A Second Chance to See

Her name was Rachel and I first met her at one of our large group meetings for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.  The next day we ran into each other in one of the cafeterias and she asked if she could sit and eat with me.  I said of course and while we ate we had one of the most frustrating conversations I can remember having.  Rachel was somewhat scattered in her thinking and a bit of an air head and I remember thinking to myself – I hope I never have to eat lunch with her again.  I judged Rachel on her voice, her personality and our one and only conversation.  I kind of dismissed her because of that one encounter.

Rachel and I had mutual friends so we ended up eating together and seeing each other more and then she moved in with a friend of mine who lived in the same dorm I did so I saw her often.  What I was getting was a second chance to see Rachel for who she really was which was a warm, funny, loving person who became one of my best friends in college.  I got a second chance to see someone for who they really were and I am thankful that God gives us all a second chance to see – to see people the way God sees people.

If there is one second chance we all need to grab hold of today, it is this one.  We have created a culture where we are quick to judge people and quick to dismiss people.  We see a picture on Facebook or Instagram and make a judgement about who this person is and how they live their life.  If we don’t like how they are dressed or what their hair looks like we put them down.  Parents are judged because of what they feed their children or how they discipline them.  We judge and condemn people when we don’t get our own way or feel slighted by them.  We judge, condemn and dismiss others because their political views are different than ours.  Politics has become so divisive that if someone comes out in favor of one political candidate or another – they will be condemned by those who disagree with them.  There is no discourse or discussion just derision and destruction.  We all need to take the second chance God gives us to see – to see ourselves and to see others the way God does.

In Luke 7 we see how Jesus gives this second chance to two very different people.  Luke 7:36-50

Luke does not tell us who this sinful woman is or what her sin is but chances are good that she was a prostitute.  She could have ended up where she was because of a divorce.  We heard a few weeks ago how divorce in Jesus’ day often left woman destitute and if their family didn’t take them back or if another man would not marry them they were often forced into a life of prostitution to survive.  One of the big reasons Jesus spoke out against divorce was because of the tragic impact it had upon women.

This woman might have also been a widow who was forced into poverty.  Her poverty and debt may have meant that she had been sold into slavery.  She could have been abused or taken advantage of by others to the point where she had no choice but to live a sinful life, but it’s clear that she has no family and no one to care for her.  Her life has also forced her far from God.  She would not have been welcomed in the temple or synagogue and would not have been welcomed in very many homes where love and faith were shared, so when she hears that Jesus is in town and eating dinner at this man’s house she is so desperate for love and grace and life that she walks into the leader’s home and weeps at Jesus feet and anoints him with her tears and a gift of perfume.

This woman sees herself full of sin and shame.  She weeps and begs for forgiveness.  She wants to be accepted and lifted up from the life she has been living and with no one else to help her and nowhere else to turn, she comes to Jesus and Jesus gives her a second chance to see herself as a child of God.  At the end of the encounter Jesus says to her, Your sins are forgiven.  Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace.

Jesus has given her a second chance to see herself differently, to see herself the way God sees her.  She is forgiven.  She is a woman of faith who has been given the gift of salvation and life and she is able to experience peace, both a peace with God but also a peace in her own heart and spirit and life.  Shame has given way to salvation, failure to faith and pain to peace.  This is the second chance we all get to see ourselves differently.

If we see ourselves far from God or full of shame because of the choices we have made or the circumstances of our life – we can come to Jesus and get a second chance.  The second chance may not immediately change our circumstance – but it changes our identity and helps us see ourselves as valuable, loved and honored children of God and this new vision can open doors and heal relationships and lead us into a new life.

But this woman isn’t the only one who got a second chance to see – so does Simon.  When this woman entered Simon’s home, he not only saw a sinner but he saw a problem.  Would people think that she often just came into his house and made herself at home?  Would people now associate her lifestyle with him?  What would this do to his reputation for purity?  Pharisees were religious leaders who tried to live a sinless life and follow every law given by God.  They worked hard to keep themselves from anything that might even appear to be sinful and this sinful woman has just invaded his home.  All he sees is a sinner and problem and he not only judges her but he judges Jesus for allowing her to touch him.

Simon has seen the outer shell of this woman’s life and been quick to judge, but Jesus gave him a second chance to really see her.  In Luke 7:44 Jesus turns to Simon and says, Do you see this woman?  Well of course he has seen her.  He was muttering to himself loud enough for others to hear and he was condemning her for her life and actions.  Jesus knows that he has seen her but he gives Simon another chance to really see her – to see beneath the surface of her life and to look at her through the eyes of God.  Jesus wants Simon to see her as a woman worthy of forgiveness and grace and a woman who understands and follows this heart of God’s law.

It was this woman who not only gave Jesus the gift of perfume for his feet but she was the one who gave Jesus the gift of hospitality.  She was the one who washed Jesus’ feet and greeted him with kiss.  She was the one who followed the law and welcomed and loved Jesus and he honors her for actions.  Jesus is giving Simon another chance to see this woman for who she really is – a child of God and a woman to be honored for her faith and heart.

This is the second chance God gives all of us and this is the second chance all of us need to take.  We need to start looking at people the way God does and see children of God who at times are hurting, at times are hungry, at times are broken and difficult and at times in need of forgiveness, grace and love but at all times in need of being seen as honored and valued by God.  Bullying in school, at work and in the community would come to an end if we would take a second look at people and see the value and dignity that all people have.  Racism and sexism and all the isms that divide us and make our society hostile would come to an end if we would take a second look at people.  Our political conversations would be healed if we would take a second look at people and see friends and neighbors and colleagues instead of enemies.

This week we were able to see an example of this kind of vision in, of all places, the US Senate.  During a confirmation vote for the Secretary of State in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one democratic senator was willing to take his vote away because a republican senator on the committee could not be at the meeting because he was giving the eulogy for his best friend back home.  Instead of worrying about keeping up the partisan divide of our nation, Senator Coons, a Democrat of NJ, looked at Senator Issakson, a Republican from GA, as a friend and was willing to do the right thing.  He had a second chance to see and he took it.

We have so many second chances to see people differently if we would just take them.  Our anger with others might be an opportunity to see people in a new way.  Instead of seeing problem people, can we see sisters and brothers that need love and support?  There are organizations that work with people the world might see as problems and therefore try to avoid or dismiss but they see them productive people who can make a difference.  These organizations give people a second chance because they see the dignity, value and worth in all people.  Through these organizations we get a second chance to see people differently and we need to take it.

One organization I recently heard about is thistle farms.  Thistle Farms hires women who have come out of sex trafficking, addictions and prostitution and not only gives them a job but a place to live, health care and mentors who help them move forward in life.  The way thistle farms sees people is the way we all need to see people. 



For us to be able to see people the way God does, some of us have to take a hard second look at our own life.  For some of us, the second chance to see ourselves the way God does means being humbled.  Simon was given a second chance to see that his own heart was filled with pride and self-righteousness.

Jesus pointed out that Simon had not offered Jesus any kind of hospitality when he arrived at his home.  For a man who prided himself on following all the laws given by God, he had failed to follow through on some of the most basic and simple laws God had given.  Jesus was helping Simon see himself more clearly and there are times we need to look at our own hearts and see the pride and self-righteousness that keeps us from seeing others with dignity.  We need a second chance to be humbled so that we can see others with honor.  God gives us this second chance.  Jesus not only loved the woman and gave her a second chance to see herself in a way that changed her life but he loved Simon too and so he gave him a second chance to see himself in a way that would improve his life.  Jesus wanted more from Simon and Jesus wants more from us.

Today we are all given a second chance to see.  We are given a chance to see ourselves with humility and honesty so that we can be more faithful and loving.  We are given a second chance to see ourselves with dignity and value no matter how we may have failed in the past.  And we are given a second chance to see others the way God does – not as failures to be dismissed and not as sinners to be avoided and not as problems to be passed along but as children of God who have dignity, value and worth.  We have a second chance to see people the way God sees people and to reach out to them the way God does – with a grace that forgives and a love that supports and moves people forward.

This is the second chance that if we all took – our families, schools, churches, communities, nation and world would be a much healthier and happier place to live.  This is the second chance that if we all took our world would look a lot more like the kingdom of God.


 
Next Steps
A Second Chance to See

1. When have you failed to see the dignity, value and worth in another person?  How did this vision lead you to judge them, condemn them or dismiss them?

2. When have you failed to see the dignity, value and worth in yourself?  How did this vision lead you to judge and condemn yourself?

3. Jesus gives us a second chance to see ourselves the way God does.
• Where do we need to look at ourselves with humility?
• Where do we need to look at ourselves with honor?
• Name three positive things God sees in you.

4. Jesus gives us a second chance to see others the way God does.
• Pray for eyes to see others the way God does.
• Who do you know that might need the encouragement of knowing God loves and honors them?
• How can you share God’s love with them this week?

5. Many organizations work to help us see others the way God does.  Shop and or support these organizations:
• Thistle Farms - thistlefarms.org
• Sseko - ssekodesigns.com  or contact Tirzah Gibboney
• Preemptive Love - preemptivelove.org
• Bridge of Hope – centre.bridgeofhopeinc.org  or contact Sally Best

Second Chance for the Heart

Last week we saw that Jesus gives us a second chance at love – no matter what our past looks like – we get a second chance to love and be loved by God and to love and be loved by others.  Today we are going to see that God also gives us a second chance to make sure that we are loving the right things or that we have the right priorities and drivers in life.  What is it that drives us in life?  What are those deeply held convictions, beliefs and passions that determine what we do and shape who we are?  Some people are driven by money, some by a need to succeed.  Some people are driven by a need to be loved and others by a need to experience always new and changing things. 

While these drivers and many others are often good and healthy, they can also have a dark side that if left unchecked can lead us away from God and destroy our lives.  But what we have been seeing is that God is the God of the second chance which means that God is always willing to give us another chance to make sure our priorities are healthy and that the primary drivers of our heart are good.

Jesus encountered three men who all had similar drivers in life – money, power and position and these drivers began to corrupt their hearts and lead them away from God., but Jesus gave them all a second chance.  The first man was a rich ruler who came to Jesus with a question.  Mark 10:17-23

While there is not a lot we know about this man, what we do know is that he was a rich man who had gained some kind of position of power in his community.  It says he was a ruler and that he was very wealthy and while money and power may have been the drivers in his life – he was still feeling empty inside or perhaps unsure so he came to Jesus searching for something more.  We know this man came to Jesus searching because of how he approached Jesus.  He ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees before him.  Wealthy men who had status and power in their community didn’t run, it was beneath them.  And rulers didn’t kneel before others unless that person had greater power or position – which Jesus, a carpenter from Galilee certainly did not have.  That this man runs to and kneels before Jesus tells us that he thinks Jesus might have something for his life which tells us that he might be feeling like something is missing.

The basic question the man asked is – how do I please God?  How do I make sure I am experiencing the life God has for me?  Am I living life the right way?  This man had given his heart and life to money and power and position and now he wonders if there is something greater or something more.  Jesus begins his reply by telling the man that he needs to be faithful to the word of God – which he says he has done his entire life.  Then it says that Jesus looked at him and loved him.  Jesus loved this man.  Jesus wanted him to experience all the fullness of God and all the fullness of life so Jesus looked into his heart and realized that the primary focus of his life needed to change, it can’t be money and it can’t be power and position and so Jesus gave him a second chance.

Go sell all you possessions and give to the poor.  Then come follow me.  Jesus can see that the primary drive of this man’s life is wealth.  It is money and possessions and all he has accumulated.  This man trusts his money, position and power more than God and so in love Jesus gives him a second chance to get his heart right.  He gives him a second chance to fill his heart with things that will last and will lead him to a life of meaning and purpose.  He gives him a second chance to set aside the things of this world and set his heart on the things of God.  Go sell all you have – give up what your heart is pursing and follow me. 

For many of us, this teaching makes us uncomfortable.  Is Jesus really telling this man to sell everything he has?  Won’t he then just become a burden to his family and friends and need someone to take care of him and provide for him?  Did Jesus really mean this and does he expect us to do the same thing?  Last week we saw that Jesus often used a style of teaching called Prophetic Hyperbole where he would exaggerate a statement to make a point.  The point Jesus is making here is that this man’s heart and life are being driven by money and if he wants to experience the fullness of God he needs to break free from the hold wealth has on him and set his heart on God. 

This teaching needs to make us uncomfortable but not because Jesus is asking us to give away all our money – this was never a teaching Jesus used again and it was not part of his call to all people.  What should make us squirm a little is that Jesus is asking us to confront the primary drivers and priorities of our lives to see if they are standing in the way of our relationship with God.  Do the passions and purposes and motivations of our heart lead us to God or push us away from God?  Do we trust our money more than God?  Do we trust our assets and investments and ability to make money more than God?  Are we motivated primarily out of a need to be the top, the best and always in control?  Are we more concerned about what others think of us than what God thinks of us?  What are the primary drivers of our life and what would we be our response if Jesus asked us to give those things up in order to follow him? 

It says the man went away sad because he had great wealth.  We have no idea if he sold everything or anything or if he ever followed Jesus – but we do know this – Jesus gave him a second chance.  Jesus gave him a second chance to get his heart right, to set the right priorities and to put God first.  And we are all offered that same second chance – will we take it?  Will we examine our own heart and set its focus on Jesus? 

Two other men were given a similar chance and they did take it.  One was Joseph of Arimathea.  Joseph was also a rich ruler.  We know he was rich because he owned his own burial plot – something only the wealthy could do, and we are told that he was a member of the Sanhedrin which was the top ruling class of Jewish elders.  Joseph was part of the Sanhedrin that tried and condemned Jesus but we are also told that he was a secret follower of Jesus.  We don’t know if Joseph was there the night Jesus was tried and condemned to death and just remained silent of if he wasn’t there, but he never spoke up to stop the crucifixion.  Joseph was more concerned about what people thought of him and how being known as a follower of Jesus might affect his position.  He was more concerned about what others thought of him than taking a stand with Jesus, but he was given a second chance. 

At some point during the crucifixion, Joseph rethinks all that has happened and changes his heart.  Instead of being afraid that others might see him as a follower of Jesus he steps out as a follower and asked Pilate for Jesus’ body so he could give it a proper burial and the tomb he choose to place Jesus in was his own.  Joseph had been given a second chance to examine his heart and what it was that drove him in life.  Up until the death of Jesus, Joseph had been driven by his image and position among his peers, but as he encounters Jesus on the cross he now realizes that it is more important to stand with Jesus so he takes this second chance and very publically asked for Jesus body.  Joseph is named in all four gospels which means everyone knew who he was and what he had done.  Joseph knew he was taking a big risk but it didn’t matter because what was driving him now was being faithful to God.  Joseph had been given a second chance to do the right thing and he took it. 

Again – we are all given a chance to examine our hearts and lives to make sure that our priorities are right, our motives reflect God’s heart and that our actions are faithful.  While we all fail at times to get it right, just like Joseph, God gives us a second chance.  Joseph was silent at the trial but he spoke up at the cross and did the right thing.  He took the second chance God gave him.

Another rich ruler who got a second chance and took it was a man named Saul.  Saul was one of the leading Jewish rulers of his day.  He came from Tarsus which was one of the leading centers of learning, second only to Rome and Alexandria, and he had studied at the feet of Gamaliel, one of leading Jewish rulers.  Saul was a leader and full of pride and ambition – he had it all going for him and he was going for it all.  Saul told the Jewish leaders that he had a plan for solving the problem that the growing Christian church presented, he would simply persecute them and kill them.  Acts 8:1b-3

Saul travelled throughout Judea persecuting those who followed Jesus.  The motives of his heart were ambition, pride and power.  Saul was driven by these things and was blind to the darkness that had invaded his heart.  He was killing people to get ahead and make a name for himself, but God gave him a second chance.  As Saul was travelling to Damascus to kill more Christians he was confronted by Jesus and given a second chance.  Acts 9:3-6, 17-18.

Saul got a second chance to get his heart right.  He got a second chance to turn his life around and go from persecuting the followers of Jesus to becoming one of them.  Saul, who become known as Paul, was still a man of great ambition and pride and position – but he now used those drivers in his life for God.  He made it his life’s ambition to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to Rome and then to Spain, which at that time was the end of the earth. 

Paul is perhaps the greatest person in all the Christian faith, maybe the most influential person in all of history next to Jesus.  His teaching and letters helped shape the church which has had a huge impact on our world and it was his ambition that helped spread the gospel all over the Roman Empire which helped it spread all over the world.  God didn’t remove Saul’s ambition – he just gave him a second chance to get it set right.  And Saul took it and got it right.  In his letter to the Philippians he said, Phil 3:7-8. 

God gave Saul and Joseph and even an unnamed rich ruler a second chance to evaluate what drives them in life in order to help them set their heart right and God gives each of us a second chance as well. 

So let me ask – what is it that drives us in life?  We are all driven by something.  What are the priorities that motivate us and the passions that lead us?  If we don’t know what drives us then we can easily be led away so we need to identify the drivers of our heart and life and if we can’t see them then we need to ask God to reveal them.  If we ask, God will shows us because God’s desire is for our hearts to be focused on him.  Today Jesus looks at us and loves us and so is willing to point us to what it is that drives us in life. 

If money drives us – are we using our money for good?  Are we helping the poor and supporting those in need.  Are we using our wealth to support the work of God’s kingdom here and around the world and are we willing to give it to God if he asks? 

If power drives us or ambition and position – are we using our power, position and ambition for God’s kingdom and purpose or our own?  Are we using the platform God has given us at work or in the community to be the heart and hands and voice of Jesus?  If we are using our position only for ourselves – are we willing to give it up for God? 

The passions and priorities of our heart are not all bad, but they all need to be in line with God’s will.  If they aren’t, if we sense that our heart has gotten off track or we are feeling empty and unsure, then we need to come to Jesus and get a second chance.   Let us kneel before Jesus, the one who loves us, and give him the ability to be the primary focus and driver in our hearts and lives. 


 
Next Steps
A Second Chance for the Heart

1.  What were the primary drivers in the three men we read about in:
• Mark 10:17-31
• John 19:38-42
• Acts 8:1-3 and Acts 9:1-9

2.  Identify the drivers in your own life.  Are you driven by money, power, position, ego, adventure, purpose, family, being liked… ?

3.  How do these priorities and passions lead you closer to God?  How do these priorities and passions lead you away from God?

4.  If you were to ask Jesus, What must I do to inherit eternal life?  What would his answer be?  Are you willing to do it? 

5.  When has God given you a second chance to set the right priorities for your heart and life? 

6.  Jesus often talked about the dangers of money.  In what ways has money and wealth become a primary driver in all our lives?  In what ways has money taken hold of your own heart and life? 

