To the People of God at Rose Park, Embody Christ Fellowship & Central Park,
A few months ago Central Park Church was looking for a way to bless our Words of Hope missionaries who work in the Middle East with some of the proceeds from our Holiday Shoppe. When I called the Words of Hope office and asked what our missionaries needed, I learned something interesting.
Christmas and Easter provide unique opportunities for reaching people with Jesus in the Middle Eastern countries where they broadcast. People of other faiths hear Christians talking about their Christmas or Easter celebrations and they want to know more. Neighbors are curious and begin to ask questions. This gives Christians, churches, and radio broadcasts an open door to talk about Jesus birth or his death and resurrection.
As we walk through Holy Week, those open doors are on my mind. I have been praying intentionally for the people touched by our missionaries there. I am asking for the Spirit to be at work raising questions in those who need to meet Jesus and for wisdom and courage for those who might be asked to answer their questions. I pray for churches to be ready to welcome curious people and for them to share the good news of Jesus through what they say and do.
And as I pray for people half a world away, my mind goes to the neighborhood in which Central Park Church is located. I usually assume that everyone in our area knows what Holy Week and Easter are all about. But maybe that isn’t true? Perhaps my assumptions are no longer accurate. Maybe there are people here who are wondering what Easter is all about.
So now I am praying a similar prayer for each of our churches. I am asking the Spirit to make our neighbors curious about why we gather in worship for “Maundy Thursday,” “Good Friday,” and “Easter Sunday.” I pray that they will be bold and ask questions, maybe even drop in at one of our churches to see what happens. I ask the Spirit to help us to answer questions as well as welcome and worship in a way that gives people a picture of Jesus.
When we worship Easter Sunday morning these words from the Apostle John will begin our scripture reading:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16
Jesus gave us the supreme example of love as he laid down his life for us. This Holy Week and Easter, we have the opportunity to lay down our lives for others and introduce them to Jesus by what we do and say.
Together at the foot of the Cross,
Pastor Kevin Kleinheksel
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Thursday - Exodus 12:1-4
Friday - Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Saturday - John 20:1-18
Sunday -1 John 3:16-24
Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash