From the Pastor's Desk Upon returning to the church I took my wallet out,

opened it and to my surprise there was the winning

Going beyond the rim of Scripture rim. Knowing these things happen for a reason I
reflected on how disturbed I was that my precious
rim was missing. It’s funny how possessive we are
Psalm 19 about winning rims that were a gift to begin with. It
7-The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. made me do some self-examination and ask myself
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making the a few questions, ―What disturbs me in life?‖ ―Does it
wise simple. bother me that the commands of God are missing
8-The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to from the stores of my heart?‖ ―Does it bother me
the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, that the Bible is barely more precious than the
giving light to the eyes. latest book about the Bible?‖ This led me back to
9-The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. Psalm 19 and Psalm 119 which are great Psalms
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether that remind us to go beyond the rim of scripture and
righteous. allow it sink into our hearts because it is more
10-They are more precious than gold, than much precious than the finest gold-- or lottery ticket--or
pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey winning rim.
from the comb.
Still rolling...through Scripture
If you were to ask anyone on the street if they
would like to be refreshed in the soul, if they would Pastor Luke
like more wisdom, more joy and be enlightened in
how they see things you would hear a resounding P.S. For help in getting beyond the rim of Scripture
yes!! Or if they are more cynical ―what's the catch?‖ turn to the article entitled ―Road Passages‖
Well, there is a catch. If we want those things we
will have to turn to the word of God. Sounds simple
enough but it really is not that easy. God’s word is
not merely an encyclopaedia of information to
inform the mind, it's so much more. If we desire to
have our soul revived by the word of God we will
have to let go of all the other inadequate soul
revivers we cling to. If we desire wisdom from the
word of God we have to let go of the wisdom of this
world we hold so dear. If we desire the word of God
to bring us Joy we will have to surrender the many
joy killers. If we desire to be enlightened by God’s
word then the blinders will have to be taken off. For
all this to happen, the word of God will have to
become like something...like what? Gold. In fact it
needs to become MORE precious than gold. Gold
may not mean as much to us today because we are
a paper currency based society but the equivalent
for us might be the recent $50 million winning ticket
from Lotto MAX. God’s word is more precious than
a $50 million winning ticket. (By use of this analogy
I in no way endorse gambling... despite the
following illustration)

Recently I found myself in Tim Horton’s at the cash

ordering a coffee because I had a winning rim from
another coffee that had been given to me. As I
ordered I was digging through my wallet looking for
the rim. After looking through the wad of receipts
several times and taking precious minutes from the
line of people behind me I gave up in a huff
commenting that it might be time to clean it out.

Family Page
Why Kids Misbehave
by Shana Schutte
I'm a product of the 70s, a time when everyone in
my third-grade class sat and listened silently while
our teacher, Mrs. Sampe, expounded on a concept.
When she finished talking, we followed directions.
The greatest problems in our classroom were
chewing gum and passing notes.
You can imagine my shock when I became an
elementary school teacher twenty-five years later.
During my first week of teaching, one of my
students stood in the middle of my explanation
about Vincent Van Gogh, approached me, tugged
on my skirt and tattled on his buddy at the back of
the room. I couldn't believe I was being interrupted
in the middle of a lesson! I later discovered that this
behavior — and much worse — was the norm.
What happened to good, old-fashioned respect?
In his book Have a New Kid by Friday, Dr. Kevin
Leman asks similar questions, but in relation to
parenting. "Why is it that these days that so many
children tend to diss their parents, to act
disrespectfully? Why are so many parents caught in
the roles of threatening and cajoling and never
getting anywhere? What's going on here?"
Granted, many things have affected kids since
Beaver Cleaver and black and white television.
Technology has made huge advancements but
sends millions of negative messages to kids about
authority. Drug use has increased. The family
structure has all but fallen apart. However, the real
answer to Leman's question (and my teaching
problem) is that because kids misbehave because
they can and because adults let them.
In his book, Dr. Leman says, "It all comes down to
who is really in charge of your family." He points out
that many parents are so concerned about being
their child's friend — not hurting their child's
feelings or making sure that their child is always
happy — that they fail to parent well.
Leman's comments lead to several pointed
questions: Are you willing to do whatever it takes to
take charge of your family? Are you willing to look
like the "bad guy" at times in order to parent your
children so they will stop rolling over you? Are you
ready to be an assertive parent, helping your child
become all he can be?
If you're ready to take on what Leman calls "the
ankle-biter battalion," read on and learn how to
become a super parent!
Here are three ways parents encourage their kids
to misbehave.
No parenting game plan
Imagine a football coach having no plan to lead his
team to victory. What would it be like if he never put
any plays into action? What if he didn't discipline
his team or expect them to perform? What if he let
them run wild everywhere without direction? No
doubt, life with his "team" would be chaotic and
exhausting.
Parents lead kids much like a coach leads a
football team, and to experience victory, parents
need a good parenting game plan. Part of having a
plan means defining the attitudes, behaviors and
character traits you want your children to possess.
When you can define these, you'll be able to begin
to develop a plan to become a super parent.
In his book Have a New Kid by Friday, Dr. Leman
helps parents put a one-week parenting game plan
into action that helps reduce parental frustration,
put parents back in the coach's seat and transform
their child's attitude, behavior and character.
Not only should you develop an "overall" parenting
plan, but it's also important to have a scheduled
minute-by-minute plan, especially with your
smallest children. As an elementary teacher, I
learned that the best defense against bad behavior
is having a good lesson plan that would keep their
little hands busy. The same applies to parenting.
Keep your kids busy with things to learn, with stuff
to do and with an agenda, and your parenting job
will be much easier with fewer discipline problems.
Inconsistency
As an elementary teacher, I learned the hard way
that children have brains like elephants — they will
latch onto even your the smallest promises
(positive or negative) and remember them a day,
week, month or year later. Therefore, I learned that
consistency was of utmost importance in discipline.
If I said I was going to dole out a pink slip and a trip
to the school's front office the next time I saw a
particular student, I needed to deliver rather than
make threats or promises I didn't intend to keep.
Road Passages
And if you don't do what you say you will, they
won't respect you.

Dr. Leman agrees. He says in Have a New Kid by

Friday that a child's misbehavior serves a purpose
in his life: it gives him a reason to control you.
Sadly, if a parent does not show the child that they
are in charge through consistency, a child's
contempt for their parent will grow. As Dr. Leman
says, ". . . if he [your child] can control you, why
respect you?"

Power struggles

Several years ago my grandmother told me that in

marriage you have to pick your battles. The same is
true in parenting. If you want your home to be
peaceful, you need to decide which battles are
worth fighting with your kids, and which aren't. This
will help stop power struggles that increase bad
behavior.

If your child wants to wear a shirt/skirt combo that

makes her look like she dressed herself in a dark

closet, and she is very strong-willed, you may ask

yourself if it's worth fighting her to get her to change
her duds. On the other hand, if she wants to spend
time with a boy in a dark closet, you might want to
make a big deal out of that. The battles that you
choose to fight will directly affect your child's level
of misbehavior — especially if your child is strong-
willed.

Granted, becoming a stellar parent takes energy,

but the payoff will be greater than anything you
could have imagined as your children grow.

Copyright © 2008 Shana Schutte. From

www.focusonthefamily.com
Presbyterian Church of Ile Perrot

Session news Capsule – March 2011

1-Exploring the possibility of having a membership

course starting in April. It would consist of 5 to 6
persons meeting once a week for 6 to 8 weeks.

2-―Households of Faith‖ life group: will pursue

setting this up in the Fall.

3-Ongoing discussion concerning new elders and

the Mentoring committee.

4-Seven persons attended a Gospel music evening

at PCIP March 13th, another is scheduled for April
10th at 7 PM.

5-Next Elder Enrichment training course will be

held March 28th.

6-Pastor Luke will attend General Assembly in

London, ON June 5 -10, 2011.

7-Tithe: Motions approved to donate $200 for

disaster relief in Japan and $100 to Scripture
Union.

8-Discussion on our hosting of the Women’s

Missionary Society meeting April 16th. Logistical
arrangements being made for the provision of
meals and refreshments.

9-Christian Education: Motions approved to donate

$95 to Martha Evans-Hanna to attend the Faith
Mission conference in Campbellville, ON, and to
earmark $100 for the purchase of 2 tickets to a
Promise Keepers event to be held in Ottawa on
April 9th.

10-A review of our communion and membership

role was made and follow-up actions initiated.

