April 13, 2013
Dear Eastridge Family,
On Thursday Stephanie and I attended the funeral for her
grandmother in Hutchinson. Audrey Friesen was Stephanie’s last living grandparent. She was a faithful Christian so the service
was a “ home going” celebration where she went to paradise to be with Jesus.
In her last days the family would gather around her deathbed
and share their last goodbyes. Grandma
Friesen was mostly unresponsive but just a few moments before she breathed her
last breath in this life they witnessed an interesting occurrence. Grandma Friesen’s eyes began to flutter and
move with excitement soon tears started to flow from her eyes as she breathed
her last a happy expression came over her face.
When I heard that story I thought of the passage in 1
Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is
your sting?” 56 For
sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin
and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor and author John Ortberg,
says there are two questions often posed about worthwhile living: Who has the
good life? And who is the good
person? The first question gets
addressed in advertisements and the second at funerals.
Our advertisements are filled
with promises to give you things no one would list in an obituary: great looks,
great money, great sex, great food and great entertainment. Dallas Willard said obituaries rarely say
things like; “She had a fine figure, a thick head of hair and wonderfully white
teeth.” “He drove fast cars and dated fast
women.” “He earned hundreds of thousands
of dollars.”
Stephanie’s grandma Friesen may
not have experienced the “good life” by the world’s standards but she was a
faithful servant of God and has heard the words from Matthew 25:21 (NLT) ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been
faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more
responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!
Our eternity is determined on how we respond
to the grace of God. Were we faithful to
follow and obey God? At the end of our
life that is the only thing that will matter.
·
Church Election
Next Sunday we will have our annual election
of church officers and delegates to the District Assembly in June.
·
Board Meeting
Sunday afternoon immediately following the
morning worship service we will have our monthly board meeting.
·
Sunday Service
Tomorrow
I will be preaching from John 21:1-19 and asking the question, “What Do We Do
After Easter?”
·
Favorite Quotes of the Week
“Christian liberty is freedom
from sin, not freedom to sin." - A. W. Tozer
“A spirituality that does not lead to active ministry
becomes an indulgent preoccupation with self, and therefore grieves the Holy
Spirit and violates the presence of the indwelling Christ.” - Maxie Dunham
For those who battle addictions: “Even though you get the
monkey off your back, the circus never really leaves town.” - Ann Lamot
I am looking forward to Celebrating the Risen Jesus with you
on Sunday,
Pastor Andy
No comments:
Post a Comment