The Ascension of Jesus

I can only imagine the disciples’ complete and utter confusion here.  It was just a little more than a month ago that Jesus had been betrayed, arrested, beaten and crucified.  Three days after they buried him, they found his grave open and the body gone only to have to Jesus appear before them alive and then continue to appear to them on and off for the next 6 weeks.  Now he has gathered them all together, given them a final command or mission and literally disappears before them by rising into the clouds.  I can understand why the disciples are all just standing there looking up – they really don’t know what is happening here.  They have never seen anyone ascend into heaven before – even Jesus has never done this before, and they don’t know if this is temporary or permanent.  Is he gone for good or will he suddenly appear again like has before.  So I can imagine them all standing around staring into heaven in silence, wondering to themselves, what is this?  What’s going on?  Now what are we supposed to do?

I can also imagine the disciples feeling somewhat abandoned by Jesus, again.  He left them once when he died, and here he is leaving them alone again without a clear understanding of what is going on and what they are supposed to do from here.  Many of us can identify with this feeling of being let down or abandoned by God.  Maybe it is graduating from college with no job prospect in your field and wondering if working part time at a coffee store in the Mall is all there is for you.  (that was me!)  Maybe it is the sudden loss of a job where we are left wondering where God is and what His plan for us is now.

Maybe it is a difficult diagnosis where we struggle to find God in the midst of the pain and hopelessness.  Maybe it is coming home to find a relationship or marriage we thought was strong suddenly over and we are literally abandoned and alone and afraid of what the future will bring.  At different times we all struggle with feeling abandoned and let down by God and like the disciples we might just stand and stare into the sky asking God, where are you?  Why have you left me?  When will you return?   If we are asking ourselves that today, the story of the ascension has something for us because this story is not just about Jesus going up into heaven and leaving the disciples behind it is also about 3 promises that Jesus makes before he leaves.  Jesus gives the promise of His power, the promise of His purpose and the promise of His presence.

The promise of Jesus power is given in Acts 1:8a, You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you.  Now the disciples didn’t know how this power was going to come, what it was going to look like or when it would appear, but they knew Jesus was a man of his word so they believed it would come.  They also believed it would because there was another story they knew of someone being taken up into heaven and once he was gone the power of God came upon his follower, Elisha.  This story of Elijah and Elisha was one of the most well known stories among the Jewish people and I can imagine the disciples sitting around after the Jesus was lifted up into heaven talking about what they had just seen and thinking about the only other person they ever heard of being taken up into heaven and comparing the two events.

The story of Elijah and Elisha is found in 2 Kings 2:11-14.  So here is Elisha, alone and feeling abandoned after his leader and friend is gone and he cries out asking God where he is, and God answers by saying showing Elisha that his power is now with him.  When Elisha takes the cloak of Elijah and touches the water, the waters part – a sure sign that the power of God was with him.  So the disciples must have thought to themselves, the only other time a person was lifted up into heaven, the power of God came upon his follower, so in time the power of God, the power of Jesus that he promised, will come upon us.  And it did

Jesus promised gift of power is coming for the disciples; they just have to wait for it and be ready.  They did wait as they were told, in Jerusalem, and it did come on the day of Pentecost and they did receive it and it changed their lives.  If we are feeling alone or abandoned by God then we need to remember that the power of God is available to us as well.  Sometimes we have to wait for it and we always have to be ready and willing to receive it, but the promise of God’s power is just a real and true today as it was this day.  God doesn’t want us to struggle feeling weak and helpless – he wants us to move forward with his strength and power.  The prophet Isaiah said, God gives power to the weak and strengthens the powerless.  Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and never be faint.

We may have to wait for God’s power to fill us or be poured into us, but it is coming and when it arrives it reminds us that we are not abandoned by God, in fact, when it comes we will experience God in ways we never thought possible.  As we wait it is important for us to let God know we are available and ready and we can do that by simply asking God for this power.  Come, Holy Spirit, Come, is an ancient prayer of the church that we can pray today when we are feeling alone and powerless and it reminds us of this promise Jesus made to us at his ascension.

The second promise Jesus makes is the promise of his purpose.  Acts 1:8b You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  While they may be wondering what their future holds, Jesus has given them a purpose and it is to witness to or share with others what they have seen and experience of God through Jesus. This is still our purpose.  Our purpose is to simply share with others in very real, simple and heartfelt ways what we have experienced of God.  Now this is not as easy as it sounds in a culture that is growing more and more secular and politically correct.  Sometimes it’s not easy to know how to talk about our faith or we are afraid to say things like, I’m thankful to God for what I have, or I’m trusting God to bring me healing or hope for the future, or Jesus has really made a difference in my life, but we need to.

I have been truly humbled by the stories of both men and women who have been bold in giving a witness to their faith in the midst of persecution.  We have all been hearing about the Sudanese woman

Meriam Ibrahim

who has not denied her faith.  She gave birth to her child this past week in prison and has been given two months to nurse the child and then will be put to death if she does not deny her Christian beliefs.  You may also have seen this clip of a teenage girl whose father and brother were killed by the Boko Haram group several years ago.  Her witness and testimony to the faith of her family is moving. video clip

Would we be able to stand as strong as those who face this kind of persecution?  People are dying as they stand up for their faith and I am humbled and at times ashamed because with all the freedom we have to share it – we too often are silent.  God has given us a purpose and it is to simply give a witness to his presence in our lives.  We don’t have to shout it on from the roof tops or preach it in the streets, God just wants us to be genuine and authentic and share with others how much his love and grace and presence means in our lives.  He gives us power to do this, the question is are we willing to use His power to do it.  The ascension of Jesus tells us we have a purpose, each and every one of us, and it is to be a witness to God’s grace and love.

The third promise that is made in the ascension is that Jesus will return.  He is coming back.  Acts 1:11b, This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go.   Jesus will return.  We don’t know the day or the hour or the year or the century, but it will happen because the promise has been made and God keeps his promises.  The promise of his return is one that Jesus made often.  In several parables Jesus talked about coming back like a thief in the night, or like an unplanned return of a master to his home, or a groom coming in the middle of the night to marry his bride.  It will be unexpected and unannounced, but it will happen and because we can count on it happening at some point in time, we need to be ready.

While the return of Jesus, is important and needs to shape our lives today, what is also important to remember is that the presence of Jesus is still us today, right here and now.  We don’t see Jesus, we can’t reach out and touch his hand or walk by his side, but that doesn’t mean his presence isn’t here.  While his physical presence ascended into the clouds, his spiritual presence remained.  Jesus said, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age, so Jesus is still with us and will be until the moment his physical presence returns, which means we can experience that presence if we will open our hearts and minds to him.  In Rev 3 Jesus says, Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.  So the presence of Jesus can be experienced if will open our hearts and minds and lives for him to enter.

If we aren’t feeling the presence of Jesus then maybe we just haven’t opened the door.  Maybe we are closing ourselves off to God because we don’t feel worthy enough or important enough or good enough – but the promise is that if anyone opens the door – Jesus will be there.  If you or I open the door – Jesus will be there and more importantly he will come in here (to our hearts and lives).

Through our worship of God at the communion table today we have the opportunity to trust in these three promises of Jesus’ ascension.  It is right here that we see the power of God to forgive us and to bring us new life.  It is right here that we see our purpose, which isn’t just to share in this meal but to share this meal with others and help them understand and accept what this is all about.  This meal also brings to us the very presence of Jesus. This is the body of Christ – this is the blood of Christ.  Jesus is here, right here, and he is always here in spirit and grace and power and he will be here until he returns.  This is a meal which reminds us of the promises Jesus made when he ascended into heaven, the promise of his power, the promise of a purpose and the promise of his current and future presence.






Next Steps
The 3 Promises of Jesus’ Ascension

The Promise of Jesus Power:
1.  Where are you feeling weak and powerless in your life?
a struggle with sin a feeling of failure
a fear of the future a heart that is hopeless

2.  What would these areas look like if you felt God’s power?

3.  Read these promises and ask God for his power.
Isaiah 40:28-31 John 14:10-19, 25-29,
Philippians 4:13 2 Timothy 1:7-12
2 Peter 1:3-8

The Promise of Jesus’ Purpose:
1.  Who in your life needs to hear of God’s love and power?  Write down what they need to hear and look for an opportunity to sincerely and humbly “witness” to them.

2. With many stories in the news of people dying for their faith, we have the opportunity to stand up and share with others how we feel.  Look for those moments and pray for the power and boldness to speak.

3.  Listen to the full story of Deborah Peters at c-span.org.    Pray for Meriam Ibrahim and others being persecuted for their faith and trust in Jesus.

