Resurrection - To See in a New Way

     Jesus died a brutal death.  Can you begin to imagine what state his friends and family were in?  They had been through so much together.   They had learned so much from him.  They had been good friends but they were human.   They had also doubted him, lost patience with him and at the same time been transformed by him.  Toward the end, it was so hard to stay present with Jesus as he agonized over where his life was leading him.  They even denied him and betrayed him while also loving him deeply.

     Of course you can imagine – any of us with a few years in this world have walked a similar path.  We have loved in the best way that we could love and we have lost and been thrown into the turbulent waters of grief.  How do we go on?  There is this huge hole in our lives and it is hard to move without falling in.  We, like the friends of Jesus are living in transition.  We still love our loved one but don’t know how to do so in this world where their absence screams of their presence.

     The Apostle Paul said that Jesus appeared to over 500 people after his death.  The appearances were all different, taking them a while to recognize him.  You see they, like us have preconceived ideas of what Jesus should look like and what this whole idea of resurrection really is.  To see with the eyes of faith, our culturally conditioned mindsets must be shattered.

     As they walked towards the village of Emmaus, Jesus’ followers were absorbed in conversation about the horrific events of the past few days.   Not only had their friend been executed without cause, his body was now gone from the tomb.  They moved along the path slowly, carrying much grief.  Then a stranger came who began to share wisdom from scripture.   They were obviously drawn to him so they asked him to stay and eat with them at the Inn.  I imagine conversation began to flow as supper was served.  At the moment this stranger gave thanks for the bread and broke it, their eyes were opened.  This was the resurrected Christ – in this stranger.  He then disappeared!  He came not as they had expected, yet they knew.

     We are always in this cycle of death and resurrection.  Death is clear to see but resurrection takes an inner dying on our part.  Put away all ideas of how this must look.  Be mindful, walk slowly, listen and watch.  I promise that as you begin to see in this new way, you will not be disappointed.  Resurrection is real.

     I would love to hear your resurrection stories if you would be willing to share.  The Lord is Risen Indeed – ALLELUIA!

Peace,

Elizabeth

Walking with Him

Holy Week. This week is the center of our Christian faith. It tells the story of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, walking towards death and taking on the sin of the entire world. He dies, but conquers death and shatters the gap between God and man. We can be made whole again through our acceptance of Jesus Christ. How amazing, how sacred and holy!

The week begins with Palm Sunday as we join the crowd in Jerusalem waving palms as Christ enters on a donkey. We shift towards the story of the Passion where Christ becomes the ultimate sacrifice. The week ends with Easter Sunday, where we celebrate Christ’s resurrection and conquering of death. Easter is the culmination of the entire week, but without first walking with Him during Holy Week, Easter cannot hold as much meaning to you personally. Sure, you can come to Easter Sunday without going to any of the services during Holy Week and still have a wonderful connection and worship. However, you will have missed growing deeper with Christ as you walked each step with Him during Holy Week.

Each service during Holy Week helps you walk with Him toward that cross where He took your sin and died. He wants you to walk the path with Him, to grow deeper in your understanding and to grow closer to Him. If you have only gone to Easter Sunday in the past, go to the Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday services this year. If you haven’t ever been to Easter Vigil before, add it into your walk during Holy Week. Each service you add to the week will help you grow deeper in your walk with Christ. And, if you have gone to all of the services during Holy Week in the past, then add a new aspect to one of those services, like spending more time in prayer, meditating more on the text of the anthem, or pausing longer before you leave. Adding to your Holy Week will help you grow deeper with Christ, and He wants you to take that path with Him. May you have a blessed Holy Week.

Ministry Wow!

“Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

It is a wonderful feeling when an idea becomes a ministry, and then the ministry becomes a reality! A new ministry at Christ Church Cathedral called “The Meet & Greet Group” (MG for short) has launched in a deeply effective way. The main thing that the 36 members of Meet & Greet do on a rotating basis is to be at the entrances to the Cathedral 15 minutes before and after the Sunday service they attend, and to talk to people they don’t know for the whole morning.  The MG members prepare with prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct them.

Our mantra is that the Holy Spirit is bringing someone to visit us every single Sunday. This last Sunday was the start. The MG members assigned were ready. After the 11 a.m. service, one MG member excitedly told me that she was able to meet a visiting family who have two small boys and she showed them to the nursery and Sunday school, and warmly welcomed them into the church.

Another MG member emailed me: “Brent, I just wanted to let you know that the meet & greet went very well.  I had really good connections with two families.  One elderly couple visiting from Akron, Ohio thoroughly enjoyed the service.  They filled out a card and were very touched by the choir, so I gave them the dates for the upcoming Requiem, and some other pamphlets for lent and Christian formation.  They hugged me and said they will absolutely be back.” She went on to say that she had met another visiting family with 10 year old girl and was able to welcome them in and show them to where they needed to be.

Wow! This really works! And the Holy Spirit really is bringing visitors to the Cathedral every single Sunday! And even just this morning I had coffee with someone who has visited the Cathedral several times, and she has chosen to worship at the Cathedral because she was so warmly welcomed. She visited some other churches, but no one even talked to her at the other churches so she didn’t go back.

The people of Christ Church Cathedral are most certainly living into Paul’s words!

This meditation is brought to you with this request: In this Lenten season of reflection, we are working with Ministry Architects as we further strengthen the light of our children and youth ministries. Everyone is invited to join us on Sunday, March 6 at 4 p.m. as Ministry Architects enlightens us with their results and recommendations.

Blessings,

The Reverend Brent Owens