We will never be the same.  Our lives have been changed.  We cannot be the same as we were.  And it is not because of Covid19!  It is because Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed.  Say it with me, Christ is risen - Christ is risen indeed.

Humanity hasn’t been the same since. Some 2,000 years ago, followers of Jesus witnessed the very best of people and the very worst of people.  Followers of Jesus, saw the crowds gather in praise and excitement; with anticipation and joy on their lips.  A few days later, they witnessed the crowds gather in a mob-like fashion with anger and hatred on their lips. 

In the span of a week, Jesus went from a celebrated King to a crucified criminal, was dead and put in a tomb.  It didn’t look like anything was going to be any different.  It didn’t look like anything was going to change.  It didn’t look like anything the followers of Jesus had been about while he was with them mattered at all or made any impact.  

God knew different.  Jesus knew better.  And the Holy Spirit was about to make it happen.  Because of what happened early in the morning on the first day of the week, when the women went to the tomb and found it empty, we are not the same.  The Spirit of God made the impossible possible and moved that stone.  

The Spirit didn’t have to do that.  Jesus would have risen anyway, cause that was the plan and promise all along.  Jesus didn’t need the tombstone rolled away, we did!  We had to see it to know that there would be life outside the tomb, and Jesus was and is that life.

There are tombs all around us church; tombs that keep us from living our full and resurrected life with Christ, tombs that convince us we are not enough or not worthy, tombs that haunt us with things from our past.  There are tombs of oppression, injustice, illness, grief, anger, bitterness, and prejudice.  

Dear church - people of God, did you not hear what the women said upon returning?  The tomb is empty!  The tomb is empty.   The Spirit of God has defeated the tomb.  Jesus lives.  AND that means there is new life to be lived for us; life outside the tombs we find ourselves in.  

That life is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in the book of Romans.  Called the Himalayas of the bible often referred by many as the greatest chapter in all of the bible, the book of Romans chapter eight brings to light the foundation of life outside the tomb - in other words, life with Jesus, led by God and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

The Spirit of God is with us.  The Spirit of God is at work among us.  The Spirit of God is nothing to be taking for granted, not now, not ever. 
Paul is telling those early believers and us, to pay attention.  Pay attention to the spirit!  Why?  Because the same spirit that was moving tombstones and raising the dead with Jesus is the spirit moving in and around us and it changes lives.  The spirit is moving all the time.  The spirit is power.  The spirit is gentleness.  The spirit is the very presence and essence of God and Jesus.  It empties tombs.  We need to pay attention. 

In other words Paul was saying, as followers of Jesus, do you live a life dominated by the dictates and desires of human nature or a life dominated by the dictates and love of God?  Do you / we live a life focussed and centered on self; whose only law or rule is its own desires?  Or do we live a life focussed and centered on Jesus?   

Paul basically tells the believers one kind of life leads to a sealed tomb; literally and metaphorically; it moves farther away from God and ends in physical and spiritual death.  The other kind of life leads to an empty tomb; a life with steady progress to God and with God. 

One leads to a life inside the tomb and the other to life outside the tomb.  

It is time church, to live life outside the tomb.  It is time to allow the Spirit of God to roll away the tombstone and empower you to walk in new life.  To live, in spite of covid19, a life that is centered in Jesus and draws us closer to God and one another; a life that sees beauty, goodness, and truth, amist and beyond the ugly, bad, and lies that surround us; a life where we can be our authentic selves, and love others for who they are or where they are on their path of faith; a life where yes grief, pain, and brokenness occur yet at our core was can have peace, hope and even joy.  

We will never be the same.  Our lives have been changed.  We cannot be the same as we were.  And it is not because of Covid19!  It is because Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed.  Say it with me, Christ is risen - Christ is risen indeed.

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

Persons may watch the Easter service or obtain a hard copy of the sermon on the website of Grace Church at www.franklingrace.org/sermons.

Do you remember Jesus teaching his disciples to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Mt. 10:16)? 
In a moment like this, with a pandemic taking place, we need to remember such a teaching: in other words, if we truly follow Jesus and what he is about, we will seek to do no harm, and in this case, by maintaining our distance from others; but we also will do so as smart and creative people who still go about caring for others.

In this way, the resurrection of Jesus is not simply about mere survival or some kind of bliss. Rather, it is about the very concrete and practical and bodily ways God is making all things (2 Cor. 5:17). It is about the way in which Jesus’ crucified body has gone through death and come out the other side into a whole new way of life, into a whole new body. 

I can’t help but think that God is doing something similar with the church today: that on the other side of the pandemic the church will come out with a new kind of body – something we had not considered.

That’s certainly the message we receive from Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew wants us to know that there is something earth-shattering about Easter and that on the other side is something new (28:2). Indeed, as Matthew tells it, there is a great deal of excitement on the first Easter: there is lightening and an angel descending from heaven (28:3). There are guards who are as dead and disciples full of fear (28:8). But above all, there is an empty tomb (28:6), and there is a message that Jesus has already gone out in front of the church; he has already come out of the other side and gone to Galilee (28:7). Put differently, Jesus is already setting a new agenda for ministry, an agenda that will involve us in ways we may not have anticipated (Matthew 28:16-20).

I am wondering how Christ’s new agenda can guide us now. How may the dashed hopes of Good Friday and the new hopes on Easter Sunday provide the ground upon which we may move into the future? What are the ways the risen Christ may call us to minister in new ways? 

Easter Blessings,
Pastor Andy Kinsey

We can deny a lot of things but there is definitely no denying the past month has been like a never ending scene from the Twilight Zone tv series or some alternate reality!  I would deny that people are capable of hoarding toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and now tylenol, but there is no denying it. The shelves are empty and the ones that aren’t can hardly keep up with the demand.  If you think what is happening in our community, cities around the world, is simply an over-rated, media-hyped flu season, you are in denial.
If you think the virus that is wreaking havoc can’t be as bad as science and medical experts are saying it is, you are in denial. If you think this will all be over in a few weeks, you are in denial.

There is no denying we are navigating strange and mostly uncharted territory.  We are living in what will one day be the history our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will read about in school and ask questions about when they visit. 

There is no denying this is a time of emotional, mental, and spiritual ups and downs, ins and outs, and everything in between.  We all feel it - in one way or another; that sense of uncertainty and angst; perhaps frustration or dread in the pit of our stomach.  It may manifest itself differently but it is there. 

Yet in the midst of it all, there is also no denying, we are finding our voice, presence, and place as a church in new ways that express who we are as individuals, families, church and community.  We are all of it - all together.   

Someone who knew all about denial was the apostle, Peter.  One of Jesus’ early followers and disciple. Peter was all heart- passionate about his faith and his devotion to Jesus.  He wore his faith and excitement on his sleeve and had great energy around who Jesus was and what he was about in changing lives and turning expectations upside down. 

He is described as one of the most courageous disciples; leaping off the boat to walk on water with Jesus, only to panic and need rescuing.  There was a time he jumped off his own boat and swam to shore ahead of the other disciples when he saw Jesus. He was the one who was adamant that Jesus would never have to suffer and be killed, it wasn’t possible, only to be rebuked by Jesus himself.  He tried to do his best in the garden before Jesus was arrested, yet failed. And then failed again when he tried to protect Jesus when he was arrested. 

In Matthew 26:69-75, we find Peter, moving through the last week of Jesus' life on earth.  He is tired, frightened, short on sleep and bombarded with emotional, mental, and spiritual upheaval.  It had been a huge, full of people, chaotic few days since they arrived in town. One that started with a parade and celebration and ended with the unthinkable - Jesus’ arrest and pending trial at this point. 

No one can read or hear this passage without being struck with the staggering honesty of the New Testament.  If ever there was an incident which one might have expected to be swept under the rug, this was it. Yet here it is.

We have this story of Peter’s denial, because Peter himself told it to others.  Peter made it an essential part of his witness to Jesus’ gospel message; and did so for the best of reasons.  Every time he told the story, he could say, “that is the way that this Jesus we are talking about can forgive.”  He could say, “Jesus forgave me when I failed him in his most bitter time of need. That is what Jesus can do.” That is who Jesus is.

