Sermon – Matthew 28:1-10 – Life after Death

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

Sermon – Matthew 28:1-10 – Life after Death[1]

March 23, 2008 – Easter

Section 1 – Ways people deal with death today

An elderly Buddhist Monk in rural China is making his way up a mountain to a small stream where he has sat many times before to meditate. There he watches the water playfully dance over the rocks. For him this is the most peaceful place on earth. He imagines that one day he will be a tiny drop of water gliding over these stones and then melting into the stream to exist no more.

A mother drives to isolated section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. She stops her car and gets out. She looks around at the curve where her son died in a traffic accident a week before. She places his picture, an old teddy bear, some flowers, and a white cross on the side of the road as a memorial to her son. Then she gets back in her car and drives home in tears.

A disabled Hindu man is being cared for by some Christian mission workers in New Deli. He is desperately poor and without their assistance he would surely die. He thinks, “What could I have done in my past lives to deserve this terrible fate?” He is encouraged when the missionaries tell him that in Jesus there will be new life. So he thinks “I must try harder in this life so that my next life will be better.”

A woman in Korea prays silently before dawn. She has a small altar in her living room. On it stands a picture of her dead father. She prays to him daily fully believing that these prayers will protect her family. Some Christians told her that Jesus prayed to his father. “This is good”, she thinks, and continues her prayers.

In Gaza a Muslim father is outraged when his older son is killed by the Israelis in an air attack on his car. His son had been a member of Hamas and did good things for the elderly and the widows of Gaza. So he told his younger son to go into Israel as a suicide bomber confident that the spirits of both sons would go immediately to paradise as martyrs.

A group of friends in ten cars proceed slowly toward the edge of town. They stop at a seedy building and go inside. They say their final goodbyes to an old friend. One places a golf ball in the casket. They hear supermarket music from an old organ. A button is pushed and their friend is cremated. Then they all go out for lunch.

People deal with death in many different ways. Our beliefs and practices come to us from our families, traditions and cultures. We watch how our parents deal with death and what they say about it. This shapes our beliefs. Religious teachings may have some influence. What we all want to know is, “What happens after we die?”

Section 2 – Interpretations of life after death in biblical times

In ancient times people had their beliefs about life after death. The pagans mostly believed that at death one becomes a disembodied spirit. Many thought that these spirits hung around the earth looking for new bodies to inhabit. They were ghosts. Others believed that these disembodied spirits go somewhere much better that here. Plato taught that the world we live in is inferior and incomplete. It is a mere shadow of a perfect world that exists someplace else. Plato said that our bodies decay to dust in this world while our spirits ascend to the perfect world above.

The ancient Hebrews did not accept pagan teaching on death. They believe that the world we live in is not inferior or imperfect. Our world was created by God and was created good. The Hebrews thought that men and women, through sin, had corrupted the world, but one day God would restore the world to what it was supposed to be. So when we die our bodies return to the dust of the earth, and our souls, our personalities, thoughts, and feelings are preserved by God. Then one day the bodies of God’s people will be resurrected from the dead and reunited with their souls to live forever in the presence of God in this world as they were created to live.

Section 3 – Historical Support for the First Easter

Although these ancient ways of thinking about life after death are well known, there was not much written about the topic before the 1^st century. Authors realized that they just did not know very much about what happens after we die so there was not much to write about. Then all of that changed and suddenly there was an enormous amount of literature from many sources all about life after death. What happened to cause this great proliferation of literature about an obscure subject? Historians would ask: “what historical event occurred to cause all of these writers to begin writing about life after death?”

And that brings us to a very strange story we find in Gospel of Matthew. Let me read it to you.

Matthew 28:1-10 ^NRS Matthew 28:1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ² And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴ For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." ⁸ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

This story is strange for several reasons. First, there is no pronouncement by Matthew that this is to fulfill some prophecy. Usually Matthew tells us with great fanfare that something Jesus did was to fulfill the words of the prophet who said … But in this story there is no prophecy quoted. The prophets knew that one day all of God’s people would be resurrected from the dead, but they never envisioned the resurrection of one person before everyone else. This story is also strange because the witnesses are all women. Women were considered unreliable and could not testify in court in that culture. So why would Matthew write a story where the only witnesses were women? It appears that this story was not written by Matthew at all. Rather it seems to be an eyewitness account from someone who saw what actually happened.

In this story we have an empty tomb. There could be many reasons for an empty tomb. Maybe the women were confused and went to the wrong one. Or maybe Jesus’ body had been stolen by grave robbers. If an empty tomb is all we have then we can’t say much about life after death. But in addition to the empty tomb we also have an appearance by Jesus. Of course Jesus could have been a ghost, a disembodied spirit. But the appearance of Jesus combined with the empty tomb indicates that it was an embodied Jesus who came out of that tomb and appeared to the women.

The only rational explanation for all of this is that Jesus truly and historically was resurrected from the dead. Jesus did not disappear like a drop of water into a stream. Jesus was not reincarnated into another person. Jesus was not a disembodied spirit or a ghost. Jesus did not stick around to help his descendants. Jesus’ spirit did not go to heaven leaving his dead body behind. Rather Jesus’ body was raised from death to life proving, by his example, that the Hebrew idea of a future resurrection of all of God’s people was true.

Section 4: Life after Death

When we die our bodies will decay, but God will preserve our souls, our identity, intellect, personality, memories and feelings. And one day in the future we can expect that God will resurrect us, just as he resurrected Jesus, with renewed bodies for our preserved souls.

Most of us believe that our spirits go to heaven when we die. In reality the opposite is true. Heaven comes to us. The promise of scripture is that the resurrection of God’s people is part of God’s recreation of the world. When Jesus in his flesh and blood resurrected body ascended to heaven he began the work with God of creating a new world for us. Our existing world will not be destroyed. Rather it will be transformed and renewed. Not only all of us, but all of creation, will be resurrected by God into a new creation. And it is in this new creation where we will live in our resurrected bodies with Christ for eternity. This is why the resurrection of Jesus Christ was so important. It gave us a glimpse of a glorious future reality. We now know what the future hold for us. And this gives us great hope.

So to the Buddhist monk sitting beside the stream, you will never become a drop dissolving into the water. But if you accept Jesus Christ you will be resurrected in the new creation and will enjoy this beautiful stream forever.

To the mother in Pennsylvania, do not be afraid for the day will come when you will be reunited with your resurrected son in a glorious new creation through your faith in Jesus Christ.

To the disabled Hindu man, you will not be reincarnated over and over again always hoping to enjoy a better life. But if you believe in Jesus Christ you will be resurrected in a new, glorified, and healthy body to life forever in a glorious new earth.

To the woman in Korea, your father has no ability to protect your family. Instead you should direct your morning prayers to Jesus Christ. Jesus will protect your family. And one day you can expect to be resurrected with all those in your family who accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

To the father in Gaza, your son’s spirit does not fly off to paradise. Rather his body will simply be blown apart by the bomb. But if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord then you can pray for peace in your land with the confidence that you will be one day reunited with you dead son in a glorious and peaceful future resurrection.

And to the group of friends who just cremated their old friend, if you accept Jesus Christ in your lives the Holy Spirit will be there to comfort you in your loss with the assurance that God will gather up your friend’s dust and breathe new life into his resurrected body, so that your group will be reunited in the resurrection.

Conclusion

Today we celebrate the day when an historical event proved that our bodies will one day be resurrected from the dead and we will live in the presence of God forever. The historical event which happened that day was a foretaste of our future resurrection. And what happen that day? What happened was the central tenant of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the Lord is Risen!

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[1] Adapted from, N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope – Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: Harper One 2008)

Meditation on “I am thirsty”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Meditation on “I am thirsty”

Service of the Seven Last Words of Christ, San Francisco Theological Seminary, Southern Campus at Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

Good Friday, March 21, 2008

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. He is on a cross baking in the hot dry Judean sun. His ancestors knew something about thirst. After following Moses into the wilderness that too experienced thirst under this same sun. Moses prayed for water and God quenched the thirst of his people from a rock. Where is God now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. For forty days he wandered in the wilderness without food and water. Jesus was sustained by the Holy Spirit. Where is the Holy Spirit now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. Jesus told a woman in Samaria that he could give her living water. This water would quench her thirst forever. This was the water of eternal life. Where is the water of eternal life now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. Jesus proclaimed in the temple that out of the believer’s hearts flow streams of living water. Where are the believers now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. Jesus said “all who believe in me will never be thirsty.” Where is Jesus now? Jesus is on a cross with his side pierced by a spear and the living waters spilling on the ground. The source of the living water that leads to eternal life is dying and thirsty.

If Jesus had held onto the living water then it would not be available for us. Jesus was like a seed. A seed must fall to the ground and die for new life to sprout from it in abundance. In the same way Jesus had to give up the living water by dying. So that, like a seed, the living water sprouts, springs up, in us giving us eternal life.

So if we die to our old lives and our reborn in the Spirit believing in Christ we will receive this gift of water that was poured out for us by Jesus on the cross. This is the gift of the living water of eternal life. Jesus was thirsty, really thirsty on the cross because he had given away the living waters of eternal life to us. If we drink these waters and believe in Christ we will never be thirsty again.

Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 – The Humble King

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 – The Humble King

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 16, 2008

A great crowd has assembled on the Mount of Olives. People from Galilee who had been healed, freed from demons, and fed when hungry followed Jesus as disciples. Others had witnessed the signs during the journey, the healings of blind men and the teachings of a great rabbi. The crowd grew larger and larger as it approached Jerusalem. Something big was about to happen.

In Jerusalem another crowd had assembled. It was the great feast of Passover. Pilgrims had come from all over to worship God as they and their ancestors had done for thousands of years. They gathered to remember the defining events of their nation when Moses parted the Red Sea, freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. Something big was about to happen.

The Roman Legions, stationed just outside of town, were also worried that something big was about to happen.

Jesus sent two of his disciples to a nearby village to find and bring back a donkey and its colt. Jesus had decided that his hour had come. There was no long any need to hide who he really was and what he had come to do. By sitting on the donkey Jesus proclaimed to the crowd the he was the Messiah, the Christ. The prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled. Something big was about to happen.

The crowd saw what Jesus had done. He was sitting on donkey. The King, the son of David, had come and was entering triumphantly into Jerusalem. So they broke branches off the olive trees and placed them on the ground in front of Jesus. Others covered the branches with their cloaks and prepared the way for the King to enter his city. And they cried out: “Hosanna”, Save Us, to the son of David.

Jesus had come as the savior. Something big was about to happen. The blessed one was coming the name of the Lord. O Save Us! Hosanna.

As the great crowd with Jesus approach Jerusalem the whole city was shaken. The confusion, the excitement, the fear, the turmoil registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. Something really big was happening. They asked who is this? And the crowd responded this is a prophet like Moses with his miraculous signs, and a king like David who will throw off the oppressors. The Messiah of God had arrived, Jesus of Nazareth.

But within a few days all of the excitement had faded as the Messiah, the son of David, the great prophet like Moses was arrested, tried and executed on a cross like a common criminal. Something big had happened, but what was it?

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week. Today a great prophet and king has come into Jerusalem. By the end of this week our savior will be nailed to a cross to die. So this week is one of contrasts, a tragedy starting with a coronation and ending with humiliation and death. How do we make sense of all of this? What is the meaning of the cross?

Will you pray with me? Father in Heaven we come to church today with great hope. Although we may be disappointed with the events of this keep in us faith that will sustain us through whatever happens. We pray this in the name of our crucified Lord, Amen.

During our Lenten Vespers we have been looking at different perspectives on the meaning of the cross. A variety of voices have been heard attempting make sense of the cross and death of Jesus. We have read from an early Christian hymn that Jesus died as an example for us so that we who are powerful will humble ourselves, as Jesus did, to serve the powerless. We have seen that the death of Jesus was a ransom paid to redeem us from slavery to sin. And we have seen that Jesus was sacrificed on a cross in payment for our sins. All of these things are true. But there is another way of thinking about the meaning of the cross. Listen to these words of Paul in the book of Romans?

Romans 5:10-11 ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The reason Jesus went to the cross was to reconcile us to God. We now have a new relationship with God. No longer are we enemies, but through Christ we now enjoy fellowship with God. Our new relationship with God is central to our understanding of what Jesus has done for us.

The death of Jesus on the cross was the cost to God of repairing his relationship with us. It requires from us a response. Jesus’ death is of no value to us unless we respond in faith. Our anger, stubbornness and disobedience must stop for us to receive the benefits of God who desires to be reconciled with us.

Through this self-giving act Jesus did away with anything that would limit our ability to do God’s will in this world. Guilt cannot any long bar us from participating in God. We are no longer bound by sin. The devil no longer has any authority over us. Not even the consequences of fear and death separate from the love of God. The pain of broken relationships is born on Christ’s body. Through Christ’s death we are guided to a new way of life. We become friends with God and friends with each other.

But, on the cross, Jesus did far more than just renewing our relationship with God. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians.

Colossians 1:19-20 ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Jesus’ death on the cross results not only with our reconciliation with God but also our reconciliation with each other. The reason God desires reconciliation with us and desires for us to be reconciled with each other is that God wants us to be in a community of believers. Just as God forms a holy community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so too are the faithful to be formed by Jesus into churches. The cross symbolizes that God wants our participation in communities of faith. This participation is to be sacrificial. We are to give our lives for the fullness of our communities. So the meaning of the cross is that Jesus by dying was instituting a sacrificial community of the faithful called church.