11-Janet given consent to obtain assistance in the

preparation of soup (lunch) meal for the clean-up
volunteers working on Fridays. If there is leftover
soup it will be used for the needy in our
neighbourhood or those using the church on
Saturday
 Resurrection Cookies covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound
represents the rocky tomb where Jesus body was
To be prepared on the evening before Easter Sunday laid.
morning. Read Matthew 27:65-66

You need: Put cookies sheet in the oven. Close door and turn
oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal
Bible the door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed.
1 cup whole pecans
Read Matthew 27:65-66
Mixing bowl
3 egg whites
Wooden spoon Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave
1 cup sugar the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers
1 tsp. vinegar were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Zipper baggy Read John 16:20 and 22
1 pinch of salt
Wax paper On Resurrection Morning open the oven and give
Cookie sheet everyone a cookie! Notice the cracked surface and
Tape take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first
Resurrection Day Jesus' followers were amazed to
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans in the
find the tomb open and empty.
baggy and let the children beat them with the
wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain Read Matthew 28:1-9
that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by
the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3 to them. He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Let child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. into mixing

bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the
cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life.

Explain that Jesus gave His life for our life.
Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand let them

taste it then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain
that represents the salty tears shed by Jesus
followers,and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1

cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of this
story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He
wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with mixer on high speed for 11-15 minutes

until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color
white represents the purity in God's eyes of those
whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by tsp. onto waxed paper-

Kids Corner
Word Search
SETIRNLALUKIIFHXZWV
CYUNLZORSZFBDVOZPQL
UTYFQQFIBTNZRSPALMS
PNMVLTBHTFPCSBRGDOW
KJNTNRPEYCXAEOAIDXA
HCOATVLZLPETSYGQVHI
BVYGOGGLLIRRJSCSOWP
EIYSMFNOAAEIRUOSTZM
YCQFBXSMYIIVGUAVMNU
SYILYRZEWKLPENSCERC
JAKFBHDETPQMNSHEYRB
TACNINYYIPRAYEDFRBL
VARBYRIRMZQUPGIWJLT
QXDDISCIPLESTCNPMGZ Word Scramble
USSLFTFANGXEUJEXPAE
RLAARHOUSKFRSEVMRZJ
QEHOJCSUPMCLHBIPAWW
QVPCBOHLSCHBLPGRLRA
MLIAPMEWQUOOPRRGIFI Unscramble the letters to make words that are
JWFNGUOFBRSXMEOWVUM related to the Easter story.
CEQSOULTREGEUEFAETR 1. rcieficdu __________________
KELLKZASSNYDJOXMRRM 2. bmot _________________
3. rntohs __________________
4. mytpe __________________
alive palms 5. esJsu __________________
believe passover
betrayed prayed 6. yratebde __________________
crucify resurrection 7. olev __________________
disciples sacrifice
8. skis __________________
forgiven tomb
hosanna Jesus 9. rfmeup __________________
10. ivorSa __________________
11. lnine __________________
12. nirsurecetor _________________
13. ldosires __________________
14. ssocr __________________
15. dPaarsie __________________
16. nesri __________________
17. elnga __________________
18. ltaeiP __________________
19. vlCaary __________________
20. idrht yda __________________

