The week after Easter, and we are were welcoming new members, coming to our Lord's Table, and reaffirming the baptismal covenant in worship. Lots of liturgy led to a short sermon. I treated the liturgical pieces as "live" sermon illustrations.
Mixing water from the river Jordan was really cool. One of our confirmands saw the pitcher beforehand and asked why we were using lemonade (water discolored by Jordan water) for baptism!
”Is It Time” St. Andrew, Denton; 4/8/18; Reaffirmation of Baptismal vows; new members; communion; Easter Sunday; Mark 16: 9-20
Introduction: We read the added part fo the Gospel of Mark.
Original gospel finished with the empty tomb. Later writers filled in the things that happened after the empty tomb.
That is our task - to fill in what happens after the empty tomb.
After the glorious worship with music that gave us glimpses of resurrection power; after the celebration of resurrection.
What do you do after Easter?
Move 1: Short sermon. the sermon illustrations the things that follow the sermon, which give us a glimpse of what to do after the resurrection.are the joining of members.
a. Recognizing new members.
1. they don’t have to do this.
1. In Presbyterian fashion, they have already been received into membership by the Session.
2. We recognize them in part so you can literally recognize them; put faces to names.
3. But mostly, we go through this ritual to remind ourselves of what binds us together - our own professions of faith in jesus Chirst.
4. Be reminded that we join together to be the body of Christ — we are the ones who continue the ongoing work of the Risen Christ.
b. Speaking of which, you will hear a Minute for Mission inviting you to participate in a mission project.
1. may not be your thing.
2.Date may not be available - but it reminds us we respond.
c. come to our Lord’s Table.
1. made a decision not to mix resurrection and communion last week.
2. But the empty tomb speaks directly to the celebration of our Lord’s Supper.
3. If Christ is not resurrected, the words of initiation are long forgotten words.
4. This table is where we meet the Risen Christ.
c. Reaffirmation of baptismal vows.
1. Water from River Jordan.
2. We are claimed and sent.
Move 2: it was Easter morning at the church I served in KY. I had been serving there for a couple of years.
As I expected, the sanctuary was packed. Lots of people that were not usually there. Most of them I knew – either as members of the congregation who did not make it to church very often or people from around the town.
But over on the left side of the sanctuary was a younger man and woman with two young girls. Presumably husband and wife. I did not know them, nor did I recognize them. That caught my attention, I suppose, as well as the fact that their youngest daughter looked just a year or two older than my young child Caitlin.
As they leave, the man introduces himself, his wife and his two daughters to me. Then, he looks me in the eye and says quite sincerely, “It's time we started going to church. We'll see you next week.”
I said something like, “That will be great.”
what I really wanted to say was, “Yeah right.” It had not taken me too Easter services to hear the promises to return, all the while knowing that the next Sunday would arrive as the one of the poorest attended Sundays of the year.
but, lo and behold, a week later he and his family were there.
And the week after that, they were there.
And I suspect that over the next four years or so that I served that congregation that family was in worship as many weeks, if not more.
I wish I could say it was the sermon that Easter morning that inspired them to change their Sunday morning habits, but I suspect it was not.
Maybe it was hearing the story of Christ's resurrection and desiring to connect to the power of the living Christ.
I never did find out the rest of the story.
I did ask him a few times. In fact, on our move to TX from OH, Leslie and I stopped for worship in KY. I saw him and asked him again.
He always has the same smile and the same answer, “it was time.”
Conclusion: Christ is Risen. Now is the time.
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