Preparing for Sunday
Sitting here at my computer on Saturday morning after a busy Holy Week, I’m reminded of the events we had this week. After Jesus entered Jerusalem last Sunday, we spoke of a couple things that happened over the next days. He entered the town and walked to the Temple - children were still shouting “Hosanna!” and some priests yelled at them to be quiet. Jesus responded by saying that if they were silent, the very rocks and stones would start to sing.
He debated both Pharisees and Sadducees over theology. And then on Wednesday, he joined Lazarus as the guests of honor at a banquet catered by Martha at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany, just over the Mount of Olives on the east side. There, Martha’s sister Mary anointed him as king and high priest by pouring an entire pint of very expensive spikenard oil/perfume over his head. Judas was aghast at what he considered the wastefulness - the bottle could have been sold for 300 days wages, about $20,000. But Jesus defended Mary’s actions. Judas left to conspire with men of the temple to betray Jesus - John tells us that Judas kept the money bag and embezzled funds.
On Thursday, the group celebrated the traditional Passover Seder meal in an upper room. This was the meal known to us as the Last Supper, which Jesus turned into Holy Communion after washing the disciples’ feet. He spoke at length to the disciples about his forthcoming death and how they should behave towards one another - a lengthy discourse recorded in chapters 13-16 of the Gospel of John. After they left, Jesus prayed for all of his disciples and us; His prayer is chapter 17. And then he was betrayed.
This week, we gathered Sunday evening and had a rousing discussion of such things as egg hunts, Christmas trees, and why Easter doesn’t correspond to Passover every year. On Wednesday, we read through and discussed Jesus’ speech in John’s Gospel. And Thursday evening, we had our own Christian Passover meal, covering the history and meaning of the traditional Passover foods, the original Passover story, and how the meal was changed by Jesus that evening. (Many thanks to all who helped with the meal, preparing food, reading, and attending!)
And then, last evening, we read the story of what happened in the 24 hours after Jesus and the disciples left the upper room, including Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial, execution, and burial. We left in silence and darkness as the sun went down and darkness covered the earth.
And, of course, the world continued this week. Men and women were killed in Russia, the Ukraine, and Gaza. A bridge fell in Baltimore - my friend who is a bridge designer has a friend whose father designed that bridge. A presidential candidate chose to try to sell Bibles, not because of the message of the Bible, but because of the patriotic documents and the words of a popular song that had been added to the Holy Book, and to support his fund-raising. Another presidential candidate brought a bunch of his friends together and raised $25 million. One of my pastor friends worked on his taxes this week. And many other people simply worked, took their children to soccer and baseball practice, and watched basketball games.
We will attend an egg hunt this afternoon that one of my churches has held for fifty years or longer. And that will cement Easter in the minds of the children as a time of joy, somehow related to the new life that comes in Spring and with eggs. It will be up to their parents to make sure that they understand that the reason for all the joy, the holiday itself is because God sent his only son to die in our place, and then to be resurrected to a new life. The eggs and bunny and chocolate have their attention; now we Christians and their parents must help them understand the reason for the celebration, just as at Christmas time we gain the attention of the children with evergreen trees, bright lights, wrapped presents, and a fat man with a white beard and a red suit, but it is up to us to bring those children to Christmas Eve services so they can understand the original gift that God gave to all people.
How about you? Is tomorrow just another Sunday? Or will you join me in reading the last couple chapters of each of the four gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Will you find a church where you can celebrate the fact that because Jesus chose to die almost two thousand years ago and came back to life, we can also live forever? Or will you spend the morning eating chocolate bunnies with your children? Is the Bible an important guide to living for you? Or is it just something no more important than an article of clothing, perhaps a pair of sneakers, or some interesting type of food, to be bought or sold to spend money or make money?
Throughout the last two thousand years, billions of men and women have considered the story of Easter to be the most important story ever told. Will you hear it again? Will you teach it to your children?
Personal
On top of the very busy week, Saundra and I had other challenges this week. On Monday, we traveled to Ruby Memorial so she could have a follow-up trans-esophageal echocardiogram to make sure her Watchman device implanted in her heart six weeks ago had seated properly. She was sedated and the test showed everything was fine. Remember that the Watchman is designed, not to stop A-fib attacks, but to ensure no blood clots form or escape into the body if there is an A-fib attack.