The church is called by the cross to be a ministry of reconciliation. We are sent into the world to heal the enmities that separate people from each other and from God. Our ministry is to work for the end suffering and need and the well being of all people. The suffering of Jesus makes us sensitive to the sufferings of women and men all over the world. The cross is a symbol of God’s judgment our complicity in the violence and injustice which humanity inflicts on each other. So we are guided by the Spirit and humbled by our sin to discern God’s will for our own lives and for our community and church. God wants us to reconcile humanity by working to break down the walls of race and ethnicity and work for reconciliation in employment, housing, education, family, community and church. God wants us to be grounded in the peace, justice and freedom of Jesus Christ. We are to be a people of forgiveness searching for peaceful ways to settle our differences. God wants us to work for the end of enslaving poverty around the world. Jesus himself identified with the needy and exploited. The cause of the world’s poor is the Church’s cause as well. And God wants the church work to end the anarchy in relationships by promoting marriage, commitment and good parenting.

So the meaning of the cross is that through the death of Jesus Christ we are reconciled with God and with each other. The church is called to be reconciling community with a mission to reconcile all of humanity with God and with each other in the name of the Prince of Peace.

We will from time to time be discouraged from fulfilling the mission God has given us. It will seem from time to time that we are all alone and that God has forsaken us. We may experience persecution or even death as we do our work of reconciling the world to God. All of our hopes may be buried in a tomb. We may wander away saddened by the way things turned out. If all we had was Christ’s death then the church and its mission of reconciliation would have ended a long time ago. But no matter the depth of our pain we must remember that we are not a crucified people. We are not a people of death. Rather we are a people of life and because we are filled by the Spirit with an Easter hope of new life.

The disciples of Jesus watched his suffering and death not knowing what was happening. Their fear caused them to abandon Jesus when Jesus needed them most. All of Jesus’ teachings, trying to prepare them for the events of this week, were forgotten in the midst of their grief and sorrow. As we approach this final week of Jesus’ life we are blessed with the sure knowledge and hope in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So be sustained in that hope as we gather together Thursday evening to participate with Jesus in his passions and Friday evening as we join with many churches to listen to the last seven words Jesus said from the cross. And next Sunday, everyone who has experience a broken relationship with God and broken relationships with other may come right here to experience reconciliation hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Lord Jesus, we will be with you in the coming week. We will be with you that last night as you broke the bread and poured the wine. We will be with you when you are arrested and tried. And we will be there at the foot of the cross. We will never abandon you in you time of need because of our gratitude for your gift of forgiveness and eternal life, Amen

Sermon - Romans 8:1-11, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Romans 8:1-11, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 2, 2008

On this fourth Sunday of Lent we finally come to see the impact that salvation has on our lives. We have already seen the great act of God who gave forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life to all who have faith in Jesus Christ. We have also seen that through the work of Jesus Christ we now have a renewed relationship with God as God’s adopted children, filled with God’s love. Today we will see the implications of these acts of God in our own lives as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, makes us holy and into what we were created to be.

Will you pray with me? Holy Spirit come amongst us today and fill our hearts with God’s love. Speak to us through the Word of God as read and proclaimed. Work in us the gift of sanctification so that we may be enabled to love God and each other and to approach the throne of grace in our final glorification, Amen.

Romans 8:1-11 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

There is a new reality show on television called “Moment of Truth” A group of contestants are asked before the show starts a series of personal questions and their truthfulness is tested by lie detector. Then they appear on television and can win $500,000 if they answer each question truthfully. These are very personal questions and the answers sometimes reveal deep dark secrets that have harmful effects on family members. This week a young woman, Lauren Cleri, appeared on the program hoping to win the money. She had to respond truthfully. So she admitted to having slept around with other men and wanted to marry someone else for fame and fortune. This admission devastated and humiliated her husband, a New York City police officer, before 8 million people on network TV. She was then about to pocket $200,000 when she lied on the next question and lost everything. The next question was if she thought she was a good person. She said “yes” and that lie cost her everything. Her sin resulted in pain, guilt and shame, and has threatened to destroy the love her husband had for her.[1] This show clearly illustrates both the reality of sin in the world and the way the requirements of the law cause guilt and shame. There has to be another way to deal with sin and guilt. And thankfully there is.

At the crucifixion, Jesus paid for all of our sins so that all who believe in him no longer have any debt to pay or guilt to worry about. This puts us in a new relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven. Our debt is paid. We enter new life. This, no doubt, will have profound effects on us. We begin to think in a new way, have a new mindset, a new worldview. Our old worldview was based on blessings if we did what was right and curses if we did what was wrong. The Law of Moses was the measuring rod for determining whether blessings or curses were deserved. But in Jesus Christ we have a new way of thinking, one that is based not our actions but on God’s love which has been graciously poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The requirements of the law can now be met with this new way of thinking. If we are always concerned about getting punished if we do something wrong then fear and guilt overwhelm us and we are unable to act. But if we acknowledge the love of God that is in our hearts then we are free to obey the law confidently, knowing that God will help us. We can joyously and thankfully fulfill the requirements of the Ten Commandments. This allows us to live lives of love and peace rather than fear and death. With God’s love in our hearts we can respond to God as adopted children, loving God with our whole hearts and our loving our neighbors as ourselves.

All of this is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was an experienced reality of the early church. The Pentecost experience continued to enliven and inspire the church. The church was an instrument of the Spirit’s activity on earth and a depository of the Spirit’s gifts. By the fourth century the church realized from its experience that the Holy Spirit was truly God and belonged with the Father and the Son in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit was understood as God’s love which is poured into our hearts and is the bond holding together the church.

This Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to give us new life. We know this because the Holy Spirit was the new life given to Jesus Christ as Jesus was raised from the dead. This gives us the hope that the Holy Spirit who resides in our hearts today will one day animate our dead bodies and raise us to eternal life. The work of the Holy Spirit in us is called sanctification. Sanctification is the process whereby we are recreated into the image of God. We are made holy and set aside for God’s purposes. Our lives are increasing characterized by morality. Our attitudes and actions increasingly meet God’s expectations. Both our character and our conduct are transformed.

The Holy Spirit makes this transformation happen, but requires our cooperation. While we are being transformed sin continues to have a harmful effect on us. Sin no longer dominates our lives, but it remains in remission waiting for an opportunity to return. From time to time we may fall back into sin and believe that the Holy Spirit has gone away from us. But sin no longer has full control over our lives. By cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we are transformed gradually, throughout our lifetimes, until we reach the full measure and stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:14).

The Holy Spirit transforms us by speaking to us through the Word of God. It was the Holy Spirit that inspired the writers of the Bible to record what God wanted written down. It is the Holy Spirit that opens your minds today so that you will hear through the scripture what God wants you to hear. It is the Holy Spirit that is working through me today as I proclaim God’s word to you. And it is the Holy Spirit that brings you into communion with God and with each other through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit will carry our prayers to heaven and bring God’s answer back to us. And the Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us when we need to be healed and comforted. Worship brings us into relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ and our cooperation with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit who enables us to declare that Jesus Christ is our Lord allowing us to enter in the communion of other believers. The Holy Spirit provides the church with a prophetic voice that enables it to grow. Through the Holy Spirit God is present with the church.

The Holy Spirit is working though the Presbyterian Church USA through a program called Self-Development of People. In this program people living below the poverty line are encouraged to improve their own communities. They are helped to form their own organizations and receive funding from us to make their lives better. For example, the Women’s Information Network, of Cottage Grove, Ore., was given $30,000 to enable women who have been abused to purchase a residence. The residence will enable the women to continue their personal recovery and advocacy work. Another example is the Low-Income Tenant Union of the Kalamazoo Homeless Action Network in Kalamazoo, Mich., which was given $20,000 to empower a group of homeless people moving into private apartments to organize against housing discrimination, advocate for fair rental agreements and fight unfair evictions. There are many groups of poor people fighting for a better life that Presbyterian Church is helping through Self-Development of People. What makes all of this possible is the community of the faithful that has been assembled by the Holy Spirit into Presbyterian churches. This includes you because you will have the opportunity to support Self-Development of People through One Great Hour of Sharing, our Palm Sunday special offering.

Wherever there is great passion for life we know the Holy Spirit is at work liberating the oppressed and bringing God’s justice to the world. The Holy Spirit is the link between the world we live in and heavenly world of God. So we experience the Holy Spirit through both the inspired Word of God and the created world of God. The Holy Spirit allows us grow and mature. And we work for the protection of God’s creation.

So brothers and sisters, those of you have faith in Jesus Christ I can assure you that you sins have been forgiven and you are now offered a new relationship with God. To fully participate in this new relationship you have to grow and mature into what God has created you to be. Sin has defaced the image of God which was part of you at creation. Now is the time to recover the image of God and become more and more like Jesus Christ. We can’t do this alone. We need help. And help has arrived in the Holy Spirit which has come to make you holy. Your cooperation in now required to accept this gift. And with this gift we all have a glorious future.

Holy Spirit, come down upon us. Forgive our sins. Heal our diseases. Comfort us during difficult times. Speak to hearts of all the people in our Eagle Rock community and prepare us as a church to bring our neighbors to Jesus. We pray for the growth of the church and your glorious presence with us. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.

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[1] http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,332969,00.html