Revised Common Lectionary: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; ♡John 20:1-184/8/2023
To the People of God-
In John’s account of the resurrection, it was still dark on the first day of the week and Mary Magdalene was by herself when she came to the tomb and discovered the stone had been rolled back. Mary went to tell Peter and the beloved disciple, who then raced to the empty tomb. Though Peter went in first, the beloved disciple went in after, and he saw and believed. Nevertheless, both he and Peter went home because they did not understand the scripture. Only Mary remained, weeping. She looked into the tomb and saw two angels. They asked her why she was weeping, because Mary thought someone had taken Jesus’s body. When she turned around, she thought she saw the gardener, who asked her the same question. She asked if he had taken the body to tell her where he had put it, so she could take care of the body. She kept asking questions. But then the gardener said her name, and she immediately recognized her teacher. Jesus warned her not to hold on to him, but instead to go and tell the disciples that he had risen and would be ascending to God (the Father). Mary then announced to the disciples that she had seen the Lord and what he had spoken to her. Mary is known as the Apostle to the Apostles because she remained faithful and kept asking where Jesus was, when the other disciples went home, and even the beloved disciple who believed. A good teacher has students who ask good questions. And nevertheless, Mary persisted. John 20:1-18 New International Version The Empty Tomb 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. ~ I've always been impressed when, at the conclusion of a Memorial Service, someone would add the Scriptual explanation point, "well done good and faithful servant!" ~Matthew 25:23 That's a powerful assessment, an incredible compliment, for a life well-lived. How easy it is to be discouraged these days in matters of the faith. How difficult it is to persist in areas of justice for others. When we are charged with loving one another, do we tend to fall short? Why? How might we persist in the Way, Truth and Life of the Christ? What questions will you bring to the celebration tomorrow? Happy Easter, P Jim ♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< Less is written about the Saturday following Jesus’s crucifixion than any other in the scope of this week. Yet what makes it unique is that this is the only full day in history where the body of Christ lies buried in a cave. Yesterday, He was crucified. Tomorrow, He rises from the grave. But what about today? Though we may not make much of this day, when we look at the few verses the Gospels give us about it, we find it was by no means forgotten by the chief priests who had handed Jesus over to death. During His earthly ministry, Jesus repeatedly said He would die in Jerusalem at the hands of the chief priests, yet on the third day rise again (e.g., Matt. 12:40; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34).
Of course, the chief priests scoffed. But they didn’t forget it. On the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jesus’s prediction preoccupies their thoughts such that they simply can’t leave it alone. Matthew 27:62–66 tells the strange story of how they can’t dismiss out of hand the possibility that Jesus might know something they don’t. The Guard at the Tomb- 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. And then we’ll move, once again, into RESURRECTION SUNDAY/EASTER, the Day of Glory Matthew 28:1–20, Mark 16:1–8, Luke 24:1–53,John 20:1–21:25 Tomorrow we will awaken with a song in our hearts. We’ll hear, “He is Risen.” And respond, “The Lord Is Risen Indeed!” This is the glorious beauty of the gospel. Jesus didn’t die as a martyr for a cause. He was never in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was never at the mercy of anyone. He lived, died, and was buried because He meant to be. No one took His life from Him. He laid it down. For whom? For His flock, His people, for the world. And He laid it down only to take it up again (John 10:18). The point of the cross was not just to die, but to die and rise again, defeating the prowling wolves of sin and death. Easter says of Jesus, “He meant it! He meant to lay down His life for us all. And as surely as He has taken it up again, He knows us and loves us, and promises the same new life for everyone!” Let’s Pray: Lord, help us to live into the gladness and grace of Easter Sunday, every single day. Infuse our hearts with profound thankfulness for Your sacrifice. Let us have eyes that look upon Your grace in awe and rejoice in our salvation. Help us to walk in that mighty grace and tell Your good news to the world. Happy Easter! P Jim ♥️⚓️ Readings throughout this week are taken from “Gospel Coalition”, Russ Ramsey, Julie Cosgrove. Freely adapted by Jim Knapp Thursday, prior to Jesus’s crucifixion, fills many pages in Scripture. It begins with John and Peter securing the upper room. There, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet, explaining He is there to make them clean. As they begin to eat, Jesus announces one of them is about to betray Him. Each wonders if Jesus means them. Then He dispatches Judas to do what he intends. During this last supper, Jesus blesses the Passover bread and cup and reassigns—or better, perfects—their meaning. The bread is ‘His’ body. The cup, ‘His’ blood. This meal will no longer remind them of God’s deliverance primarily from the external tyranny of Pharaoh, but from the internal tyranny of their own guilt and sin against God. Jesus prays for His friends and those who will come to know Him through them—that His Father would make them one (John 17). Then Jesus and His Disciples leave for the Mount of Olives to pray (Mark 14:33). But He isn’t there just to pray. He is also there to wait… Soon a line of torches snake their way toward Him in the darkness. This is what Jesus has been waiting for.
♡ Join us for a quiet, contemplative Tenebrae/Service of Darkness, today- Good Friday- 4:30p, at Round Lake UMC. All are invited. Come as you are. Let’s Pray: God who loved us so much that You sent Your only Son to come to save us, to save humanity, help us to recognize that great love that You have for us and that we can live as Jesus lived, who, in the midst of pain had compassion, asked you to forgive us. Thank You that we can feel Your forgiveness, Your love, and Your grace. Amen. Readings throughout Holy Week are taken from “Gospel Coalition”, Russ Ramsey, Julie Cosgrove. Freely adapted by Pastor Jim Thursday, prior to Jesus’s crucifixion, fills many pages in Scripture. It begins with John and Peter securing the upper room. There, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet, explaining He is there to make them clean. As they begin to eat, Jesus announces one of them is about to betray Him. Each wonders if Jesus means them. Then He dispatches Judas to do what he intends. During this last supper, Jesus blesses the Passover bread and cup and reassigns—or better, perfects—their meaning. The bread is ‘His’ body. The cup, ‘His’ blood. This meal will no longer remind them of God’s deliverance primarily from the external tyranny of Pharaoh, but from the internal tyranny of their own guilt and sin against God. Jesus prays for His friends and those who will come to know Him through them—that His Father would make them one (John 17). Then Jesus and His Disciples leave for the Mount of Olives to pray (Mark 14:33). But He isn’t there just to pray. He is also there to wait… Soon a line of torches snake their way toward Him in the darkness. This is what Jesus has been waiting for.
We will offer a Tenebrae/Service of Darkness, tonight at Pittstown UMC, 5:30 p. and tomorrow, Good Friday, 4:30p, at Round Lake UMC. All are invited. Come asyou are. Let’s Pray: Lord, help us to live into the gladness and grace of Easter Sunday, every single day. Infuse our hearts with profound thankfulness for Your sacrifice. Let us have eyes that look upon Your grace in awe and rejoice in our salvation. Help us to walk in that mighty grace and tell Your good news to the world. Readings throughout Holy Week are taken from “Gospel Coalition”, Russ Ramsey, Julie Cosgrove. Freely adapted by Pastor Jim To the People of God-
Portions of Psalm 118 are read for both Palm Sunday and on Easter, with some overlap. The portion for Easter includes the declaration that God is the psalmist’s strength, might, and salvation. Death will not have a hold on the people, for they will live with God as their God. Though the people of Israel have suffered, God did not allow them to die out, but instead, they have returned to worship as the psalmist calls them into the temple. The people rejected are now the foundation of the knowledge of God around the world, for God has chosen the people of Israel to demonstrate God’s glory and salvation to all. Psalm 118:1-2, NIV 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”... 14 The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. One of my favorite 'opening' songs for Worship is "He Has Made Me Glad." Acknowledging that Jesus is now the Cornerstone of our faith, that death will not have a hold on us, for we will live with God as our God throughout eternity, we are compelled to sing, "I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart I will enter His courts with praise I will say this is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice for He has made me glad He has made me glad, He has made me glad I will rejoice for he has made me glad He has made me glad, He has made me glad I will rejoice for he has made me glad." (Songwriters: Dp / Jonathan Jr. Du Bose) Please take this Holy Wednesday to seek the significance of Jesus as the Cornerstone of your faith... In His Service, P Jim♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< Revised Common Lectionary: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; ♡Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-184/5/2023
To the People of God-
The fourth reality Paul unveils in Colossians 3:1–4 is that Christ is going to appear. Colossians 3:4: “When Christ who is your life appears . . .” Christ is here now. He is right now reigning over the world. Colossians 3:1-4, New International Version Living as Those Made Alive in Christ 3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. There is a challenge every year not to re-crucify Christ. Jesus has lived, died, resurrected once and for all. We 'live' into this truth. We have opportunity, once again, to celebrate and offer a deeper understanding of the greatest mystery of faith. My suggestion is to take time today to dig in and prepare your heart for the memorial weekend ahead. Take in a Tenebrae/Service of Darkness, a Seder, a Holy Thursday Foot Washing, or some other significant celebration. Deeping one's faith is serious business. Make it so. Question: What am I doing this year to celebrate the significance of Holy Week, setting my heart above? What do I hope to gain? *Service of Darkness/Tenebrae- Pittstown UMC, tonight at 5:30p. Round Lake UMC, Good Friday, ~4:30p. Open to all. Come as you are. In His Service, P Jim♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< To the People of God-
The first selection from Acts 10:34-43 contains Peter’s bold revelation from both a vision he beheld from God in vs. 9-16 and in his encounter with the Roman centurion Cornelius in 17-33. In the vision, God gave Peter food to eat that was both from clean and unclean animals, with the lesson that whatever God declared holy, others must not call profane. In Peter’s conversation with Cornelius, a Gentile, Peter understood that Cornelius’s own encounter with the Holy Spirit was valid and true. There was no need for Cornelius to become Jewish, he knew God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. God shows no partiality between Jewish and Gentile, for Jesus is Lord of all. Peter and the other disciples were witnesses of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, and called to testify in his name. Peter confirmed that everyone who believes in Jesus may be forgiven of their sins through Christ’s name. Acts 10:34-43, New International Version 34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Peter is preaching to a gentile (non-Jewish) soldier whom he might have previously dismissed as “profane or unclean” (10:14, 28). He preaches, then, as one attentive to God’s leading and God’s presence. This attentiveness allows him to do more than recite the details of an already familiar story (v. 36); it creates an opportunity to consider the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the light cast by the fresh and surprising work of God in their midst. This begs the question: where (else) is God extending salvation today, within our world? How might our answers to that question lead us to discover new meaning in the Easter story? In His Service, P Jim♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< God is always about the details. Here are a few interesting things of note about donkeys and Jesus riding into Jerusalem on one.