Easter
That Obituary Was Wrong
"I am the resurrection and the life."
John 11:25-27
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord. Praise God for the might things
that God did on Easter. Praise God with harps and
lyres. Praise God with drums and dancing. Praise
God with cornets and trumpets. Praise God with
singing choirs and shouting voices. For Jesus
Christ has been raised from the dead by the
powers of God. Christ is here alive, now, in this
room, at this very moment. Christ rules now,
whether you believe it or not. And then, at the very
end of history, when the clock strikes twelve and
history is ended, then once again the trumpets will
sound, the choirs will sing their alleluias, the dead
will be raised, and we too shall be changed, in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye. That is the
Gospel. That is the gospel truth of Easter morning.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "I am the
resurrection and the life. Whoever lives and
believes in me will never die."
If Jesus would have had a funeral, and if there had
been newspapers in those days, his obituary would
have been listed in the Nazareth News, along with
all the other obituaries, Section E, page seven. It
would have been listed under the Js e.g. Jacob,
Jesus, Joseph …, in capital letters of course. The
obituary may have read, ―Jesus of Nazareth was
born in the year 6 BC. He was born to Mary and
Joseph, the carpenter from Galilee. He was
preceded in death by a father, Joseph. He is
survived by his mother, Mary of Capernaum, also
by his brothers, James, Joseph, Judas and Simon,
also of Capernaum and several other sisters.
During his lifetime, it was rumored—according to
this newspaper article—during his lifetime, he
received some notoriety and publicity because of
unusual occurrences associated with his life such
as the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the lame
walking. It was also rumored that he radically
changed people’s lives. More recently, according to
this short article in the Nazareth News, last Sunday
in Jerusalem, large Passover crowds hailed him as
king. Shortly thereafter, the crowds turned against
him. This past Friday afternoon, he was sentenced
to death by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate,
representing the Roman Empire in Jerusalem. He
was killed at three o’clock in the afternoon on
Golgotha hill, the hill of the crucifixion, outside the
walls of Jerusalem. His burial was in the tomb of
Joseph of Arimathea. His family requests that no
flowers be sent, but rather than memorials be send
to the crippled children’s fund in care of the
synagogue in Bethlehem, the place of his birth.‖
And so would read the hypothetical obituary and
short article from the Nazareth News on Sunday
morning, Section E, page seven, along with the
other obituaries.
If that obituary had been printed in the Nazareth
News, everyone would have thought that the Jesus
movement had ended. Its leader was now dead.
His disciples had disappeared. The stories of
miracles would fade away. That little episode would
become one small slice of Roman history. It would
have been like a pebble thrown into a pond: it
would have made a momentary splash and the
ripples gradually would fade away and disappear.
And so it was with Jesus of Nazareth. His life was a
momentary splash. His reputation, his memory, his
teachings would have faded into the smoothness of
the sea…..except…..except for one unique event.
On the third day, unbelievably, they discovered the
grave empty. Jesus of Nazareth had been raised
from the dead by the mighty powers of God. He
was alive again. Recognizable and identifiable. He
was alive again, in a new way, in a new kind of
body that would never taste death. And so they
shouted, ―He is risen! Alleluia! That obituary was
wrong. They said he was dead, over and done with.
Wrong. They were wrong.‖
The news spread, from the angel to Mary to Peter
to the disciples to the 500. And they became a new
people. They became a new brand of men and
women who were filled with a new power, with
Easter power, with resurrection power. They were
no longer afraid of living because they were no
longer afraid of dying. They had a new passion for
life because they had an Easter power, a
resurrection power within them. Why? Because that
obituary was wrong. That obituary said he was
dead, over and done with. Wrong. That obituary
was incomplete. It didn’t tell the whole story.
Today, we gather in a church twenty centuries later.
We gather from every race and every culture and
every nation. We gather by the hundreds, by the
thousands, by the millions. We come to celebrate
God’s Easter message, with Easter hymns and
Easter hats and Easter litanies and Easter choirs
and Easter trumpets. We come to hear the good
news: Christ has been raised from the dead by the
victorious powers of God. Christ is risen. Alleluia.
Why? Why? Why do hundreds and thousands and
millions celebrate today and through two thousand
years of past history? Because that obituary was
wrong. The story was incomplete. The resurrection
powers of God are stronger than all obituaries. The
resurrection powers of God are stronger than all
death notices.
But…..why… are you here today? Why did you
happen to come? Why? Why is it that the
sanctuaries of the world are comparatively full
today and comparatively empty next Sunday? Why
is it that we jam the pews by the millions today and
next week there will be plenty of seating in the
pews available next week? Why are you here today
and perhaps not next week?
Perhap you are here today because of tradition. It
is where you are always found on Easter Sunday
morning. Easter Sunday? We always go to church
on Easter. Perhaps your mother expects you to sit
next to her on Easter and so you are here today. …
Or, maybe you are here today because Easter and
spring go hand in hand. The azaleas are blooming;
the rhododendrons are blossoming; the daffodils
are bright yellow. It is the beginning of spring. It
smells like spring. It smells like Easter. It feels like
Easter in the air. And so you are here today to
enjoy the everlasting cycle of new life in the spring.
… Or, maybe you are here today because these
are tough times for you and your family, and you
and your family are hurting. Maybe you have
personally discovered that you are not as tough as
you thought you were and you have also
discovered that life is tougher than you thought it
was. Maybe you want to be reminded that tough
times don’t last but tough people do. You want that
strength, power and resilience that comes from
Christ ... Or maybe you have come today because
you are a Christmas and Easter Christian. You
come twice a year on the big holidays. You have
time for Christmas or Easter, but those two times of
worship are plenty for you. Church is not really your
thing. You may have fallen away from the deeper
faith that you had in childhood. You had it once but
you don’t have it any more; that deep faith and
deep loyalty to Christ. You feel badly but not badly
enough to do anything about it. … Or maybe you
have come here today because you believe. You
deeply believe that God conquered death in the
person of Jesus Christ, and so you are here today
to celebrate. … Why have you come today? …
Because that obituary was wrong.
The doctor sank into the chair at 3:00 o’clock in the
morning. His tired eyes were tired; so tired that they
could see with his superb clarity of vision. His mind
was exhausted, one of the finest minds that had
graduated Summa Cum Laude from his university.
His fingers were tired, the finest fingers for surgery
in his city. His mind turned over the complicated
procedures that he had just supervised in vain. As
the doctor pulled off his plastic gloves, he thought
of the other times that he had operated on this little
boy, only five years old. Heart surgery. Arterial
repair. Kidney repair. But he lost him. Doctors
never like to lose patients. He signed the death
certificate at 3:09 AM. The sterile surgical
instruments were now helpless. Those masterful
hands, the finest in the city, were now helpless. It
was all over. Death had come. Nothing more he
could do. Might as well go home for a rest. …
Three days later, this great surgeon attended the
boy’s funeral. He usually didn’t attend funerals of
patients but this one was different and he had to
go, at least to this funeral of a five year old. There
was a dullness in his strong spirit as he sat in the
church that day. A numbness. A tiredness. Through
the gaze of his depression, he heard the words
simply stated: ―Whoever lives and believes in me
shall never die.‖ Those words stuck in his mind.
Those words were like a record struck in its track,
that repeated itself over and over again, ―shall
never die. Shall never die. Shall never die. Shall
never die. Shall never die.‖The old record wouldn’t
stop. The words stuck in a grove in his mind, ―shall
never die, shall never die, shall never die, shall
never die.
The surgeon knew that he had heard of the biggest
breakthrough ever. Bigger than the cure for polio.
Bigger than the cure for cancer. Bigger than the
cure for heart disease. Bigger than the cure for
leukemia, multiple sclerosis or AIDS. God had
conquered the worst of all diseases, death. The
words kept on ringing and repeating in his mind. He
couldn’t stop them. ―Shall never die. Shall never
die. Shall never die. Shall never die.‖
The grand physician of the universe had done what
no doctor could ever do. The terrible disease of
death, death that had destroyed every doctor who
ever lived, that disease had finally been conquered.
He finally left the funeral that day, hearing the
words that were stuck like a repeating record, ―shall
never die, shall never die, shall never die, shall
never die.‖ And he murmured to himself, ―That
obituary was wrong. The powers of God are
stronger than all obituaries and all death notices.‖
Someday, inevitably, you are I will look into that
grave dug into the ground or we will focus our eyes
on a box of ashes of the body of our loved one who
has just died. Inevitably, it will happen to you. You
cannot escape it. On that day, if my wife precedes
me in death, my heart will break into a thousand
pieces. On that day, if my child or grandchildren will