7.  To be set free from the hold money has on our heart we need to give. 
• How is God calling you to give away more of your money and wealth? 
• Where is God calling you to give? 
• Give this week.

A Second Chance at Love

God is given many names in the Bible. 
The Lord will provide
The Lord who heals
The God who sees
The Good Shepherd and many more…

But maybe the name we should give God is The God of the second chance because in every area of life God is willing to give us a second chance.  And a third chance.  And a fourth chance.  Maybe we should give God the name, The God of another chance.  Last week we saw that Jesus gave Thomas a second chance to believe in him and throughout our lives God willing gives us another chance to place our faith and trust in him.  We have chances as children to love and follow Jesus and then as teens we can have that faith confirmed.  We have chances as young adults and then as young parents to make our faith our own and commit to teaching it to our children.  We have chances all through life to place more of our faith and trust in Jesus and it is important that we take these chances and move forward. 

Today we are going to see that God is also willing to give us a second chance at love – both a chance to love God again but also a chance to experience true and lasting love with others.  Marriage and divorce are often difficult things to talk about in the church because there are different messages people need to hear at different times.  Yesterday I was blessed to join together two people from Faith Church in marriage and what they need to hear is that God desires us to remain united in marriage which means we need to work hard and forgive often so that what God has joined together can stay together forever.  God takes the union of marriage seriously and we need to as well. 

There are other people, however, who need to hear that the breakup of a marriage or a relationship is not the end of life - nor the end of love.  Divorce is never something to be taken lightly, but it is a reality in our world and it has always been a reality among God’s people.  The story of Abraham records one of the first divorces in the Bible.  Abraham was married to Sarah and God told them they were going to have a child.  When that child didn’t come along in the time period they thought was reasonable, Sarah suggested that Abraham have a child with her servant and in some sense that child would be hers.  So in Genesis 16 it says that Abraham took Hagar as his wife.   

Almost immediately there were problems and jealously developed between Sarah and Hagar.  Things got worse when Hagar the servant had a child and then they deteriorated even more when Sarah had a child.  Finally things got so bad between Sarah and Hagar that Abraham sent Hagar away – and in many ways this was one of the first divorces we see.   Men could simply send their wives away or divorce them for any reason.  If he wasn’t happy with her, she could be sent away with nothing.  Woman really had no standing or rights so if she was sent away she would first try to return to her father’s household, but if there was no father or family to take her in, the woman often became destitute.  They lived on the margins of society and if no man would marry her she often became a prostitute to keep herself alive. 

This was the situation in the time of Jesus as well.  Women could be dismissed for almost any grounds and if they were not able to return home they had to find other means of support.  Divorce marginalized women and forced them into lives that where difficult which is why Jesus gave such a hard teaching about divorce.  Matthew 19:3-10.

The first thing to notice is that Jesus’ teaching on divorce begins to effect men.  If a man divorced his wife and married another woman he was now committing adultery.  Before, men could issue a divorce decree and move on without any penalty at all – but here Jesus is saying that there are consequences for men in divorce as well as women.  This teaching is difficult – there seems to be little grace or forgiveness and not much of a second chance.  From this teaching it is hard to see the God of the second chance, but we can if we look deeper. 

The first thing we need to understand is that Jesus often used a preaching and teaching style called Prophetic Hyperbole where he would exaggerate a statement to prove a point.  For example, Jesus said that if our hand or our eye causes us to sin we should cut it off or gouge it out.  Clearly Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation but he is talking about the importance of being faithful and obedient.  Here Jesus might also be using some prophetic hyperbole to teach people that marriage is important and divorce is never to be taken lightly because it effects everyone involved – men and women.

Jesus teaching here also points us back to God’s intent for our lives.   God’s intent in marriage is that two become one and so divorce isn’t just two people deciding to go their separate ways – it is one person being torn apart.  There is real pain that comes with divorce and while there may be good reasons to do it – it needs to be taken seriously. 

So while on the surface, this teaching doesn’t show much hope for a second chance, the intent was to show how seriously we need to take divorce because of the detrimental impact it had on women.  Divorce often meant women had no second chance in life at all and so Jesus spoke against it in order to protect and care for women. 

But we can’t just look at this teaching of Jesus to see if he gives a second chance for love – we also need to look at his interactions with people.  In John 4 we find Jesus making a trip through Samaria where he stops at a well at noon.  He is tired and thirsty and so when a woman approaches to draw water from the well he asks her for a drink.  John 4:4-19

Women would usually draw water early in the morning while it was cool and so for this woman to be there at noon tells us that either the other women refused to invite her along because of her past or she chose not go with them, perhaps so she didn’t have to hear their harsh words and comments.  But notice how Jesus responds to her.  He asks her for her help.  He is willing to take a drink of water from her and he offers her and her family living water.  All of this means that Jesus respects her.  Jesus does not condemn her when he points out that she has had 5 husbands and the man she is currently with is not her husband, and he doesn’t turn away from her or force her to leave him.  He gives her a second chance. 

Let’s think about this from the woman’s perspective.  She has been divorced 5 times which means she could have simply been dismissed by each husband for no reason at all and forced out with nothing.  Each divorce leaves her more marginalized and desperate.  She has less and less control and even now the man with her is not willing to marry her.  She has no standing and in many ways no hope – but Jesus not only respects her but he offers her living water. 

The living water that Jesus offers is love, acceptance and mercy.  The living water is healing and hope for a new and healthy relationship.  It’s important to remember that Moses, Isaac and Jacob all met their wives at a well, so when Jesus meets this woman at a well and offers her living water he is giving her a second chance at life and love.  Jesus doesn’t marginalize her because of her past and he doesn’t load her up with commands and laws in order to find love in the future.  Jesus doesn’t tell her to go through some kind of legal process to annul all her marriages and he doesn’t tell her to go marry the man she is currently living with – Jesus just extends grace and mercy.  He offers living water and a second chance at love – the love of God and the love of others. 

For all who need a second chance at love – Jesus offers it.  For all who might feel marginalized and let down by past failures in relationships – Jesus shows us that we can get a second chance – we can drink this living water.  As seriously as we need to take Jesus teaching on marriage and divorce – we also need to take seriously this encounter that Jesus has with the woman at the well because it tells us that God gives us all a second chance at love and finding deep fulfilment in life. 

