“One Week Later”
It’s been one week since Easter Sunday. One week since the church was full of people smiling, laughing, embracing and singing. One week since the pews overflowed and the balcony door was thrown open. One week since the “hallelujahs” and “amens” filled the air and we celebrated God’s victory over the grave. One week…a lot can change. On Easter Sunday we celebrate our salvation, we commemorate our freedom from a life of sin and death. On Easter Sunday we take hope in transformation, both of ourselves and the world through the love of Christ. On Easter Sunday, we BELIEVE. Yet, as my husband asked the congregation in his sermon this morning, “Where are you today?” Where are you one week later? Do you still believe?
One week after Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples were stuck. They were locked in a room, for fear, John says, of the Jewish leaders. As they were huddled behind closed doors, Jesus appeared. And he told them this:
It was time to go! The power of the resurrection had been imparted to the disciples–they literally carried the breath of God inside of them!! What wondrous things could they do? Apparently, none, because John says in verse 26 that one week later, the disciples were again hiding in that locked room. Seriously? Again??
Do you know how many times I’ve said that as a parent? Just the other day, my son came home and told me he’s accidentally dinged another car in a parking lot. “Again!?” I asked. How can he not figure this out? Or last week, when my other son got miffed because he had no clean clothes for school. “Again!” I asked. Tell me before you run out!
Jesus must have been a little bit exasperated with the disciples. They had SEEN Jesus, they had TOUCHED Jesus, they had IMBIBED the Holy Spirit and they still didn’t believe enough to LEAVE!! The disciples were stuck in the muck of their fear and despair. The chains were broken but they couldn’t bring themselves to open the door and step outside. A world was waiting, and they were hiding out.
Interestingly, John seems to insinuate that it was all Thomas’s fault, like they were just waiting for their friend who had someone been absent from the first lockdown experience to show up. Then they’d share the good news and head out. But when Thomas heard about Jesus’s appearance to the disciples, he got very Midwestern about it, proclaiming quite obstinately that until he’d touched Jesus’s scars himself, he would not believe. I don’t think he really wanted to touch Jesus’s wounds–in fact, I don’t think he expected Jesus to even show up. But something funny happens when we lower our expectations in regard to Jesus…he tends to blow them up and silence all doubt.
I appreciate that in this moment Jesus didn’t say: “Again?!” He had compassion on the disciples. They were his friends, his brothers. He had shared life with them, and he loved them too much to let them remain in their fear and despair. Jesus came back (he always comes back). He came back for his friends. He came back for Thomas. And instead of giving the disciples some big lecture, he simply said, “Believe!”
Sometimes, like the disciples, we find ourselves longing for the freedom Christ brings but are too afraid to step out of ourselves to claim it. And though we might profess to believe in the transforming love of God, we often fail to take that open, compassionate, and generous love out to a world in need. We leave the miracle of the resurrection behind us in the sanctuary until next Easter rolls around. Yet when we do that, we miss the entire point of the story. Christ didn’t live, he LIVES. HE LIVES!! It is now up to us, his disciples, to act like it. We need to unlock the doors, leave the room, and expect Jesus to show up. In short, we need to believe.
Blessings and Peace, Sara
Mission
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Vision
Nelson Memorial UMC seeks to be a place where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children discover wholeness and community while experiencing the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ. We seek to connect with one another to grow in our knowledge and love of God, to encourage each person to live out their unique calling to serve God, and to make a difference in the Boonville community and throughout the world.
Priorities
Developing and Nurturing Faith in Children and Youth
Fostering Growth and Community in Worship and Small Groups
Provide Opportunities to Serve God in Boonville and Beyond
Worship This Week
This Sunday we continue our series, “Dreamer: Lessons from a Life You Wouldn’t Choose, but God Still Used.” Our Scripture focus this week is Genesis 37 verses 12, and 17 – 28.
Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
“Here comes the dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him in a cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe – the ornate robe he was wearing – and they took him and threw him in the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell our brother to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
So when the Midianite merchants came by; his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.“
Our services will begin with the song Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake. Our opening song will be This Is the Day followed by Standing on the Promises, and we will close the service with In His Time. Our Choir will provide Christ Comes to Us as a Prelude for the 10:20 service.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. We have moved our livestream to YouTube. Our YouTube channel is Nelson Memorial UMC. We will post a link to our Facebook page once the service begins. The service will start at approximately 10:25 am following our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
BHS Baccalaureate Service – The BHS Baccalaureate Service will be this Sunday, May 4, at 2:00 pm at the First Baptist Church. Please join the Ministerial Alliance in saluting our graduating seniors.
Red Cross Blood Drive – Our next Red Cross Blood Drive is coming up on Monday, June 2 from 2 – 6 pm. Our goal is to have 20 units donated at this drive, and we need your help to meet this goal. Click here to register to give or for more information.
Wednesday’s Ladies Bible Study – The Wednesday Ladies Bible Study group that meets at 10 am each Wednesday in the lounge will begin a new study on April 30th. If there is anyone who would like to join the group, please let Linda Gordon (816-769-4376) know and she will get a book ordered for you. We will be starting a new study called “Women of the Word” by Jen Wilkin and would love to have you join us for Bible study, prayer, and discussion.
Recognizing Our Graduates – We are putting together our list of graduates from high school and college for our recognition upcoming worship service. Our working list includes: Our working list includes: High School: Baron Davis Fleming, Alexander McGruder, Cooper McGruder, Rebecca Shaw, and Garrett Snyder. College: Jordan Schler, Doctorate of Audiology. Please let us know who else we need to add to the list by emailing the church office at boonvillemethodist@gmail.com. Thank you.
Upper Room Devotional Books – Spend time each day in God’s Word with thought-provoking devotions to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. “Upper Room” devotional books have arrived, please help yourself to one in the back of the sanctuary.
Giving Through Venmo – We can be found on Venmo at @NelsonMemorialUMC. If you don’t know what Venmo is and would like to learn more, information about giving through Venmo can be found on our webpage.
Events this week:
Sunday, May 4: BHS Baccalaureate Service – 2:00 pm, First Baptist Church
Youth Group – 6:00 pm, Jackson Home
Monday, May 5: TOPS – 9:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, May 6: Salvation Army Board Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, May 7: Women’s Bible Study – 10:00 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, May 8: Baby Grace Size & Sort – 1:00 pm, Annex
Praise Band Rehearsal – 6:00 pm, Sanctuary
Girl Scouts – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Friday, May 9: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, May 10: Methodist Men, 8:30 am, Lounge
Closing Words of Wisdom:
Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” – Martin Luther