Dear Friends at Manchester UMC,
Unfortunately, the surrounding culture has taken some of Christianity’s best stuff. This reality is mostly for commercial gain. We don’t have to go too far into a Walgreens around Eastertime to discover a whole aisle devoted to Easter candy and stuffed bunnies. Christmas is even worse. Retail outlets start “getting ready for Christmas” around Halloween. It seems that Christmas decorations and songs show up earlier and earlier on the calendar. But this coming Sunday, we will celebrate a Christian holiday that is free of any connections to the wider consumer culture. This Sunday is Ascension Sunday, and to my knowledge there no special Ascension Sunday candies and no Ascension Sunday sales.
I find this to be pretty exciting. Ascension Sunday is pure and untouched by the surrounding culture. In fact, it is a real “insider” story. If you want to get ready for the celebration, read Acts1:1-11. In these verses you will discover the account of a forty-day period after the resurrection of Jesus. During this period, Jesus meets only the disciples—no outsiders. He spent his time teaching about the Kingdom of God. The disciples learned what was essential in the Christian faith. In this Scripture, the Disciples are not asked to “feed my sheep” or “take care of the flock.” They are simply asked to “wait.” Wait because something greater is coming.
Hope to see you Sunday. Bring a relative, friend, or acquaintance.
Your True Friend,
Kurt
Sermons
Exactly How Did I Get Here? Part II
The Scripture for this final sermon is Mark 6:30-44. In this passage, Jesus recommends a time of rest and spiritual renewal for the disciples. The twelve had just returned from a mission during which they preached and healed. Jesus thought his closest followers needed a Sabbath, so he led them to a deserted place to recuperate. But Jesus’s planned retreat was interrupted because the crowds discovered where he was and packed the place. In this setting, Jesus demonstrates his compassion, showing himself to be the Good Shepherd as he cares for his people, sacrificing his own much-needed rest.