This meeting at the well also tells us that we need to make sure the church is a place for all people to experience this second or third or fourth chance at love.  Jesus calls the woman and the man she is living with to come to him.  He is calling together all those who are looking for love and all those who want to know that they can find a second chance in life.  The church needs to be this kind of welcoming place where all those who are thirsty can find the living water of God’s love. 

God provides a second chance at love but it is not just a second chance at the kind of love we find in marriage – it is also the kind of love we can experience with God.  After his resurrection, Jesus met up with his disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  The disciples had been fishing all night and caught nothing.  Early in the morning they saw a man on the shore who asked them if they had caught anything.  When they said no, the man told them to put the nets down on the other side of the boat and when they do they pull in a huge catch of fish.  Peter immediately knew that the man on the shore was Jesus and so he jumped in the water and rushed to shore.  Peter has once again left his boat and nets to be with Jesus.

After breakfast Jesus took Peter aside and asked him, do you love me.  John 21:15-17.  Three times Peter had failed to show his love for Jesus and denied that he knew him.  Three times Peter had been unfaithful and so here Peter is given a second chance at love, a second chance to communicate his love for Jesus.  So it is not just our relationships with one another where we get a second chance at love – it is also in our relationship with God.  And what is interesting to see is that with both the woman at the well and Peter on the shore a second chance at love comes when we are willing to do three things.

First we have to Be Honest.  Jesus confronted the woman with the reality of her living situation and Peter with the reality of his failure to love.  To get a second chance they had to be honest about their failures and come face to face with their own lives.  Jesus doesn’t do this to condemn them but to help them be honest about their hearts and lives so they can move forward. To get a second chance at love we have to be honest about our past, assume our responsibility for the our part of the problems so we can learn and move forward.

Second both the woman and Peter had to be willing to work to restore trust.  Peter had to be willing to agree to feed God’s lambs and tends God’s sheep.  He had to recommit himself to the work God called him to do and the woman at the well had to be willing to trust Jesus enough to bring the man in her life to him.  Each were given a chance to establish trust and move forward.  Every second chance at love calls for us to work in ways that establish or re-establish trust in a relationship. 

Third, each of them had to be willing to walk with Jesus.  The woman at the well not only came back with her husband but she brought the many in the village with her as she stepped out to walk with God.  She was moving forward with Jesus and living into the new life God had for her.  Peter also leaves his boats and nets behinds and commits to walking with Jesus into the future.  A second chance at love is always going to be strengthened when we are willing to walk with God into the future and allow God to lead. 

We are all given a second chance at love.  Love in relationships with one another that help us feel valued and secure. We are given a second chance to find a love that helps enrich our lives and move us forward, but we are also given a second chance to experience love in a relationship with God.  We are given another chance to experience a love that calls us into the fullness of God and who God calls us and created us to be.  No one is beyond God’s grace.  No failure in a relationship can keep us from the living water that brings life and love – this second chance at loves is ours if we will come to Jesus. 


 
Next Steps
Second Chance at Love

1. What names of God mean the most to you?
The Almighty God – The Lord will Provide
The Lord who Leads – The God who Sees
God with Us – The Good Shepherd
The God of the Second Chance

2. Read two stories of people being given a second chance at love.  John 4:1-26, 39-42 and John 21:1-19.

3. In what ways is Jesus giving the woman at the well a second chance at love? 

4. How can you help the church be a place for people needing a second chance at love? 

5. Who do you know that needs the living water Jesus talks about?  How can you call them to it or help provide it?

6. How did Jesus give Peter a second chance at love? 

7.  When have you needed a second chance to show your love for God?

8.  A second chance at love means being honest about our past, working to restore trust and walking with God.  Which of these steps do you need to focus on to get your own second chance at love? 

9.  Jesus called both the woman at the well and Peter along the shore to share the love and grace of God.  In what ways can you bring people to Jesus or care for and feed God’s sheep? 

Second Chance at Faith

Who doesn’t want a second chance?  It’s a blessing when we get a second chance in school and have the opportunity to retake a test or rewrite a paper or when we get a second chance in sports to prove ourselves and test our ability.  We often look for second chances at work to redeem a mistake we made or do better on a future project and we always need second chances in relationships because we often fail and let people down.  We all need second chances to prove our love and faithfulness.  We all want second chances and we all seem to like second chance stories.

I was thinking back over my own life and trying to identify all those moments I got a second chance and there is one rather small moment from my freshman year of high school that I have always joked about but because I remember this moment so clearly it obviously has made an impression upon me.  I started taking piano lessons when I was a freshman in high school and my teacher was Mrs. Mack, who led our church’s children’s and youth choir.  At the end of the first year, all of Mrs. Mack’s students had a recital and I was expected to play.  Now you need to understand that all her students were in elementary school and I was in high school so I really did not fit in and many of her students were very good and I was a not so good beginner. 

The song I chose to play was the song called “If” and I chose to learn this song because it was my sister’s prom theme and she did not go to her prom so as an annoying brother I learned the song and played it endlessly.  When it came time to play the song during the recital I sat down and started to play the song twice as fast as it was supposed to go.  I realized I would not be able to keep that pace up through the entire song so I stopped and just sat there with my hands on the keys staring forward very embarrassed.  Mrs. Mack leaned over and said, start again, but this time, play slower. 

I know that seems like a pretty insignificant moment in the course of one’s life, but I have never forgotten it because that second chance told me two important things. 
#1 - Mrs. Mack believed in me and was on my side.  She cared about me and wanted me to succeed.  She loved me so gave me a second chance. 
#2 - It also told me that even though I made a mistake and felt foolish – I could try again and keep going.  A small second chance that revealed to me two big truths about grace and love. 

There have been other second chances I’ve had in life.  I dropped out of college – but had a chance to return and finish up with a renewed sense of purpose.  I’ve had second chances in ministry when sermons didn’t come off very well and programs failed.  I’ve had second chances in relationships when forgiveness and grace were extended to me and communication and love restored.  We all have been blessed with second chances and the beautiful thing about God is that he is the God of the second chance. 