The Promise of Jesus’ Presence:
Jesus stands at the door and knocks.  Ask him in.
Lord Jesus, enter into the chaos and confusion of my life.  
I struggle to see you and hear you, but I long to know and be assured that you are with me.  
Help me this day to feel your spirit upon me and your right hand holding me fast.  
Come Holy Spirit, Come.  Come, Lord Jesus, Come.  AMEN

Our First Thoughts about Jesus

Last week I asked people to give me their first 5 thoughts about Jesus.  From facebook and email, here are the responses that I received.

The top five responses were:
Love
Forgiving
Kindness
Cross / Crucifixion
Birth

Here are the rest:
Accepting
Accountable
Amazing
Available
Baptism
Blood
Caring
Children
Communion
Compassionate
Died for my sins
Example
Faith
Father
Forever
Forgiving
Grace
Happiness
Helper
Hope
Joy
Lamb
Last supper
Life
Long Hair
Miracles
Obedient
Omnipotent
Parables
Patience
Peace
Resurrection
Righteous
Rock
Salvation
Savior
Son
Tolerant
Welcome Home
White robe
Wit

The following stories were shared:
The woman caught in Adultery
Jesus kicking out the money changers from the Temple
Jesus as a child in the Temple

The following Scripture was shared:
Ask and it shall be given.  Seek and you will find.

The following song was shared:
Jesus loves me this I know.

And last, but not least, the following statement was shared:
Man, am I in trouble!

Thank you all for sharing.  These thoughts do reveal much of what is important to our faith.

~Andy

We Remember What Is Important

After Easter I wasn’t sure I would get to show you any more pictures from the trip to Israel, but guess what… today I want to show you a few more.  One of the most interesting and fun days we had was when we traveled through the Judean wilderness to the Dead Sea and Masada.  It was a fun day because we got to float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea

and it was interesting because we toured the ruins of Masada.

Masada was a fortress that was used as a summer retreat and palace for Herod the Great and was built around 35 BC.  To protect the fortress there was a wall around the top of the plateau that was close to a mile in length and 12 feet high.

Model of Masada

In many places these walls were doubled and the people lived in between them during the heat of the day since the temperatures during can get well over 100 degrees in the summer.

Outer and inner walls of Masada

On the top of the plateau there were also barracks, storehouses,

a royal palace,

bath houses

Inside the Bathhouse

and several cisterns that collected all the water they would need.

Cistern at Masada

It really was a fascinating place and much of the original foundations and structures are still there, in fact, everything below the black line you see is original from the first century and all the stones you see on top of the black line were just picked up from the surrounding area and put back into place.

Today Masada is still an important place for the Jewish people, so much so that it is still protected by the Israeli jets

Fighter Jets over Masada

and the motto that each Israeli recruit takes when they join the Israeli Defense Force is “Masada shall not fall again.”   The story of Masada goes back to 70 AD when the Romans attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and killed many Jewish people.  The survivors fled south into the desert and gathered at Masada to make one last stand against the Roman army.  Because it was such a secure fortress, the Jews were able to stand against the Romans for 3 years, but during that time the Romans began to build ramparts up to the city walls.

The Romans were cunning and cruel because they used Jewish captives to build these ramps which meant that if the Jewish people on the top of the fortress tried to defend themselves, they would be killing their own people.

In time the Romans broke through the walls and as they prepared to mount an attack on the fortress, the Jewish people decided that instead of being taken captive or slaughtered they would rather die as free men and women by their own hands.  When the Romans entered the city the next morning, all the Jewish people were dead, killed by their own hands.  This was not only a tragic ending for the Jewish people but it marked the end of an identified Jewish presence in God’s Promised Land that went back over 1,000 years.

For the next 1,900 years the Jewish people would be displaced and wander through the world without a homeland.  It wouldn’t be until 1948 when the modern state of Israel was formed that the Jewish people again had a defined presence in the Middle East.  So Masada is remembered because it marks the end of an era in Jewish history and the reason that they say, Masada shall not fall again is because they fear is that if Israel should lose just one battle then they will once again become surrounded like they were at Masada and forced out of their land.  They remember Masada because it is important.

We remember what is important.  Isn’t that what this weekend is all about?  We remember what is important.  We remember the service, dedication and sacrifice of countless men and women who fought for our freedom and for freedom around the world.  Unlike Israel, we don’t have one motto or one location that we remember; instead we look to hundreds of thousands of graves that mark the men and women who gave their lives fighting for freedom.

Arlington National Cemetery 

We also remember their dedication in places like the WWII Memorial,

 the Vietnam Memorial

and the Korean Memorial.

We remember because it is important.  I hope that you will take time today and tomorrow to remember what is important about this weekend.   It is not just a time to celebrate the warmth of summer, the fun of picnics and the joy of family, it is also a time to remember those who gave all they had to fight for our freedom and to remember the families who have given their most precious gifts, their sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters to the cause of freedom.  We remember because this is important.
The same is also true when it comes to our faith.  We remember what is important.  I have said often that the number one command in the Bible is not to love God or love others, it is to remember.  Over and over and over again God tells us to remember and it’s not a suggestion it is given as a command.  After God led the people of Israel out of slavery the people were often told to remember what God had done - Exodus 13:3

When David brought the ark into Jerusalem there was a call to remember God - 1 Chronicles 16:12

When the people turned away from God, he called them to turn back and remember Him and all He had said and done - Isaiah 46:8-9.

All through the Old Testament the people were called to remember the power of God, the presence of God who was with them and the they were called to remember and obey the covenant that God made with them.  They were to remember these things because they were important.  Their connection with God not only defined them but their worship, service and commitment to God brought them life.  We still remember these things because they are important, they still bring us strength and power and life.

When it comes to Jesus, we also remember what is important.  I asked people this week to share with me the first 5 words or stories that came to their mind when they thought about Jesus.  I have to say that maybe the best response I got was this, Man, am I in trouble.  I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that, but it’s true.  When we are in trouble we can turn to Jesus and he will be there, but if we aren’t prepared and Jesus suddenly appears, we might think, man, am I in trouble.  This is what Peter thought when he first saw the holiness of Jesus.  He knew he was a sinner who could not stand in the presence of Jesus holiness and power so he said to Jesus, Get away from me for I am a sinful man, but what he was thinking was, man, am I in trouble.

The reason I asked for people to reflect on this is because what we remember first is what we find most important about our faith.  If you haven’t done this yet, I want to invite you to take a moment and think about and maybe jot down on your next steps, the first few things that come to your mind when you think of Jesus.  It could be a story of a word and don’t think too long, it’s the first response that is important.  (pause)

As you look at your list, these are the things you may find most important about your faith.  From the 50 responses I got from people online, here is what we remember first and most often about Jesus: love, forgiveness, patient, cross, birth.

This tells us a lot about our faith and sheds some insight into what is important to us.  Now here is the challenging part, it is not enough to just think about these things, to remember isn’t just a function of our brain it starts there but then what we think needs to become the shaping principle of our lives.  If what is important to us about our faith is… love, forgiveness, patience and sacrifice, then we need to make sure we are living out these principles and becoming people of love forgiveness, patience and sacrifice.

Throughout the Bible, the call to remember has always been a call for God’s people to remain connected to and living out a dynamic relationship with God where they were becoming more of the people God wanted them to be.  The people were not just to remember the Sabbath but to live in such a way that they kept it holy.  They were to take the memory of God resting as part of the creative process and make that time of rest and re-connection with God part of their weekly routine.  They were called to remember that God led them out of slavery in Egypt in order to help them trust God to see them through the challenges that were to come.  They were to remember God’s presence with them through their wandering in the wilderness in order to have confidence that God would be with them in every situation.

We are to remember Jesus as loving, forgiving, patient and as a sacrificial servant because God wants us to be loving, forgiving, patient and sacrificial, so how can we actually remember these things and how can we allow them to define our lives?  The first step is to actually remember them – to recall these things in our minds every day.  This is where reading God’s word on a regular basis can be helpful.  With so many distractions in our world, we need to return what God has said often.  We need this constant reminder of who God is and what God has done and what he has said because we become so easily distracted, but this is not a new phenomenon.  People have always been easily distracted – which is why God has always had to command us to remember.

God has shown us that one way we can remember all these things is to use different kinds of visual reminders.  In the Old Testament God told people to write the words of his law on the doorposts of their homes so that as they went out into the world they would remember who God was and how God calling them to live.  Today many Jewish and Christian homes have what is called a Mezuzah next to their doors which contains a piece of paper which has written on it Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Mezuzah at the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem

This verse not only reminds people of God but it reminds the people who they desire to be and how they want to live their lives - as people who believe in and trust in God.

