“‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
John 8:58-59
Dear HBIC Family,
We are now in the season of Eastertide, the time on the historical worldwide Church calendar that continues the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Eastertide covers the fifty days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. I love that the early church intentionally walks with God through Lent for forty days of prayer, self-reflection, restraint, repentance, reconciliation, taking up our crosses, and living by the Spirit. And after all that, the Church is ready to party, celebrate, and shout praises for an additional ten days in Eastertide.
We will begin our Eastertide celebrations this week by beginning part two of our Remembrance sermon series. In part one, before our Lenten journey together, we focused on calls to remember in the Old Testament. We learned to remember who God was, is, and promises to be. Now, we will look at calls to remember in the New Testament while focusing on who Jesus was, is, and promises to be. We will learn and be challenged to remember that God the Father and Jesus the Son are one, and that who God reveals himself to be is who Jesus reveals himself to be as well.
Throughout Scripture, God consistently calls followers to remember. We see these calls in God telling people to remember who God was, is, and will be. God wants us to remember what God has done, when God has saved, why God has loved us, where God has blessed us, and how God has carried us through. We must remember because it is so easy to forget. We must remember because it helps us to hold on. We must remember because it takes our eyes off of ourselves and present situations and places them firmly on God.
When we remember, we recall, we emphasize and we commemorate. Remembering who Jesus was and is calls us to worship. Recalling what Jesus has done reminds us of God’s mercy. Emphasizing how and when Jesus saves makes us celebrate God’s grace. We remember to praise, to celebrate and to hold on to God’s goodness, faithfulness and love. We remember to learn and grow and to live our lives empowered by the Spirit, energized by our risen Christ, and for God’s glory and kingdom come.
To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on John 8, but specifically verses 48-59. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
What do you remember about your first real interaction with Jesus?
Can you recall one promise of Jesus that has helped to sustain you in the last year?
What is one name of Jesus that helps tell the story of his faithfulness to you?
God promises to be with us. How have you felt Jesus’ presence today, this week, this month and this past year?
Sisters and brothers, we continue to celebrate our risen Lord. Eastertide is the worldwide and historic church celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Our lives are the temples of praise and worship that must commemorate the truth that our Jesus is alive. May our every breath join with the psalmist who sings:
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Sisters and brothers, Christ has risen from the dead. He is working on heaven until it’s perfect for us. He will come again so that where he is, there we may be also. Let our lives celebrate our Christ. Let our every breath remember who Jesus is!
God bless you all.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank (John 8:58-59)