The bible is full of stories of people being given a second chance.  In fact, most people we read about got a second chance in life.  After spending the first half of his life hiding in the wilderness as a shepherd, Moses got a second chance to be the leader of God’s people.  King David got a second chance at faithfulness after an adulterous affair and his violent scheme to cover it up.  The prophet Jonah got a second chance to serve God after he ran away from God’s purpose and plan for his life and Jesus gave many people a second chance and that’s what we want to focus on for the next few weeks.  Jesus gives people a second chance at life, and love, and mission and today we are going to see that Jesus even gave someone a second chance to put his faith in him. 

On the day Jesus rose from the grave, Mary saw him in the garden early in the morning.  She told the disciples what happened but I’m not sure they believed her.  The disciples needed to see Jesus alive in order to believe it to be true because they had seen him arrested, beaten and crucified and they knew Jesus died and was laid in a tomb that had been sealed.  They knew beyond any doubt that Jesus had died so to have faith that Jesus was now alive they needed to see him.  They needed this proof and they got it.  It was later in the evening on that first day that Jesus came to them and stood among them and talked to them.  To all of them except Thomas. 

Thomas was not with disciples when the risen Jesus first appeared.  We don’t know where Thomas he was or what he was doing and we don’t know if he even heard the news that Jesus might be alive.  It could be that Thomas had simply left everyone to go and try and figure out what to do with the rest of his life.  With Jesus gone, Thomas’ life as he knew it was over.  Unlike some of the rest of the disciples, Thomas didn’t have a business to go back to.  Thomas had been a tax collector and the day he walked away from his tax booth to follow Jesus was the day he closed the door on that part of his life.  There was no going back to work in that field.  Thomas had nothing to return to so it could be that Thomas was off trying to figure out how to put the pieces of his life back together.  What would he do now?  Where would he go?  How would he survive?  Thomas was in a very difficult situation.

When he finally got back together with the rest of his disciples who had seen Jesus alive, Thomas refused to believe.  There was no way that the testimony of his friends could wipe away what Thomas had seen with his own eyes.  Jesus had died a horrible and painful death – there was simply no way he could now be alive.  John 20:24-26.

This is part of why we call him doubting Thomas, he doubted that Jesus could be alive.  He doubted the word and testimony of his friends and there was no way he was going to be able to have faith in Jesus’ resurrection until he could see Jesus himself and place his own hands in Jesus’ wounds.  Thomas refused to have faith. 

I have often wondered what that week must have been like for Thomas.  All his friends trying to assure him that Jesus was alive and Thomas digging himself in deeper and deeper to his own reality that it simply wasn’t true.  Did his anger and resentment grow?  Was there any part of his heart or head that tried to think that Jesus might actually be alive or did he just push everyone away? 

One of the interesting things that Thomas teaches us is that the faith of others will only carry us so far.  We might learn about God from our parents and believe in Jesus because we see the power of Christ in our family and friends – but the faith of others will only lead us so far – at some point in time we all need to experience Jesus for ourselves and it was a week later that Thomas got this chance.  John 20:26-28.

Jesus gave Thomas a second chance at faith.  Jesus came and stood among the disciples again and this time it seemed like he came just for Thomas.  He spoke directly to Thomas and he told him to do the very thing Thomas said he needed to do if he was going to believe.  Place your hands in my hands.  Place your hand in side.  Stop doubting and believe.  Thomas – have faith.  Jesus gives Thomas a second chance at faith. 

Actually, this wasn’t a second chance – it was at least a third chance.  In John 11 we read about Jesus making the decision to return to Bethany when he heard that his friend Lazarus has died.  The last time Jesus had been in Bethany the religious leaders wanted to stone him.  Thomas believed that to return there meant that they all would die.  Thomas didn’t have faith that Jesus knew what he was doing in making this journey – he doubted that Jesus was making a good decision, but Jesus did go to Bethany and he not only wasn’t killed but he raised Lazarus from the dead and he took Thomas with him.  He gave Thomas a second chance, a second chance to put his faith in Jesus.  He gave Thomas a second chance to trust him and follow him – so in many ways, after the resurrection it was Thomas’ third or maybe fourth of fifth chance to put his faith and trust in Jesus. 

We all get a second chance to put our faith in Jesus.  Like Thomas we all get a second or third or fourth chance to put our trust in Jesus and sometimes all it takes is being willing to be there.  Why did Thomas get this second chance – honestly, it was because he was there.  He was with the disciples that day.  Even though he must have been frustrated with his friends and firm in his doubt that Jesus was not alive, he was still there and when we are willing to still be there – God will show up. 
When we are willing to still show up in worship even when we have doubts we are giving God the chance to show up and speak to us.  When we are willing to keep serving in and through the church even when we aren’t sure of what we believe – we are giving Jesus the chance to show us his presence and reveal to us his power.  When we are willing to keep reading God’s word, keep being with God’s people and keep praying through the darkness we are giving God the chance to show up and show us his hands and his heart.  Many times to get a second chance at faith we just need to make sure that we show up. 

It’s not hypocritical to come to worship or be involved in Bible study when we have doubts or struggle to believe – it is allowing God to give us another chance at faith.  Thomas was there and because he showed up – he got a second chance and once that chance came – he took it.  Jesus invited Thomas to reach out his hand and touch him – and while we don’t know if Thomas ever did that, he might as well have because his faith was now certain.  Thomas accepted this second chance – he grabbed hold of it and made it his own and worshipped Jesus.  Thomas said to Jesus, My Lord and my God.  Thomas accepted Jesus as his Lord and his God.  He made his faith his own and he accepted this second chance.

We need to accept the second chances at faith that God gives us.  Whatever that second chance may be, we need to take advantage of it and make it our own.  A second chance at faith came for me one October day in 1982.  A few weeks after deciding I really didn’t want to believe in God anymore and decided to live life my own way without God, I heard God say to me, Andy with me there is life, without me there is death.  The choice is yours.  I was being given a second chance – more like a third, fourth of fifth chance, but another chance certainly.  I took it.  I accepted it, told God I wanted life and the fullness of life that Jesus promised and I got up from the bench I was sitting on and moved forward a new person.  When God gives us that second chance at faith, we need to accept it and make the most of it. 

Which leads us to a question we will ask just about every week during this series on second chances.  What will we do with the second chance we are given?  In life, in love, in relationships, in school and sports and yes in faith – what will we do with the second chances we are given.  The life of Thomas tells us we need to take the second chance, make the most of it and never look back. 

