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May 2004 Dear Friends, When you study Rembrandt’s painting of the crucifixion, your attention is first drawn to the cross and to Jesus. Then, as you look at the crowd around the cross, you are drawn to the faces of the people involved in crucifying the Son of God. Eventually, your eyes drift to the edge of the picture and catch sight of another figure hidden in the shadows. We are told this was a self-portrait of Rembrandt, because he realized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus there. It’s one thing to say that Jesus died for the sin of the world. It’s entirely another thing to say that Jesus died for my sin. It may be easy to point fingers at those who crucified Jesus, but it’s a disturbing thought that I can be as scheming as the chief priests, as apathetic as Pilate, as calloused as the soldiers, as relentless as the mob, or as cowardly as the disciples. It isn’t just what they did - it was I who crucified Jesus. If you look closely at Rembrandt’s painting you will see that in the shadows you also are standing with blood-stained hands. Christ bore the penalty of your sin. Praise God that He was wounded for you and me! Pastor Rick
March 2004 Dear Friends, I want to share my thoughts with you about Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, which opens in theaters on February 25th. The movie focuses on the last 12 hours of Christ’s life. In brutal form, it depicts what Jesus went through during his arrest, before Pilate, what scouring is like, and what a crucifixion looks like. The cross was violent. Crucifixion was a brutal form of execution. When Jesus died for our sins, the nails were real, his flesh broke, and the blood ran. This violent act paid the price that we could not pay. I have read about Jesus on the cross numerous times. I’ve spent the last 18 years of my life pointing people to Jesus and trying to explain the reason behind the cross. I’ve read about the brutality of scourging and crucifixion, but I’ve never felt the emotion of the high cost Jesus paid to save me like I did when I saw this movie. I’ll never be the same. I saw the humanity of Jesus like never before. The swelling and bruises on his face were real. The moaning and blood from his scourging were real. His exhaustion from carrying the cross to Calvary was real. His death by shock and asphyxiation was real. One controversy you may hear about the movie is that it’s anti-Semitic. I do not believe the movie portrayed an indictment toward Jewish people - but rather humanity as a whole. Jews didn’t put Jesus on the cross, sin did - it was our sins that nailed Jesus to the cross. Go see the movie. It will both disturb and captivate you. Then, perhaps for the first time, you will appreciate what true passion is all about. May this season of Lent remind us that Jesus’ life was driven by a divine purpose. His every choice - right up to his willing surrender to the cross - focused on a single objective: to offer forgiveness and a new life to every person who wants it. Pastor Rick
February 2004 Dear Friends, What would you think if I told you that God can transform you and our congregation in 40 days? I’m certain there would be a variety of answers: "Ah, come on, no way!" … "God is too remote, I don’t think God even cares about me." … "Sure, with God, all things are possible!" … "Oh, yeah, prove it!" I believe that God can and wants to transform your life. It is God’s greatest desire that you know what you were placed on earth for. You were created for five main purposes: 1) You were planned for God’s pleasure. 2) You were formed for Gods’ family. 3) You were created to become like Christ. 4) You were shaped for serving God. 5) You were made for a mission. These are life’s purposes according to Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life. As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Warren wants to share with local congregations across the United States the benefits of a campaign entitled 40 Days of Purpose. The campaign is designed to help our congregation answer the question: What on earth am I here for? We, at Neal Avenue Church, will participate in 40 Days of Purpose April 24 - June 6, 2004. Much prayer and preparation are required to launch a campaign of this magnitude. In the coming weeks, you will be invited to be a part of this great adventure. The campaign coordinators will ask you to join a team. 40 Days of Purpose is designed to be a tool for ministry that involves the entire congregation. You will discover God’s purposes for your life through personal study, small groups, and weekend worship services. I will be sharing more information with you in the near future. I’m excited about what God has in store for you and me. Let us prayerfully avail ourselves to God’s will for our lives. Blessings in Jesus, Pastor Rick |
Neal Avenue United Methodist Church