God also called his leaders to build altars to remember what He had done in specific times and places.  They were to set up these stones as a reminder of where God met people in times of need and how God stepped in to rescue or help them.  In 1 Samuel 7 there is the story of God coming to help the people of Israel win an important battle and after the battle Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, after the name of the place where the battle took place, and said, thus far has the Lord helped us.  The stone was a reminder of how God had helped them in the past and it was there to encourage them to trust God in the future.  This is what we sing about in the old hymn, come thou fount of every blessing when we say, here I raise mine Ebenezer…
Maybe this is where we got the idea of remembering people with stones and monuments, I don’t know, but I do know that visual symbols can help remember and since we are people who are prone to forget - we need all the help we can get.  Think of all the rituals, tools and symbols God has given to help us remember.  He told us to set aside an entire day to remember and honor him.  When we share in communion it is to remember Jesus and all that has done for us.  The cross is a visual and constant reminder to us of not only who Jesus is but how we are to live our lives – as servants of God willing to love and sacrifice ourselves for others.

These visual symbols not only help us remember who God is, but how God wants us to live and I hope how we want to live.  What can we do this week to remember God and what is important to our faith?  What can we do this week to remind ourselves how we want to live our lives in response to God’s mercy and love?  We remember what is important, so let us do all we can to remember the fullness of God’s forgiveness and patience and sacrificial love.

 
Next Steps
We Remember What Is Important


1.  What are the first words or stories you think of when you think of Jesus?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How are these things the most important part of your faith?

What might be missing from this list that is important to you?



2. What physical reminders of your faith can you put into your life and home?  What specifically will they remind you of?  How can you use these things to shape your life?
(For example, a stone on your bedside table might remind you to pray every morning for God’s strength.)



3.  This is a weekend to Remember.  Take time to remember those men and woman who have helped us experience the freedom we have today.  Reach out to families and friends who have lost loved ones in our most recent wars.

Seeing Jesus ~ Being Jesus

Sometimes Jesus appears in unlikely places.

David Garibaldi Painting

Sometimes when we least expect him, Jesus is there.  Have you ever seen Jesus?  I’m not talking about in a bodily form walking on the road with us and I’m not talking about seeing him in a near death experience like the boy Colton, in the movie, Heaven is for real.  I’m talking about seeing Jesus in the world around us or in times of worship and prayer or in the words of scriptures or in those we serve or in those who love and serve us.  Have you ever seen Jesus or felt his presence so powerfully that you just knew he was there by your side?

The day of my Grandmother’s funeral all our family and friends gathered at her beach house in Connecticut.  It had rained all day but when late afternoon came the skies cleared just enough for the sun to appear as it was setting.  The sky filled with spectacular color and we all went outside and stood to watch the most amazing sunset.  It was a sure sign that Jesus was with us.  We had seen him in the setting of the sun.  I have heard Jesus in the words he has spoken; words of comfort, words of challenge, words that were directed to my heart and life at just the right moment and words that have shaped my faith and life.  I have heard the voice of Jesus in the prayers of my friends.  A few years ago many of us saw Jesus in the presence of a Mama Maggie Gorban.  From the moment she walked on the stage at the Leadership Summit to the haunting stillness and power of her words, there was a sense that we were seeing and experiencing Jesus.  So, I’ll ask again, where and when have you seen Jesus?

For the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they didn’t really see Jesus when he came up and began walking with them.  Their hearts were heavy with sorrow and it says their eyes were cast down so maybe they didn’t look into Jesus face or eyes.  Because of their confusion and fear kept them from thinking he could be alive and so they certainly didn’t expect to see him along the road.  Even when Jesus tried to teach them the truth and how he promised to die and rise again, the words didn’t open their eyes, it wasn’t until Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, broke it and gave it to them that suddenly their eyes were opened and they saw Jesus.
This simple act of taking, blessing and breaking bread opened their eyes because they had seen Jesus do this so many times before.  When Jesus fed the multitudes it said he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave to the crowds.  At the Passover meal Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his friends.  Probably at every meal, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them – so when Jesus does this once again, the familiarity of the actions, the words, the phrases, maybe the smell of the bread finally brought things into focus and their eyes were opened.  They were seeing Jesus.  

We often see Jesus when we experience something that reminds of who he is, what he has done or what he has said.  When my family saw the amazing beauty of the sunset I was reminded that Jesus has power over all of creation.  He can walk on water and calm the storms so moving some clouds to allow the sun to shine through would be easy.  So in that action – we saw Jesus.  In moments of prayer with my friends I remember how Jesus prayed with his friends and how those prayers were simple and faithful, so when I heard them pray with simple faith I knew I was hearing Jesus.  When we saw Mama Maggie Gorban walk on stage and knew that she was a wealthy accomplished woman who gave up everything to rescue children and families from the garbage dumps of Cairo, I remembered how Jesus, the accomplished all powerful son of God, gave up his life in heaven to come to this place and walk among the poor villages of Palestine in order to rescue and save the world.  In her we could see Jesus.

