The festival of Pentecost, Shavuot, was one of the three great pilgrim feasts of the Old Covenant and its focus is on God’s gift of the Law—instructions on living in a covenant relationship with the Lord God. This Covenant given to Abraham was the contract that this people would be faithful to God and keep God’s commandments and that God would be their God, bless them, and make them as numerous as sand on the sea shore and stars in the night sky. They were to be a holy people, sanctified, set apart to live in God’s presence.

Back after a break in the Alpine Anglican Report.

Worship Weather

Things are warming up in Alpine, but at pleasant 90 degrees! We were very comfortable with the AC keeping the temperature from getting to warm.

            When you ask a young child how old they are, you often don’t get “I’m five years old.” Instead they often say, “I’m going to be six.” There is an expectation, a looking to the future. It is not just getting to six, or sixteen, or sixty that is the goal, but that the present is going somewhere.

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

(James 1:22 ESV)

            This is Rogation Sunday. Rogation is from the root word meaning “to ask.” In particular the Church asked God to bless the crops for a fruitful harvest. Traditionally the Priest would go out to the fields to bless farms on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

 
            On Friday, we on our way to the Jam Nite. I saw a little pack of Fourth and Fifth Graders riding scooters, noticing that they must be “back in style.” A teen guitarist said,  “It is odd that scooter aren’t considered cool by skater and biker kids.” They didn’t really count.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. (1Peter 2.11 KJV)

            There is an increased tension for aliens and green card holders across our country. Those who are foreigners are keenly aware of the effects of evil men can have on public opinion. There is increased scrutiny and even suspicion brought about by the two terrorists in Boston.

Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake

            Most of us would like a life without suffering. We don’t want to hurt and we don’t want others to hurt. As a Christian you may be asked, “Why does God allow so much suffering?” The world wants to avoid all suffering. Yet experience tells us getting stitches or having surgery is worth the pain as it will make you well. But Peter, who suffered for his Christian faith, who died for his following Jesus, tells us suffering for righteousness sake is valued by God.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1 John 5:4 ESV)

“Overcoming the world” sounds pretty good, when life is one conflict after another, when life is just getting by, when we feel like giving up and walking away, we need to remember that the Resurrection Life overcomes the world. John said everyone who is “born of God” overcomes the world.

 And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Jesus’ resurrection changed their lives because it was literally, the Gospel, the Good News. Someone said, this isn’t just good news, it’s Great News. Why is the Resurrection Great News? I have just a couple of reasons that I want to share with you today.

We look with anticipation to the celebration of the Resurrection. In this Holy Week we enter into the mystery of the sacrifice that Jesus made so that we might be reconciled to God. During these forty days of Lent we’ve abstained and taken on disciplines that are small sacrifices of food, drink, or pastime. What we see in Jesus’ sacrifice of himself is how much love he has for each of us. We are reminded in this last week of Lent of how much Jesus loves us, and what it means that Jesus would give up his life to bring us to life with God.