Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Jesus Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. –1 Corinthians 5:7
I am looking forward to worshipping with those of you who will be in town during Easter weekend. The Good Friday service is always special to me. It seems strange, I suppose, to many in our culture today that we celebrate a day that commemorates a torture leading to death, but the work of Christ on the cross is central not only to our theology/doctrine in the church, but more importantly, central to our justification and new life. We celebrate it out of necessity. We celebrate it because it is the greatest gift of God.
This Good Friday, our Worship Ministry team will lead us with over 100 volunteers presenting the events of that first Good Friday in song and word. Our Easter service will be, as it always is, a time of joyous celebration as we recall the hope in which we Christ-followers share—a present salvation and a future resurrection now that Jesus, the first-born from among the dead, has defeated hell and death.
On a separate note, most of you will be well aware by the time that you read this article that the great symbol of France and the immense work of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Notre Dame, was gutted by a great fire this week. Although initial reports indicate that firefighters were able to save the two grand bell towers, and many of the priceless works of art and stained glass windows, the great spire and much of the wooden structure, some of which date back almost a millennia, were lost. It was a sad day for history, architecture, art, and the people of France. Save for some burial mounds and cave drawings left to us by the Native American occupants of what is now the United States, we know almost nothing of 900 year old structures in America. Our lives are fragile, so is our history. God is an immovable rock – the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. (Prov. 18:10).
Finally, I wanted to let those of you who are internet savvy and engaged in social media know that I am “tweeting” regularly on Twitter. I say this not to garner a larger following, but to simply let you know that I try each week to send out recaps of the Sunday message and previews of upcoming messages, along with many quotes from books I am reading. I do not engage with current political/social events in our culture. I’ll leave that to others. You can follow me @pastorjym on Twitter, and the church itself @lifepointindy.
As we continue to progress in our culture at almost light speed toward information sharing through electronic/social media/worldwide web, we will try to keep you informed on church events through these outlets. Please keep in mind that I still strongly advocate a high awareness on these outlets. We are not called to spend our days following other people’s lives. We also need to be keenly aware of our witness to Christ through the written word via social media. Nothing is forgotten these days; it is all readily accessible online. Random thoughts and venting via social media rarely leads to a good Christian witness. There is much harm to be found on the internet and on social media sights, so be diligent to use it wisely, as you hopefully do with your television and other venues where the world is invited into your home. For those of you who are parents, you will need to be on guard in significant ways in these areas as it relates to your children. I say this not to lecture, but to remind. I also need this reminder in my own life.
Praying that you have a wonderful, Christ-centered Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, whether you are here with us or away with family. Christ has risen! He is risen indeed! Amen.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym