I am a person who has always enjoyed playing board games. It really doesn’t matter what it is, I just enjoy sitting around the house, getting competitive and playing games. Lately, it has been Scattergories with my wife, Meredith and our friend, Julia.  I somehow always win! Anyways, growing up my good friend Jeremy and I would burn the midnight oil playing a game entitled, Risk. For those of you who have never played Risk, it’s a war game where you attempt to win world dominance by taking over your opponents countries.

There is some luck needed in this game, but also a whole lot of strategy. In order to make sure you give yourself a fair shot at winning the first thing you do is secure the borders of whatever countries you happen to possess. In the game of Risk, if you overlook your borders you can be sure that an attack will ensue and more than likely you will lose.  It is imperative that you give attention to your borders.

In our passage this morning, we read of a man named Nehemiah who was a cupbearer to the King of Persia. Not only was Nehemiah cupbearer to the king of Persia, but he was also a Jew living in exile, who wept upon hearing about the weak borders that surrounded the city of Jerusalem.

This is an interesting time in Jewish history. And, if you can bear with me for a few minutes, this history is extremely important for us to hear.

Nearly 150 years prior to Nehemiah’s life the Jews had their world flipped upside down when the Babylonian army invaded the city of Jerusalem, burning down the house of God and forcing those who lived through the war into exile in a foreign land. After living roughly 50 years in exile under Babylonian rule, the Babylonians were overcome by a new heavy weight, the Persians.  Under this new world power, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland.

You would think that everyone would jump on this opportunity, but the Jewish leaders were only able to round up roughly 50,000 people for the journey back home.  Everyone else opted to stay in the foreign land having situated themselves to their new life. Upon arrival into Jerusalem, this group of people wept as they gazed upon the ruins where God’s house used to stand.  This weeping had to do more with the abandonment of God then it did with the loss of a physical structure.

You see, the Temple symbolized God’s presence amongst the Jews.  Without this structure in their midst it could only mean one thing – God had abandoned them.

We see this idea of a physical structure housing God’s presence begin under the leadership of Moses in the book of Exodus with the building of the tabernacle. All the Jewish people wandered through the wilderness for forty years between the time of their enslavement in Egypt and their freedom in the Promised Land, God led them in a cloud of smoke during the day and a pillar of fire at night. When the Israelites stopped to rest, a tabernacle would be set up (to house God) and this pillar of fire or cloud of smoke would rest in this tent symbolizing God’s presence amongst His people.

Once the Israelites gained entry into the Promised Land, the Temple replaced the tabernacle. This temple was a permanent structure located in Jerusalem and the scriptures testify that, “the glory of the Lord filled the Temple” (2 Chronicles 5:14). It was at the Temple that God especially chose to meet with His people.

It would not be until the exile of the Jews into Babylon in 586BC that God would cast his face away from them.  In a sense, the glory of God had departed from Israel. This is why the Jewish people wept upon entering the city of Jerusalem. They could not rest easy until the presence of God returned to them.

So, with that said, they began to rebuild the Temple. It took two different leaders and roughly 25 years, but the Temple of God was finally rebuilt. There was much celebration that took place after the rebuilding of the Temple, but there was still one problem that needed to be addressed before the Jews could rest easy that God’s presence amongst them was secure and that was the rebuilding of the wall that lay in ruins around the city.

So roughly 80 years after the Temple was rebuilt we pick up our story of Nehemiah this morning.

We read in the opening chapter of Nehemiah, “The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:  In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.”They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in Jerusalem are in great trouble and disgrace.  The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’  When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:1-4).

Nehemiah wept for his brothers and sisters because the great city of Jerusalem and the Temple of God stood exposed and susceptible to enemy attacks and corruptions. He believed that in order to secure social, economic, and most importantly, religious stability to the Jewish people, the wall must be rebuilt.

After the rebuilding of the Temple and the city wall, the Jewish people found themselves once again thriving spiritually.

Can I now make a leap as we try to figure out what prayer has to do with the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem?

It’s a connection that makes sense in my mind and I hope it also makes sense in yours. The Apostle Paul states in his first letter to the church at Corinth that, today, “we ourselves are God’s temple” which means God’s Spirit does not dwell anymore in a house made by man, but rather God’s Spirit dwells inside each of our hearts (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Do you see the correlation?

Whereas in Nehemiah’s day God’s presence was experienced outwardly, we come to experience God’s presence inwardly – through the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Whereas Nehemiah worked tirelessly in his day to build a physical wall to protect God’s presence among the Jewish people, we are supposed to live lives of prayer to protect God’s presence within each of us.

Prayer, my friends, is the wall that keeps us protected and contains God’s continual presence for us.

Yes, I believe prayer is the tool God uses today in order to guard our hearts (where he dwells) from corruption, deceit, deception, and sin.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us that, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Whereas the building of the wall in Nehemiah’s days was imperative for a vibrant religious life amongst the Jewish people, so prayer is the key to vibrant spiritual life for us.

You know, there is a verse in this story of Nehemiah that really grabbed my attention.  In this part of the story, Nehemiah is trying to convey to the Jews the importance of rebuilding the wall.

In Nehemiah 2:18, they respond to Nehemiah’s plea by saying, “Let’s rise up and build.”

I think that we need to have this type of response to prayer as well. Friends, let’s rise up and pray!  Let us make sure that if we are anything, we are people of prayer. Just as Nehemiah tirelessly worked to rebuild the wall to protect the temple and demonstrate God’s glory, we need to live lives of prayer to protect ourselves, God’s living temples, and demonstrate God’s glory. We may not be laying bricks as we build, but with every prayer, with every communication with God that we enter into, we are fortifying our temple and protecting our relationship with God.

So with that said, again, let’s rise up and build.
Let us pray…

Almighty God, your presence in our lives is a gift from you.  It is your presence that gives us a sense of stability, peace, and comfort. Without your presence, Lord, we would be lost, scared, and unsettled.  Father, like Nehemiah, we too would weep.  God as hard as it is to be people who constantly stay connected to you, we understand the need to pray.  We understand the power of prayer.  And, we ask for your help in making us people of prayer – people who constantly commune with you.  Prepare us Lord, to be living sanctuaries for you – sanctuaries that this world needs.  Amen.

Psalm 150 states these words, ^“Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.  Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,  praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,  praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD.”

Praising God! This is what it means for us to be alive! Because we were created for God’s glory we are called to praise Him.  And, as we talked about last week our life’s purpose is exactly that; to bring glory to God in all we do.

The song book for the Israelites was the book of Psalms (the Psalter) and where the book of Psalms ends (Ps.150) is where we begin this morning.

A number of years ago, my wife Meredith and I took a trip out to the Grand Canyon. This trip and the 1400 mile road trip we took around Arizona and Utah was amazing. After driving for who knows how long enjoying the Arizona landscape we finally got to the Grand Canyon just as the sun was going down.  We ran out of the car so we would not miss such a picturesque moment and as soon as we approached the edge of the Canyon our jaws dropped open.  What we experienced in that moment was too profound for words. We stood in silence, for probably minutes (that felt like an eternity) gazing at such an awesome sight that, to me, truly declared God’s majesty.

In that moment I truly did not know which side of heaven I was standing on.  Heaven and earth seemed to be intermingling.

I found out recently that I am not the first person to have such a thought. In fact, the Celtic Christians of Ireland actually have come up with a name for such experiences.  They call them “Thin Places.” Thin places are places where two worlds are said to intermingle – where heaven and earth collide.  It is a place, the Celtics say, where the boundary between heaven and earth is especially thin.  It is a place where we can sense the divine more readily.

The great thing about “thin places” is that we don’t have to plan a trip to experience them.

Instead, we stumble upon them. And, to some extent, thin places, like beauty, are in the eye of the beholder.

For some of us, a thin place was that moment we held our newborn baby for the first time and we watched and felt him or her take his or her first breath in this world. I have personally have felt this way when baptizing babies into the faith.  For me, heaven and earth collide when I participate in this sacrament.

Whatever our experience, these “thin places” call us to a place of worship – and nearly force us to do more than just acknowledge the presence of God, but truly praise him. But, with that said, thin places are not supposed to be the only times we offer up our praises to God. The psalmist this morning encourages us to make praise and worship the rhythm of our lives.

The English word “worship” originated from the Old English word “Worth-ship.” When you worth-shipped someone else that meant that you gave them your respect and homage. In a sense you were saying, “I recognize that you have great worth, a status that I don’t have and because of that I give you my worth-ship.

In the Bible, the Hebrew and Greek words for worship are translated in English as, “to bow down” or “to bend the knee.”

In other parts of the world we see this idea of bowing to others upon greeting to be a common practice; especially in the Asian culture.

In this culture, if you were to bow to someone at 15 degrees that would me that there is a mutual respect between one another.

If you were to bow to someone at 30 degrees that would mean you would be showing a greater respect for another because they hold a higher status in the community than you do.

And, if you were to bow at a 45 degrees that would mean you entered the presence of a person who is truly great.  This person would be a king or a queen or someone else of that status.

You know, I wonder, how far does that mean we have to bow to the Kings of kings, the Creator of universe, the Savior of the world?

How far should we bow?

We can see the answer to this question exemplified in the Holy Scriptures over and over.

When Moses found out he stood in the presence of God at the burning bush, what did he do?  He fell face down.

When Joshua entered the Promised Land and stood before the Lord God, what did he do?  He fell face down.

When David went into the Tabernacle and was in the presence of the Lord, what did he do?  He fell face down.

When people encountered Jesus Christ, what did they do?  They fell face down.

These people were acknowledging that the One whom they came in the presence of was great and they were only one of His creatures.

This bowing face down to the ground is called “prostrating” oneself in order to show complete humility and submission.

Every morning I wake I either roll over on my stomach and prostrate myself or I crawl off of my bed and let my knees hit first. The reason I do this is to start each day in a posture of humility acknowledging God’s greatness over my life. It is my way to start off each of my days in worship, praise, and thanksgiving.

Even though “worship” is a physical response to God’s greatness over our lives it is not meant to end there. Our physical acts of “worship” are meant to lead us to a spiritual and emotional frame of mind that makes worship and praise (again) the rhythm of our life.

Now with that said, I think if we can understand 3 things about God it will help us praise more fully and might just help us to worship always. As Christians we believe in a God who is made up of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  A simple way to understand the function of each of these persons of God is to also call them by the names Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

The Christian faith believes that before there was anything else there was God.

We believe that God spoke everything into existence.

We believe God is our Creator.

We believe God is behind everything.  And since we believe this, we believe that our lives are contingent on God.

We have breath because God gives us breath.

Our hearts beat because God allows them to beat.

Since this is true, all life is therefore a gift.

We look out at what God has created and we understand that all nature is meant to drive us to worship God and give him praise. In fact, it seems like nature itself praises God, doesn’t it?

Leaves dancing in the wind; the beauty of a spider’s web; and the sight of bare trees with “arms” raised to the sky are hard to view without thinking of the Creator who made such a beautiful world.

I mentioned my trip to the Grand Canyon a few moments ago and my first instinct when I gazed upon its beauty was to praise God.

I stood in awe of God’s majesty.  It brought me to a place of praise. And like the “thin places” I mentioned earlier, many of us feel ourselves praising God when we suddenly find ourselves acutely aware of our Creator. It’s an amazing feeling, and one that prods our hearts to praise God. When this happens, we find we must praise and we say along with King David in Psalm 19, that “the heavens declare the glory of God the skies proclaim the works of his hands.”

I think it’s sort of a given that we should praise God the Creator, but what about Jesus – the Redeemer? How can we give him praise? I think that when we understand Jesus’ work and why he came into the world, friends, we have to worship, we have to praise.

When we read through the testimony in the Bible that tells of the encounters Jesus had with people he freed from disease, demons, and discouragement we can’t help but praise.

When we come to understand that all four gospels find their climax at the cross where Jesus sacrificially gave up his life, so we could live – how do we not praise?

When we come to realize that in Jesus’ death the wrath of God was appeased and that in Jesus’ resurrection death and sin were defeated so they no longer have the last word in our lives, how do we not praise?

When we don’t remind ourselves or we don’t understand our need for what Jesus did it is easy to NOT praise.

Pastor Adam Hamilton shares in a recent sermon of his a story of a friend, named Shirley, who went to skydiving school.  During one of her jumps (when she was still strapped to her instructor) the parachute did not open up; neither did the emergency chute. So, at 8,000 feet the instructor positioned himself in such a way that he would hit the ground first with the hopes that Shirley would survive the fall. To make a long story short, Shirley survived and actually walked away with minor scrapes and bruises.  The instructor also lived, but is now paralyzed.

Let me ask a question:  How do you think Shirley responded to this man’s sacrifice for her?  Do you think she forgot about what he did for her?  Or, maybe she remembers just every so often?  Maybe once a week? Or, does she live everyday in gratitude and praise for what this man did for her?

Knowing that Christ gave up his life for us, how are we supposed to respond?

The Apostle Paul encourages us in Colossians 3, to “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Praise! He encourages us to live a life of praise!

Finally and really quickly, let’s speak of the person of the Holy Spirit.  The resurrected Jesus told his disciples that he would be leaving them, but that he would not be leaving them alone.  He said he would send them a comforter, who was the Spirit. To me the working of the Spirit is alive and thriving in our lives all the time.

When we are in the thin places and we get caught up in the wonder of God’s handiwork it is the Spirit who causes us to take notice.

When our eyes fill with tears of gratitude as we reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice for us, it is the Spirit causing us to acknowledge the work of Jesus.

When we desire to know Jesus more fully; when we reach out to help another in need; and when we feel compelled to lift up our voices in praise to God it is the work of the Spirit in our lives.

When we feel that peace that passes all understanding and fully know that God is in control and will take care of us, it is the work of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a companion that sticks closer than a brother and will guide us every day if we are paying attention.

In knowing what we know about God Almighty, The Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, how do we not praise?

How do we not give our life in praise to our Creator who created us for a purpose, our Redeemer who traded in his crown for a cross on our behalf and for our Sustainer who guides us in this world? I think we can all agree that God deserves our praise.  But how do we actually apply this truth?  How do we continually live a life of praise?

I actually posted this question on Facebook this week and received several answers.

Many people responded by saying that living lives of gratitude and counting our blessings is one way to live a life of praise.

Others stated that we should focus on God’s love and grace, despite our life circumstances.

Another person remarked that we should always give God credit when good things happen, rather than pass it off as luck or coincidence.

A couple other people talked about the importance of focusing on the cross and never taking it for granted.

It seems that there are several ways to live lives of praise.  I would like to challenge everyone here today to think about your answer to this question.  What do you think it means to live a life of praise?

Friends, I believe that when we get to this point – the point where our lives become a rhythm of praise – it will change everything.

The value of our lives will no longer be contingent on whether or not we are having a good day or a bad day, and our frame of mind will change because our focus will always be upward – on God!

And somewhere along the way, as our gaze turns upward, we will find ourselves not just living, but thriving. Amen.

Together over the next five weeks, we are going to consider how we can live the life God has intended for us – a life that truly thrives. It is my intention to help us understand that a life that truly thrives is one that is first and foremost rooted in Christ Jesus.

This sermon series was birthed out of what I have been seeing and hearing in our community and among my family and friends. I spend a fair amount of time each week sitting in coffee houses and local restaurants working on sermons, meeting with people, and studying the scriptures. Sometimes I am a part of conversations and sometimes I cannot help but hear conversations.  I promise you, though, I am not a creeper! But in my discussions with friends and in picking up snippets from other conversations, I find that I have been able to better understand my ministry context and mission field.

Well, over the past several months, it has become apparent to me that many people feel somewhat discouraged when it comes to their life situation. Many people question the purpose of life, the disappointment in life, and even wonder what God is up to – I mean, is this really as good as it gets?

To be honest, these are questions I sometimes ask myself.

What I have heard over and over is really the question, “What am I here for?  Is this really all there is to life?  What is my purpose?”

Is it to simply repopulate the world, so it can continue on? Is it to just suck in as much air as possible before I die? Is it to gain as much emotional and physical pleasure as I can from all the stuff that is around me? Is it to be as successful as possible in my profession so I can one day be remembered? Is it to get my name written in the history books?

Friends, what is our purpose?

This question is what I would like to focus on today as we begin this five-week series, because I believe that if we understand our purpose in life, we are that much closer to not just living, but thriving.

I read an article on Yahoo news this week that Jay-Z has been beaten out as the wealthiest contemporary rapper. You see, Jay-Z is only worth $460 million; whereas P. Diddy is worth $550 million. I wonder, do you think Jay-Z’s life’s purpose is to make as much money as possible?  I don’t know, but I hope not because he has a ways to go to be number 1. I also can’t help but wonder – if Jay-Z never makes it to number 1, will he will be disappointed with what he has accomplished?