precede me in death, my heart will be truly
shattered, as nothing else could shatter my heart.
In the midst of my sorrow and in the midst of my
brokenness, I will hear that record repeating itself
endlessly, ―shall never die, shall never die, shall
never die, shall never die,‖ and those words will be
stronger than my sorrow.
Why? Because that obituary was wrong.
I love the Easter poem that states it this way:
―The stars shine over the land,
The stars shine over the sea,
The stars look up to God,
The stars look down on me.
The stars will shine for a million years,
For a million years and a day,
But God and I shall live and love,
When the stars have passed away.‖
But there is more. Easter is not only concerned
about God’s victory over physical death, but Easter
is also concerned about God’s victory over spiritual
death. God raises up both dead bodies and dead
spirits. Spiritual obituaries and spiritual death
notices are also premature and don’t tell the whole
story. God raises spiritually dead people to life all
the time, and I have seen it again and again. I have
seen and heard and experienced real life stories all
the time of people who were spiritually dead, with
spiritual obituaries, with spiritual death stories, and
God put new life back into them. That is also what
Easter is all about.
“Most likely.‖ No, that is not a strong enough
phrase. ―Inevitably,‖ there are people here today
who are spiritually dead or who are so close to
being spiritually dead, you would never able to tell
that they were alive. Looking at them and talking
with them, you feel that they are spiritually
comatose. You put a spiritual stethoscope on their
religious heart and it would go,
―boop…..boop…..boop…..boop.‖ You think that
their hearts are almost dead; at least, their spiritual
hearts seem dead; they seem to be in a spiritual
coma. Too busy for God. Too preoccupied making
their daily bread, no time for spiritual bread. Too
busy running in circles and God is not part of their
circle. ―Boop….boop….boop….boop.‖
For some of you, your spiritual life is as dehydrated
as the dry bones described in the book of Ezekiel.
Your life is relatively unaffected by spiritual things.
Two days ago on Good Friday, you barely even
thought of Jesus Christ, when Jesus was nailed to
the cross. The monitor of your brain, the line of your
brain waves, is almost flat, and you barely
remembered Christ on Good Friday. The study of
Scripture and daily prayer are beyond your world of
comprehension. The pangs of hell? The pangs of
hell don’t frighten you. The joys of heaven? The
joys of heaven don’t really attract you. This life is so
all consuming for you and your brain. And deep
down inside, in all honesty, you may – as people
would say – not give a rip about God or Christ or
life lived under and with God daily. Oh, you may
pray when in a jam, just like about everybody else.
Oh, you may believe in the ―Man Upstairs,‖ but that
daily authentic walk with God is not part of your life.
―Boop…..boop….boop….boop.‖
Tell me, can a person who is deaf be afraid of the
thunder? ….. No. ….. Can a person who is blind be
afraid of the piercing flash of lightening? ….. No.
Neither can a person who is spiritually deaf truly
hear the Word of God speaking to them every day,
nor can the spiritually blind see the piercing light of
God shining on their lives. The spiritually deaf
cannot really hear the voice of God and the
spiritually blind will not be overjoyed at seeing the
beauties of God in Christ. For some of you, you do
not fear of God’s power. Nor is there a joy in God’s
awesome beauty and grace. Because your lives
have become dead, rattling like the dry bones of
the skeletons described in the book of Ezekiel. …
No thunder of God do you hear! No light of God do
you see! No delicacies of God do you really taste or
eat!
And the Easter message is that the awesome
power of God, who raised Jesus of Nazareth from
the dead, can miraculously take your dead life and
mine and make it alive. God can take people who
are spiritually dead and give us resurrection power,
Easter power, and vibrant power so that life is lived
with a passion for the ways of God. And it is time. It
is time for you to wake up, to come out from your story. It won’t tell the Easter story of God’s
spiritual coma, to be raised up from your spiritual resurrection power that takes dead bodies and
lethargy by the powers of God. dead spirits and raises them up to new life. It won’t
tell the story of how God makes new men and
You are here today, not simply because of tradition; women, boys and girls, so strong that they changed
not simply because you are two times a year the course of human history. I am here to tell you
Christians; not simply because you smell that the obituary was wrong. Amen.
springtime and Easter in the air. You are here today
because God wanted you to be here, so that you
can listen to this particular Easter message that
God raises up both dead bodies and dead spirits.
God brought you here today to hear this Easter
message. It is time. It is time for you to get up and
walk spiritually. It is time for you to awaken from
your spiritual coma.