Thomas accepted Jesus as his Lord and God, he made his faith his own and he never looked back.  Tradition tells us that Thomas took his personal experience of Jesus went East to India to tell others about the Risen Lord - Jesus Christ.  While Peter and many of the other disciples went west to Rome – Thomas went east and founded churches across India that thrived for generations.  He not only accepted a second chance at faith but his life’s passion and purpose was to now give others a second chance at faith as well. 

What will we do with the second chance at faith that God gives us?  How will we accept this second chance and move forward with God never looking back?  For some, this second chance at faith may mean personal healing and wholeness, for others it might mean renewed relationships and restored families, for others it might mean a new purpose and passion for living life a new way.  God has something for us all which is why he gives us this second chance.  Like my piano teacher Mrs. Mack, God loves us.  God believes in us and God is on our side and believes we can do far more than we think or imagine.  God wants what is best for us in all areas of life so gives us another chance at faith in Jesus Christ.  You are here today so you are getting a second chance at faith and life and love and purpose.  Grab hold of it and make Jesus your Lord and God. 

 

Next Steps
Second Chances

1.  When have you been given a second chance in life? 
• What did you learn from that experience?

2.  Read the story of Thomas in John 20:19-29.
• Why did Thomas have a hard time believing before he saw the risen Jesus?
• What would you have needed to believe if you were in his place?

3.  What elements of our Christian faith do you struggle to believe? 
• Why are they difficult to believe? 
• Who helps you understand, believe and have a stronger faith in God?

4.  Thomas got a second chance because he showed up.
• Continue to show up in worship. 
o Give God a second chance to speak to you through each week of this sermon series.
• Continue to show up in service. 
o Sign up to serve through our outreach event on April 28 – Serving Our Seniors.

5.  How are you making the most of the second chance God has given you in faith?
• Where are you worshipping Jesus?
• Where are you learning more about Jesus?
• Where are you sharing about Jesus?
• Where are you loving others for Jesus?
• How are you sacrificing for Jesus? 

The Garden of God - Paradise Restored

The resurrection of Jesus takes place in a garden.  In John 19:41 it says, at the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.  So Jesus’ tomb was in a garden which means that when Mary went to the tomb to either anoint Jesus body for burial or to just be near him, she went to a garden and when she got there the stone had been rolled away and the body of Jesus was gone.  After all the disciples had come to check out the empty tomb and left the garden, Mary hung around.  She didn’t know what else to do or where else to go so she stayed in the garden because it was the last place she had known Jesus to be.  John 20:11-18

The resurrection takes place in a garden and the risen Jesus is thought to be a gardener and so this garden theme we find in the Bible continues.  God created the world to be a garden which I guess makes God the ultimate gardener.  Adam and Eve were created to live in the garden where they could walk and talk with God forever but their sin drove them out.  Their story is our story and so we know that our sin drives us away from God and the garden he created and on our own we cannot get back. 

On our own we cannot enter the promised land or the kingdom of God – on our own we cannot recreate the garden of God but what we can’t do – Jesus can and so in a garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus made the choice to restore paradise by taking up a cross and paying the penalty for our sin and in a garden Jesus did the work of redemption and suffered and died.  Today we see that it was also in a garden that Jesus rose from the grave and the reason Jesus did all of this was so we could live with God forever in the garden, God’s garden.  Paradise literally means, the King’s Garden and so what Jesus did was open the gate for us to live in an eternal garden.    Paradise has been restored and at the very end of the Bible we see eternal life and the kingdom of heaven described as a garden.  Revelation 22:1-5.


Just as in the Garden of Eden, in this garden there is a tree that brings life.  The leaves of the tree are for healing and unity.  Water flows through the garden which quenches the thirst of all who long for God.  Life in paradise is restored and through Jesus the door has been opened.  The Bible begins in a garden where on our own we are soon driven out, but the work of Jesus redeems us and we are brought back in so the Bible ends with an eternal garden and the fullness of life.  When we trust in God’s love and accept what God has done on our behalf – this garden of God is open to us.  Through Jesus we are given the gift of eternal life, a resurrection, and life in the garden with God. 

The resurrection of Jesus in a garden means we can experience an eternal life to come but it also means we can have a meaningful life here and now because Easter shows us that God confronts the problems of sin and evil.  While at times we feel hopeless because of the darkness and evil that permeates our world – God does not leave us in the darkness.  Easter shows us that God doesn’t just allow evil to continue and darkness to reign, God has a response to darkness and it is simple, God brings light.  The darkness of a tomb was invaded by the light of God which caused the stone that sealed the tomb in darkness to be rolled away.  The resurrection brings the power of God’s light into the darkness of our world and it is a light that the darkness cannot overcome.  The beginning of John’s gospel says, The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  From the beginning we knew that darkness and evil would not win and the resurrection is the fulfillment of this word – this promise. 

God’s response to the darkness of sin and evil is to shine his light into the world in order to drive the darkness away and God does this for just one reason, God loves us.  God loves us and wants us to experience the fullness of life which means being set free from the power of sin and evil and so Jesus overcomes the grave and in that resurrection we are given light and life. 

Easter is also God’s promise that sin and death will never have the final word.  God doesn’t just confront sin and evil – God overcomes it.  God destroys it.  When we first look at Jesus on the cross it might appear that sin and death and the violence of our world has the upper hand.  Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the personification of love and all that is good was being beaten and crucified.  Evil seems to have won and death seems to have the final say, but Easter tells us that sin and death never have the final word.  God is always victorious.  God’s power of love and life and light conquerors sin and death. 

The bible uses some pretty strong words to talk about the power of God over sin and the grave. 
Death has been swallowed up in victory.  1 Corinthians 15:54
God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15: 57
In all things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.  Romans 8:37
Our Savior Christ Jesus has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  2 Timothy 1:10

While we talk about Jesus being meek, mild, humble and loving we can never forget about the power of God that Easter represents.  Death was swallowed up and destroyed.  A tomb was opened, a gravestone was rolled away. There was a victory and that victory doesn’t just belong to Jesus – it belongs to all of us.  We are all more than conquerors. 

Adam Hamilton has said that maybe we need to re-imagine what Easter is all about and use an different image, maybe one like this. 

This is an iconic picture of Muhammed Ali defeating Sonny Liston to be the heavy weight champion of the world in 1965.  Ali knocked Liston out in the first minute of the first round.  They first met a year earlier and no one thought Ali, known at that time as Cassius Clay, had any chance against Liston.  Liston became the heavyweight champion by defeating Floyd Patterson in 1962 and 1963 and both times he knocked Patterson out in the first round. 