And where does that leave us? Should we feel like we have failed at our life’s purpose if we don’t make a certain amount of money or if we don’t necessarily “come out on top?” The problem we face when we try to root our life’s purpose in the things of this world is that more than likely we will be disappointed because the things of this world don’t last.

You see, I believe that there has got to be more to life than this.  Are we really just supposed to get up in the morning, go to work, come home, watch television, go to bed, and try to build up a good savings account?

Even if we have a family, are we really just supposed to raise our children, hope that they do well in life, and then grow old and die while the whole cycle repeats?  Is that really all there is?

I don’t believe that is the case.  You see, to me, what I just described is not really living – it’s just existing.

And, when we go forth to live lives that do not have purpose (where we are just existing), we are, in a sense, I believe, struggling with a spiritual emptiness. It is an emptiness in our souls that causes us to chase after things or people to fill the void.  But the problem is that we find that things and people can’t fill the emptiness. Even if our lives are filled with personal success and loved ones, we still long for a higher purpose.

That is why the smartest people don’t always figure life out.  Or the most successful people don’t always feel entirely fulfilled.

It’s why materialism may make us feel successful, but it does not make us feel significant.

So what do we do?  At times we pretend to be more than we really are.  We put on the false façade and fool people into believing we live lives that truly thrive, but deep down we know we don’t.

However, when our lives are rooted in Christ Jesus, we receive a contentment and satisfaction that cannot be found in anything or anyone else.

In my messages, I don’t usually quote atheists.  But I am going to use a quote by a famous atheist, Bertrand Russell, because I think it really captures what I am trying to say. Russell once said, “Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”

Let me say that again.  “Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”

How true!  If our life’s purpose is not derived from God, then what’s the point?

If we exist by chance, then there really isn’t a point to our lives, but if we were created and made by someone, then we must have a purpose!

So what is it?

According to Rick Warren, a well-known pastor from Texas, our purpose is to bring God glory. Rick states, “living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives.”

But how do we do this?  Let’s take a look at the life of Moses.

Moses is one of my favorite characters in the Bible.  His story begins in Exodus, the second book of the Bible and his first recorded encounter with God is when he is 80 years old.

The way the story is told in the Bible is that Moses noticed a burning bush and when he went over to examine it, the Lord God spoke to him. To make a long story short, God wanted Moses to use his life in service by displaying the glory of God and freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Moses felt inadequate for the job and told God how he felt.

God replied by asking him what he was holding. Now we need to understand that when God asks question it is not for His benefit, but for ours.  He already knows the answer, after all, He is God, right?

Anyways, God asks Moses a simple question: “What’s in your hand?”

It was a shepherd’s staff.

Now that doesn’t sound significant, but it was.  You see, that staff represented three things about Moses.

First, it represented his identity.  It was a symbol of his occupation.  He was a shepherd.

Secondly, it represented his income.  In biblical times there were no banks.  In fact, your wealth was tied up in the abundance of animals that you owned.  So Moses’ assets were tied up in his sheep.

Finally, this staff represented his influence.  The staff was used to move sheep from A to B by poking or pulling with the hook or the crook.

After Moses answered God’s question, God told him to throw it on the ground.  Moses did this, and the staff turned into a snake!  God then told Moses to pick it up and when he did, it turned back into a staff.

This seems like a crazy story, but through it, God made it clear to Moses and to us today that when we lay down our identity, our income, and our influence, for His purposes he will make us come alive.

In a sense He will make us THRIVE!

He can turn something completely lifeless into a living thing, and if he can do this, he can certainly use us to bring him glory, even if we feel inadequate. You see, just like Moses had a purpose – leading the Israelites out of slavery and bringing glory to God – we all have a purpose. And when we fulfill our purpose, it brings glory to God.

So how do we bring glory to God?  By serving – serving God and serving others.

Rick Warren, whom I quoted earlier, states, “Significance in life doesn’t come from status, because you can always find somebody who’s got more than you. It doesn’t come from sex. It doesn’t come from salary. Instead, it comes from serving.”

Jesus lived this idea out during his time on earth.  But it wasn’t always easy for him. In fact, knowing he was about to be crucified, he cried out, “My soul has become troubled. And what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour, Father, glorify Your name” (John 12:27-28).

Jesus stood at a fork in the road.  Would he fulfill his purpose and bring glory to God, or would he shrink back and live a comfortable, self-centered life?

Friends, we face the same choice.

Living the rest of our lives for the glory of God might require a change in our priorities, our schedules, and our relationships. It will sometimes mean choosing a difficult path instead of an easy one. But when we realize that the “good life” is not found in looking good, feeling good, and having the goods, but rather in being good and doing good we stop living for our own goals, comforts, and pleasures, and start living for God’s glory, knowing that he has promised eternal rewards.

This decision to follow our God-given purpose is ours, and I think it is a decision that we have to make every single day. If I may, I’d like to end this focus on purpose with one last quote.  It comes from the book of Proverbs, and it reads, “A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree” (Proverbs 11:28).

As we take five weeks to look at ways we can truly thrive, or flourish, I think we will all see that this Proverb rings true. And as we consider this, I believe that we can all take one step closer to living a God-shaped life through service to the one who made us for a purpose.  Amen.

Mark 16:1-8

Last year on this day, I headed home after Easter service with daffodils.  Daffodils have always been Meredith’s favorite flower, and when the time came to order Easter flowers, I made sure to order at least one of them. Meredith enjoyed them for awhile, but to be honest, she doesn’t exactly have a green thumb (I’m being kind, here!), and they quickly died.

We stuck the potted daffodils out back and as the months passed, we forgot all about it.

Summer came and went.

Fall came and went.

Winter came and went.

Every now and then we would notice it, empty except for the old dirt still filling it up and a few random leaves that blew into it. And now here we are a year later, on Easter Sunday.

The flower pot that held last year’s daffodils is still sitting on our back stoop, but you know what? – There are green shoots rising out of it.

It turns out that things weren’t as they appeared.

What we thought was dead, is alive!

In Mark 16:1-8, a couple of women have a similar experience, but on a much grander scale.  What they thought was the truth of how things were, turned out to be completely different.

The women of focus in our story this morning find themselves going to a graveyard to embalm the body of a friend who was killed a few days prior. Their assumption that his lifeless body laid in the tomb would have been a 100% accurate.

After all, they were two of the few who stood at the cross and saw Jesus’ agony; they heard him cry out his last words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And, they watched him take his last breaths.  They then saw the Roman soldiers take his body off the cross and lay it in a tomb.

On that morning following the Sabbath, these women went to Jesus’ tomb with the articles of death, expecting to apply their creams and lotions on a brutalized corpse. They were drawn to the tomb by their loyalty to Jesus, probably determined to render one last service to their Master before they said their final goodbyes.

But, things were not as they appeared!

Upon their arrival to the tomb, the stone was rolled away from the opening of the grave and there was a man inside proclaiming that Jesus was not dead, but alive! Things were definitely not as they first appeared!

If what these women were seeing was true, then Jesus, who was most definitely dead, was alive! Talk about having the shock of your life! This man sitting in the tomb, who we can only assume was an angel, told the women to share the “good news” with Jesus’ friends and go to Galilee.

But, instead, they bolted from the tomb, seized by fear.  Our author reports that they ignored the angel’s command to “go, tell.”

Instead, they said nothing to anyone.

Fear. It stopped these women in their tracks and rather than shout from the rooftops that Jesus was alive, they kept their mouths shut. I think if we put ourselves in their shoes, we can sort of understand where they were coming from. I mean, I would be a little spooked too if I went to a friend’s tomb and his body was gone!  These women were understandably afraid.

Fear affects all of us at some point or another, doesn’t it?

I heard an interesting anagram of the word “fear” recently. If you take the letters in the word “fear,” you can also spell out “False Evidence Appearing Real.”

Remember when you were a kid laying in bed in the dark and you were certain you could see a monster in your closet? There was a sort of dark, hunched shape and you just knew that at any minute, it was going to spring to life and jump into your bed?

Then, when you yelled for your mom, she flipped the light on and you realized that the “monster” you were seeing was really nothing but a pile of clothes, or maybe some toys piled on top of a chair?

Fear. –  False Evidence Appearing Real.

This past week, I found out that a high school student whom I used to coach in cross-country lost his father.  When I contacted my friend Dan, who coached with me and still coaches in that area, and asked what had happened, he informed me that this student’s father had committed suicide.

I was shocked.  I can’t imagine what would have caused this man to take his own life, leaving behind his wife and five children. I can only believe that whatever false evidence he was seeing must have appeared very real, for him to believe that suicide was the only way out. What fear must he have been experiencing?

For the women in our story this morning, I think we could tweak the anagram a little. I’m guessing that what caused these women to be afraid had more to do with expectations than evidence. I’m guessing that they were afraid that if they told the truth about what they saw, they wouldn’t necessarily be welcomed with open arms everywhere they went. They were probably afraid of being called crazy, or worse yet, they might have been afraid of persecution from those who wanted Jesus dead in the first place.

So here we are, on this Easter morning, standing in a graveyard with two women who are absolutely shell-shocked and afraid. It seems a strange place to end our Journey to Hope, doesn’t it? You might be wondering if we have gone off the path somehow.  If this is truly a journey to Hope, wouldn’t it end somewhere other than a graveyard?

But, I believe this is actually the perfect place to find Hope.

You see, if we can find Jesus alive and well in a graveyard, which symbolizes death, the ultimate ending, than we have found the ultimate hope.

What we thought was the end of our journey is actually the beginning!

It all starts at the empty tomb, with the realization that Jesus took our sins and failures upon himself, died for us, and then rose from the dead.

What began as our Journey to Hope is now becoming our Journey of Hope.

The journey is just beginning! We have found Hope in an empty tomb and now we get to enter the story as this Hope takes hold of our hearts as well! Friends, the story of the resurrection is not some faded yet cherished fable that we retell once a year. It is a true story of life springing forth from death, and salvation springing forth from what was seemingly a hopeless situation! We owed a debt we could not pay, but Christ paid it and then actually rose from the dead!  Praise the Lord – nothing is as it first appeared!

So, as we sit back and ponder the experience of two women on resurrection Sunday, I think we all must ask ourselves, what would we have done if we were in their place? And while we can sit and reflect on the fear that kept these women silent – the real question is, what will we do now that we have been let in on the news?

Many of us will hear this story this morning as we have in years past, and then go home quietly to our Easter dinners and back to the routines of our lives, largely unaffected by the news. But we must remember what the angel said when he first spoke to the women: “Don’t be afraid!”  This is something that reverberates throughout Scripture, and it seems we must hear these words again and again.

What false evidence or expectations do we have about sharing the good news of Jesus with the world?

What fear is keeping us silent?

Despite the fact that it is often safer and easier to remain quiet and simply treasure this news in our hearts, the fact remains that the angel told the women to “go” and “tell,” and I think that he would give us this same directive today.

As we end this sermon series titled “Journey to Hope” and embark on our own “Journey of Hope,” we find that the journey is not over, but continuing on. Friends, we are now part of the story – Christ’s redemptive work on the cross and his subsequent resurrection are just as important for us today as they were to those living during the time of Jesus.

Let’s not allow this life-changing story to die with us. Rather, let’s add our voices to the choir and fearlessly spread the news that Jesus Christ is alive!  Amen.

A thought to consider:  How does bread and juice convey Christ’s life given for us?