In conclusion, how about my own obituary? Last

Easter, as many of you know, I was in the hospital
and had just escaped the jaws of death. I could
have died a year ago but didn’t. God had another
plan. Instead, a new valve was put into my heart. A
new pacemaker was installed in my heart. But I
knew how close I had been to death. Therefore, it is
somewhat easy to imagine my own obituary in the
paper from a year ago. Maybe in the Seattle Times.
It may have sounded like this: ―Edward F.
Markquart of Des Moines Washington died this past
Thursday at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma of a
rare infection of the heart. He was born in Jackson,
Minnesota on July 19, 1940. He graduated from
Jackson High School, St. Olaf College and Luther
Theological Seminary, all in Minnesota. He was a
resident of Des Moines and the pastor of Grace
Lutheran Church in Des Moines, for the past
twenty-seven years. He was preceded in death by
his mother and father. He is survived by his wife,
Janet, of Des Moines, three children, Anne, Joel
and Nathan, a son in law, a daughter in law, two
grandchildren, all of Des Moines. He is also
survived by one brother, two sisters, and numerous
nieces and nephews. Memorials may be sent to
Lutheran World Relief in care of Grace Lutheran
Church.‖

I am here to tell you this Easter morning that that

obituary would have been wrong!!! That obituary
would have been wrong because it did not tell the
whole story. There would have been nothing in my
obituary that I was not dead, that I shall never die,
but live forever. There would have been nothing in
that obituary that quoted Jesus, ―I am the
resurrection and the life. Whoever lives and
believes in me, shall never die.‖ … You see, Jesus’
obituary in the Nazareth News was wrong; my
obituary would have been wrong; and your obituary
will be wrong. Your obituary won’t tell the whole
 Christians we are called to be obedient, follow
Jesus' example, even unto death if need be. We
don't give up or give in. We take His blood donation
In my Opinion very seriously!
Pastor Luke suggested I call this 'IMHP" (In my So let me ask you a question, would Jesus give
humble opinion) and I seriously thought about that,
blood today? or would He say he was too scared?
but then came the obvious thought, anyone who or He doesn't have the time? Food for thought isn't
really knows me, knows I am anything but humble! it??
So...In my opinion it is!! How about that? Truth in
advertising!
Maybe this Easter you can do something special to
remember the sacrifice Christ made for you. Maybe
This quarter's 'opinion' is about Blood. Giving blood. you will decide to follow Jesus' example, and give
Phil and I went to the local blood drive last your own blood donation, it may not save millions of
Thursday, and as usual we took Alicia-Rose with lives, but it is a great start!!
us. We are raising a blood donor you see. Children
are so impressionable! 'Teach a child in the way
Rose-Marie LeBel
they should go and they will not depart from it"
Prov. 22:6 We believe this. As we read the
pamphlets, we are struck by the unfairness of it. So
many people need blood transfusions to live! Men,
women and children. Every donation can save up
to 4 lives!! How awesome is that?? Where else can
you get such a return for your investment?? Yet,
only 3% of eligible people actually donate blood.
Why? Some of the excuses are because 'I don't
have the time' or 'I really hate needles, or am afraid
of them' . The first time I had to go for a blood test,
my elder sister had to go with me in order for me to
be able to go through the door of the hospital I was
so afraid. So I understand the fear, believe me! As
for time.. find out when the next drive is and
schedule into your agenda. Would you get over
your fear or find the time if it were your child that
needed the blood??

That is the rant part of my opinion, whew, your

survived I hope! Now for the really neat part, have
you ever thought about Jesus being a blood donor?
That is what occurred to me the other night, I save
up to 4 lives every time I give blood, Christ's one
donation has saved millions of lives!! Through His
sacrifice, we live! Hallelujah! Our lives are healed,
transformed, saved through the blood of Christ. He
was afraid, very very afraid. He had seen people
crucified, He KNEW what was to happen to him. He
prayed in earnest for God to remove the ordeal
from Him. He was afraid. BUT He did what was
necessary. He bowed to His father's will, and made
His blood donation.

