April 4, 2015 - Church at Worship

Homily: "Jesus of Nazareth: An Interrupted Celebration" -  Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Roy Ice

Baptism: Faye Adlaon, Megan Lynette Barreta - Doug Mace

Scripture Reading: John 11:47–50, 53–54; 19:4–6a; 19:6b, 16b–20; Matthew 27:62b–66; Luke 24:1–9, TNIV - Sarah Hayhoe

Note: Child Dedications and Baptisms are on the extras section of the dvd.

Sermon Notes:

This weekend, we join Christians around the world in celebrating the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! The significance of what we celebrate is so fundamentally important that, in the words of the theologian Jaroslav Pelikan: “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.” Because of that, as we gather, we do so in profound wonder and with overpowering gratitude for the gift of God in Christ.

In recent days, as the news headlines continue to scream out the violence that grips our planet, my heart turns continually to God, aching with the age-old question: How long, O Lord? My soul is heavy with the thought of persecuted brothers and sisters, facing death for their confession of Christ. My hope and prayer is for the day when such colossal cruelty will be a thing of the eternal past.

But, in the meantime, Good Friday looms—with its dark assurance that we do not traverse this trail of tears alone. And then, Easter morning dawns! And with it dawns the assurance of a new hope, a new life, a new creation! And such is what we celebrate this weekend!

Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Randy Roberts

Senior Pastor