There is no denying the depth of love, the complete sacrifice, and the unending compassion of Jesus.  There is no denying who Jesus is, and Peter uses his own denial experience to tell us this truth. He uses his most vulnerable moment to reveal Jesus’ strength. 

 I think Peter may have been just as stunned at his denial as we are reading it.  There were no words to explain it, only tears and the final acceptance and realization that even then, when we flat out forget who we are and fail and deny our relationship with Jesus, we are loved and forgiven.  

None of us know for sure how we are going to respond in times of crisis, disaster, or great uncertainty until it happens.  None of us know for sure what we will do, how we will act, or what we will say until it happens.  

Our identity in Christ is revealed in times of conflict, panic, and separation.  Our identity in Christ is revealed in times like now, living in the midst of a pandemic.  Our identity in Christ is revealed in how we treat others in times like these and how we respond to the needs around us.

We are all a part of something much bigger than ourselves.  

What started as a joke several years ago here at the church was the phrase, “the church has left the building.”  That has now become even more of a reality. We have left the building. AND we are still the church. We are still doing and being church together. There’s no denying it: being church has never been about the building.  We are living that reality now people of God.

You see evidence all around:

• Rainbows and teddy bears in windows and on front porches for children and families to see.  
  
• People sewing face masks for emergency personnel and medical facilities. 
  
• Individuals banning together for a common cause and starting up local on-line communities, food and supply stations, and delivery services.
  
• Videos of individuals and families creating art and music together to encourage others.
  
• Teenagers reading stories on-line for others to listen too. 
  
• High School seniors creating personal avatars and recording their favorite quotes for an online graduation video.
  
• Food and basic supplies being purchased and delivered to homebound individuals and families. 
  
• Letter writing skills and snail mail making a comeback!
  

People of God, there is no denying these are challenging, nerve-racking, uncertain and unpredictable times.  AND Jesus is with us moving, living, and revealing our identity in the midst. No matter what, we are who we are.

There is no denying it is hard on all of us.
There is no denying life will never be the same.
AND, there is no denying we will come through the other side.

There is no denying God is ultimately working for good in all things.
There is no denying that today, Palm Sunday, and the coming Holy Week, and Easter are going to be different this year.

And that’s o.k. Because there is no denying who Jesus is and who we are in his love. 

Throughout this week let us remember in the midst of it all, there is no denying the love of God, the peace of Christ and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

The following E-Devotion will serve as our E-Sermon as well. It was shared this weekend by Pastor Andy Kinsey at Grace Church. The sermon was also “live” on Youtube and is now posted on Andy Kinsey’s Facebook page and Grace United Methodist Church’s Facebook page. The sermons are also posted on the website of Grace United Methodist Church at www.franklingrace.org/sermons.html.

Prayer of Preparation
O Lord, open our hearts and stimulate our minds by the presence of your Spirit: speak to us your Word in Christ: Amen.

Message
Before I begin to share a few words, I thought I would communicate a vision I had the other day. Many of you told us that you had watched the service last week in your pajamas with a cup of coffee. That’s great! I am so glad we have the opportunity to share in this way.

However, on the first weekend we are back, whenever that will be, I had the vision that many of you would come to worship in pajamas with coffee in hand!

It is a crazy vision I know: One big pajama party! But wherever you are now, and whatever you have in your hand, or whatever you are wearing – please know we are glad you are with us. I simply ask that you not get too comfortable, not simply during the rest of our time together this morning, but, as we have shared on other occasions, for the long haul. We will need to find creative but intentional ways of carrying out our ministry in the days ahead.

To be sure, we will do so via technology, but we will also need to remember how we minister to others the “old fashion way” via phone calls, emails, letters, cards, notes.    

In this way, the month of April will not only bring spring showers, but faithful ways of caring for one another on the one hand while being a faithful presence in this community on the other. Probably in ways that we had not anticipated! 

So keep connecting with people you know. Simply call them. Write them. This is a time of seed-planting; it is a time of creativity.

Sermon Series
I make that comment with the whole notion of God’s providence in mind: I don’t think we could have picked a more appropriate passage several months ago for our sermon series on the purpose and identity of our congregation than the one I just read to you from Matthew’s Gospel.

Jesus’ words of “where two or three gather together” could not be more important during this time of social distancing, when we are not to gather in large groups. That is to say, Jesus’ words here are very helpful at a time like this, to remember how we as followers of Christ are part of a micro-church movement, where persons gather in his name and hold each other accountable, forgiving each other and being reconciled.

Perhaps you may have heard of mega-churches, where more than a thousand people gather to worship; well, here, in this passage, Jesus has a vision of a micro-church, where only takes two or three persons gather to make a kingdom difference. 

Typically, of course, we gather face-to-face. We can touch and see one another. But now we gather online, perhaps via Zoom, or Google Hangout, or Facebook. Or perhaps we are connecting to our loved-ones and friends online, or as we are doing as church, now coming through the internet. 

Think of how Jake and Angela are utilizing different social media platforms to stay connected. Or think of how Amber Whitman is using Facebook to share with the children of our preschool. These small gatherings and connections online will have a ripple-effect.

I know that it was good last week for Peggy and me to gather online with all our kids through Google Hangout. It was a way for us to connect. 

But consider for a moment your own circle of influence of family and friends during this time: with whom are you connecting? Remember: if there is a name that comes to your mind, find a way to connect: You don’t need committee approval.

Jesus’ Idea of Critical Mass    
After all, it only takes a critical mass of people to bring about the kind of change that we seek to bring about.
By critical mass here, I mean what many in physics call a chain reaction, or what happens when the atom splits, to begin a bigger “chain reaction,” or with respect to group dynamics when a certain number of people can produce a particular result; there is a critical mass to bring about the change.

Think of what we are hearing about how we all need to do our part to “flatten the curve.” It is going to take a critical mass to flatten the outbreak of Covid-19, so that the healthcare system in this country can function in a way that treats persons who have the virus. Without a critical mass of persons to help in this effort, the curve will spike in a way that puts more and more people at risk. A critical mass is necessary, and, in this case, it needs to be big! 

How odd it may sound, then, to consider what Jesus is saying about critical mass: What constitutes a critical mass in Jesus’ mind is this principle of “wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst” (18:20).

Two or three people! Don’t we need more?     Perhaps a big bureaucracy? Another committee? A long-range plan? More church consultants? Jesus’ idea of a critical mass is when two or three people gather together, invoking his presence and then moving with the Spirit in mission.

Note the part about Christ’s presence: without Christ’s presence, we could gather with ten-thousand people and it wouldn’t matter. We could even have layers upon layers of organization and nothing could happen. For example, think of how we so easily lay bureaucracy upon more bureaucracy, or how we duplicate and create more organization than we need to create, making it more difficult.

This is why we need to understand partnerships and networks. If one group can do the work, then great: let’s help them. Or if another group can do something special, great! Then let’s help them. After all, in Jesus’ way of operating, it only takes two or three people to make an impact in the wider community anyway!

I sometimes think we have forgotten Jesus’ instruction here that there are occasions when smaller is better: remember that Jesus only picked twelve people at first. He then added women and another seventy. It was a critical mass.

Remember the early church following Pentecost started small groups (Acts 2:42-45) and then met in homes (Acts 20:20). The Methodist Movement started small by meeting in bands and classes and erecting small chapels and food pantries and clinics, not cathedrals.

These examples remind us that Jesus had a micro-vision of God’s kingdom, where every person, every small group, has a role to play, in the ministry of the body of Christ.

Jesus’ Original Concern

And yet, I wonder sometimes if we have made it too difficult, and what I mean by that is understanding Jesus’ original concern here: yes, we have created huge organizations to carry out Jesus’ mission; and there are all kinds of agencies and churches doing great work. And that’s wonderful. 
And yet, we need to consider that Jesus’ instructions are really about reconciliation and forgiveness: that if we have problems in a relationship, or if we need to address a matter, we need to do so in a way that is simple by going to persons directly. And then if that doesn’t work, we gather other witnesses; and when we do that, we pray for Christ’s presence.