On Wednesday morning at 5 am, her heart went into both A-fib and began beating very rapidly, up to 160 or 178 beats per minute. After checking with her heart doctor at Ruby, we went to the Camden Clark Emergency Room, where they were able to reduce her heart rate to about 110 using an IV. That wasn’t good enough, so she was admitted and other medicines were given. She did not sleep well. Finally, on Friday morning at 9 am, Dr Gnegy and company shocked her heart back into rhythm. I brought her home around 1:30 pm. She immediately went to bed and slept until about 8 pm, stayed up for about 90 minutes, then back to bed. This morning, her heart is beating normally at 78 beats per minute. Thank you for all your prayers!
Also, Jean Huber spent the week in the hospital, but also made it back to Cedar Grove on Friday. Thank you for prayers for her, also!
Announcements
Sunrise Service at 7 am at Cedar Grove, followed by a full breakfast. All welcome!
Full Easter service at Vaught Chapel, beginning at 9 AM
Full Easter service at Cedar Grove, beginning with Sunday School at 9:30 AM, and main Service at 10:30 AM.
We will also be having a service at Cedar Grove Assisted Living at 2 pm.
The Sunday evening Questions group and light meal are cancelled this week.
Weekly Schedule
· Sundays, 9:00 AM – Worship at Vaught Chapel with Facebook Live. Sunday School follows
· Sundays, 9:00 AM – Radio broadcast of previous week’s sermon, WVVV-FM 96.9 FM. Also available on Tune-in App and in emailed podcast.
· Sundays, 9:30 AM – Sunday School at Cedar Grove UMC
· Sundays, 10:30 AM – Worship at Cedar Grove UMC with Facebook Live.
· Sundays, 2:00 PM – Worship at Cedar Grove Assisted Living (Except 3rd Sundays)
· Sundays, 6:00 PM - Questions and Answers with light meal in Fellowship Hall (CANCELLED THIS WEEK)
· Mondays, 7:00 PM - Help & Hope - Support Group for parents of addicts at Cedar Grove UMC
· Wednesdays, 7:00 PM – Bible Study and Discussion at Cedar Grove UMC
Monthly Meetings
· 1st Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Breakfast at Cheryl’s, all welcome
· 1st Tuesday, 7:00 PM – Amateur Radio Club Meeting, Cedar Grove UMC
· 2nd Thursdays, 12:30 PM – United Methodist Women, Cedar Grove UMC
· 3rd Mondays, 10:00 AM – CEOS Service Group, Cedar Grove UMC
· 3rd Thursdays, 6:00 PM – CEOS Group, Vaught Chapel
· 4th Monday, 7:00 PM, Odd -numbered months – Administrative Council, Vaught Chapel
· Last Tuesday, 6:30 PM – Finance Committee, Cedar Grove
· Last Tuesday, 7:00 PM – Administrative Council, Cedar Grove
· 4th Thursday, - Gideon’s, Cedar Grove – See Brooks Layman for details
Special Upcoming Events
Vaught Chapel Women’s Retreat – April 13, 10 am to 2 pm, Saundra Speaking
Cedar Grove Spring Sale – May 2nd & 3rd, Fellowship Hall
Mother’s Day – May 10
Pentecost Sunday, May 19
Annual Conference, Buckhannon, June 6-9
Sermon
“Easter 2024” is the sermon. What does a black swan have to do with Easter? What happened that morning?
Readings
Old Testament – Isaiah 25:6-9 - He will destroy death forever
Psalm – Psalm 118 - The Lord is my salvation
Epistle – 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 - Jesus appeared to over five hundred people
Gospel – Mark 16:1-8 - Jesus has risen from the dead!
Songs
Warmup Song “My Redeemer Lives” SCREEN
Vaught – “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” Green 417
Praise Song: – “Alleluia, Alleluia” UMH 162
Hymn: “Come, Christians Join to Sing” UMH 158
Vaught – “Come to the Feast” Green 305
Hymn: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” UMH 302
Hymn Vaught – “Christ Arose” Green 416
Communion Hymn – O Come to the Altar
Vaught - There is a Fountain Green 141
Closing Hymn – “He Lives” UMH 310/Vaught – “He Lives!” Green 164