Sonny Liston learned to box in the Missouri State Prison where he was serving a sentence for armed robbery and he was considered to be the most intimidating boxer of his day.  The manager for another contender at that time said, we don’t even want to meet Sonny Liston walking down the street.  No one believed Ali stood a chance in the ring.  In fact, one reporter was told to drive to the closest hospital because that was where Ali would end up in the first round.  But that didn’t happen.  Ali won and this is what Easter looks like with Jesus conquering sin and death.  On Friday with Jesus on the cross it look like sin and evil would win.  No one gave Jesus a chance and a sealed tomb made it look like the power of death had won, but then Jesus emerges victorious and doesn’t just defeat death he destroys it. 

Now here’s the thing, if this is how Jesus deals with sin and death then what Easter also tells us is that the worst thing in our lives is never the final thing,  Because the power of God is with us, we are more than conquerors and there is always hope.  The power of Christ’s resurrection is part of the power God gives to us so the worst thing we experience in life is never the final thing. 

What is the worst thing you have had to go through?  For some this might be a complete failure in school, or at a job or in a relationship.  Peter knew this failure.  Peter was devoted to Jesus and he promised Jesus that he would never betray him, deny him or desert him and yet three times on the night Jesus was arrested Peter denied that he knew Jesus and twice he ran away.  This is a complete failure and for Peter there was nothing worse.  He wept.

But seeing the risen Jesus told Peter that his failure was not final – there would be another opportunity for Peter to show his love and there would be another opportunity for Peter to be faithful and courageous.  His worst thing was not his final thing and our failures are never final.  No matter where or how we have failed, God redeems and lifts us up and moves us forward. 

Maybe the worst thing we face is a fear and anxiety that becomes paralyzing.  We are so filled with doubt and apprehension that we don’t even know how to move forward.  The disciples understood this kind of fear.  They were so afraid when Jesus was arrested that they ran away.  They were afraid after Jesus died so they hid in the upper room but once Jesus stood among them as their risen Lord and Savior – they found a courage and strength to overcome fear.  The worst thing for them was not the final thing.

For many of us today, the worst thing we face is sickness and death, either our own or of someone we love.  While the suffering we go through ourselves and with our loved ones is terrible, even then we need to remember that the worst thing is never the final thing.  Last year I got to know an amazing woman who showed me this clearly.  Penny Bauman was diagnosed with stage 4 inoperable colon cancer and while she fought the cancer and hoped to overcome it, from the moment we first talked she was clear that even if she died it would be ok because death would not have the final word.  The worst thing for her and her family would not be the last thing.

The more Penny and I talked about faith in God and trusting the gift God gives us of eternal life the more I could see in Penny that the worst thing in her life – this battle with cancer – was not going to be the final thing.  She knew a resurrection was coming.  She always knew a resurrection was coming.  What I love about Penny’s story is that her faith in the resurrection and God’s victory of life over death was something she believed and trusted in before she was diagnosed with cancer.  Penny loved horses and she worked hard to breed her horse to produce a champion show horse and it was last year on Easter Sunday that her horse gave birth. 

She told me that she named the horse Rose and I am thinking, how nice – like a flower.  She said, no rose – as in Jesus rose from the grave. 

Even before she was sick Penny had an understanding of the power of God over sin, sickness and death.  She knew that the worst thing in her life would never be the final thing because Jesus rose from the grave.

Today isn’t actually Rose’s birthday because Easter last year was April 16, but every Easter Rose will be a reminder that the worst thing is never the final thing. 

Penny’s faith and trust in the resurrection needs to remind us that no matter what we face, the worst thing is never the final thing.  What Easter tells us is that even death is not final – because Jesus rose from the dead and defeated sin and death.  He destroyed it, he swallowed it up in victory – it is gone, annihilated, wiped out and in its place is a garden where we can experience the fullness of life with God now and forever. 

We can live with the power of Christ’s resurrection at work in us because part of the Easter story is that God gave this power and life to us.  In the first garden, God breathed into us the breath of life.  Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7.  God breathed into us and gave us life in a garden.  After the resurrection, the same thing happened.  In the upper room Jesus gathered with his disciples and said, Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  John 20:21-22

In the beginning God’s breath gave Adam and Eve the power to live life in a garden, here Jesus breathed on his followers and again gave them power to live life anew in a garden – Paradise restored.  We are being born again.  Easter tells us we have been given the power of God to live life to the fullest in the King’s Garden. 

But this power and life is not just for us.  Jesus said, I am sending you.  We aren’t just being called to live in the garden or the kingdom of God we are being called to work for it.  Through Jesus, paradise was restored and God is sending us out to work in and for this garden.  Easter is about living with God’s power and working to recreate the Garden of God.  When we live with hope, work for justice, offer compassion and extend grace and mercy to those in need we are restoring paradise. 

God created us to live in a garden and the resurrection of Jesus ensures that this garden is open for us all.  Sin, evil and death have been destroyed – the worst thing is never the final thing because life and love have won the day.  By accepting the grace of God and the power of God’s Holy Spirit we can live life in the garden of God forever. 

Next Steps
Paradise Restored

1. Jesus rose from the grave in a garden.  Read this garden story in the four gospels.

• Matthew 28
• Mark 16
• Luke 24
• John 20

2. The New Testament talks about this victory in some powerful ways.  Read about the power of the resurrection.

• Romans 8:37 
• 1 Corinthians 15:54 & 57
• 2 Timothy 1:10

3.  Easter (the resurrection of Jesus) means that the worst thing is never the final thing.

• What failure do you need to see forgiven and redeemed so you can move forward?
• What fear do you need to see defeated?
• What sickness are you walking through that needs the power of God’s healing and hope?
• Where is the power of Christ’s resurrection most needed in your life?  Ask God to breath on you.  

4. Who can you encourage to find hope and life in the midst of their failure, fear and sickness? 

5. Easter means living with power and working to restore paradise (the king’s garden).  What act of kindness, service and love can you do this week to show others the kingdom of God?

6. Work with us to restore the Garden of God in our community by volunteering with our annual outreach event on April 28, Serving our Seniors.  You can volunteer online or fill out a volunteer form found in the lobby or today’s bulletin.