Matthew 21:1-11 tells us about Jesus' instructions regarding the donkey he rode to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Jesus was fulfilling what had been prophesied in Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey". Every Jew would know Zechariah’s messianic prophecy. That’s why the crowds hailed Jesus as their king shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9) In the ancient Biblical world, a leader rode on a horse if he was going to war and a donkey to signify peace. People seeing Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, understood what that meant...it was a sign of kingship and royalty. That Jesus rode a donkey that had never been ridden was yet another miraculous part of this prophecy. Donkeys have a reputation of not working or cooperating until they trust the one they work for. When the disciples brought the colt to Jesus, the colt immediately trusted Jesus and carried Him down the path into the city. A donkey’s colt was neither tame or considered able to be ridden. For Jesus to come into Jerusalem in this manner was considered miraculous by those who witnessed it. Almost all donkeys have a naturally occurring dark cross on their backs. It runs down their spines and across their shoulders. According to the Australian Donkey Society, If you shaved their fur, you would find the cross on their skin. Jesus entered his first week of life riding in his mother's womb on a donkey and then again the last week of his life fulfilling prophecy by riding a donkey. How amazing it is to consider that the donkey is the only animal to have a cross on it's back. Jesus entered this world humbly and left this earth the same way, but when He returns, He will not be riding a donkey, He will be coming in all of His glory and splendor! Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.
These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken. These lambs are called “bummer lambs.” Unless the Shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the Shepherd does? He takes that rejected little one into His home, hand-feeds it and keeps it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to His chest so the bummer can hear His heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the Shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock. But that sheep never forgets how the Shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the Shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to Him first? That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows His voice intimately. It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the One who loves it and has experienced that love one on one. So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat. I am a bummer lamb adopted and loved by The Good Shepherd!! ❤ Hallelujah!! Author unknown To the People of God-
Jesus entered Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11. The writer of Matthew’s gospel, while Jewish, was not as familiar with Hebrew poetry and misinterpreted Zechariah 9:9 in his understanding of the humble leader riding on a donkey. Therefore, Matthew wrote of Jesus riding on a donkey and its colt, rather than understanding the second line of “on a colt, the foal of a donkey” as an emphasis of the first line, “humble and riding on a donkey.” The crowds cried out “Hosanna, save us!” as Jesus entered the city, and the crowds quoted Psalm 118, “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Perhaps this misunderstanding of Zechariah helps us understand why the crowds and the disciples misunderstood Jesus, and their expectations of God’s anointed one. Matthew 21:1-11 New International Version, Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” In Matthew, Jesus sends his advance scouting party, stages both his procession and his temple demonstration, performs healings, and engages his first conflict with the temple authorities all in one day. He then returns to Bethany to spend the night. Picking up on this chronological unity, the Narrative Lectionary treats this sequence as a sustained body of action. What questions come to mind as you read through the Triumphal Entry? What is Jesus doing? How does this set the stage for the week ahead? One more thought. Indeed, Jesus is not innocent victim — at least, not in the sense of being passive. Having condemned corruption in the Temple, he initiates hostilities with the Temple authorities (21:46). But Matthew delays that sort of conflict for later in the story, focusing for now upon the royal acclamation Jesus receives. He does not come with weapons or armies, although he does bring crowds. He is David’s Son, come to claim his throne. The question for Matthew’s readers and hearers is: now that we have acclaimed Jesus along with the crowds and the children, will we continue in this way as conflict escalates? PRAYER OF THE DAY: Righteous God, you brought your son Jesus into Jerusalem to show people the radical grace of your love. Show us this grace, and give us eyes to see your goodness. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. In His Service, P Jim♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< |
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SUNDAY @ 11 AM To join by phone, dial (929) 205-6099 and enter the meeting ID and password below: Meeting ID: 876 1875 9099 Password 333 PrayerGracious Loving Lord, please keep all of your children safe in these trying times. Guide us. Open our ears to hear, our eyes to see, our minds to understand and our hearts to know and be your love to others. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Want to support RLUMC and our missions? Donate Today
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September 2023
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