Genesis 3:8=15, II Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1 and Mark 3:20-35

Let us Pray - O God, light of the minds that know you, life of the souls that love you, and strength of the thoughts that seek you - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. Breath your life into us that we may live in the manner you have appointed unto us and better love and serve you and one another. Amen We have the story of the garden of Eden - where we see Adam and Eve trying to hide from God - trying to hide their sin and their shame behind the trees and bushes - hoping that God will not notice them. And then we have the story of Jesus - being accused by some scribes from Jerusalem of being possessed by the Devil - by Beelzebub because he is casting demons out of people and healing others, and forgiving sins, and telling still others that is lawful to heal on the Sabbath and perform other good works. And we have Paul - dear Paul - who in his letter to the Corinthians acknowledges the afflictions of this life - how our outer nature - our flesh - our mortal body - wastes away - and who then asserts in the midst of this that those who believe in Christ do not lose heart because their inner nature is renewed day by day. We do not lose heart, he writes, for this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. A lot of people do not believe in the story of the garden of Eden - they do not believe what it teaches about the power of evil, nor what it has to say about pain and suffering being the result of sin. Pity them. Pity them - not because they are somehow less than those who do believe in this story, but because they risk missing the opportunity for their own redemption. Pity them because they have eyes, but do not see, and ears - but do not hear. The suffering of this world - at least the vast majority of it - is quiet clearly caused by human beings. War, poverty, oppression, mass starvation, terrorism, murder - all these things are within human control and yet we have no control over them. Millions starve while tons of grain rots in warehouses. Tens of thousands are killed while the nations all round talk peace. Uncounted numbers suffer - though they have done no wrong. We meet good people - people who really try to do right by their families and friends, and we discover pain and suffering in their lives - children who do not show respect towards them, relatives who cheat them, spouses who betray them. We see bad people apparently prosper - we see them grow rich on the labours of others, and party on with steak and caviar while their neighbours struggle to simply put bread on the table. The bible teaches us that there is a power in the world that causes this, the power of evil, and that this power takes a personal form, a real form against which we have no power of our own . The bible teaches us that we, are under the control of sin and death, and that we cannot change this fact on our own - that we need help. Some time ago a friend of mine was talking about his father: he spoke of how, for many years, his father binged out, how his father was a drunkard - a man who when sober was kind and gentle - and when drunk - well he was something else again. He had no control over himself. And this kind and gentle man brought pain and suffering upon others, or at least the force within him did so - the family had to move - to change homes and communities - almost every year - landlords were cheated, employers disappointed, children neglected, friends - abandoned - or embarrassed or even betrayed. And this continued on - until one day - after taking his children to Sunday School for a period of time, after witnessing the faith of others and what it did for them, he accepted Jesus into his life - he asked God to take control and to guide his actions and save him from his sins - and from the power of sin. And then things changed - debts still had to be paid, amends still had to be made, mistakes still occurred - but the inner man - the man that God made - was set free to grow and mature.. No more booze, a lot more prayer. And the love and kindness of the man that could be glimpsed before - in the moments of sobriety - became apparent to all - for days, weeks, and finally years on end. The children who were still living at home stopped fearing what would happen next - they began to look forward to being with their father - they began to develop their own faith in God - a faith that still guides them to this day. This man, this father, this husband, experience a change in control - he went from being in the control of the devil to being in the control of God, and the result was the renewal of his inner nature, and in the end, when his earthly tent was destroyed, the result was a building from God - a house not made with hands - eternal in the heavens.. There is a power in the world - a power that our sinfulness as individuals, and as a human race, has set loose upon the world. The Bible calls this power Satan - or evil - and it is dedicated to deception, and to destruction, and to death. But there is another power also loose in the world, the power of God, and it is a greater power than the power of Satan, indeed it vanquishes Satan and all his minions, and in the end, as the Revelation of John teaches us, and as Christ himself teaches, it vanquishes death itself. That is what today's Gospel lesson is about when Jesus turns to those who accuse him of casting out demons by the Prince of Demons and says to them How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.... truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.. Someone I know loves birds and spends a few moments in his backyard here on Lantau Island every morning feeding them. He says that certain birds eat more than other birds and because they have such voracious appetites that kind of bird will soon eat right out of your hand. One morning he decided to play a little game with a particular bird that had been a regular for several months. He held out his hand with seed in it and when the dove approached and was just about to peck out a few seeds, he closed his hand, hiding the seed. The bird stopped, cocked his head in disbelief, and then retreated a few feet. He then reopened his hand and the bird boldly approached a second time. Again the hand clamped shut just before the bird could reach the food. The bird again retreated. Several more times my friend repeated the little ritual and the bird reacted in the same disappointed way. Finally, after about the sixth or seventh time, the bird flew off. My friend never saw that particular bird again; it never returned. We can chase the Spirit of God away. We can deny it access to our lives. We can refuse to believe, to hope, and to obey. We can please ourselves - rather than seeking to please God, much as my friend sought to satisfy his curiosity - rather than the bird that trusted him. When we do - when we refuse to trust and believe. When we refuse to see what is around us or to acknowledge the forces that underlay all human affairs, we remain in the control of the evil one, we remain under the control of sin and death, and our inner nature - with our outer nature - decays - we remain unforgiven - despite the cross - despite the resurrection.. This week we celebrate the 68th Anniversary of the D-Day Landing in Normandy. Rather - we remember it. This event would not have had to occur if people had looked more carefully at the world around them - if they had understood earlier the evil that was, and is, in the world. Back in 1938 after Austria had been taken over by the Germans, after Czechoslovakia had been invaded, after Crystal Naught - the night of broken glass, Prime Minister Chamberlain of England proclaimed that Hitler was a rather pleasant person, a person who really wanted peace - one that the allies could bargain with in good faith. It simply wasn't so - nor is so all the assertion that psychologists and teachers and counsellors make about how the problems of this world will be cured when all people are fed and clothed and educated properly. The German people in 1918 - and again in 1939 - were among the best fed, the best clothed, and the best educated in the world - and look at what happened.. Sometimes you got to hear the bad news if you are to really understand the good news. The bad news is this - we as human beings are sinful, and not only are we sinful - our wills are not completely our own, we are under the influence of an evil that is greater than we are as individuals, an evil which is greater than that of ignorance and of poverty, indeed we in thrall to an evil that is so strong that it even thrives in the midst of education and in the midst of wealth. The good news is this - that God seeks us - that God wants us - and that we can place ourselves under the control of God and enter into the kind of world and help build the kind of world that God planned for us from the very beginning. We do it by faith - by trust - by belief - and by walking in the ways of God, the way revealed to us by Christ Jesus our Lord.. The experience of Paul - which he writes of in today's epistle reading is that when we come to faith, when we come to believe in Jesus Christ and in his message a great and wonderful thing happens - we are made new creatures - day by day, bit by bit, and we begin to share in the victory of Christ over sin and death, over the evil one, until at last we inherit an eternal weight of glory that is beyond all measure, as did my friend's father; as do millions of others each and every day. Look not simply at the things that seen, but look at the things which are unseen - the things that are eternal - and open your hands - and leave them open - so that the Holy Spirit may land upon you, and remain with you, and give you life in this world and in the next. So we preach, and so you believed - says the Apostle Paul May it be so, both now and forevermore. Amen

Genesis 1:1 - 2:4; Romans 1:16-23; Matthew 28:16-20

O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen. Remember to say Amen today whenever you hear the doxological phrase - Blessed be God. That will help move us along - and keep your blood flowing this wonderful spring morning. There is an old story about God that goes like this: God had worked for some time at a fiddly job but finally succeeded - and separated light from dark. One of the heavenly host saw all this and commented, "Say, God, that is really neat. What are you going to do now?" God answered: "Oh, I think I'll call it a day." To dissect something is to kill it. We know that is true about jokes and it is true about many other things as well. Some things you just have to understand where you live - in your heart and in your guts - rather than in your head and on the cold hard table of philosophical analysis. And this is probably no more true than when it is applied to the doctrine of the Trinity; that doctrine which tells us: "Hear O Israel, the Lord Thy God, the Lord is One" and which also tell us "Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - One God, forever and ever." Blessed be the Father who made it all! Amen Blessed be the Son who saved it all! Amen And Blessed be The Spirit which gives life to it all.! Amen The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important of all the teachings of the church; so important that each year the Sunday after Pentecost is set aside to teach about, so important in fact, that at one time the whole season that stretches from now till Advent was called Trinity. And so I want to talk to you about it today. It is an important reminder to those who have heard it all before - much as the words "I love you", even when said for the hundredth time, is important to the beloved, And for those who haven't heard it all before - it may bring new understanding and appreciation for what the church has proclaimed since the day Jesus told us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The doctrine of the Trinity asserts that we know God - and God reveals himself - in three persons. Three persons - one God. As I have already said, how that works is one of those things, one of those mysteries, that defies dissection. But it is a functional mystery and a glorious mystery, one that describes the nature of God and which describes the nature of the wonderful relationship God has with us and with all creation. The mystery begins, of course, before creation itself begins. It begins with God living in community with himself before time - before matter - before energy itself It begins before every marvel that we see about us came to exist, and before every wonder that our science has discovered and is yet to discover came into being. And the mystery continued when God decided to take nothing and make something of it! And so the story of creation unfolds as Frank read it to us this morning. The first day when light was created - and then the second - the third - and the fourth days, those days the scriptures tell us can be as a thousand years (even as a thousand years can be as one day) and then there was a fifth day and after it, the sixth. The sixth day was a really busy day - so busy one can hardly blame God for taking a rest after it was done. The sixth day was the day in which God made all the living creatures that live on the earth (he had done the creatures of the sea and of the air the day before) - and having done them and seeing that they were good - God made us. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day. You know - it's not like something Science would say. Words like "good" and "very good" are not used in the academic world. But they resonate with all who have eyes to see the wonders of the universe and ears to hear the song of the cosmos - and to know that it is all a marvel and a mystery - the marvel and mystery of a love that is wildly free and abundantly creative and generous beyond measure! Thanks be to God - our Father - our Maker for that love. Amen. The creation is good. And our God is good. So good, in fact, that God gives goodness it's name. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! That Psalm, Psalm Eight, is a song of praise that grows out of the awareness of God's greatness in creation and of our strange and awesome place in that creation, our strange and awesome place as co-creators with God and as trustees of what God has made on this marvellous sphere. It was the first biblical text to reach the Moon. It was read on the Apollo 11 Mission and then left on the Moon on a disc along with 73 messages from various nations on the face of the earth. It was a good choice, for it speaks so well of the cosmic sovereignty of God and of the exalted status of human beings; of we who have used our God - given abilities to explore and reach up even to the moon. It is all so marvellous! Yet despite the marvel, despite the awesome nature of what God has done and whom God has made us to be, we forget God the Creator - we forget God the Father. We have been forgetting since we were first made: since Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil since they first decided it might be better to be like God without God being involved, since they first decided to do things their way rather than taking the high way, the way God had set before them. That is what Paul's message in today's reading from the Letter to the Romans is referring to when he writes about how "since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen - being understood from what has been made" yet humanity, although we knew God, "neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him" but rather exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man or woman and birds and animals and reptiles. Idolatry is nothing more - nor less - than forgetting God - and turning from him to the creation and seeking goodness from the creation - and within ourselves - rather from where it first comes. We all fall away and worship the gods of success and of wealth and of power and we do seek divine protection and divine comfort from things that are mortal and perishable rather than seeking them from the one who makes all things. And that cuts us off from the community of God and from the communion we are each meant to have with God and with one another. It is kind of hard, after all, to embrace someone you are angry at. It is kind of hard to bless someone that doesn't want your blessing. It is kind of hard to love someone that blames you for the problems they are having or to love the one that has caused you harm. But while God, like a loving parent, is angry and disappointed about what we have done, about the choices we have made that have caused sin and death to rule in our world, has chosen not to be angry forever. Rather God has chosen to bless us even though we have not sought his blessing - he has chosen to forgive us even though we have blamed him for all our faults - he has chosen to love us with a love that will change us - and save us from ourselves even though we have not loved him and even though we need a lot of saving. God decided he would rescue us from ourselves by becoming one of us, and by revealing the fullness of himself in Christ Jesus and - being in human form - by taking upon himself the burdens we lay upon ourselves and our world by our forgetting. The Father made us - the Son saves us - and so Paul declares: I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last..." Jesus, the second person of the Trinity reveals God to us - the God who creates and who is the Father of all living things - the God who watches over his people and calls them to a closer walk with him - the God who is just and loving - and forgiving and tender - the God who can calm any storm and feed any crowd and heal any who are sick - the God who seeks out the lost and who desires that all living things might live closer to him. Jesus reveals God to us because he and the Father are one, because he is the eternal Son of God - the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us . Praise be to God - to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit! Amen! Praise be to the Spirit who hovered over creation and who gives breath to all that lives - the Spirit who is poured out on all who choose the second life by making the Son their Lord and believing in all that he said and what he did. Praise be to the Spirit who is given so that we might proclaim to the ends of the earth what God has done and what God is doing and what God will yet do. Praise be to the Spirit - the Spirit who speaks in our hearts and who reveals to us the power of God and the word of God and the love of God. Praise be to the Spirit - because it is the Spirit of God - the Spirit of Christ that moves us and touches us and speaks to us and the creation round about us. Praise be to God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen! Which leads us to Gospel for the day - and to some final words about the Trinity and how important it is to us and to our understanding of what our faith is.. The passage that you heard read from the Gospel According To Matthew has a special name. It is called the Great Commissioning. It is called that because it speaks of the great job we have been given to do and if the warrant or commission - or authority that we have been given to do it. The commissioning that God gives to us through Christ is a simple one. Jesus tells his disciples after his resurrection - and before his ascension to be at the right hand of the Father: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Make disciples - there is a deep and abiding need for that in every generation; Teach them to obey what I have commanded you - most surely that is needed if we are not to end up going off on our own again and, by worshipping the creation instead of the creator, find ourselves without life or hope. Make disciples of all people, teaching them to obey all Christ has commanded us, and immerse them in the fullness of God, Jesus tell us: immerse them in the waters of creation and pray down the Holy Spirit upon them in the name of the one - the only one who has created and is creating - the one, the only one, who has come in Jesus to reconcile and make new - the one, the only one, who works in us and other by the Spirit. That is the commission that God gives to us - that Christ gives to us - that the Spirit gives to us. In Christ, with Christ, and through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit we are made one with God the Father. This insight - this truth - this revelation - is a great mystery - one that makes us different from all other people - all other religions - all other ways. We proclaim the God who made all things has reached out to those he made through a Son - his Son - the Word of God - the Power of God - made flesh - and that all who turn to him and who obey him are filled with his Power - his Spirit - and made new both in this life - and in the next! The Trinity is a doctrine - and a mystery - but it is a doctrine that points to a living reality that is full of truth: to a truth - and a power - and a way - like no other truth or power or way. And Christ calls us - the Spirit calls us - the Father calls us - to share it! To share it by speaking of it. And to share it by living it. What a universe this is! What a wonder life is! How awesome that all this - and all of you - should be! Spread the word about our Glorious God. Let his light shine in the darkness and his song of love be heard throughout the whole world. Blessed be God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, One. Amen! Blessed be God The One - the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sustainer. Amen!

Acts 2:1-21; I Corinthians 12:1-13

Gracious God - bless now the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. Breath your Spirit into us and grant that we may hear and in hearing be led in the way you want us to go. Amen. I heard a story the other day, an amusing story, about a boy who was wandering around the narthex of a cathedral church in Central one Sunday morning and stopped and examined a large bronze plaque that was hung on the wall. "What are all those names up there?" he asked one of the ushers. "Those are the names of people who died in the service." the usher replied. Curious, the boy asked the usher - "which service, the 9:00 service or the 11:45 service?" I am happy to report today that we are about, what we are celebrating, is a birth - not a death - the birth of the church - the birth of Christ in you and me - and in all who call on his name. It is a significant day - the day on which the first believers came alive in their faith, the day when the Rock upon which Christ planted his church began to support and uphold an incredible new life - a life that has existed since the world began, but which was poured out in a special fashion and took on flesh in you and me much as it took life in Jesus, the son of Mary, the son of God so long ago. Pentecost is an event that the world has long been promised and which the people of God have long awaited. Pentecost is the reversal of what occurred at the Tower of Babel when, because of our sinfulness, we became unable to understand one another. It is the gifting of God to make us one - and to make us one in the way he is one. Pentecost is our becoming Christ in the world. It is God taking on flesh - not only in the least of those to whom we give water to drink or clothes to wear; but taking on flesh in us. Praise be to God. God keeps all his promises. Pentecost gives us the eyes to see and the ears to hear. The eyes to see that God is in the details, that God is in the flesh - as well as in the Spirit. And the ears to hear him speaking in our hearts and upon the lips of others - in the rush of the wind. The eyes to see and the ears to hear - as one - and as unique persons valued and treasured so much by God that God comes to us as we are and makes us even more truly who we are when we are His. The story of the birth of the church, of that day some fifty days after the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus that Jews and Christians call Pentecost - tells us that this what God has done - and is yet doing. The followers of Jesus are given the ability to speak the languages of all those who are assembled in the city and beyond. God grants that we might understand one another and that we might understand the good news - in just the way we need to hear it. Much as God communicates to each one of us here today. We hear the gospel in our own language, in our images, with our own metaphors, with our own ears. Some today will be encouraged to spend more time in praise and wonder to thank God for blessings, others will hear that the power that they need for tomorrow's trials and tribulations will come, still others will take heart - knowing that God is present to them at all times. Whatever it is - it will be filled with God - and uniquely yours. Pentecost is the birth of the Church. It is God amongst us in power making us not simply a group of believers but Christ in the world , unafraid, empowered, bearing the cross out of love, and being raised from the Grave in glory. I began with a story - I would like to end with another. One that I pray that God will use in your life as you meditate upon it from time to time. It is a very simple, but true story about a man called Yates, but who could be you and me - and this congregation - or any of a thousand and one other congregations, a thousand and one other persons. The story is told of a man called Yates who, during the Great Depression, owned a sheep ranch in Texas. He did not have enough money to continue paying on the mortgage - in fact he was forced like many others to live on government subsidies. Each day as he tended his sheep he worried about how he was going to pay his bills. Sometime later a seismographic crew arrived on his land and said that their might be oil on his land and could they test drill. After a lease was signed they went ahead. At 1115 feet a huge oil reserve was struck - subsequent wells revealed even more oil than the first well revealed. Mr Yates owned it all. He had the oil and mineral rights. He had been living on relief - yet he was a millionaire. Think of it - he owned all of that oil with its tremendous potential, yet for many years he did not realize it. How often are we like Mr. Yate's? Considering ourselves poor and helpless all the while unaware of the extraordinary power that we have available to us - that which is lying just below the surface in our minds and our hearts. We here today are a Pentecost People. The Spirit has been and is being poured out upon us. The gift of God is just below the surface in our minds and hearts, and to the right and to the left of us - above us and below us, to the front and to the rear. Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and blessed be the church which his victory has won. Amen

Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68; 1 Peter 4:12-14,5:6-11; John 17:1-11

O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen. Last words are important words... In a court of law deathbed statements, even though they are unsworn and the person no longer present to validate them, are admissible as evidence. And in the arena of our lives what we last said to someone before they leave us, and in turn what they may have said to us, are very often the occasion of much joy and encouragement - and sometimes, unfortunately, of much regret and remorse. We normally take very seriously the last words that our loved ones have uttered to us; - we turn those words over in our minds, - we consider them carefully - we store them up in our hearts and ponder them - much as Mary stored up the words of the angel and of the shepherds and of the magi in her heart after her encounters with them. If the last words of a loved one to us are uttered in the form of a declaration, if they are uttered with any seriousness - in the knowledge that soon time and space will separate us, if they ask of us anything, we are inclined to do everything in our power to both remember those words and to do that which was asked of us. Last words are important words. Knowing that - today I want to consider with you the last words of Jesus. If you ask most people what the last words of Jesus were, chances are they might tell you that his last words were: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" - or perhaps - "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit". When most people think of the last words that Jesus spoke here on earth we tend to think of those words that he spoke upon the cross - those words he spoke just before his death - and not of the words that he spoke to his disciples, and to all of the church, after his resurrection, on the day that he ascended into heaven. The last words that Jesus uttered while still on earth in physical form while still walking about in his resurrection body were these: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." You shall receive power, you shall be my witnesses... The story is told of a man who was called to the witness stand in a local court case. The lawyer was questioning the man about the events surrounding the crime... What time was it? Who were you with? Where were you going? The questions went on and on and finally the lawyer asked... "did you see the accused enter the store...?" "No". "Did you see a man with a gun enter the store... " "No." Becoming exasperated the lawyer shouted, "Well, please tell us what you did see..." "Nothing." "Nothing?" shouted the lawyer. "No. Nothing." said the man. "When I saw the man with the gun, I was afraid and I put my hands over my eyes..." In a court of law a witness is one who has seen the event in question and can tell the story. The court is not usually interested in the character or personal attributes of a witness. All the court wants to know is what the witness has seen and heard. We use the word witness in a two-fold sense. A witness both witnesses an event and then, when that witness tells someone about the event, he or she witnesses to others about the event. "You shall be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." "You shall be my witnesses, in Jerusalem [right at the centre], and in Judea [out among the family in the hinterland], and Samaria [the land of our distant cousins], and to the ends of the earth." The Christian Gospels themselves are early Christian preachers' attempts to witness to what they have seen and heard. The Gospel, as a literary form, was unknown before Mark invented it. And as gospels, as attempts to witness to the person and life of Jesus Christ, they are not so much history, poetry, or fact - as they are stories. In the Gospel, we aren't just getting information and data about Jesus - we are hearing a story about Jesus and how his life touched the lives of the people around him. And as with any good story we find we are drawn into it, just by listening. Our lives become caught up in his life and his in ours... "You shall be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Not... you may be... or you might be... "you shall be" "Look, I really like you, really like you. You make me feel feelings that few women have made me feel. Let's stop by my apartment," he said. "No, I really don't think we're ready for that. After all, we just met. We've got to spend a lot more time together before getting that close," she said. "Is there anything wrong? Have I said something wrong?" he asked. No, its just that I am not going to your apartment," she said. "Why?" "Well..." she said, without really thinking, "well, because I'm a Methodist." "What's that?" he asked. "Well, a Methodist is a kind of Christian," she said. "And what's that?" he asked. "A Christian? Well, its somebody who believes that some things are right and some things are wrong, that God has plans for each of us and we ought not violate God's plans," she said. And he, having never had anyone lately say "No", in a society in which everyone is encouraged to say "Yes"; having never met anyone with such self-possession and presence of mind; asked if he could go with her to the Methodist place called "church" sometime. And he did. Witnessing - telling others of our faith in God, need not be loud and boisterous to the point where it threatens and offends others... in fact, this is not witnessing at all - but proselytization... Witnessing is most often done through loving care and personal story telling, through the kind of thing that you do all the time... - A phone call when a friend loses a loved one... - a cup of coffee with a neighbour who is going through a difficult time... - a visit with a relative who is in a nursing home or hospital... And in the course of the visit, over that cup of coffee, you express your concern, you offer your prayers...you share the hope that you have found in God... As believers in Christ - as people baptized by water and by the Spirit we have the power, a power given to us by God above, to make a difference out there: to bring people to the knowledge and love of God through what we say and do in their presence, through the story we have to share - in love. "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After Jesus had said this, he was taken up before there very eyes, and cloud hid them from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee", they said, "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Why do you stand looking into the sky? That same question might just as well be put to us...Why do we stand looking up to the heavens...Why do we consider so much those things over which we have no control - the times and seasons of Christ's return, the future of the world, the economic crisis? Why do we spend so much time among those who are already a part of the family of God when there are many to need to hear the story of God's love for the world when so many need the hope and the healing that we have found in Christ, when so many need not only a kind deed, but what has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Paul Harvey, the well known radio broadcaster, once said, "Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men but keepers of the aquarium." I take that to mean that we are more concerned about the Church than we are about touching the lives of other people, more concerned about preserving our "religion" than we are about helping people discover the source of wholeness, the fountain of living water that wells up to eternal life. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Again I say, as believers in Christ, as people baptized by water and by the Spirit, we have the power - a power given to us by God above - to make a difference out there - to bring people to the knowledge and love of God through what we say and do in their presence. One final story, An artist, seeking to depict on canvas the meaning of evangelism, painted a storm at sea. Black clouds filled the sky. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, a little boat could be seen disintegrating under the pounding of the ocean. People were struggling in the swirling waters, their anguished faces crying out for help. The only glimmer of hope appeared in the foreground of the painting, where a large rock protruded out of the water. There, clutching desperately with both hands, was one lone seaman. It was a moving scene. Looking at the painting, one could see in the tempest a symbol of humankind's hopeless condition. And true to the Gospel, the only hope of salvation was "the Rock of Ages", a shelter in the time of storm. But as the artist reflected upon his work, he realized that the painting did not accurately portray his subject. So he discarded the canvas, and painted another. It was very similar to the first: the black clouds, the flashing lightning, the angry waters, the little boat crushed by the pounding waves, and the crew vainly struggling in the water. In the foreground the seaman was clutching the large rock for salvation. But the artist made one change: the survivor was holding on with only one hand, and with the other hand he was reaching down to pull up a drowning friend. That is the New Testament picture of witnessing - that hand reaching down to rescue the perishing. Until that hand is extended, there is no Gospel - and there is no hope for the world. Let us ponder seriously the last words of Christ, let us store them up in our hearts and let us go forth as witnesses to the faith - let us go forth and tell our story so that others might believe. Blessed be God, day by day, Amen

Acts 10:44-48 Psalm 98 (UMH 818) 1 John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17

"Gracious God - bless now the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. Breath your Spirit into us and grant that we may hear and in hearing be led in the way you want us to go. Amen. Some children are especially blessed. They are blessed by good and loving parents - by parents whose love is like that of God - by parents who, by the power of their love are spiritually present with their children at all times - parents who, even when physically absent, leave notes in lunch boxes, signs of love on fridges and blessings upon pillows so that their children may know that they are loved deeply. I know that when I was a child I really appreciated these things. But I also know that as a child I was occasionally grounded, restricted, and cut off from the fullness of the blessings my parents sought to pour out upon me. My parents still loved me when I was grounded, they still loved me deeply, but things did not go quite as well for me as they did when I was not grounded. And this kind of experience continues on into adult life - into all our relationship of love. We find that when our love is well expressed in consideration and in respect, in holy humility and in divine giving, that blessings flow abundantly, and we know fully the love we are supposed to know, we know the secret of the universe as it were; God is as completely revealed to us as he can be this side of heaven. But when we hold back, when we do not do all that love asks us to do, something goes missing inside us - we begin to ache and pain even though the love of our lover is still all around us, still calling out to us, still seeking for us the very best. What I am saying my friends is simply this: - there are spiritual laws at work in the universe - laws that God works with and which by his mercy operate at all times. Christ speaks of one of these laws or principles in today's Gospel reading, a reading which is part of that which is often called his last will and testament because it is the final teaching he gives to his disciples before he is crucified. As part of that testament he speaks of his final and ultimate gift to all who are a part of God's family - of his family - the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells the disciples the night of his betrayal that if they love him, they will keep his commandments. And he promises them his Spirit unconditionally - a Spirit that will advocate for them, and comfort them, and lead them, and watch over them. He promises them that the Spirit of God will live in them. Jesus also tells his disciples that not everyone will receive the spirit. He tells them that those in the world, those who love only themselves, those who sneer at holy things and scorn the law of God cannot receive the receive the Spirit because they do not know the Spirit, because they do not desire it. Jesus assures his disciples on the night of his betrayal that they will see him again - that because he lives and will continue to live so will they - and that they will know that he is in the Father and that they are in him and he is in them. Then he goes on to remind them of what he had said before "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." A promise and a reminder. The promise of his eternal and holy presence urging and supporting and comforting us no matter what. And the reminder that we will see and feel the full glory of that gift when we are in the right space - that space which is the righteous space, the loving space, God calls us to. Jesus gives us the gift of his eternal love and reminds us of how love works: of how while there is unconditional affection and care there is as well the hope that the love will be returned - so that we will know the fullness of the love we are receiving. Jesus reminds us that love needs to be returned - not just directly, in expressions of devotedness, but also indirectly, in actions whereby we pass on the love to others. Jesus makes us promises and he gives to us reminders, reminders that there are consequences to what we do, wonderful consequences and sometimes not so wonderful consequences. Reading past verse 21 of today's gospel reading we find the question asked of Jesus "Lord how is it that you will reveal yourself to us - and not to the world." Jesus answers "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." As adults we know that is what always happens when there is a deep and intimate relationship of love - people move in together, they live together and enjoy themselves together and work together and do many things together - and all of a sudden - because of this relationship there are both inlaws and outlaws to deal with. Consider the inlaws all the people around you who seek to do God's will. Consider the outlaws all those who couldn't care less about God or you. Jesus, as our lover, asks us to keep his commandments and to love all of them, both the inlaws and outlaws, as if they were him; he tells us that this is what the life he offers and shares with us is all about, he tells us that when we obey him we will truly see him and know him. The truth about life is revealed to us by the Spirit of truth that Jesus sends to us from the Father - and that truth is love - love expressed and shown to others in the way God shows love to us - a love expressed and shown according to the word sent to us by God from the beginning and incarnated in Christ Jesus our brother and our Lord. You can't go wrong by following Christ. You can only go right. The apostle Peter suggests to us in verse 15 of today's epistle reading that the secret of the spiritual life - of the life that gives life - of the life that is worth the living - is found in sanctifying in our hearts Jesus as Lord. This means pretty much the same as what Jesus meant when he said to the disciples "if you love me you will keep my commandments." To sanctify something means to make that thing holy - to make it special - to make it different - to make it wonderful - to dedicate it to the divine purpose - to dedicate it to the divine One - to allow the Spirit to transform it from one degree of glory to another. Sanctify, in your hearts, Christ as Lord. Don't just say I believe in and love Christ - show that love. Take the time each day to know him, to treat him as a friend, to talk to him and to make him special to yourselves. Treat his wishes as your deepest desire, his every suggestion and hint as your life giving law and your greatest yearning. To "Sanctify Christ in your heart as Lord" means... - it means to really hold on to him and to hold his word in your awareness, - it means to really listen and then to really do. It is all so simple a child can get it and do it, and so wonderful and so rich that it gifts all the years of our lives with awe and with power. All these things the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have told us so that we might have the fullness of God's blessings - that we may know the true glory of love and the eternal joy and strength that life in Him brings. God is with us - Christ is in us - the Spirit is all around us. Look and see - love and abide in him - be true and obey him as your Lord - and life will blossom all around you like flowers in the spring and God will be revealed in his fullness to you and to the world around you Praise be to God, now and forevermore - Amen

Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:25-31 (UMH 752) 1 John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8

"Gracious God - bless now the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. Breath your Spirit into us and grant that we may hear and in hearing be led in the way you want us to go. Amen. Peter begins the second chapter of his first letter to God's chosen people with an exhortation: He writes: "Rid yourselves then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy, or jealousy, or insulting language. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up in your salvation." In the last verse of today's gospel reading Jesus says: "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." What do you crave? What do you yearn for? What blessing do you ask God for? A couple of items for you to ponder as you think about that question. Some years ago a well-known televangelist sent green prayer cloths to thousands of his viewers. God supposedly told him that the prayer cloth would be a point of contact, between him and the audience, for releasing God's blessing - with one essential condition. His viewers needed to send lots of money with the prayer cloth, or as he put it, "Sow your very best seed." To those who returned the green cloth with some money, the televangelist promised great prosperity: "Send me your green prayer cloth as my point of contact with you!" he pleaded. "When I touch your cloth, it will be like touching you! When you touch this cloth, it will be like taking MY hand and touching me. I want the anointing that God has put upon my life for miracles of finances and prosperity to come directly from my hand to yours... You can reign in life like a king!" According to this televangelist, within months of sending in her prayer cloth, one woman received $286,000 in bonds and $65,000 in cash. Also, as a bonus, her husband was delivered from alcoholism. That's interesting. Get rich and have your family problems solved in a moment by just sending for a prayer cloth. It seems like a good deal. I heard of the following story a while back: The Rev. Patrick Leary is the rector of the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer in Las Vegas, Nevada. He says visitors to the cathedral there often make the same request. Can you guess what it is?? "Father, will you pray for me to win?" I heard that Father Leary pointing around at the beautiful church and said to the people who asked him with this request, "if it was that easy, do you think we'd still have a debt on this place? I believe in the power of prayer, but even prayer has its limits." "Even prayer has its limits." Do you believe that?? If you do - what do you do then with these words of Jesus: "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it"? Think of the possibilities - a new car, a new home, a cure for baldness. All we have to do is ask. "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, a well know preacher many years ago, said that once, when he was a high school student, he had a very difficult examination. But he had discovered that verse, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do..." He believed that verse meant that all he had to do was ask and he would pass the exam. He told God he was believing God's promise, and he wanted a good grade. The next day young Weatherhead took the examination, but when the grades were in, he had failed. He was disillusioned. He rebelled and almost lost his faith. He came to the conclusion that the promises of the Bible were not good - all because God had not granted his wish for a good grade. The next year he repeated that course. He worked hard, and he passed. This time he decided that he did not need God, that he could get along by himself. I think that this is a conclusion that many of us reach - we need something, we want something, we and we pray for it - and - when we don't see the results that we want we come close to losing our faith. At the very least - we conclude as did Dr. Leslie Weatherhead that we can, or we must, get along by ourselves. Fortunately, Leslie Weatherhead changed his opinion over the years. Fortunate because his life touched hundreds of thousands of people, bringing to them the blessings of God in a way that the televangelist I mentioned earlier has not. After some years had passed, Dr Weatherhead came to understand that his own powers and abilities were in reality the power that God had given to him. He began to realize that God had already given him the power to pass the examination, but he had not used that power the first time. God never gives us more power than we need. As Dr. Charles L. Allen has said, "Until we are willing to use what God has already given us, there is no need to ask for any more." "If you ask Me anything in My name," said Jesus, "I will do it." Quite a claim. But let's examine it a little closer. Notice first of all that Jesus is talking to his disciples. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?", Jesus asks his disciples. "The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.... I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son...." Jesus is giving his disciples words of encouragement." You've seen the blind recover their sight," he is saying. "You've seen the lame made whole. Hey, You're going to do greater works than that!" Jesus was talking to the church. He was not talking about new houses or new cars or passing examinations. He was talking about the work of the Kingdom. He was saying that when his disciples decide to get into action doing the work God has called them to do, and when they enlist God's help, nothing is impossible! And that's true. Nothing is impossible for the church of Jesus Christ! What do you crave, what do you desire the most? Do you thirst for pure spiritual milk? Do you yearn to do the works that Jesus did? Do you desire that the church, that the people of God, that you yourself, might make a great witness to the world and bring glory to God's name? Dr. Robert Schuller, that legendary advocate of Possibility Thinking, says that there are two words that have killed more God-inspired dreams and hopes than anything else he can think of. The two words are "Be realistic!" If we Christians, Dr. Schuller says, were "realistic" then nothing would be accomplished. He cites the example of Tom Dempsey - a young man who was born with half a right foot and deformed right arm but a ton of faith. Dempsey wanted to be a football player - in spite of his considerable handicaps. And he did play football. He became a kicker for his high school team. But that wasn't enough. He wanted to play college ball. And again, he became the kicker on his college team. But when he graduated from college, his dream became even wilder and more fantastic. He wanted to be a professional football player! A professional football player with half a foot and a deformed right arm. Impossible! No coach would accept him. They all shook their heads. All except one, and it is ironic and more than coincidental that Dempsey became a kicker for the professional football team, The New Orleans SAINTS! The rest, as they say, is history. In 1972, Dempsey kicked the longest field goal ever - 63 yards! All because he was not realistic! All because, Schuller tells us, Tom Dempsey had faith in Jesus Christ who gave him the strength to do what he dreamed. Amazing things are accomplished in this world by people who believe and will not give up. Our text for the day says that you and I are capable of amazing things when we set out to serve Jesus Christ. Jesus was speaking to his church when he said, "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." Nothing is impossible for the church of Jesus Christ. But there is something else just as important... Jesus adds a qualifier: "And whatever you ask in My name," Jesus promises, "that will I do, that the Father may be glorified..." Christ will do anything we ask if it glorifies the Father. Here is where we generally stumble. Not everything we do in the church is done to the glory of God. Isaac Asimov, familiar to many as a noted scientist and author, once told a hilarious story about a Rabbi Feldman who was having trouble with his congregation. It seemed they could agree upon nothing. The president of the congregation said, "Rabbi, this cannot be allowed to continue. Come, there must be a conference, and we must settle all areas of dispute once and for all." The rabbi agreed. At the appointed time, therefore, the rabbi, the president, and ten elders met in the conference room of the synagogue, sitting about a magnificent mahogany table. One by one the issues were dealt with and on each issue, it became more and more apparent that the rabbi was a lonely voice in the wilderness. The president of the synagogue said, "Come, Rabbi, enough of this. Let us vote and allow the majority to rule." He passed out the slips of paper and each man made his mark. The slips were collected and the president said, "You may examine them, Rabbi. It is eleven to one against you. We have the majority." Whereupon the rabbi rose to his feet in offended majesty. "So," he said, "you now think because of the vote that you are right and I am wrong. Well, that is not so. I stand here" - and he raised his arms impressively - "and call upon the Holy One of Israel to give us a sign that I am right and you are wrong." And as he said this, there came a frightful crack of thunder and a brilliant flash of lightning that struck the mahogany table and cracked it in two. The room was filled with smoke and fumes, and the president and the elders were hurled to the floor. Through the carnage, the rabbi remained erect and untouched, his eyes flashing and a grim smile on his face. Slowly, the president lifted himself above what was left of the table. His hair was singed, his glasses were hanging from one ear, his clothing was in disarray. Finally he said, "All right, eleven to two. But we still have the majority." We all know that not everything that is done in the church is done to the glory of God. But wouldn't it be great if we had a dream for this church that was big enough that we would have to depend on God to accomplish it? And wouldn't it be great if we searched our hearts and souls with prayer so that our dream would match God's dream? Wouldn't it be great if we yearned for the pure spiritual milk that will helps us to grow in our salvation - and which affects the whole around us? George Barna, a church-growth specialist, asked a group of pastors how they believed Christ would rate their church if He were to return today. Fifty-three percent of those pastors said Christ would rate their church as having little or no positive impact on souls or society. How sad. How very sad. Wouldn't it be great if we could see concrete evidence that our community is a better community and our town is a better town because this church is here? Christ tells us we can see such evidence - if we dream great dreams and if those dreams are to God's glory and not our own. What do we crave? What do we yearn for? What do we desire? All prayer is answered my friends. Even the prayers that we ask strictly for ourselves and for our families. Sometimes the answer is no - I have plans - trust me in this. Sometimes it is - no, not yet, the time is not right. Other times it is yes - I thought you'd never ask, and still other times it is yes - and just wait to see what else I have in store for you. What God does for the faithful - what God allows to happen to them - how God answers their prayer - always works for the good. As that is true for each of us as individual believers is doubly true for us as the church - for us as the people who gather in God's name to worship and work together the works he calls us to work. If we dream a dream for this church and if it is truly God's dream, then great things will happen and each of us can be part of it. What is your dream? What do you desire the most? Is it pure spiritual milk that you may grow in your salvation and continue to know that God is good? Is it to do the works of God - even greater works than Christ did - that God's name may be glorified? I started this message with the first words from today's reading from the First Letter of Peter. I would like to conclude with the last words from that reading - where Peter writes: "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy; but now you have received mercy." We have a purpose - and we have the tools that we need to accomplish that purpose, so much so that we can do even greater things than did Christ - should we desire to. "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." Why not put Christ to the test? Blessed be God, day by day. Amen

Acts 2:41-47; I Peter 2:19-25 and John 10:1-10

Bless thou, the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, oh our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen Today I want to talk to you about devotion - devotion to the teachings of the apostles, to the fellowship of the church, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. The first thing I want to tell you is this - that without devotion to these things our life as individuals - and our life as a church - cannot succeed. It can't succeed because without devotion to those things God has given us, we end up adrift - we end up separated from our Lord - the shepherd of our souls, and swept away by the false teachings of our world. We loose the strength and the hope that we are supposed to have, and our joy, our health, and our strength, quickly dissipates. We become a people who are lifeless and unattractive and, unless we change our ways, unless, by the grace of God, we are once again found - we stumble and fall.. The father of all lies tries to tell us - that devotion - that the dedication of ones time and energy to the teachings of the apostles - and to the fellowship of the church - and to the breaking of bread and to prayer, is not really all that important. He tries to tell us that we can get by with an occasional prayer, and that it will not hurt all that much if we don't read and learn about the Bible, and that a person doesn't really have to attend church or get involved in Christian groups to be a follower of Christ. This is a lie - and anyone who tells you otherwise is speaking to you with the voice of Satan. The secret of every growing church, and the basis of every healthy spiritual life, is an overriding commitment to hearing the word of God and applying it to one's life. It is a dedication to the health and prosperity - both spiritual and physical, of one's fellow believers, and the desire to invoke the presence of God within that community, and within one's own private prayer life. I am sure many of you have seen the bumper sticker that says - the family that prays together, stays together - We are the family of God - and unless we pray - together - unless we study and seek the will of God in the word of God together - and unless we share good times and bad times together, we will suffer the fate that comes upon those who stay apart, we will be alone; and ultimately we will loose our sense of direction; our sense of purpose; our faith. And that is happening and has happened in churches throughout North America and Europe. It is happening in those places where individual happiness is prized more than righteousness; where pursuing material success is held to be more important than spending time in community, where golf on Sunday or watching Football or taking the children to a ball game is deemed more important than building one's relationship with God, where watching TV or going shopping for the weekend is deemed more important than sharing with one's brothers and sisters the joys and the concerns that we have and praying together and sharing together those things which have helped us in God's word. I assume, that despite our parent's advice, that all of us have played with fire. We have sat before a fire place or a camp fire, and watched the coals glowing red and hot. And all of us know - that if we take a single coal out of the centre of the fire and place it to one side - it soon turns dull grey, its bright heat becomes first lukewarm and then cold - while the rest of the fire continues to burn. So it is with us. Separate a person from the Christian community, take them away from the place in which the word is proclaimed, bread is broken, and prayers uttered, and soon the light of their faith grows dull, and the warmth within their souls begins to diminish. Let no one lie to you! You can't be a Christian, at least you can't be an effective Christian, a fully alive Christian, one who, as Jesus says in today's reading - has life and that abundantly, if you do not listen to the voice of the shepherd who calls you by name, or if you flee from the sheepfold that he would lead you to for your own safety. How can you expect to do what is right? How can you expect to experience the blessings of God? How can you hope to minister to one another the love of Christ and feel that love return to you 30, or 60 or 100 fold, if you do not turn to Christ and listen to his voice? If you do not enter the sheepfold with your brothers and sisters? If you do not pray together and work together and love each other with the love of Christ? You can't! And the evidence of that is all around us. It is in the people we meet day by day who claim to believe in and love God - and yet have none of the signs of the abundant life that Christ promises to all who hear his voice and enter his sheepfold. Devotion, Dedication, Commitment - this is the secret of success in all endeavours, and in all endeavours that devotion, that dedication, that commitment is focussed on specific things. To experience life - and that abundantly - as Christ says we can, our focus must be on the teachings of the apostles, which are the teachings of our Lord, on the fellowship of the believers, on the breaking of bread - the invoking of Christ's presence in community, and on prayer. The early church had this focus - and the results were tremendous. As Luke tells us in today's reading - "all who believed were together and had all things in common, they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread from house to house, and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God, and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day God added to their number those who were being saved." Day by day, God added to their number. From that first community - came the entire church - a church that survived the stoning of Stephen, the persecution of Paul, and the destruction of Jerusalem itself. The early church survived and prospered, because the people within it committed themselves to one another and to the Lord who brought them together, The early church grew and spread like a fire in dry grass because those who believed sought God' presence, and prayed for his will to be done in their midst, not just one day a week, but each and every day. I wonder how many of us even pray each and every day? Let alone seek out the fellowship of fellow believers and pray with them and eat with them on a regular and consistent basis? I wonder how many of us read the scriptures each day? Or even think about what it is God has said in the past to us? Let alone seek to hear what it is he may be trying to say to us now - in the midst of our busy routines? I am sure everyone here is familiar with the expression - "cool as a cucumber". The expression "cool as a cucumber: refers to someone who is able to remain calm and collected in the heat of life's battles. The expression actually has its basis in scientific fact. A cucumber lying in the sun on a hot day is cooler on the inside than the outside. In fact the centre can be as much as ten degrees cooler that the outside. Even without a thermometer, the temperature can be easily detected by the touch. But the difference in temperature between the inside and the outside can only exist as long as the cucumber is attached to the vine. Once the cucumber is severed, it loses its ability to "keep its cool." Like the cucumber, we can only keep our cool in the midst of difficult circumstances, we can only thrive in the midst of an insane world, as long as we remain attached to the vine. Our vine is the fellowship of fellow believers and its head - Jesus Christ. The sap which runs through it is the word of God and the power unleashed in listening to it and in breaking bread together and in praying together. In the vine we have life. Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the branches. They who abide in me and I in them, bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing." Jesus also said - I am the gate for the sheep. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. God has prepared a fold for us, He has made ready a safe haven for us, and appointed a faithful shepherd over us. To enjoy that haven, we need to listen to voice of our shepherd, and together, in the company of our fellow believers, follow him. When we follow him - he will lead us by the still waters, and to the green pastures, and he will keep us safe as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, his rod and his staff will comfort us. And the opposite is also true. When we fail to follow him, when we fail to listen to his voice and join ourselves with the rest of the flock, the waters will not be stilled, we will experience terror in the valley of the shadow of death, and our cups will not overflow in the presence of our enemies. We need, and all those who claim to believe in God need, to truly commit ourselves to our Lord and his teachings, and to one another as brothers and sisters in him if we are to be as alive as was the church in Jerusalem after the day of Pentecost. As we do this, as we pray and break bread together Christ our Lord will do the rest. He will make sure our souls are restored, he will set a table before us in the presence of our enemies and ensure that we dwell in the house of God forever, He will do this, for he is the bread of life; and the good shepherd; the way and the door; the resurrection and the life, the one in whom God was pleased to fully dwell within, the one in whom God is even now fully revealed for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Praise be unto our God, and to our Lord Jesus Christ - now and forevermore AMEN

Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 (UMH 741) 1 John 3:1-7 Luke 24:36b-48

Bless thou O Lord, the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen The tradition to which we belong, the Protestant tradition begun by Martin Luther believes most strongly that we meet God - that we meet Christ - in the word of scripture - in study - and in prayer. The scripture reading that I read today speaks about these things. It is the story of how two men, on Easter Sunday, set out on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus - a distance of about seven miles - were met by a stranger going along the same road - and began to speak to him about all that had occurred in the Holy City during the previous week. This man - this stranger - responded to their grief, their dejection - their shock and horror - regarding what had happened - how Jesus, a good man, a prophet, a man powerful before God and all the people - had been crucified and buried - and how his body had disappeared from the tomb - by taking them on a journey through the law and the prophets. In that journey he showed them how the scriptures foretold all that Jesus did, and all that he suffered, even how he would die - and what purpose it served. The scriptures are an amazing thing - Moses and David, Isaiah and Malachi, Jeremiah and Ruth, all speak of God's anointed one - of God's suffering servant - they speak too of God's purpose and plan for the world, how the world began - and how it will end. The scriptures are a way to come to know God, to come to know Christ, and it was through them, one night many years ago now - as I was reading the gospel of Luke that I first invited him to be my Lord and my Saviour. I met Christ through the scriptures. I came to know him by what they said about him, and wanted for myself the forgiveness and the joy of which he spoke, the strength and the hope which he offered, the wholeness and the salvation for which he came - and for which he died and rose again. The stranger who walked with the two men on the road to Emmaus spoke of these things. He taught them about the mind of God, and the purpose of God, and how Jesus fit in with it all. In the record of that encounter we are told that their hearts burned within them as this stranger talked to them about these things, as he "opened the Scriptures to them" Our tradition teaches us that the reading of scripture, and the study of scripture, and the proclamation of the message of the scriptures is the primary way in which we meet God, the primary way in which we meet Christ. Prayer is equally important however. While we get to know Christ, while we meet him, through the Word of God, we commune with him, we conduct our relationship with him through prayer. I can't number the times that prayer to the God who I have met through the scriptures has warmed my heart, calmed my fears, and given me a basic assurance about the future. In prayer I felt God's Spirit touch me - in prayer I have heard him tell me what I should do - and what I should not do - in prayer I felt his forgiveness and experienced a joy that words cannot express. There are hundreds of prayers in the Bible. For every mood, for every need, for every feeling that we experience we can find a matching mood, a matching need, a matching feeling described in the Holy Book. In the Psalms - and in the prophet Isaiah, and in many other places I have found my prayers to God echoed by those who have gone before me - indeed often I have found the words that I want to pray there... Lord - you are my rock and my refuge, be swift to help me. You have assigned me my portion and my cup, you have made my lot secure and so I praise you. Because you are at might and I will not be shaken, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.. Lord, lead me not into temptation but deliver me from the time evil. Forgive me - have mercy upon me - for I have done what is wrong in your sight, my sin is ever before - have compassion according to the abundance of your steadfast love. Father, I will praise you in the morning and in the watches of the night I will exalt you, my God and my King, You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in love. I thank you. Prayer is so precious - in it - the God we meet, the Christ we meet - becomes ever more real to us, his presence ever more immediate. Scripture, study, and prayer are ways in which we meet God and get to know him better, ways in which we meet Christ and come ever closer to him. Without them we have very little. Without them we cannot expect to know God, to encounter God, to commune with God. But the story of the two disciples who walked on the road to Emmaus on that first Easter Day tells us something more about how to get to know Christ - something more about how we might recognize him - how we might encounter him. It speaks to us of how Christ walks with us on our journey - and how, in the breaking of bread he comes to be known to us. In the Middle East at the time of Jesus, and even to this day, to eat a meal with someone - to have a person into your house and to sit at table with them, is the greatest compliment - the greatest kindness that one can show. It is an act of profound intimacy - an act of trust - of honour - of friendship. It was in that act - and specifically in the breaking of bread and in the prayer of thanks given over that bread that the two men - whose minds were clouded by anxiety and grief as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus had their eyes opened, that they recognized that the stranger who was with them - the stranger who they had invited into their home was the risen Christ, and having recognized Christ, they are filled with joy and excitement and return to Jerusalem to give witness to the disciples and to bring them the assurance that they needed. The Church has long taught us that we come to know God, that we come to recognize God in the literal act of breaking bread and giving thanks. That we recognize God, and that we commune with God, that we fellowship with God, in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I believe that is true - but I also believe that more is meant here in the story of the Road to Emmaus I believe that this story is telling us that we too come to recognize Christ that we commune with Christ whenever we gather together, whenever we meet with and share with another person our joy and our grief and offer prayer over the bread we break together or the cup that we lift up and share with each other Jesus said - that where two or three gather in his name there he would be. When we gather in moments of intimacy. When we share the greatest gifts that we can share with one another: our homes - our tables - our bread and wine - our inner sanctums - Christ comes among us. I have had great moments in reading scripture. I have had great moments in prayer, moments in which I have been very much aware of the presence of God, very much aware of his plan and his purpose for me, very much aware of the closeness that he has to me - the love he has for me. But I have had some of my most profound moments of contact, most profound moments of recognition in the breaking of bread with strangers and with brothers and sisters in the faith; in sharing my innermost hopes and fears, my griefs and my joys with men and women who were willing to walk with me for a time and talk with me for a time and to share with me the few things that I could offer them. The Bible - and the church - calls this meeting - this sharing - this hospitality - this trust which we extend to friends and to strangers alike - communion. If you would meet God - if you would encounter Christ and recognize him in that encounter, read the scriptures and study them, listen to them being proclaimed where the saints gather - at Church and in Bible classes and pray over them with others - and at home alone by your bedside And reach out to others. Open your homes and your hearts to others as did the men who travelled the road to Emmaus. By doing so you may well be entertaining angels unaware. By doing so you may well encounter the Risen Christ, Where two or three are gathered in his name -- he is there. Amen!

Acts 2:14a,22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31

Bless thou O Lord, the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, oh our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen

For a moment imagine a scene of peace.- close your eyes and imagine it - describe it to yourself as fully as you can - enter into it deeply enough to feel its glow.

Some of you may have pictured yourself dozing in the bottom of a row boat on a calm and tranquil lake. Others may have seen yourselves looking at a little baby sleeping in her crib, or a cat napping on a sun soaked window ledge. Still others may have seen themselves in a landscape empty of people - but full of grain gently waving in a breeze or beside a stream in the woods with the water making music as it runs over and around stones lying in its course.

Whatever the picture you painted and entered into - chances are it was not like the kind of scene drawn by today's gospel text.

That text speaks of locked doors , of secret meetings by night - and of fear. None of these things makes a person normally think about peace - nor does the presence of one whose body is marked by the signs of torture and death.

It seems clear however that the evangelist wants us to see the two visits of Jesus to his disciples in the upper room as occasions of peace.

And perhaps they can speak to us about some dimensions of peace that we do normally think of - perhaps they can speak to us of peace in the midst of turmoil - of peace in the midst of fear - of peace in the midst of doubt.

False ideas about peace and joy abound in our society. These false ideas can distort our entire picture of what life is supposed to be about, and of who Christ is and of who we are.

A woman once related the story of how she once went to a worship service where the entire congregation was told

"If you don't have a smile on your face, you've got the wrong religion and should not be here. Christianity is a religion of joy."

She fled that service in tears - because she did not feel at that time like she could smile - she was having difficulties and was looking for comfort. Instead she was told that she was not good enough for God because she was not smiling.

God never asks us to falsify our experience. - our risen Lord never waits until we are already happy in order to come to us - and he never wears a pasted on smile.

Think of this for a moment - Christ could have miraculously obliterated his wounds after he was raised from the tomb, but chose not to. He bore the marks of his wounds into the presence of his disciples. In the same way Christ does not ask us to banish our wounds when we come into his presence - not even at Easter when we are supposed to be full of joy.

The risen Christ came to his disciples in the midst of their turmoil and fear. He came in the midst of their doubt and their sense of having failed both him and their own selves and said to them: "Peace be with you."

And when he said this he showed them his wounds - the holes in his hands and in his side - as if to say:

See these wounds - feel them and know that it is all right to hurt. Pain comes to us all - I was hurt as all people are hurt - but that pain and that hurt no longer has dominion over me - I live - as I said I would. I told you that I would suffer - and that you, if you followed me, would also suffer - but I told you too that after passing through various trials and tests -that pain and even death itself would lose its power - its power over me and its power over those who believe in me.

The three times that Jesus offers his peace to his disciples in today's reading - it is done in close connection with the wounds of crucifixion. The enemies of peace had already done their worst to him. They had made cowards and liars of his followers and had mocked his own words and actions. They had humiliated him in the city streets. The had violated his flesh and robbed him of his life. But their war against him failed. On the evening of the first day of the week he came to his disciples and showed them that he lived despite the worst that could happen.

The peace that Jesus offers can be described as the confidence his followers are able to take from his resurrected appearance. His return on that first day of the week signalled the fact that his life and promises will endure. His "peace be with you" was more than a greeting to be followed by another good-bye. It was the declaration of a persistent fact. Because Jesus lives nothing can separate his followers from him and from life in him.

The disciples realized this fact and in realizing it received the peace that Jesus offered - the peace that only Jesus could offer - for without him they would have been left to continue alone in the darkness and fear of their locked room.

The confidence that the disciples received when Jesus came and said to them "peace be with you" is demonstrated in the response of the disciples to his appearance. Peace showed itself in their rejoicing - and in Thomas' confession of faith - "My Lord, and my God."

And peace showed itself - confidence showed itself - inner security showed itself - later when the disciples left that room and went into the world to proclaim the love and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ - the risen Lord.

But my friends - notice that none of the external circumstances of the disciples changed when they received and accepted the peace that Christ offered them.

They believed in him - they had confidence in him - they knew that nothing could separate them from God's love after he appeared to them - but they still had to face the same situation they faced before he broke into the room they had locked because of their fear. They still had to face authorities. They still had to risk going out on the streets, they still had deal with the crowds who had mocked and crucified Jesus. They still had to face trials and tribulations - as do we.

Peace be with you - is the word of Jesus to us. Peace be with you and blessed are you when you have not seen, as the disciples saw, and yet have come to believe.

Blessed are you - not because life will be plain sailing for you. Blessed are you - not because you will always want to smile and will never have to suffer.

But blessed are you because you have linked yourself to a power greater than yours; to a power that wants to sustain you and will sustain you, to the power that raised Jesus from the dead, to the power that will bring you to the inheritance that Jesus has won for us, that inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith.

Finally - I leave you with these words of Jesus. They are the words Jesus spoke to his disciples just before he went out to the Garden of Gethesame and onward from there to his cross and his death.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Believe in God, believe also in me. Amen.

I Corinthians 15:1-11 and Mark 16:1-8

Let us Pray - Creator and maker of us all - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts - grow thou in us and show us your ways and inspire us to live by your truth. Amen

We celebrate today the resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Think of it - what a day this day is!

Jesus - whom his friends, his family, and indeed all of Jerusalem, thought dead, was raised to life on this day some two thousand years ago.

Not only was he raised to life - but he appeared to people.

He presented himself to Peter who denied him; to Thomas who doubted him; to Mary who wept for him; He visited with his friends, He supped with his disciples, He talked with his followers.

The first Easter was an incredible day, one that started with disbelief, with fear and trembling and bewilderment beside the empty tomb, and ended with astonishment, excitement and thanksgiving.

You know what strikes me about the resurrection day?

It is that despite all the disciples had seen Jesus do, from healing the sick to calming the storms, and despite all the disciples had heard Jesus say about how he would be killed and on the third day be raised, not one of them expected - after the cross was raised, not one of them hoped - after he was laid in the grave, to ever see Jesus again.

No one stood watch near the tomb. No one waited to see if he would rise.

When Jesus died their hopes died, their convictions died, indeed their faith died and they huddled in the upper room where they had celebrated the Passover hiding there in fear that the authorities would treat them just as they had treated Jesus.

What is striking about the first Easter day is that the resurrection is first discovered - not by Peter or any of the other males disciples, but by two women - and that these women do not go the tomb to see if their Lord is risen, but rather they go to finish the job of burying him.

No one expected the resurrection. Despite what they had seen. Despite what they had heard. Despite what they had experienced.

But, Praise God - it did happen! It happened because God made it happen.

And, praise God too, because not only did God make it happen, God went on and raised the faith of the disciples, He brought to life again their dead convictions and restored the hopes that they had lost.

It is because of the resurrection that we are here today.

If it had not happened the disciples would never have gone on, they would never have had the courage, the audacity, the nerve, or the temerity to say another word about Jesus in public, let alone to claim that He rose and is Lord of the living and the dead.

Hear again this morning the words of Paul - the words of one who experienced the presence of the risen Christ even as he travelled to Damascus to persecute and kill his followers.

What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day - also according to the Scriptures.

This is what we preach and this is what you believed!

Brother and Sisters in faith - The resurrection is the most important thing that we believe in as Christians.

The resurrection is the centre of our faith, it is the foundation of our Christian experience, and it is the goal towards which our lives move.

The resurrection is of first importance to us, not because it is a nice ending to the story of Jesus, but because it is the beginning of our story, a story in which our faith can triumph over death just as did the faith of Jesus.

As Christians we are urged over and over again to trust in and accept the reality of the resurrection and to make it a part of our lives through faith in the one who rose from the dead.

We are a people who are called to believe in the power and the love that it shows - to believe in the power and love of God to bring goodness out of evil; life out of death; and hope out of despair.

And as Christians we are promised that when we trust and believe in this way, that when we believe in the power and the love of God, a power and love that can raise the dead to life, that our lives will be blest, and that we will be a blessing to others.

We are promised that what we believe will make a difference to us - and indeed it does....

Let me tell you a true story:

In Russia some years ago a railway worker accidentally locked himself in a refrigerator car. Unable to escape or to attract attention, he resigned himself to his fate. As he felt his body becoming numb he took a pencil out of his pocket and recorded the story of his approaching death. He scribbled on the walls of the car:

"I am becoming colder... still colder... I am slowly freezing... half asleep - these may be my last words.

When the car was opened the man was found dead, but the temperature of the car was only about 56 degrees. Officials found that the freezing mechanism was out of order and that there was plenty of fresh air available. Although there was no physical reason that they could find for the man to have died. It was concluded that he had died because he had believed that he would die.

My friends, what you believe to be true affects you to the core of your being, it shapes you and makes you what you are, it either blesses you because it opens you up to the power of God, or it afflicts you because it blinds you to what you could be and what God is trying to do for you.

Another story, this time a fable, that goes like this:

Once upon a time a man found the egg of an eagle. It had been abandoned for some reason by its mother, but as it was still warm the man took it and put it in the nest of one of his backyard chickens along with the other eggs that were there being brooded upon.

After a period of time the eaglet was hatched, and along with the other chicks from his nest began to go about the backyard doing what the other chicks did. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He looked for the corn that the man would throw into the yard. He clucked and cackled as best as he could, and as he grew, he would, like the other chickens, thrash his wings and fly a few feet in the air.

Years passed in this way and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. It glided majestically among the powerful wind currents, soaring and swooping, scarcely beating its long golden wings.

The old eagle looked at it in awe and asked "what is that"

"That is the eagle, the king of the birds", said one of his neighbours. "He belongs to the sky and to the high places. We belong to the earth, we are chickens."

The old eagle knew this was true, and so it was he lived and died as a chicken, for that is what he believed he was.

Think my friends of what happened to the disciples after the first Easter morning, after they finally accepted and believed in the resurrection that Christ had told them about.

They came out of the upper room where they had huddled in fear, and they went to the ends of the earth, and they created a mighty church despite the efforts of Emperors and Princes to stamp it and them out of existence.

They went from being people afraid of dying, to being people who offered their very lives to help others come to the faith, and hope, and joy that they had.

Like Paul - and others who have since believed - they were transformed and changed because of the resurrection and their conviction that it was for them that it occurred.

The disciples were changed by their faith in the resurrection and in the God who brought it about: they were given power to heal and to help others. Power to conquer their own fear and despair and power to defeat the fear and despair that afflicts others.

This is what the resurrection is about, what our faith is about.

God can bring back to life that which has died, God can bring good out of evil, love out of hate, and hope out of despair.

This is what we believe; and what we believe makes a difference.

Praise be to God our Father who raises the dead to life, Praise be to Jesus the Son who shares his life with the faithful, and Praise be to the Spirit who makes one with him. Amen

Matthew 21:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Matthew 27:1-2,11-50

O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.

Crowds. They are sometimes scary. Sometimes supportive. There are cheering crowds. There are jeering crowds, and there is a "crowd mentality".

You've heard of "mob rule". That's the mentality of a crowd. There is no space for individual thoughtfulness. No time for reflection. Just immediate and mass response.

One thing that's been true, from the very moment the first crowd gathered, and that is this: There are usually two sides in a crowd. Whether its a packed stadium for a soccer game, or a political rally, there are those for, and those against. There are the cheerers and the jeerers.

And sometimes one side or the other takes over. Sometimes, you get a crowd that becomes either supportive, or hostile. Often - the balance is delicate and fragile. A crowd can turn on you.

The crowd that Jesus faced in these days at Jerusalem was both.

It started off as a cheering and supportive crowd, and that is the crowd we met today on Palm Sunday.

But - watch out Jesus! Because - in a very few days - these same people are going to be a very different sort of a crowd for you! And God help you, my Saviour Jesus. These cheering ones - are going to turn into jeering ones.

Jesus attracted crowds.

He was a most charismatic person, this One who called himself the "Son of Man". People came from far and away to hear him. To see him. To witness to the amazing things he was doing. The great and inclusive and loving addresses he gave. The miracles he was known to perform.

But in any crowd - then and now - you get two kinds of people - the believers, and the doubters. And we see this quite often in the Bible - when we are told of the reaction of the crowds, the behaviour of the onlookers.

For example: When Jesus healed the man born blind by making mud with dirt and spit and anointing his eyes with it some of the Pharisees believed it to be a great miracle. Some believed that indeed Jesus was the Messiah.

But many more did not believe. As we heard two weeks ago, they expected kept questioning the healed man. And his parents. And his neighbours. And then they accused both him and Jesus of being an agent of the Devil.

Some for, some against. The cheerers - and the jeerers.

And later - when we look past Good Friday, past Easter, to the events of Pentecost - to the time when the Spirit descended on the disciples like tongues of flame and they began to praise God and speak in other languages, we discover that some of the onlookers saw it miraculous event. To others it was just a big drinking party! "They are filled with new wine" they said.

But - you know - as a crowd takes shape, as "mob rule" comes into effect the sentiment of the crowd solidifies. The mind of the crowd moves to one side - or the other - of an issue. It can be very frightening. And if you are in such a crowd - there's only a couple of "safe" ways to behave. Either go along with the crowd, or keep quiet.

If you don't agree, better stay silent, or leave - inconspicuously.

Some interesting experiments have been conducted by psychologists to understand crowds. And these experiments show how readily people will change their opinion to match the crowd. And I don't mean pretend to change their opinion, to fake it. I mean - really change their mind.

The experiment was simple. A bunch of people were seated in a dimly lit room. Onto a screen at the front of the room two straight lines were projected. One was obviously longer than the other.

The task was simple. State which line was longer. However unknown to the one subject of this experiment (let us say unknown to you) all of the other people in the room were involved in trickery. They had been told to lie. So - you had twenty or so other people around you saying that line A was the longer one. Everybody else in agreement. And you can see clearly that line B is longer.

What happens? Well, the experiment showed that you change your opinion, that's what. Pure and simple. And - even after the experiment is finished, and you are told what was going on you still hold to your changed opinion. That line "B" was longer. That is how persuasive the effect of a crowd is. It will even sway you to an obviously wrong opinion - and keep you there.

There was a big crowd in Jerusalem that day. Lots of people who did not even know who Jesus was - even though he'd been the talk of the city in recent weeks. It was at Passover time, when many Jews from the countryside would be there - celebrating this special feast.

There would be Jews from far away places too. Honouring their religious beliefs by travelling the great distances to Jerusalem, perhaps only once in their lifetime. Going to the Holy City for the most Holy of Feasts - the Passover. And this crowd - this day - was in a happy mood. They're ready for a parade! They are ready to celebrate.

And Jesus - knowing the mood of the city just before Passover - knowing the prophecies concerning how the Messiah would enter Jerusalem - and knowing what would come later - rides into the city on a donkey - his disciples beside him.

For those who have eyes to see - it is significant this choice of animals. Conquering heroes - generals and kings ride into town on horses - on stallions. The Messiah comes in a more humble fashion - on a donkey. Just as predicted by the prophets.

And on this day - and on this crowd - the Spirit of God had descended. "Hosanna" they shouted "Hosanna in the highest Heaven". "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord".

The disciples must have thought they had it made. Success - at last! Where are those arrogant Pharisees now? We have got it made - with Jesus! The people are all for him. They recognize that he is the promised one - the Son of David - it won't be long now - everything is going to go our way.

But Jesus knew what was to come.

He know even as the people shouted on Sunday Hosanna in the highest - hosanna to the Son of David - Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. What was to come on Friday.

He knew what the same crowd would shout out when Pilate asked them "What should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?"

He knew that they shout out "Let him be crucified!" And that when Pilate asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" they would shout all the more, "Let him be crucified!"

And so Pilate released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

How quickly things can change. One week a hero, the next just another victim, a person, an object, to be spat upon and scorned - to be beaten and killed.

And yet here we are today - the Sunday before the Friday. With our palm leaves and branches - singing praises to Jesus with our children.

We have cheered with the crowd that cheered for Jesus - and rightly so - for Jesus deserves all our cheers.

But we have also -if we have understood aright, cheered with a heart heavy with the knowledge of what is to come.

In that we are closer to Christ and his knowledge of the real situation than the disciples were.

Jesus knew who he was dying for - he knew that Judas would betray him, that Peter would deny him, that the disciples would abandon him, and that crowd would call for his death.

He knew what was to come - and yet he ate and drank with Judas.
He knew and yet he prayed with Peter.
He knew and yet he called all the disciples his friends.
He knew and yet he taught in the marketplace and healed those who came to him.

Jesus knew - and we know.

We know his part - and we know our part - and knowing - we have celebrated and I say to you we must celebrate.

We must cheer for life, knowing that death follows. We must praise Jesus and call him Lord even knowing that we - like all the others have failed him, and may yet fail him.

We must cheer, and we must remember. We must remember that Jesus knows who we were - and who we are, and what we have done and will yet do and he still lay down his life for us.

Today we handed out palm leaves so that we might celebrate a token memory of the cheering crowd on Palm Sunday when they lovingly spread palms and cloaks and branches into the roadway ahead of our Saviour. And we have handed out palm leaves shaped into crosses.

Look at what you hold - perhaps you have placed it on a seat beside you...

The palms of "hosanna"!
The palms of this "day of acceptance" of our Lord, are woven into the cross of rejection.

And yet, it is an empty cross - this cross you hold - a cross which bespeaks resurrection - cross which bespeaks forgiveness.

It is a very holy mystery - this cross that you hold - this cross upon which Jesus died.

It is a mystery which the crowd can never quite accept. A mystery which you and I cannot truly understand - but which, when we accept it in faith - in our heart of hearts turns earthly despair into heavenly triumph.

Hosanna - Jesus! Hosanna - in the brief moment of earthly acclaim.
Hosanna, and may God your Father give you strength for what is to come.
Hosanna, blessed are you who have come in the name of the Lord to save and
deliver your people.
Blessed be your name - now and forevermore.
Hosanna in the highest heaven. Amen