Pastor's May 2020 Newsletter Article

Below please find my article for the Church's May Newsletter.  As you will see we have decided to continue with our 'Online' only worship services for at least three more Sundays.  The Christian Council will meet again on May 19th to review the situation in our community and determine if we can safely start to worship in the building again.

Please keep praying!!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,

Roy

Pastor's Ponderings:

Well, by the time you receive this it will likely be May and we will have had the strangest “May Day” of all time. I seriously doubt anyone was out giving “May Baskets” this year (though this tradition has sharply fallen off) due to the fears of Covid-19. Hopefully, this note finds you all well and holding up through this most unorthodox time that we are all enduring.

We have not met (as you all know) as a congregation since March 15th. It's been a difficult time for me as I do rely on being and supported by each of you. I have missed everyone and it is my fervent prayer that this will be over sooner than later. Please keep praying!!

As you likely know, Governor Reynolds has decided to allow Churches to meet again as long as they strive to abide by the 'Social-Distancing Guidelines'. In light of this new 'loosening' of the restrictions on gathering, the Christian Council met last night to discuss what we would do here at Woodlawn. The Council after much discussion and with the generous console of Dr. Eric Holm, decided that we would continue our present course for another three Sundays. So... we will not be gathering here at the Church and we will continue to 'Live-Stream' the Sunday Worship and Thursday Night Worship. We will also continue the 9 am 'Daily Devotions' that I have been 'Live-Streaming' each morning (Mon-Sat) on Facebook.

The Christian Council will meet again on May 19th to determine whether we will then start to gather or if we will continue as we are for another few weeks. Here locally, (as far as I know) only one church is planning to restart formal worship this weekend. I know that one isn't going to reconsider the current path until the second Sunday of June. I do believe that with Eric's kind console we have plotted out a prudent path and again, I ask you all to remain in prayer for everyone.... please pray for guidance for the Church leaders as well.

Trying to decide when it is time to restart formal worship is difficult... there is so much fear out there and we're dealing with something, unlike anything we've encountered in our lives. This virus is just so unusual and it has so many aspects that are as of yet unknown and/or poorly understood that we are right in giving it due caution. However... I will confess that the old 'Cowboy' in me knows one thing very clearly... you cannot let fear rule you... you have to get back on that horse... and the longer you wait the more afraid you will be.

NOW... the situation that we are in best fits this analogy of getting back on that ornery ole horse. You've taken a hard toss, that pony piled you up pretty good and you've broken an arm. Would it be wise to just get back in the saddle... NO! You go to the hospital, you get your arm set, you let that bone heal... and as soon as the doctor tells you that your arm is good to go and the bone has regenerated... you get your hind-end in the saddle shed and you pick up your saddle and you ride that horse...

The longer we avoid that encounter with that ornery pony, the more afraid of him we'll be... the longer we keep ourselves isolated, the more afraid of one another we will be. Remember this ALWAYS, the Bible says “fear not” three hundred and sixty-five times! That's one “fear not” for each and every day of the year... we were not created to live in fear.

Now, remember that in the analogy that I just spelled out for you, that we waited for the Doctor to give us the all-clear... we did not just rush in, nor did we wait any longer than we had to...

In many ways, we're relying on our Doctor here as well (Eric is good, sound, and wise console) so relax, stay safe, and wait... because when the time comes... we've got a horse to ride...

Be a blessing to someone today!!! Pastor Roy

John 20:19-31, April 19, 2020 - 2nd Sunday of Easter

Below please find last Sunday's sermon video.  In this sermon, I contemplate why we beat poor ole Thomas up for being 'doubting' when we don't call Peter 'denying'... instead Peter is 'The Rock'.  There's more to this story than we often think...

Please take a look/listen.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

John 20:19-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus and Thomas
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

The Purpose of This Book
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Footnotes:
a) John 20:24 Gk Didymus
b) John 20:31 Other ancient authorities read may continue to believe
c) John 20:31 Or the Christ

Thursday Night Worship Service, April 16, 2020 - 1 Peter 1:1-9

This is the sermon from Thursday, April 16th.  This was the first service following Easter and here we discussed our 'inheritance' that is stored for us in Heaven.  We don't often think of Jesus as a storage unit, but He... in a real way is just that... our future with God is stored within our faith in Jesus.

