Several of the things I am posting are old stories and such...
Every year at my church we do something called the Giving Tree where we have about 200 families come who without us, would not be able to afford Christmas presents. Well, every youth sunday school group will host an activity booth where the kids can come and recieve prizes such as little toys and candy, and have some fun. My group had an obstacle course. One of the first little boys to come through was probably about nine years old. He went through having a good time, especially trying to make the ball go into the basket ball hoop while he was dizzy from spinning around. Well I was holding the prize bucket that they could pick something out of. So I starting looking in there for things I thought a nine year old would enjoy. A toy truck, an airplane, noisemakers, or G. I. Joes. Well I pointed these things out to him, but he looked around in them and picked up a box of crayons. I guess God must have helped him to sense my surprise, or maybe my astonishment was that obvious in my face. Quietly so only I would hear him, he said to me, I want to take these and give them to my little sister for Christmas. The rest of the day, the little boy did not come back to our room, I never even learned his name. More than likely I will never see him again. But that little boy touched me in the same way that Christ touched all of us. He teaches us that it is more than getting things for ourselves. It is about giving things to others, things that we get for them, when we could be getting for ourselves. I will never forget that little boy, and I can imagine the joy on his sister's face that I have never met, when she opens up this wonderful gift from her big brother on Christmas morning.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Sunrise Service 2008 - Freedom in Christ
This is a copy of what my message was about at the sunrise service. I have gone back through and added in scripture for reference along with other random commentary. Any commentary will be shown in green. Sorry all people who are color blind.
I gave the message at the sunrise service this morning along with Cecilia, Sabrina, and Tad. Because of our youth group's recent activity with Loose Change to Loosen Chains our topic was Freedom in Christ.
Good morning! My name is Carole-Marie Wiser and today, this Easter Sunday, you are rejoicing for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is risen. He is risen! (and the people shall say: "He is risen indeed!") Today though, I am rejoicing for a different reason. I am rejoicing because Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior...died.
Several years ago, back when we were still having services in the old sanctuary, I attended my first Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) and my first Good Friday (also known as "Holy Friday," "Friday of Preparation," "Great Friday," and the "Friday of Mourning") service. It was during these services that I had my first real experience with the death of Christ. It confused me. Imagine the thoughts going through a six or seven year old mind. Why would God not only allow His only son to die on a cross, but also tell Him to do so. (Luke 22:41-44 Mark 14:35-36 Matthew 26:36-46) Also, why would the people who love Him so much, betray Him. (This reference does not only include the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (John 18:1-10 Luke 22:47-48 Mark 14:43-45 Matthew 26:48-50) but also the denial of being one of the chose twelve as done by Simon Peter the son of John and brother of Andrew. (Matthew 26:69-75 Mark 14:66-72 Luke 22:54-65 John 18:15-18,25-27)) Lastly, why when Jesus could call thousands of angels to his aid (Matthew 26:53) did he choose not to do so.
Not only did these services confuse me, but they scared me as well. I had never seen the sanctuary empty, always there was the comfort of the familiar, but on Maundy Thursday all of the ornamentals were stripped from the sanctuary. The altar had the candles removed along with all of the cloth. They took the Bible out. Everything that reminded me of Jesus. (Some view the stripping of the sanctuary as a symbolic stripping of the power of Christ. Personally, I do not agree with this because Jesus is part of a trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and I would like to see you try to strip God of His power.) All that was left in the sanctuary after it had been stripped was the wooden cross that hangs above the altar. A cross like the one that Jesus died upon. Both nights we exited in silence, yet all I could think about was that we were leaving Jesus there, no one was doing anything to help Him. He is hanging right there on that cross, He is in this very room, and you all are walking out. Why won't somebody get Him down?
As I was writing this, I went back into the old sanctuary, so that I could relive the memory of my first experience with the death of Christ. Once again, I asked God "why?" Everything was clearer. The answer stared back at me from the architecture . Behind the cross is the stained glass window, but protecting the glass are several strips of wood, nailed up so that they form hundreds of smaller crosses of different sizes. Those smaller crosses are the reason that we can leave in silence, leaving Jesus alone to die. Those smaller crosses are the reason that Jesus did not call to Him the angels of heaven. Those smaller crosses are the reasons that Jesus was betrayed. Those smaller crosses are the reasons that we were slaves. Those smaller crosses...represent our sins and our sins are the chains that bind us. Jesus offered His life so that we could be without those heavy chains, He offers to take them up and carry them.
Today, we are rejoicing because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, died to give us freedom.
I gave the message at the sunrise service this morning along with Cecilia, Sabrina, and Tad. Because of our youth group's recent activity with Loose Change to Loosen Chains our topic was Freedom in Christ.
Good morning! My name is Carole-Marie Wiser and today, this Easter Sunday, you are rejoicing for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is risen. He is risen! (and the people shall say: "He is risen indeed!") Today though, I am rejoicing for a different reason. I am rejoicing because Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior...died.
Several years ago, back when we were still having services in the old sanctuary, I attended my first Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) and my first Good Friday (also known as "Holy Friday," "Friday of Preparation," "Great Friday," and the "Friday of Mourning") service. It was during these services that I had my first real experience with the death of Christ. It confused me. Imagine the thoughts going through a six or seven year old mind. Why would God not only allow His only son to die on a cross, but also tell Him to do so. (Luke 22:41-44 Mark 14:35-36 Matthew 26:36-46) Also, why would the people who love Him so much, betray Him. (This reference does not only include the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (John 18:1-10 Luke 22:47-48 Mark 14:43-45 Matthew 26:48-50) but also the denial of being one of the chose twelve as done by Simon Peter the son of John and brother of Andrew. (Matthew 26:69-75 Mark 14:66-72 Luke 22:54-65 John 18:15-18,25-27)) Lastly, why when Jesus could call thousands of angels to his aid (Matthew 26:53) did he choose not to do so.
Not only did these services confuse me, but they scared me as well. I had never seen the sanctuary empty, always there was the comfort of the familiar, but on Maundy Thursday all of the ornamentals were stripped from the sanctuary. The altar had the candles removed along with all of the cloth. They took the Bible out. Everything that reminded me of Jesus. (Some view the stripping of the sanctuary as a symbolic stripping of the power of Christ. Personally, I do not agree with this because Jesus is part of a trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and I would like to see you try to strip God of His power.) All that was left in the sanctuary after it had been stripped was the wooden cross that hangs above the altar. A cross like the one that Jesus died upon. Both nights we exited in silence, yet all I could think about was that we were leaving Jesus there, no one was doing anything to help Him. He is hanging right there on that cross, He is in this very room, and you all are walking out. Why won't somebody get Him down?
As I was writing this, I went back into the old sanctuary, so that I could relive the memory of my first experience with the death of Christ. Once again, I asked God "why?" Everything was clearer. The answer stared back at me from the architecture . Behind the cross is the stained glass window, but protecting the glass are several strips of wood, nailed up so that they form hundreds of smaller crosses of different sizes. Those smaller crosses are the reason that we can leave in silence, leaving Jesus alone to die. Those smaller crosses are the reason that Jesus did not call to Him the angels of heaven. Those smaller crosses are the reasons that Jesus was betrayed. Those smaller crosses are the reasons that we were slaves. Those smaller crosses...represent our sins and our sins are the chains that bind us. Jesus offered His life so that we could be without those heavy chains, He offers to take them up and carry them.
Today, we are rejoicing because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, died to give us freedom.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Sky Angel Cowboy
Last night I was visiting the KSBJ website and saw a link about the "Sky Angel Cowboy." Curiously, I clicked on it and listened to a story about a thirteen year old boy who had to put down his favorite calf. He asked God why he allowed his beloved pet to die. God spoke to the little boy, saying "I sent my beloved Son down to earth and watched him die on the cross, He died for a purpose, just like your calf."That calf was suffering in our world, so God allowed him and end for his pain. He died for a purpose, it was what God wanted. Just as Jesus died to save us from our sins. When a loved one dies, we often find that it seems that no one understands, that no one else has felt pain like ours. I received a little card with a very wrinkled puppy dog on it, it said "Give your worries to God and let Him iron out your wrinkles." We may feel that no one else can understand the pain that we go through, but turn to God, and He will understand, because He has suffered the exact same pain when He sent His precious son to live with us.
The Sky Angel Cowboy
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d5d4ee2c067a456e7c0f
The Sky Angel Cowboy
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d5d4ee2c067a456e7c0f
Starbucks Devotion
This morning I went to Starbucks to buy a honey latte, on the bottom of the cup is a sign that says "Careful, the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot." It made me think about God giving us freewill to do whatever we please. We are given the Bible to study, and within the Bible are God's suggestions on how we are to live our life, but God gives us the choice on whether or not we choose to follow His law in our day to day decisions. So many of our actions, though they may be enjoyable, much like the honey latte I sipped on while writing this, are not what God wants us to do. Think about it: "Careful, the action you are about to perform, though it may cause enjoyment and satisfaction now, may lead to a hot life in hell." God has given us His warning in the Bible. He has told us that the consequences of our actions may lead to more than a burnt tongue. It's up to us to decide if we will heed His warnings, or face the fire.
Photo is entitled Early Board Meeting-Copyright WastedTears13 on deviantart.com
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