Blood says "the best way to avoid Jesus is to avoid sin." There is an older brother in each of our hearts...elder, presbyterios...the Presbyterian brother! The older brother is just as lost as the younger son was. It is possible to be a prodigal without leaving home. Prodigals may be 1) irreligious by cutting oneself off; just walking out, or 2) religious, by using religion for ones own advantage. There are 2 ways to get it wrong. We often try to justify our hatred of others by poiting out all their inferiorities. The father's actions are counter-intuitive. he shows radical deeply sacrificial love. He tore his life apart to give it to his sons. The father runs out to welcome us back to his house. He is more eager to find us that we are anxious to be found. We must wrestle with our own "older brother" sins. Will we rejoice when those who are different are brought into the house. We must become like Jesus--growing in Father-likeness. Seek out the lost and bring them home. Extend the radical forgiveness of Jesus to the world. Go and help others make a fresh start--a new beginning. We are called to show crazy welcoming LOVE!!!!! Lord, please help me to do this every day in every way that I possibly can!

David Smolin on BBC internet radio show

Here's the link to a BBC radio program where Linh Song (Ethica--a voice for Ethical Adoption), Tom DiFilipo (Joint Council of International Children's Services--the Adoption Agencies' organization), and David Smolin talk about/debate the problem of international adoption corruption.

Do you have children between the ages of 4 and 14?

Here's a challenge from John Armstrong.