This is what is to take place for the health and wellbeing of the community, so that the virus of alienation and despair won’t spread.  

It is truly an amazing teaching: to be a Matthew 18 Christian is to be a person whose actions are geared toward reconciliation and forgiveness and building up the work of the whole body. 
But more: Jesus’ words also remind us of something so much deeper: that when we speak of God’s presence with us, or Christ’s work for us, or the Spirit’s activity in us – we need to understand also how Christ is between us.

Between us! Among us. Yes, Christ is with us and for us and in us, but even when we are apart Christ is between us, in how we act together.

And not just Grace Church, but with all those who are working to combat this virus – in our hospitals and healthcare facilities, in our schools (as David Clendening shared), in our places of work, in assisted living facilities, in other congregations, in our government. There is a critical mass working together. 

How may we serve as part of that critical mass, knowing how it goes together, with two or three gathered here, and two or three gathered there?

No matter where we are, no matter who we are, God is not only with us, but also between us, no matter the distance.

Closing Invitation
This week I had the funeral of a member of this church: Lorene Harrell. Lorene and Wally Harrell joined this congregation about five years ago, and they have been wonderful members.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Lorene’s life. To say the least, it was different; it was small, with less than eight people. It was a group that practiced social distancing, with all of us scattered throughout the funeral home. We did not touch each other. I have not presided over such a gathering. 

And yet, Christ was with us, if not between us; Christ was for us, if not among us, just as Christ had been with Lorene throughout her life.

As we gathered, we affirmed that promise despite our circumstances; and we affirmed Christ’s presence, regardless the situation. Just as the saints have been doing since day one of the church; just as we are seeking to do now – critical mass and all! 

Amen.
Pastor Andy Kinsey

​

​The following E-Devotion will serve as our E-Sermon as well. It was shared this weekend by Pastor Andy Kinsey at Grace Church. The sermon was also “live” on Facebook and is now posted on Andy Kinsey’s page and Grace United Methodist Church’s page. The sermons are also posted on the website of Grace United Methodist Church at www.franklingrace.org/sermons.html.  

Message
When I was growing up, I can remember my Grandmother sharing with me that “God knew how many hairs were on my head.” At the time, I had thick brown hair, and I was pretty sure God didn’t care: Why would God go through the trouble of counting the hair on my head? (Today, of course, I am much thinner on top, and I am glad God knows!)
         
I believe that what my Grandmother was saying, and what I have come to realize over the years, is that God does know who I am. God is somehow present to me more than I am present to myself. God cares for me beyond what I can comprehend, even to the point of knowing the hairs on my head!
         
Now to those without hair, I also believe God cares and knows who you are. God knows every bald type as well!
         
But in all seriousness, when Jesus says to his disciples that “the hairs on our had are all counted,” he is actually saying something very important. Indeed, in light of the present health crisis, which we are now facing, Jesus’ words today could not be more appropriate: The God who knows every hair on our head is the God who is going to be with us when we go through difficult times. The God who counts every hair is the God who cares.  

Jesus’ Teaching
To be sure, in their original context, Jesus words were geared toward twelve very anxious disciples, as Jesus tells them, in so many words, what they are likely going to face when they go into the world to teach the gospel (Mt. 28:16-20). Jesus pretty much says to them that what he as their Master will face – hostility and rejection, even death, they are going to face (Mt. 10:25). In fact, at this point in Jesus’ ministry, he has already received threats on his life (Mt. 10:16).
         
But Jesus’ little missionary message to his disciples is also about something more, and it is a message we need to hear more than ever: three times in five verses Jesus shares not to fear when they go and serve him (Mt. 10:26, 28, 31). And the reason they should not fear is because God’s purposes have been revealed: that is to say, God is up to good in the world, despite what evil or danger there is (Mt. 10:26-27). God’s purposes will prevail (Rom. 8:28). 

​That’s one reason the disciples should not fear: God is up to good.
The other reason the disciples do not need to fear is because God is a God who cares. God is a God who recognizes us and knows us, even to the point of knowing the hairs on our heads, even to the point of knowing about sparrows that fall to the ground (Mt. 10:28-29). God knows us from head to toe. God acknowledges those who acknowledge him (Mt. 10:32).
          Now such a confession does not mean that God will prevent us from falling or from facing danger. Rather, it means that God recognizes us when others don’t seem to care and when others may abandon us on Christ’s mission. That’s central to what Jesus is saying: God recognizes us when others don’t seem to care or when others may abandon us on the mission.
Reflection on Current Situation
          Now, in light of what is happening in our country and around the world at this moment, such words, I hope, are words to ponder and receive with assurance, but also with a sense of challenge. And here is what I mean: I believe it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who said that, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” To some extent that is true. Fear can paralyze us. Fear can stop us in our tracks. 
But who among us can turn off fear like a water facet. Fear is a complicated emotion, on many levels. Fear can lead us to do the heroic, but it can lead us into isolation and paralysis. Fear can build walls, especially when we need to be building bridges.
Therefore, when Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the challenges they are going to encounter, he is saying something very important, and he is actually saying something very important about fear: The logic goes something like this: there is something worse than the fear of physical death; and there is something worse than the fear of public speaking, or the fear of the unknown; and it is the fear of that no one cares for you, or the fear that you don’t matter, or that you have been unnoticed or forgotten. Such a fear is worse than death: it is a bear born of neglect. 
Hence, Jesus’ teaching that we matter, and that God knows us and recognizes us, even to the point of knowing the hairs on our heads. This is what Jesus is saying: God recognizes us and cares for us, even now. 
Because if I have a concern about what could very much happen over the next few weeks or months, it is that the most vulnerable people in our society will be forgotten or not recognized – persons who are elderly and socially isolated already, persons who are food insecure, persons who may lose their jobs, persons who are from other countries who are now being scapegoated, families that do not know what to do with children who are not in school. 
How will we need to pay attention to what may happen to them? Because God is paying attention and God knows! And if God does, how will we?
If you have not read the article on Friday by David Brooks in the New York Times about our present pandemic, I would encourage you to do so, for what a pandemic can do, says Brooks, is a hold up a mirror to us and reveal to us what kind of society we truly are; it will reveal to us who are true leaders are; and if his analysis is correct, and I think it is, from the way past pandemics have gone, what we may see may not necessarily be good, as a lack of compassion can (and often has) become quite real: The virus will not simply expose a health crisis but a spiritual crisis.
And what I want us to focus on is how we will find ways to keep our souls, our spirits, in tack, and find meaningful and wise ways to stay connected: For the worst kind of death that can come upon us is not physical death, but spiritual and moral death – the kind of death that can occur when we isolate and distance ourselves from others, all in an effort to stay safe, yes, but also with unforeseen social consequences. 
I think David Brooks is on to something. Pay attention to what kind of people we could become: a pandemic can kill compassion too. Hopefully, it won’t. Hopefully, we will grow and care together. It is why the real pandemic needs to be a pandemic of kindness as well, even now.
It is an insight that I believe overlaps with what we have been sharing over the last few weeks about the kind of church God is calling us to be: that we are called to care for each other, yes, on the one hand, but also find ways to make a difference in the lives of others, on the other. Let me explain.
First, on Friday, the phone rang off the hook about our Soup’s On Ministry. Persons were concerned that we were going to cancel. I understand. People are afraid. But what I realized during those calls was that there are folks who need a place where they can count on food and where they have some sense of belonging. How may we continue to find helpful ways of providing food and/or a place for persons who are food-insecure, all the while considering health safety? That’s a question I ask. 
Second, in a conversation on Friday with Dr. Clendening, the superintendent of schools in Franklin, I learned what it is going to take to make sure children in this community are fed over the next three weeks, and even months. There are plans in place to help. However, it is going to require money and, possibly, persons who can distribute food supplements in and around the community.
How may we assist on both counts?
Because what I want to stress during this time, and what I sense is really at the bottom of these matters is recognition: If God knows the hairs on our head, if God watches the sparrow, then God surely recognizes the least of these our brothers and sisters (Mt. 25:38). And if God does, then surely God’s own followers are charged to recognize such persons as well (Mt. 25:18-39)!
How may we stay connected and care for each other? 
Yes, we will probably have to live-stream or record our messages in the weeks ahead via Youtube and Facebook. We can do that. And we will have to figure out ways of staying in touch with the congregation via different methods of communication. We can do that. But we are also going to need persons to check on others in this church and in the community: we will need persons who can make phone calls and send emails and cards and pray with others. We will need persons to assist and serve, maybe in ways we have not anticipated. 
To be sure, these are not big things, but they all add up. Check on the people close to you – even if they get several phone calls, check on them.
For people are afraid. There is a spiral of panic. And people in the midst of all this “stuff” need to know that they matter, that they belong. That’s the challenging part of our current climate.
Therefore, as we go into a time of prayer, may we realize that what God is seeking is really, at bottom, a matter of recognition: Of being a church that is recognizing others. Of noticing what is happening. Of paying attention. Of discerning where the Holy Spirit is leading and doing what we may need to do – to stay safe, yes, but also to listen to what the Lord is saying: that the God who recognizes us and knows us is the God who cares for us and for others deeply – even to the point of knowing the hairs on our heads. Amen!

 
 
            

​During the season of Lent, questions of identity come to the fore. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the church has always insisted on beginning the Lenten journey in the Wilderness, with Jesus’s forty-days of fasting and testing: at the heart of Jesus’s time in the wilderness is the question of Jesus’ identity and purpose: Who is Jesus really, and what is he going to do? Or, to put it a little differently: what kind of Son of God is Jesus going to be? 
​
That’s really the question: it is not whether Jesus is God’s Son, the question is what kind of God’s Son Jesus is going to be. Even the devil knows Jesus is God’s Son. But the devil also wants to know if Jesus is going to take the easy route or the hard route to being the Messiah, the Son of God.

Jesus’ identity is really at the core of the temptation story, as he goes into the wilderness to take an “exam,” if you will, like no other exam, to find out what kind of mission he is going to fulfill and what missions he will not.

As we move into the Lenten season, what kind of exam might we take? What mission is God wanting us to fulfill? Who are we as God’s people?

These are questions as old as Adam and Eve in the Garden or the people of Israel in the wilderness: who are we and to whom do we belong? It is easy to forget, but Lent is a time when we can return and remember. It is a time when we can count the costs and follow Jesus.

Pastor Andy Kinsey

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes about how “agape,” or mutual love and regard, is to be the foundation, the very goal for the Christian life. It is the foundation that requires ongoing character formation, and a virtue that is both given to us by the Holy Spirit and learned in a community. It is a gift that needs to be both cultivated and received together.        
 
It is why agape requires patience: agape doesn’t come down from the cross and say, “I am out of here,” but endures for the sake of forgiving others. It does not adopt secular tactics to keep score or tally votes, but learns over time the virtue of forbearance and calls forth maturity.
 
In short, agape means that there needs to be a sense of humility: it means that we don’t know all things, and we can’t see the whole picture, for, in truth, we only see in a mirror dimly (1 Cor. 13:12). We cannot see all that is happening, or all that is going to happen. No one can! If we did, we would sound like a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. 
 
No, love as agape means we act with humility: we see with humble eyes through the cross. We see through another angle of vision. Because, truth be told, right now, our vision is blurry, or should I say, due to our own imperfections, we cannot quite make out what we see all the time, especially when we look in the mirror. 
 
In other words, when I look in the mirror, is it someone I know? Is it really me? Or is it someone who thinks he has it all together? Or is it someone Whose own face I am trying to see, but never quite clear as to Who it is? Is it Jesus’ face, or someone else’s?
 
