It begins today!

06 Apr It begins today!

Today is Maundy Thursday…the first of what the church calls “The Great Three Days.”

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter are the pivotal days in the life of the church and a climax of the Creation, Redemption, Completion trajectory of human history under the Sovereignty of God the Father. We have only a glimpse into the final ultimate triumph of the Last Day…but these three days we know are pivotal for us and the world.

I’ve never understood why many churches birthed in the Reformation tradition have abandoned the opening act…tonight’s worship celebrating the gift of Christ’s body & blood “for you for the forgiveness of sins,” and the great commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” Which is why I’m hoping to see you at all three services where God’s promises are kept in Christ.

 

Maundy Thursday (tonight) 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday 10:00 a.m.

Easter Sunday Resurrection Celebration 10:00 a.m.

 

A final thought…I shared Acts 8:4 with a few fellow disciples this morning. “But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” (NLT)

As Luke recounts the early days of the church, Stephen has just been martyred (stoned by an enraged Jewish mob) for witnessing to his faith in Jesus. Saul (who’ll soon enough be known as Paul) stood by approvingly and has taken up the baton of rounding up followers of Jesus to try to stamp out the expanding church. Fearful disciples flee Jerusalem while the apostles seem to be bottled up there under some form of “house arrest.”

“But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” Take hold of that for a minute…running for their lives, when they stop long enough to catch their breath they talk about Jesus. With Jewish leaders hounding their every step, they tell people it’s for their trust in Jesus that they’re being hunted. With their lives on the line they share the good news of a risen Lord & Saviour who stands victorious over the grave AND their pursuers. If they died before the next sunrise, their final words would have been a proclamation of their hope. Rather than curse their enemies they praised Jesus their Lord & Master & Friend, and invited others to join them in trusting him above all else.

I asked this question: “Where are you being ‘scattered’ today?” Maybe not “scattered” in the sense of those first disciples…but you’re going somewhere I would bet…talking to someone…Will that conversation include a witness to your hope in Christ? Will it include an invitation to worship or an offer to pray for that person?

If you read further in Acts…you’ll see that with that faithful preaching of “the good news about Jesus,” there are signs & wonders, miracles & movements completely beyond the realm of imagination that capture the hearts & lives of the ancient world. When the believers make Jesus the centre of all they are, say & do…the Spirit always seems to show up in great power to transform the world for Christ’s sake. I am often saddened by events I see in the news. I’m one of those who grieves the brokenness of our nations, cultures, families and lives. I read this as a challenge to simply get on with what the early church did without hesitation: “preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” It is in the message of “Christ is risen indeed!” that there is hope and transformation toward abundant life.

Where are you being scattered today? You know what to do.

See you over the course of these Great Days!

John