Please take a moment and listen to the message.  Thank you for stopping in and visiting us in this little corner of the Internet.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

31 Peter 1:1-9 New International Version (NIV)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Daily Devotions - April 1st through April 15th - Pastor Wm Roy Karlen

Below, please find the recorded 'Daily Devotions' from April 1st to April 15th.  These cover a series that I did of the 'last week' leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

Thank you for stopping in and taking a look and hopefully, a listen.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Easter Sermons - One Livestreamed Easter Sunday - One Pre-recorded for Shady Oaks

Photo by Christian Begeman

This year I performed not one but two Easter sermons.  On Good Friday I recorded a sermon for the good folks at Shady Oaks Retirement Center (the second video below) and of course on Sunday we live-streamed an Easter message.

Below please find both sermons along with the scripture that was used for each.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Matthew 28 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Resurrection of Jesus
28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,[b] and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Report of the Guard
11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests[c] had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[d]

Footnotes:
a) Matthew 28:6 Other ancient authorities read the Lord
b) Matthew 28:7 Other ancient authorities lack from the dead
c) Matthew 28:12 Gk they
d) Matthew 28:20 Other ancient authorities add Amen

Luke 24:1-12 New Century Version (NCV)
Jesus Rises from the Dead
24 Very early on the first day of the week, at dawn, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, two men in shining clothes suddenly stood beside them. 5 The women were very afraid and bowed their heads to the ground. The men said to them, “Why are you looking for a living person in this place for the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen from the dead. Do you remember what he told you in Galilee? 7 He said the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people, be crucified, and rise from the dead on the third day.” 8 Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.


9 The women left the tomb and told all these things to the eleven apostles and the other followers. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women who told the apostles everything that had happened at the tomb. 11 But they did not believe the women, because it sounded like nonsense. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending down and looking in, he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. Peter went away to his home, wondering about what had happened.

Live-Streamed Devotions - March 16 through 31

As we have been practicing 'social distancing' and not gathering together for worship, I have taken to providing a morning devotion (Mon-Sat) which is 'Live-Streamed' on Facebook.  I have downloaded and then uploaded each of these devotions to Youtube.  Below please find all of the devotions offered in the month of March 2020.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Maundy Thursday Video - April 9, 2020 - Psalm 88

Below please find the video and the manuscript from our Maundy Thursday service last week.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Maundy Thursday Service – April 9, 2020

Prelude: Kathryn Myers

Opening Reading:
Psalm 22 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and Hostility
22 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
    Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer;
    and by night, but find no rest.
3 Yet thou art holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In thee our fathers trusted;
    they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 To thee they cried, and were saved;
    in thee they trusted, and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
    scorned by men, and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock at me,
    they make mouths at me, they wag their heads;
8 “He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him,
    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet thou art he who took me from the womb;
    thou didst keep me safe upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon thee was I cast from my birth,
    and since my mother bore me thou hast been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me,
    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
    like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax,
    it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
    thou dost lay me in the dust of death.
16 Yea, dogs are round about me;
    a company of evildoers encircle me;
    they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
    they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
    and for my raiment they cast lots.
19 But thou, O Lord, be not far off!
    O thou my help, hasten to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion,
    my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of thy name to my brethren;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    all you sons of Jacob, glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
    the affliction of the afflicted;
and he has not hid his face from him,
    but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From thee comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
    May your hearts live for ever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.
29 Yea, to him shall all the proud of the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and he who cannot keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
    men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    that he has wrought it.
(Psalm 22)


Call to Worship: Pastor Roy
Let us hold fast to the faith we confess.
For we have a great high priest who has gone into the very presence of God – Jesus, the Son of God.
Our high priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy with our weaknesses.
On the contrary, we have a high priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.
Let us be brave, then, and come forward to God's throne, where there is grace.
There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.


Opening Prayer:
Eternal God of mercy, we gather in awesome wonder to behold your
loving gift of Jesus Christ, who, in coming to bring the world to wholeness, was broken by it.  Yet by his death we live and know your unbreakable love.  As we gather to remember Christ's gift of fellowship at the table, and to recall our frail failings of devotion, pierce our hearts with a conviction of our betrayals, reassure us of your abiding presence, and transform us by the Spirit of Christ.  Amen

Music: 

Old Testament Reading:
Isaiah 53  Revised Standard Version (RSV)
53 Who has believed what we have heard?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
    he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
    and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb,
    so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him;
    he has put him to grief;
when he makes himself an offering for sin,
    he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand;
11     he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous;
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out his soul to death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.


New Testament Reading: John 13: 1-15 Pastor Roy
John 13:1-15 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Message:
Psalm 88   Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Prayer for Help in Despondency
88 O Lord, my God, I call for help[a] by day;
    I cry out in the night before thee.
2 Let my prayer come before thee,
    incline thy ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one forsaken among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom thou dost remember no more,
    for they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit,
    in the regions dark and deep.
7 Thy wrath lies heavy upon me,
    and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy waves.Selah
8 Thou hast caused my companions to shun me;
    thou hast made me a thing of horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9     my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon thee, O Lord;
    I spread out my hands to thee.
10 Dost thou work wonders for the dead?
    Do the shades rise up to praise thee?Selah
11 Is thy steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or thy faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are thy wonders known in the darkness,
    or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O Lord, cry to thee;
    in the morning my prayer comes before thee.
14 O Lord, why dost thou cast me off?
    Why dost thou hide thy face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless.[b]
16 Thy wrath has swept over me;
    thy dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in upon me together.
18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me;
    my companions are in darkness.


Prayer of Consecration: Pastor Roy Karlen

Loving Creator, we thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ to be the Savior of this world.  Though the powers of this world sought to extinguish his flame, it still burns as it has since the dawn of all time.  We thank you for the mystery of your love as revealed to us through the cross. None of us can completely understand all that the cross means, but yet we feel your hand upon us and we pledge to give ourselves to you.  Your love so amazing, so divine, demands our lives, our souls, our very all and all.  Take our lives, use them in your ministry of reconciliation to a world deeply in need of love and mercy and justice and righteousness.  Lord here we are as your disciples. Send us out to do your work in this fallen world. In the risen Christ's name we pray.  Amen.

Palm Sunday - April 5, 2020 - Matthew 21:1-11

On the original Palm Sunday Jesus rode into Jerusalem from the East (the direction in which the sun rises) and what do you suppose would have been entering Jerusalem from the West (the direction in which the sun sets) at very nearly the same time?  Well... to learn that you need to listen to the video.

God bless and please, please, please remember to...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Matthew 21:1-11 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Footnotes:
a) Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
b) Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
c) Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
d) Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15

Sermon March 29, 2020 - John 11:1-45 - The Resurrection of Lazarus

As I struggle to keep the blog up to date, I am posting just today several videos from March.

Here is the sermon from March 29th.  This was the second Sunday of 'Live-Streaming' only worship.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

John 11:1-45 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Death of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,[a] “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus[b] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin,[c] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus the Resurrection and the Life
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus[d] had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles[e] away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[f] Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,[g] the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

Jesus Weeps
28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Footnotes:
a) John 11:3 Gk him
b) John 11:6 Gk he
c) John 11:16 Gk Didymus
d) John 11:17 Gk he
e) John 11:18 Gk fifteen stadia
f) John 11:25 Other ancient authorities lack and the life
g) John 11:27 Or the Christ

Sunday Sermon - March 22, 2020

Here we have the video from the sermon that I preached on March 22nd.  This sermon was preached to an empty Sanctuary and as a result, there is a bit of an echo in the audio.  The camera had an issue during the recording but only missed a couple of seconds of video and I think you'll be able to make the connection of the message without those scant few words.

Here we talk about our all too prevalent focus on the physical when Jesus is so much more focused upon the spiritual.  We worry about being able to function in this world and Christ is concerned about our inclusion in the next world.

Are you blind spiritually?  Too many were and so many still are...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

John 9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We[a] must work the works of him who sent me[b] while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus[c] to be the Messiah[d] would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

Spiritual Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[e] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir?[f] Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord,[g] I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Footnotes:
a) John 9:4 Other ancient authorities read I
b) John 9:4 Other ancient authorities read us
c) John 9:22 Gk him
d) John 9:22 Or the Christ
e) John 9:35 Other ancient authorities read the Son of God
f) John 9:36 Sir and Lord translate the same Greek word

g) John 9:38 Sir and Lord translate the same Greek word