The son who spends countless hours with his father learning the value of a hard day’s work will more than likely grow up to be responsible, determined, and hardworking.

The little girl who spends hours on her mother’s lap listening to stories will probably grow up to be a lover of books and new ideas.

Children who are raised in the church and see the values and lessons taught by Sunday school teachers lived out by parents will probably end up with a desire to have a vibrant faith and a willingness to answer the call of the Gospel.

The times we find ourselves on top, winning awards, and succeeding in life, help give us a sense of confidence and “healthy” pride that give us the courage to step out and take chances.

I think these things would all fall under the category of “the good.”  But what about “the bad?”

While some people are shaped by “the bad” in negative ways, I think the suffering, the hardships, and the anguish we all encounter can help shape us into people who don’t take things or people for granted, who appropriately balance the different aspects of life, and who become wiser as we learn from our mistakes.

Palm Sunday is an awkward Sunday in the Christian calendar.  To be honest I think it is the most awkward and I think it is because there is a little bit of the good, the bad, and the ugly in it.

Think about it.  We know how to celebrate Christmas and Easter as we joyously remember Christ’s birth and resurrection. We know what to expect on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as we force ourselves to take a long hard look at our own mortality and depravity.

But on this Sunday we attempt to raise our hands high and sing our Hosannas as we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem indicating to the world that he was in fact the long awaited Messiah.

But before we can even catch our breath we are forced to consider his suffering and death.

We are forced to journey with him as he makes his way from the Garden of Gethsemane in handcuffs to the courtroom, and finally to the cross(where he dies).  So, even though we begin Palm Sunday filled with elation – “the good”, we will end that day having that joy replaced with grief – “the bad”. We wish we could just skip this week, don’t we? You know what I mean – go from celebration to celebration.  But that is not really beneficial for us, is it?  What I mean is, do we really just want to worship a God who we can only relate to in our good moments?

Or, is it more important for us to know we have a God who we can relate to in our bad moments?  I mean, isn’t that the reason God became man?

To live our life?

To walk in our shoes?

To bear our burdens?

To die our death?

God is no stranger to suffering, as Mark 14:1-15:47 illustrates.

Imagine how you would feel if someone you were close to betrayed you with a kiss.

Imagine how you would feel if others you knew began to treat you as a dangerous criminal, when you had lived peaceably among others.

Imagine knowing the suffering that lay ahead of you and the dread you would experience.

Jesus’ love persevered through it all.  It did not fail when humanity failed him.  This ultimate act of love shows that even in our suffering, God is with us.

Even though our lives are shaped by the good, the bad, and the ugly they do not have to be defined by such.

In fact, we instead are encouraged to define our lives by something bigger, something better than what shapes us.  We are encouraged to define it by our relationship with Jesus Christ, the God-man who brought a hope that can triumph over even our most horrid day – our greatest anguish – our deepest struggle.

We are learning on this journey to Hope that it isn’t easy all the time for us – in fact, more times than not there is struggle and hardship that waits just around the corner. But, with that said, it is imperative that we journey with Jesus in order to be transformed inside and out by the life giving Hope that he offers.

It is a hope that gives us the strength to stand during some of the most horrific things we will face in this life.

Whether it is the premature death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a sickness, bankruptcy, a broken marriage, a struggle with doubt, anger, worry, fear, or whatever…

This journey to the cross takes us to the hope-filled message that is offered to us with outstretched arms.

This sermon series is called “Journey to Hope,” not “Journey to Despair.”  Why?  Because we believe in a God who lived through the suffering and defeated it.  He conquered it. For Jesus, the suffering did not win.  He won.  During his earthly ministry, he even said, “In this world you may find trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!”

We all face suffering of different kinds.  On our journey to hope, we see that Christ is with us in our suffering and leading us toward victory and blessing! Our lives will not end in suffering if we choose to walk with Jesus.  This is the hope that transcends our circumstances, whether they are good, bad, or ugly!  Amen.

It is not a question I have been asked most recently, but as a teenager in high school it was a question that was asked all the time. Usually my response was that I would buy a big home, with a full 400 meter track in the backyard and in the garage there would be a Hummer. (Not, sure why I wanted to own a Hummer when I was a teenager, but I did).

Well, after I gave my laundry list of things that I would want for myself – I always tacked on at the end that I would give a boat load of money to the poor. Truth be told, I probably tacked that one on the end so I didn’t too look too selfish and greedy.

Now, I would like to believe that if I inherited a few million dollars today my priorities would be different and I would allocate the monies in a way that would do more good for others than just for myself – But the sad fact is that our culture has conditioned us to believe that our life’s happiness is contingent on how much money we have and how many things we own.

A pop song came out roughly a year ago by an artist named Travie McCoy which was sung with Bruno Mars that helps depict what our culture highly esteems. It’s entitled “Billionaire.” The opening lyrics go something like this:

I wanna be a billionaire so bad
Buy all of the things I never had
I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen
(And) every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights
A different city every night
I swear the world better prepare
For when I’m a billionaire

We have come to believe that money brings us many things – things such as honor, respect, admiration, power, beauty, and sex. In fact, we tend to esteem more highly those who are richer than us.  There’s no way around it – the idea of more money is very alluring. But if we study the Scriptures and look at what Jesus taught, we quickly see that this view of money is actually unhealthy. In fact, Jesus spoke about money more than any of the other topics he covered in his teachings.

He took great care to communicate that it will not make us holy or purchase eternal life for us.  He also clearly indicated that money will not offer us any deep happiness. A study came out a number of years ago by a researcher named David Myers who stated that between 1957 and 1990, the per capita income of Americans doubled in real money – yet the numbered of Americans who reported being “very happy” remained unchanged. His explanation?  People in our culture have plenty to live on, but very little to live for.  Myers says, “Doubling one’s income and having more things does not make for happiness.”