Humble eyes remind us that someday we all will see, but that right now, only dimly, partially. Humble eyes remind us that the things we thought were most important in this life are really like child’s play in comparison to what is to come, and that the things we may have wondered about in terms of faith, hope, and love truly do matter, especially with respect to agape, which is the greatest gift of all, giving us the eyes to see and the vision to be the body of Christ.
 
Pastor Andy Kinsey

How do you know what you know?  How do you know what you see is true?  It takes spiritual vision. Spiritual vision is the ability to see the way Jesus sees - through the lenses of grace, love, mercy, and hope while wearing glasses of justice, compassion, humility, and wisdom. 

If there was a man who did NOT have clear spiritual vision, it was a man by the name of Saul of Tarsus. He thought he knew all things Jewish.  He was a Greek speaking Jewish pharisee. He knew the Hebrew Bible. He did not agree with Jesus’ teachings or that Jesus was the messiah and felt those who followed him should be punished.    He thought he saw things perfectly clear. The rules. The interpretations. The history. Saul built quite a reputation going from synagogue to synagogue arresting believers and either astricizing them or having them flogged. Believers did everything they could to avoid him. 

In Acts 9:1-19 Jesus had Saul’s attention in a dramatic and powerful way.  A blaze of light. Blindness. Yes, Jesus had his attention and told him to go into Damascus and wait for further instruction.  At the same time Jesus also spoke to his servant, Ananias who was not at all thrilled to be the one commanded to go to Saul and welcome him to the family of faith. In fact the text tells us Ananaias protests Jesus’ request to go and help Saul and tries to convince Jesus of the kind of man Saul is.  (As if he didn’t know) Ananias was a respected and honored leader in the Jewish community and among followers of Jesus. He was confident and thought he saw things clearly. He thought he knew what was expected. He thought he could see clearly what Jesus was doing.     

It seems both men were having trouble seeing with the 20/20 vision of Christ.  Both men were dazed and confused upon encountering Jesus and what was happening or being asked of them.  Both needed to adjust, clear or open their eyes in order to focus on what truly mattered. 

It is easy to imagine both Saul and Ananias experienced some  level of fear, anxiety, and utter bewilderment at what was going on.  Saul for obvious reasons. Here was a devout Jew, a religious authority who had significant connections, contacts and power brought to his knees and depending on his official escorts to get him to the place he had intended to flex that authority and power.  Ananias had some of the same. Here was also a devout man, believer in Jesus, also a religious leader with significant connections and authority in his own right and community. He too was brought to his knees and dependent on the very faith he professed. Both had eyes but could not see beyond their own position and circumstance. 

Church, are we not much the same?  Do we not find ourselves in the same position?  So often we as followers of Jesus have eyes to see yet fail to take in the greater vision of Jesus Christ.  So often we have eyes to see yet we let our own agendas, ideas, perceptions, and even beliefs get in the way of seeing what God has in store.  We bulldoze into situations wanting things our way, Or we dig in our heels, refuse to see other viewpoints, or possibilities that Jesus might be presenting to us.  

I am not saying we give up what we believe.  I am not saying we accept everything blindly that comes along.  I am saying, spiritual vision is about seeing that God’s power and presence of love is far bigger than our limited vision.  God does have requirements of us (Micah 6:8 love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with God) and to love and follow Jesus does have expectations, AND both are rooted first and foremost in a love that sees beyond shaming people, marginalizing people, or hurting people.  

We are not the ones with a greater plan, nor are we the ones who can see the grander vision.  God is. Jesus is. This is a lesson both Saul and Ananais had to come to realize and my gosh, look at who they were!  One is considered one of the greatest apostles to live and the other is called the unsung or forgotten hero of the New Testament.  Who are we to think we can travel our journey of faith and not have to let the scales fall from our eyes. 

We must be the ones to be dazed and confused and come out the other side truly transformed.  We must be the ones in prayer and obedience seeking the way of Jesus. We must be the ones to develop and regain 20/20 vision in a world that desperately needs a bigger vision of love, forgiveness, and hope. 

​Pastor Jenothy Irvine