As parents, we raise our children to follow Jesus,

we try very hard to set the example. We are raising
Christians you see. "This is my commandment:
Love each other in the same way I have loved you."
John 15:12 We teach our children this. As
Surrender the Queen
Reconsidering the role of Sunday-morning worship
by Dirk VanEyk
Jan 1, 2011 — I am an exceptionally bad chess
player. I’m told I rush too quickly to bring out the
queen. It’s clearly the best piece, so I can’t help
myself. Despite practice, my skills have not
improved.
At a recent church-planting conference the
presenter suggested that all of us wishing to
improve our chess games should adhere to one
simple rule: surrender the queen. He proposed that
one of our first moves in any chess match should
be to rid ourselves of the most valuable piece on
the board. ―This will force you to learn how to use
every other piece and how to use them together.
Over time, you’ll become a much stronger player.‖
Then he asked, ―In your church, what’s the queen?
What is that piece that you overuse and probably
trust way too much?‖
My answer came quickly: Sunday-morning worship.
I’m a church planter in Kentwood, Mich., and as I
write this, I can’t wait to start holding Sunday-
morning services. On that first Sunday there may
be a crowd or there may not be. Regardless, the
reason we’re starting a new church is simple: to
reach and disciple new people.
How? That’s a good question to ask. The diversity
in any congregation can make this difficult. On any
given Sunday morning, there may be some people
in the worship service who’ve never been before.
But there may also be middle-aged couples with a
combined 100 years of Sunday-morning worship
experience. After the service, a first-time guest
might ask the pastor what it means to ―ask Jesus
into her heart.‖ In the meantime, someone else may
be waiting to ask why we can’t learn more Greek
and Hebrew in the sermon. Other people wish we
could spend more time talking about marriage,
while others want to hear about money and still
others are asking tough questions about caring for
aging parents.
It’s very difficult to reach and disciple that whole
group in one hour each week. We might be wise to
consider other options.
For way too long now I’ve thought that Sunday
morning could be a comfortable entrance-point into
church life and provide enough to effectively
disciple everybody in attendance. Maybe it can, but
it shouldn’t have to. Sunday morning doesn’t need
to bear all that responsibility. What would happen if
we surrendered the queen? I’m willing to stake our
church’s late launch date on the claim that a
delayed start will teach us how to use small groups
more effectively.
We’ll trust small groups to carry the load of
teaching people about the subjects they care most
about. Patience in the short run may also
encourage us to find other events to bridge that gap
between sleeping in and attending worship. Hosting
a community carnival or 5k fun run may be a better
way to meet our neighbors anyway. As we learn to
use these other pieces together, every aspect of
our new church will be strengthened.
By the end of the church-planting conference, our
team decided to delay the start of our worship
services. We’re still starting our new church early,
but without the worship service. We’re committing
to learning how to reach and disciple people apart
from a worship service so that when we do
introduce it, we’ll know how all the pieces best work
together.
Yield to the King
Reconsidering the role of Sunday-morning worship
by Rev. Phil Reinders
Jan 1, 2011 — Dirk, thanks so much for your good
thoughts and gutsy gospel endeavor to plant a new
church. Church plants and campus ministries are
the R&D department of our denomination, and I
need to listen well to the issues and struggles you
encounter.
I like your instincts. You recognize something is off
in how we understand the church. I feel that in my
bones too, and I’m convinced we must allow
mission to organize and shape our church life.
I’m equally certain, however, that we have been
discipled by our consumer culture. It has seeped in
way deeper than we ever thought, shaping even
our expectations of church and worship. Worship
has become a commodity that we take in or
casually take a pass on, depending on our lifestyle
preferences and personal tastes: Did I like the
music? Did the sermon feed me? Was it at a
convenient time/place for my busy schedule? Did it
deal with the issues I care about?
Church plants sometimes get accused of selling out
or dumbing down to be relevant to culture, but I find
many established churches equally, if not more so,
shaped by this individual-focused consumer mind-
set; they just have code words that mask it well:
Was the worship ―uplifting‖? Did the sermon ―feed‖
me? These may be valid questions, but notice that
the reference point is still me!
We’re all ―drinking the Kool-Aid.‖ Our consumer
culture has formed us all into American Idol judges,
rating our experiences of church and worship. Of
course, the problem is that you can never worship
or meet Jesus from the judge’s seat.
Speaking of idols, your conference presenter’s
question about your queen—―What do you trust
way too much?‖—is really an idol question. In what
do we place our deepest trust to grow our
churches: a kickin’ worship band or sublime organ,
a compelling preacher, refined liturgy, small groups
that meet our felt needs?
Notice the assumption within the question—that
ministry tools and the right strategy will build your
church. I find techniques, helpful as they are, easy
idols for us church leaders and people of the pew,
who are so desperate to see churches flourish
again. Instead, what we need most is a change in
lifestyle. We need to center our lives on Jesus.
While I’m tempted to chuck the whole worship
show, I’m holding out for the practice of public
Christian worship to reclaim its countercultural edge
again. Where else do people gather together with
others they usually don’t associate with, to focus on
Someone other than themselves, and pay attention
to news that mostly contradicts their personal
assumptions and challenges their idolized cares?
Lashing ourselves to the mast of weekly worship
might be the most important practice for the church
to orient our lives around Jesus and resist the siren
call of consumerism.
To do that, we’ll need to help people reimagine
worship within God’s mission, to understand it as a
relationship (covenant) renewal ceremony, where
our unique identity in the gospel is formed and fed,
where the reality of the resurrection is reinjected
into our living, where we’re formed in the way of
Jesus and learn to live yielded lives to the King.
That’s hard work, especially when we’re groomed
to bow to the authority of our desires. But that
makes it all the more vital that we give the best of
our thought, prayers, and energy to this
reimagining.
So how can we call people to follow Jesus in a way
that doesn’t force them to make massive cultural
leaps, but find in Jesus the most hopeful reality for
living in our world? I hope that we can continue this
conversation, because together we’re better.
Reverend Fun