Wednesday evening, the Men’s Group met for fellowship and food. The participation was well beyond our expectations. I guess when you offer a free steak dinner, men show up. It was great. We filled up the Quad Room with men, fun, and good food. When I spoke, I joked about the free steaks. I said, “I hope you enjoyed the food. But really, there are no free meals.”

If you have seen the movie, “The Boys in the Boat”, you know the incredible power of getting everyone in the same boat rowing together. Can we do this? Can we make Stonebridge UMC an exemplary church for others to follow? Do you believe that God is alive in our midst and calling us to work together to achieve more – to bring more souls to Christ? I believe the answer to each of these questions is yes

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). As the gospels tell the story of Jesus, we find the Savior and Lord encouraging and building-up his followers. The Kingdom of God is defined not by the measure of our success but rather by the measure of our devotion to God. Putting ourselves at the disposal of our Lord to be blessed in order to be a blessing. Happiness or life satisfaction is therefore not defined by our measure of success but rather the measure of our relationship with our Lord. The divine relationship exposes the unique, creative, person we are born to be. 

Easter was a glorious celebration of our Savior’s gift of life. Everything was so organized; it would be impossible to count the number of volunteers that made the day so glorious and smooth. Volunteers were everywhere helping everyone find a place. The greeters were at every corner of the building, the ushers were at their best, the decorations were just right, and the choir, worship leaders, and praise band were better than ever.  

I could bore you with the extensive historical evidence for the resurrection. But there is no need to convince our population of the historical fact of the resurrection. The Barna group, who regularly surveys our population on religious and cultural matters, reminds us that almost 90% of our society believes in the resurrection of Jesus. I guess that is why churches will be full all over the world. We believe the historical evidence. The question is – what difference does it make? Does the resurrection of Jesus change our lives? Will it change the way we make our decisions? Does it really matter to all those who believe? 

Each Good Friday, I think of the agony of Christ on the cross. Yet I know that because of what Jesus has done, I stand forgiven. I am reconciled to a new life with God. There is no other faith that can make this claim. A free gift is given in Jesus. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, it is not any of your own doing but a gift from God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

We call this day Maundy Thursday for the great commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love neighbor as self.” The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum” which means command. As we remember the words of Jesus spoken on this night, let us examine the depth of our love for God and neighbor. As you return home following our serving tonight, remember that Jesus made his way to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray... where afterwards He is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Jewish High Counsel. 

On Easter, we proclaim that the suffering of this world is not the way of God. Easter is God’s word that darkness is defeated. On the first Easter Sunday, a new direction was set for the whole world. We will never be the same. The power and hope that was given at Easter is now given daily to those who believe. Though we are knocked down, we are not out. Though we are driven into the ground, we are not done. On Easter, God proclaimed that defeat and despair shall not have the last word. 

Sadly, our world has become a “me first” culture. When asked to serve or give, the question asked is, “How will this affect me?”  Instead, God calls us to consider others first, so that all may benefit. God calls us to the least, the lost, and the hurting no matter what the cost. The promise, according to Paul, is that we will “reap what we sow.” In other words, there is a blessing in every sacrifice. 

Invite someone to worship this Sunday. Studies show that people respond to an invite to worship. Almost 100% of those invited are appreciative and 40% will attend. Think about those family members who live in the area, work colleagues, schoolmates, neighbors, friends, or someone who once attended Stonebridge UMC. Invite them and see what happens. 

Can you hear the buzz? The buzz is the sound of community. The joyful noise of the people of Stonebridge talking, sharing, caring, and offering words of encouragement and hope. The more we share the stronger the buzz and connection of community grows. People need community now more than ever. People are coming back to church, and community is the connection that our Lord uses to spread the good news of the Gospel. Lives are changed, marriages are transformed, families are healed, and hope is multiplied as we share together what God is doing through Jesus Christ. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Spirit of God has gone into a full court press. Time is counting down. We know that Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, denied, illegally tried, and as Jesus’ closest followers scatter, Jesus is crucified. As Jesus prays at Gethsemane, we see the agony of Jesus as he offers himself to the will of God. In Jesus’ prayer, we experience the most intimate side of Jesus in his relationship with the Father. As we follow Jesus on this night, may the prayer of Jesus teach us a deeper way to seek the Father in prayer. 

This week we enter the season of Lent. For Christians around the world, the season of Lent leading up to Easter is a time for repentance, self-examination, and prayer. As pastor, I ask that you join me in praying for all those affected by the violence that seems to be a constant part of our world. Again, this week, we were shaken with the reports of the shootings in Kansas City during the Super Bowl champion parade.

We live under the constant news of geo-political armed conflict around the world. Let us pray and fast for reconciliation and peace in our world. May God, in his grace, open our eyes to the things that make for peace, may God protect us from the evil of these days. 

Life is a journey of FINDING OUR PLACE. Finding our place in prayer, finding our place in worship, finding our place in generosity, finding our place in service, and finding our place in showing others Jesus through word and deed.

Through the Church, God has given us traveling companions on the journey of life. Just as we need trustworthy companions, others around us need us to be companions for them. Children, teenagers, adults—young and old—all of us need to know that there are people who care for us and will stand by us. People whom we can turn to for wisdom. People who will pray for us. People who want the best for us. 

During the tenure of David Letterman as host of the Tonight Show, he would often present a “Top 10 List”. These lists were often topical in nature, making light of some national event or seasonal occasion. 

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend and colleague about serving as pastor of Stonebridge UMC. I was telling him how much I love being the pastor here. 

So, with that in mind here are my “Top 10 Reasons I love Stonebridge UMC”…

Not many followers of Jesus every reach the pinnacle of a pure heart. It is a lifelong process of making sure our heart is in the right place. In his book The Incendiary Fellowship, Eldon Trueblood says that only ten percent of Christians ever achieve a pure heart with a focus totally on God for all things. For most of us, our spiritual sight comes in stages as we strive to put all things in God’s hands – work, vocation, family, school, leisure, friends. Sometimes we see clearly, sometimes not so much. Most important… are we growing?  

Like the ant carrying the contact lens, we may not know the reason why we are carrying the load, but we know and trust the God who has set the task before us. 

I am reminded of the great commandment of Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

These are the most important words of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. When Jesus is asked which of the Old Testament commandments was the greatest, the words in this passage are his answer. Our faith grows as we honor and love God with every fiber of our being. We then show this love by loving others. 

In what ways are we honoring God in our lives? What do others see in our behavior? What values shape our lives, our work, our family, and our relationships?

We're suffering from millionaire angst. We all want to live like a millionaire but don’t realize that real joy and contentment does not come with dollar signs. We are trying to save our lives by building bigger barns. But Jesus says we've got it all wrong, and He poses a question that the contestants on these “get rich shows” might find hard to answer: "For what good is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36).

This Sunday we begin our journey through the Beatitudes. Close examination of these verses reveals a six-step process of becoming a disciple of Jesus. This Sunday we begin with step one by looking at the first two “blessings”. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. These first two Beatitudes are about admitting our need for God, letting go of our pride and self-importance. The journey as a disciple begins when we admit our need for God and grieve the self-made mess we have made. Only then can God begin to do God’s work of forgiving our past and showing us the future God has prepared for us. 

As I write this email, my prayer today is that these remarkable Christmas Eve services will be a springboard for the spirit of Christ to bless our ministries in 2024. There is so much yet to be done for those who need a community of faith where they can grow in their faith and join hands to serve the spirit of Christ in this world.