Easter Celebration Energizes!
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Anticipation was high as many arrived early for Easter service. Lilies, tulips and hyacinths beautified the sanctuary as JoAnne played a stirring rendition of “In Christ Alone,” just before Griffin Mandirola rose to read the Easter story from John 20:1-18. The congregation joined in praise with the hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” The Easter choir sang a medley of “Welcome Happy Morning” and “That Same Power” arranged by JoAnne. Pastor’s text for the morning was John 3:1-19 which was read by Connor Mandirola. Lisa Griffin inspired many to tears with her solo “When Jesus Called My Name,” written and accompanied by JoAnne.
After service the ten children present enjoyed an Easter egg hunt while everyone else enjoyed Coffee Hour. Thank you to Ian Griffin for the photos.
Pastor Kelvin’s Easter message explored the topic of eternal life, beginning with Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus. We are not told the exact question that Nicodemus asked but it had to do with how to enter the Kingdom of God. It was not too different in intent from that of another rich young man who came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus, “You must be born again!” (John 3:3,7) immediately moves us out of our comfort zone of thinking on a physical plane and forces us to think spiritually. Our need is to have a new spiritual beginning, a new beginning brought about in us by God’s Spirit in answer to prayer and believing. We cannot understand exactly how God’s Spirit enters our lives and works in us, be we can see the transforming Christlike results in our minds and desires and actions.
Pastor Kelvin suggested that since Nicodemus was not getting the first metaphor very well (John 3:10-12), Jesus turned to a second one by recalling an incident from the history of Israel with which Nicodemus would have been very familiar even though we are not. We need to look it up in Numbers 21 and review how the children of Israel grumbled against God and Moses and as a result, God allowed venomous snakes into the encampment. Some of the people had been bitten and were dying of snakebite. The people realized that they had sinned against God with their constant complaining and they asked Moses to pray for them which he did. The Bible records that God proposed a most unusual remedy, a manufactured snake hung on a pole (Numbers 21:8). Those who looked at the bronze snake were rescued from death and restored to wholeness. It had been their faithless disbelief in God’s ability expressed in all their grumbling that had gotten them in this trouble. All they needed to do for healing was to look in faith at God’s prescription and live! Repentance and faith. A change of mind and trusting this time! All the rest of their restoration and renewal would be done by God.
Rev. Jones reminded us of the huge number of parallels between this story and us.
We also have given in the tempter, that old snake himself who appeared in the Garden of Eden and tempted the first humans. He tempts us just as he also tempted Jesus. But Jesus resisted him and sent him fleeing. Often we have given in and are guilty. For our sinfulness, we too are under the penalty of death. That doesn’t mean God is about to smite us with some tragedy. But did he not decree at the very beginning that “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23)?
We too desire to know the answer, just like those sufferers who came to Moses, just like Nicodemus who came to Jesus. How do we escape this curse of death? Jesus says to us as he did to Nicodemus,
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
John 3:14-15
Just as the people of the Old Testament looked up to the bronze snake on the pole, so we look up to the one who was made to be sin for us, the one who was lifted up on a cross. And just as those in the Old Testament were saved from death, so we are saved from eternal death and given eternal life in its place. According to Scripture, we enter into the “Kingdom of God;” we become citizens of the “Kingdom of God.” By the grace and power of the Resurrected Christ, repentance and faith are the remedy for us today as well, trusting and believing in our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again!