So we see Jesus when we see or hear something that takes us back to who Jesus is and what he said and what he has done and if we are willing to open our hearts and minds we can see him.  This week in times of prayer, reading God’s word, saying grace at a meal or serving those in our family or community we will have opportunities to see Jesus and sometimes all it takes is asking God to open our eyes so we can see him.

Now as soon as the disciples saw Jesus in the breaking of the bread, it says that Jesus disappeared and so the disciples ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had also seen Jesus.  So what they do is go from seeing Jesus to now being Jesus.  Just like Jesus did a few hours earlier, they are now the ones sharing the good news of Jesus resurrection.  They are sharing Jesus’ words and communicating his joy and passion so that others will also see and believe.  What this tells us is that it is not enough for us to see Jesus, we also have to take that vision and start being Jesus so that the world can come to see him.

The call to be Jesus in this world was made by Jesus himself.  He calls us to be salt and light which means sharing with the others the truth and love of God.  Jesus calls us to take the love he has shared and given to us and find ways to share it with others.  He calls us take to his word of forgiveness and hope and power to those living in shame, despair and weakness.  We are also called to be the body of Christ.  This doesn’t just mean we come together as one body or group of people but that together when people in the world look at us – when they encounter the church and all that we do that they are seeing Jesus.

So how and when and where can people see Jesus in us as a church and how can they see Jesus in us personally?  It’s my hope that in a few weeks the people of Moore OK will see Jesus in us as we send a group of people to go and help rebuild people’s homes and lives.  When we serve those in need Jesus said that we will see him in them, but they will also Jesus in us.  I know there are people in Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi are seeing Jesus this Sunday as they receive support and love from Christians around them and around the nation.

We all got to see Jesus last week as we served people in our own community.  People of Bellefonte could see Jesus weeding gardens, raking leaves, washing windows and cleaning gutters.  The hands and feet of Jesus were out there and people could see it.  People see Jesus every time we stop thinking about ourselves and starting thinking about what might be good for others.  When we give our time, energy and money to the Faith Centre and food bank people see Jesus.  When we wash cars for those who serve in the community, people see Jesus.

But it’s not just serving others that people can see Jesus in us, they can also see him and hear him when we come together to listen to and talk about God’s word. Think about how most people in Jesus day encountered him, it was through his teaching and preaching.  Today people can see and hear Jesus in us when we come together to talk about the truth and relevance of God’s word.  When we share what we know about the Bible and how we have seen it lived out in our hearts and lives then we are being Jesus in a way that helps others see him

We also have the opportunity to see Jesus every time we gather for worship.  There is something about being together and having our hearts and minds focused on Jesus that helps us see him.  We can see him in a song or in a prayer or in his word or in the presence of God’s people around us.  Just like those disciples who ate with Jesus, we can also see Jesus when we break bread together in communion.  The bread is the body of Christ and this cup holds the blood of Christ and so when we come to this table we can once again see Jesus – but then we have to allow this meal shape us so we can go out and be Jesus.

One of the things that we have to remember is that communion isn’t just a meal to feed us spiritually, it is a time for God to shape our lives.  When we share in the bread we are saying is that we want our lives to look like Jesus who was willing to give himself for others.  And when we share in the cup we are saying that we want our hearts and lives to be poured out so people will see Jesus in us.  This meal needs to be a time of shaping and reordering of our lives so that when we leave here today people can see Jesus in us.
Seeing Jesus helps us be Jesus and being Jesus helps the world see Jesus and that is what our world needs today and every day – to see Jesus.


Next Steps
Seeing Jesus ~ Being Jesus

Seeing Jesus
1.  Document the times you have seen Jesus?
• Nature
• Scripture
• Worship
• Prayer
• Service
• Fellowship
• In the lives of others

2. Where would you most like to see Jesus?  Ask God for open eyes and an open heart to see Him there.

3. Like the disciples in Luke 24, share with others the times you have seen Jesus.

4. Pray that the people who have been devastated by tornadoes and floods this week see Jesus in the lives of others and the Church (the Body of Christ).

Being Jesus
1.  Where do you think you have been the presence of Jesus in the lives of others?

2. How can you “be Jesus” for someone this week?

3. Commit to praying for our Oklahoma Mission Team as they prepare to “be Jesus” on our behalf.