Many people in our world and even within our churches have come to realize that something vital is missing in their lives. You see, material success allows us to live in comfort, but it fails to meet the basic spiritual needs that well up within each of us. Now, I’m guessing that most of this isn’t news to you.  You are probably aware that money is not the answer and that Jesus cautioned us against a love for it. However, knowing this and actually living free from the lure of more money are two different things. 

The problem we run into is that even though deep down we know that money and possessions don’t buy happiness or heaven we still wish that we had more.

The rich young ruler knew this in Mark 10:17-22.  He knew that by the world’s standards he was successful and therefore should be happy. He knew that he was by any standard of that day, a good man. He did not commit murder; nor did he commit adultery or steal, he did not give  false testimony, defraud, and he did in fact honor his mother and father. But, he also knew something was missing in his life. As, he himself  journeyed to Hope he found himself struggling to reach his destination. Jesus knew what he lacked and he told the man how to fix it.  “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Jesus’ confrontational response to the young man was an expression of his love toward the man.

It was not Jesus’ intention to destroy the man’s life by asking him to give up all his possessions, but rather Jesus was casting a spotlight (so to speak) on our everyday values from eternity’s angle of vision. From our heavenly Father’s perspective, the way we hoard and cling to our possessions and money looks rather silly.

Jesus was saying that those who only invest in themselves, in their security, and in their own comfort and pleasure need to know that they are making a bad investment. How did the man respond?  Unfortunately, not well.  He hung his head and walked away because he was a man of great wealth. It seems he just couldn’t let go of his money and possessions, even if it meant gaining true security.

Now, juxtapose this story with that of the widow in the Temple in Mark 12:41-44 at the very end of Jesus’ public ministry. In fact, this is the last lesson that Jesus shares with his Disciples prior to the Temple discourse and his passion narrative. When this poor widow throws into the offering plate a few pennies, Jesus pulls his Disciples aside and encourages them to notice that this widow has given all she has – literally, “the whole of her life.

Jesus was not impressed by the amount she gave, nor was he impressed by the way she gave it.  To be honest, nobody would have taken notice of her when she walked up to the offering plate to drop in her money. The priests and all those in the Temple instead would have been noticing the wealthier people dropping in their bags of money. But Jesus took notice of the widow because he saw in her something that the others did not have.

Unlike most people, the widow wasn’t controlled by the desire for more money – and this was evidenced by the fact that she gave generously out of the little that she had. Perhaps she had learned to put her security in God, rather than in money.

Unlike the widow, those of us with possessions may find placing our security in God so hard because we think that we have so much to lose. But what God requires of each of is the same – no matter our financial position – Whether we are rich or poor, realtors or garbage collectors, prosperous businessmen or destitute day laborers holding up signs that say, “Will work for food,” pastors or scientists; all of us must give up whatever “stands in the way of total commitment to following Jesus Christ on this journey to Hope.

This is the real issue – letting go of whatever holds us back from a total commitment to God. It’s not about giving up all of our money – it’s about giving our whole lives to God and being willing to let everything else go. Now, before you misunderstand me, I want to be clear that I’m not advocating that everyone go out, give everything away and become destitute. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to budget our money wisely, purchase life insurance, or put money aside in a savings fund.

But what I am saying is that rather than letting money take control of our hearts, we need to give God control of our money. We need to get to the place where we would be willing to let it all go if we felt that God was asking us to, because our trust is in him and not in our finances or other resources. And again, we ask the question: how do we go from understanding this concept to actually living it out? I mean, it’s one thing to say that we don’t want our money to control us, but it’s quite another to actually experience this.

I think the answer is in actually doing it.  I think this is one of those things where we might have to make some hard decisions before we actually feel the results.

My wife, Meredith recently read a book that she really enjoyed, entitled, “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess,” by Jen Hatmaker. Before writing this book, Jen (the author) was feeling uncomfortable with the amount of excess she had in her life and decided to take seven months and reduce in seven different categories in order to see what God had to teach her.

For example, during month one, Jen decided to only eat seven different foods for the entire month.

During month three, she decided to give away seven possessions every day for one month, (and in case you’re interested, that equals 210 items given away!).

During month six, she decided to only spend her money at seven different places for a month.

This might sound crazy, but do you know what Jen realized?  By doing these difficult things and going without, she actually gained something. After seven months of paring down and giving away in order to make more room for God, she gained clarity, insight, and a sense of freedom from a lifestyle that had been weighing her down. And while we don’t all need to go to the same extremes that Jen did, I believe that by actually living like our money is God’s and not ours, we will actually start to feel it’s grip loosen on our hearts as well.

As we continue through this season of Lent, I hope that we find ourselves lighter at the end of the journey that we were at the beginning. By dumping the hold that money and possessions have on our hearts and lives and giving it over to God, I believe that we will find ourselves less weighed down as we journey on toward Hope.  Amen.

Whether we are tempted to eat just one more cookie:

Tempted to ignore a phone call that we really should pick up:

Tempted to set our responsibilities aside and tune out in front of the TV:

(Or) Tempted to do something much more serious, we all face temptation and we face it daily.

Even the disciples fought with temptation, and they didn’t always win the battle.  In Mark 14:32-40, we read that Jesus is struggling with what’s to come.  As our scripture lesson puts it, “He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony.” It appears that Jesus needs a “time out” with God and so He asks three of his disciples – Peter, James, and John – to “keep vigil”, or keep watch, while he goes ahead of them to pray.

When he returns, he finds them asleep.  Great friends, huh?  Jesus is literally in emotional agony and his friends can’t even stay awake for him.

Jesus’ chastisement of them, though, is for their own benefit.  He simply does not want them to give into sin!  Why?  Because sin pulls them off track.  It causes them (and us) to deviate off the trail that leads to Hope (or rather to Christ). Unfortunately, we soon find out that all the Disciples do give into sin.  Judas, of course, betrays Jesus, Peter denies Jesus, and the other 10 abandon him. Clearly, the disciples gave in to the temptation to sleep when they were supposed to be doing something else, namely “keeping watch” and praying.

I can just see Jesus’ exasperated face – I can almost hear him say, “Simon, you went to sleep on me?  Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour?”  But then he goes on to say, “Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it.”

This danger zone is what I want to focus on today.

We all know what Jesus is talking about. We’ve been doing great on our diet but then we have a busy day, forget to take time to eat, and then we find ourselves rushing through the drive through on our way home because we are so hungry we lose all self-control! On a more serious note, there is the classic situation of a husband or wife having an affair.  “I never meant for it to go that far!  But one thing led to another and then…”  We all know how that story ends.  What begins with letting one’s guard down and some “harmless flirting” soon becomes something much more disastrous.

So, what is the answer to this problem of temptation?  How do we keep ourselves alert so that we don’t enter this danger zone? I think the answer lies, of all places, in a breakfast cereal slogan.  The makers of “Wheaties Fuel” cereal have this as their slogan: “Prepare to win.”  Prepare to win.  According to the makers of Wheaties Fuel, if I eat this cereal, I will be preparing myself to win and succeed by intentionally fueling my body with nutritious food. I will be putting something in me that will help me perform my best.  And in a sense, I think this is what Jesus was talking about when he lectured his disciples on that agonizing night all those years ago.  “Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone…”

Jesus would say prayer keeps us from falling into the danger zone. We fortify ourselves against temptation that leads to sin by keeping constant vigilance and being people of prayer.  Jesus was at a point of tremendous pain, realizing how close he was to the agony that lay ahead.  He did not turn back.  He did not run.  Instead, he stayed with his closest friends and committed himself to prayer.

Jesus’ prayer itself is revealing, acknowledging the personal struggle and the big picture.  In it, he does not negate his own feelings, but yields himself to God’s will for his life.  “Papa, Father, you can – can’t you?   Get me out of this!”  Jesus said.  Take this cup away from me.  But please, not what I want – what do you want?

When we tire on the journey, we are most susceptible to temptation.  We may do something that will bring momentary pleasure but long-term pain.  With that said, we need to consider building up resistance to those things that interfere with us reaching our intended destination.

When we are depleted spiritually, emotionally, or physically, where do we turn to refuel?  What do we consume in our spiritual diets that will help us “prepare to win?” Again, are we turning to the life-giving resource (Jesus) or to quick remedies that numb the pain of what is actually happening?  For many of us, God is a last resort – after we have tried all other “painkillers.”

Men who are stressed out may find themselves navigating on the internet to websites they shouldn’t be viewing.  Women who are stressed out may run to the store to spend money they don’t have or binge buy things that they don’t need. Other “painkillers” may be extramarital affairs, alcohol, excessive work, drugs, gambling, or even television programs that distract us from whatever is really on our minds.  Despite what our culture tells us, any one of these “painkillers” is enough to make our journey to Hope difficult.

Instead of numbing emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual pain with any one of these things, Jesus encourages us to use prayer as a means of refueling.

Ok, easier said than done, right?

Do you think prayer is boring?  Can I be honest with you?  I think sometimes it is.  In fact, there are a lot of times I would rather sleep than pray.  I am a little embarrassed to admit that. I have always tried being a person who engrossed himself in prayer.  But I truly found it to be boring.  This really bothered me, because I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer.  Especially when it comes to combating temptation and sin in our lives, prayer is our greatest tool.

I do believe I have a vibrant prayer life today, and it is NOT because I became a pastor. My most important breakthrough in learning to be a constant pray-er was when I redefined what prayer was.  For the longest time, in my mind, prayer was kneeling, hands clasped, in a church, or before a meal, and before bedtime.

To me prayer always felt really formal and stuffy.

In a sense, I succeeded in putting prayer in a box, but thankfully God deconstructed my box, and then and only then did I have a better understanding of what prayer was.  The simplest definition of prayer for me is simply communicating with God. That’s it.  Please don’t miss it.  Let me say it one more time:  Prayer is simply communicating with God. When I began to understand prayer this way it truly revolutionized my prayer life and I believe it has helped me combat sin and temptation as well.

What is communication, you might ask?  All it is, is transferring a thought, feeling, emotion, or idea to another person.  So prayer is giving God my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and ideas by whatever means works for me based on how I have been wired.  It doesn’t have to be formal, friends.  And it doesn’t have to be long and dry.  It’s simply communicating.

My greatest moments of prayer are when I am running or cleaning.  I don’t know what it is, but when I am moving physically I am most attuned to my Savior.  Sometimes, I talk a lot. Sometimes, I yell!  Sometimes, I cry!  Sometimes, I say nothing at all and just listen.  Not matter, how I do it, what I say or don’t say – when I pray (when I communicate with God) I find myself incredibly refreshed when I am finished.
I am prepared to win!

If prayer is a way of communicating, we have to realize that this communication with God is imperative for us as we continue on our journey to Hope.

Prayer connects us in an intimate way with our life source- the One who knows us from the inside out and can help us fight temptation in a way no other person or thing can.

This week, the fourth week of Lent, I want us to take away this important truth as we head back into our week.  We will be tempted – probably in a variety of ways – but if we keep our hearts close to God through prayer on a regular basis, we will fortify and fuel ourselves spiritually, which will help us avoid that danger zone when we might otherwise find ourselves walking right into it.

As Jesus said, “Stay alert, be in prayer!”  Amen.