Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen, the Lord is Risen Indeed!
An Easter Message from the Bethlehem Area Moravian clergy.
Author: Pastor Derek French
Good Friday Online Worship
Dark times can bring out the best in humanity and can reveal hidden beauty and strength. That was true of Jesus on Good Friday and it is true of the church in the present pandemic.
“The Lord is Risen!”
There is no service of worship more characteristically “Moravian” than those based upon our Easter Morning Liturgy. Indeed, so central is it that Moravians often self-identify as “Easter people,” not because they believe they have any special claim to the promise of resurrection, but rather because the celebration of God’s raising of Jesus from the dead embodies the core of our faith and hope. How stirring it is to be among a congregation when the pastor’s profession: “The Lord is risen!” is answered by massed voices responding “The Lord is risen indeed!” I cherish childhood memories of Easter Dawn services outside of Home Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC where over ten thousand persons voiced those words.
Yet as moving as such collective affirmations of faith are, they are no substitute for our individual experience of relationship with God through the risen Christ. An account of an exchange between Moravian Bishop August Spangenberg and a young John Wesley during the height of a violent storm at sea on the voyage to America brings the matter into sharp focus. Spangenberg asked Wesley, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” Wesley replied, “I know he is Savior of the world.” “True,” said Spangenberg, “but do you know that he has saved you?” It is one thing to profess the Lord is risen in a crowd on Easter morning; it is quite another to profess it at home with just as much hope, joy, and faith in the midst of this present storm. Yet that is the challenge – and the gift – of these times. Alone or in small family groups we have the time to ponder what we really believe and to make it our own.
It is worth remembering that according to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene was alone when the miracle of the Resurrection was revealed to her. Though she testified to the other disciples regarding what she had seen, they had to go and see for themselves. Though we traditionally celebrate Easter together, the truth at its heart must be discovered and owned by each of us individually. That truth – that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it; that the power of death, sin, and separation has been broken by God; that hope shall prevail over despair – is not diminished by our inability to gather together. Rather it becomes all the more necessary and compelling.
As I write, the flowers spring from the ground, the trees bud and bloom, and life in the natural world goes on. So too, Easter will come. We will celebrate the best we can on the day of Resurrection – remote from one another in body yet close in spirit and heart. Even if there is no one else to hear it, even if unuttered, I invite you to lift your heart to God on Easter morning and know that the Lord is risen indeed!
Easter Blessing to You All,
Pastor Derek
“For the Love of God”
There are times, such as in moments of extreme frustration, when non-believers join followers of Jesus in referencing God. We use the expression “for the love of God” to express our vexation as we implore a person to act out of basic human decency or common sense. Usually the one uttering the phrase is not actually thinking theologically about love for God, or God’s love for us. Yet since February is the month we celebrate love with Valentine’s Day, now is as good a time as any to consider the implications of taking this common saying literally. What would it mean to act for the love of God in all things?
Does it mean, for instance, that we are to act because God loves us, because we love God, or both? And how are we to act? We can find an answer to these questions in the 4th chapter of the 1st Letter of John. “God,” says the author, “is love” (4:8).
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
To act for the love of God is, therefore, to extend Christ-like love to others in response to God’s love for us. It is to seek the deepest, the truest good for others rather than our own advantage or satisfaction. It is to be patient, kind, respectful, and humble toward others. At times it means being flexible to preserve relationships. It means insisting on right-doing and truth. (See 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7).
In the final analysis, to act literally “for the love of God” is to live out one’s life with far more than basic human decency or common sense. It is to pattern one’s life after the Incarnation of God’s love – Jesus Christ. I am tempted to say: “For the love of God, what part of Jesus saying, ‘Follow me’ don’t you get?” There is an urgency in our Lord’s words that we often miss in the context of worship or Bible study. Love, says Paul, is patient and kind, but that doesn’t rule Jesus’ disappointment when his followers fail to act for the love of God.
Pastor Derek French
Embodiment of Faith
Writing to new Christians, in what today is southern Turkey, the Apostle Paul summed up the central miracle and mystery which began with Jesus’ birth: “In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”( Colossians 1:19) For the duration of his earthly life, Jesus was God with us.( Matthew 1:23) Through faith we can still experience him as such, but this relationship is difficult for those who have never encountered anyone sincerely seeking to embody Christ’s teachings in daily life. It is our calling to help make the Christmas miracle real for them.
I have a magnetic cling which reads “Keep Christ in Christmas.” I keep it on my refrigerator where it serves as a reminder to myself rather than an admonishment to others. If Christ is to remain in Christmas – or indeed become a part of Christmas for those who have not encountered him – then he must be born again and again in the hearts of his followers. The fullness of God may not dwell in us, but it must flow through us collectively as Christ’s Church. I am reminded of the words of St. Theresa of Avila:
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
St. Theresa of Avila
With the passing of years, I am ever more convinced that the essence of Christmas lies within each of us. It is not to be found in the exchange of gifts, the sounds of carols, or the hanging of lights and greens, but rather in the quiet birth of God’s Spirit into each of our hearts. It is this which gives joy and peace, this embodiment of God’s Word which births hope into the world.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Advent, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy New Year.
Gratitude, Generosity, and Blessing
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Col. 3: 15-17)
Gratitude plays a central role in the lives of those who choose to follow Jesus as his disciples. Paul, writing to new Christians in Colossae (modern-day Turkey), notes that cultivating gratefulness is essential if one wishes to live a life transformed, redeemed, and blessed by Jesus Christ. Being thankful draws us closer to God and makes it possible for the peace of Christ to find a home in our hearts.
Being thankful is not hard, but it does take a bit of intentionality and determination. In our current context, it’s easy to embrace negativity. There’s plenty of it to go around on the news and social media. Like a bad cold, negative emotional energy can be transmitted from one person to another, and that negativity can lead persons ever deeper into self-isolating, protective stances rooted in the primitive human psyche. Such a response to life can lead to dysfunction and illness of mind, body, and spirit.
Yet, we can take action which will increase our resistance to society’s malaise and confer numerous benefits as well. Recent research indicates that gratitude decreases anxiety, depression, and aggression, increases physical health, and improves the quality of sleep, the number and quality of relationships, mental strength, and self-esteem. Gratitude begins when we choose to look for the positive, affirmative, beautiful, or life-giving stimuli in the world around us and then pause to offer thanks to God and contemplate these blessings.
I often envision gratitude – and the resultant expression of generosity – as the opening of a hand, with the palm facing upwards in an expression of release and thanksgiving. A clenched fist can hold onto what one already has, but it cannot be filled to overflowing with further blessing. When we approach life with gratitude and respond with generosity, then with the psalmist we can say: “my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
Following Jesus Faithfully
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you”.
Matthew 28:18
These words come at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel just verses after the account of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter morning and mark the handoff of the Savior’s earthly ministry to the disciples he has taught and trained. Jesus’ words embody both the church’s purpose and its marching orders. They are the inspiration behind our congregation’s mission statement:
“To Know Christ and Make Him Known.”
Beginning October 13, we will start a six-week worship series exploring how each of us can better fulfill our role as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Hymns, special sharing, selection of scriptures, and the sermon will all focus on a sequence of six words which we believe can help guide our spiritual growth in practical, tangible ways.
• We believe that Christ wants each of us to live a richly fulfilling life, transformed and constantly renewed by the inflowing of God’s grace. On the first Sunday, we will explore how that is possible in these busy, fractured times and find inspiration for how to receive and share God’s blessings.
• We will then explore the importance of gathering together with other committed Christians in an age of growing unbelief, loneliness, and social isolation. Themes of gathering and connecting will occupy the second two Sundays. We will learn how other members of the congregation have drawn strength and insight from their interaction with each other.
• As we move into the latter half of our series, our focus will shift from ourselves to the important work which Jesus asks us to continue on his behalf. We will see how serving in Christ’s name changes the world and provides hope for a better future and learn how our financial giving not only makes the work of the church possible but also holds its own intrinsic blessing as it teaches us to trust God.
• Finally, we will embrace the task of sharing the good news with others through invitation and example.
Highlights of the series include a service of Holy Communion on November 10 and a Cup of Covenant service on November 17. The latter will provide each of us the occasion to renew our baptismal vows “to participate actively in Christ’s church, serving God all the days of our lives.”
Every Member, Every Month
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
Being faithful followers of Jesus Christ is a shared endeavor. We best grow in our faith, our understanding of Jesus’ teaching, and our attempts to follow his example when we do so in community.
That is why, since the beginning of the church, those responsible for the spiritual care of its members have stressed the importance of regularly gathering with other Christians. The author of Hebrews writes: “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering… and…consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…” (10:23-25)
Being the church is a matter of mutual care, encouragement, and accountability. The Joint Board and I have prayerfully considered how to elicit spiritual growth, “love, and good deeds” among members of East Hills Moravian Church.
We believe that encouraging all who are physically able to attend worship each month is a natural starting point. This fulfills promises made during the liturgy for Confirmation and Affirmation of Baptism used whenever persons choose to become part of our congregation. We take seriously the liturgy’s statement of our “obligation to love and nurture” each member “in Christ” and take you at your word when you affirmed your desire to “participate actively in Christ’s church, serving God all the days of your life.” We have covenanted to be intentional about encouraging you to take full advantage of the benefits of your church membership and will be reaching out if we have not seen you in a while.
We are aware that life together is complicated. As frail humans, we all have flaws and “fall short of the glory of God.” If you have been disappointed by unmet expectations or wounded by fellow church members or leaders we pray that God will bring healing to you and spiritual growth as you extend God’s grace to others in the spirit of the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
I will close with Paul’s words to the Colossians: “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” (NLT)
Resolve not to let excuses and the call of the world stand between you and the blessings Godintends to provide through gathering together with God’s people.