Corinthians 12:2-4. One Spirit many Gifts

You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

Seeing Through The Eyes of a Child -1 Corinthians 13:11

“When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things”

When you look into the eyes of a child, it doesn't take a special kind of person to see their innocence, imagination and wonder. Every child, no matter what part of the world they come from or what language they speak, pretends, believes, and has irrational fears. One minute she may be a princess in a fairytale, the next, he may pretend to be an astronaut on a special mission or set up a special booby trap to capture the monster that lives in his closet. With such gigantic imaginations and inquisitive spirits, have you ever stopped to wonder or even question them about what their idea of God is like?

When our children ask us what God looks like, that can be a hard question to answer. It is one of those questions where the answers will just be followed by other question because there are no satisfying answers. If they ask to see a picture of God and you say there is no picture of God, they will want to know why there is no picture of God. Then if you say something like we are not supposed to see pictures of God, they will want to know why we're not supposed to.
Children have a way of reminding us of things once forgotten; ironically, these little things are usually the tools most essential in understanding and seeing life for what it truly is.

When I was a child, I don't remember having any visual thoughts of God. Instead, I thought of him as some kind of force all around me that I had to believe in if I wanted him to be proud of me. When I was about six years old I wrote a letter to God, thanking him for my family and everything else that he blessed me with; I always wanted to make sure I pleased him. My mother would always tell me to pray and encourage me to do the right things; and whenever I was afraid or thought I couldn't do something, she always told me to pray about it and have faith.
Whether we are children or were once children, we are all Children of God. With that said, I feel that it is most important for us to follow the examples of children in some ways. For them we should be model examples of the future just as they are the perfect reminders of our past.

This theory thus poses a couple of other more important questions; how do most adults see God? And, which way is accurate in conjunction with the fact that we are all the "children of God"? As adults, it is often hard for us to imagine what can possibly be going on inside of those precious little minds. Even though we were once in those same exact shoes, there comes a point in our lives were the majority of us become blinded with reality; or maybe I should say blinded from reality. It is hard to determine which one it is, but try to think back to when you were a child, when your parents helped you say your prayer before tucking you in at night; what was your vision of God?

A little talk with Jesus - John 21:1-19

Let’s begin with Simon out on his boat fishing alongside the other disciples. He is brooding, thinking deep thoughts not quite sure what to make of all that had happened. Then there is a flashback. He recalls how some months earlier he left his fishing nets at the seashore to become a follower of Jesus and how Jesus liked him and included him and changed his name from Simon to Peter (Petros, the Rock) because Jesus felt that Simon was strong, stable, and solid like a rock. But then all of a sudden, things turned sour. Jesus was arrested and Peter the Rock got scared and on that fateful night, he denied his Lord three times.

The next day, Good Friday, Jesus was nailed to a cross and Simon Peter was devastated, shattered, defeated, and broken hearted. But then came Easter and Simon Peter was at one and the same time thrilled beyond belief, excited, and gratified over Christ’s resurrection and yet confused and perplexed about his own future.

Peter returns to Galilee with his friends. Several days pass and nothing has happened. Here is where our scripture of the morning, John 21, picks up. Simon Peter and his friends have been waiting there in Galilee for some time just waiting, waiting for some direction from God, but nothing has happened. Finally in typical fashion, Simon Peter gets impatient. He can’t take it any more, and he says, “I’m going fishing!” Now it’s as if Simon is saying, “I can’t handle this any longer. This waiting is driving me up the wall. I’m worn out with the indecision, the waiting, the risk involved; and I’m going back to the old secure life, the old life of being a fisherman.” The others go along with him.

They fish all night, but no luck. But then as dawn breaks, they see someone standing on shore. It’s the Risen Lord, but they don’t recognize him at this point. He tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. They do, and they bring in a huge catch of fish: 153 large fish. John turns and says to Peter, “It is the Lord.” Simon Peter excitable and impulsive dives in and swims to shore urgently. The others come in on the boat. As they come ashore they see the Risen Christ cooking breakfast for them over a charcoal fire. After he serves them breakfast, he takes Simon Peter off to the side and three times he asks him the same question: “Simon, do you love me?” “Oh yes, Lord,” Simon answers. “You know that I love you.” “Then, feed my sheep,” the Risen Lord says to him. “Feed my sheep.”

Then the story ends exactly the way it started months before with Christ saying to Simon at the seashore these words, “Follow me!” Isn’t that a great story? Jam-packed with the stuff of life powerful symbols, strong emotions, and dramatic lessons. There is a very real human quality to this story. Let’s sort this out with three basic human questions:

1. First, what do we see here physically?
2. Second, what do we feel here emotionally?
3. Third, what can we learn here theologically, spiritually?

Why Do we Believe in the Resurrection?

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most perfect event in the history of the world - the perfect enactment of divine love, the greatest expression of life ever gifted to the world — the resurrection of Jesus, Christ

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. But the darkness was soon overcome with light. Maybe that's the message you need to hear this day. Perhaps for whatever reason you are in darkness right now. Family concerns. Problems at work. Anxiety about your health and your future. The loss of someone you love. Easter promises us more than the stars in our darkness. Easter promises us that in the midst of our deepest darkness the Son rises to overwhelm the darkness forever.

Until Jesus Christ rose from the dead, death had been the cape of storms on which all hopes of life beyond had been wrecked. No one knew what lay beyond that point until, on Easter morning, those ancient visions of Isaiah became the victory of Jesus over our last great enemy. Suddenly, like those ancient explorers, we can see beyond the storm to the hope of heaven and eternal life with the Father. More than that, we dare to believe that we shall experience in our own human lives exactly what the Son of God experienced in his, for the risen Christ says to us, "Because I live, you shall live also." This is the heart of the Easter faith.

He is Risen- Easter Sunday: Sunrise Service - Luke 24: 1- 12

To many it means the Easter bunny, a day of food and celebration. For some it is an obligatory church-attending holiday, after which life goes on as usual. How sad that we have so quickly forgotten the true meaning of Easter. Our God reigns! Jesus Christ died, yes. But even more importantly, He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, as we say in the Lord's Prayer.

On Easter Sunday over two billion Christians in congregations all over the world will follow a tradition that is thousands of years old. The pastors, priests or leaders will cry out in a triumphant voice, "He is risen!" And the people respond, "He is risen indeed!" It is because of the truth of this simple affirmation that the world, with all its many troubles, has hope.

The awful death of Jesus Christ was not the end of the story. Within three days Jesus rose from the dead; the tomb is empty. No one believed it would happen. Good news is Jesus still lives. He is risen indeed.

The resurrection still stands as the foundation of the Christian faith. His own resurrection is a guarantee of the future resurrection; death has already been conquered. The resurrection power is available to every Christian today; bringing each spiritual dead person to life. He is risen indeed!!

Women went to the tomb on Sunday morning. They brought spices to the tomb just as we take flowers today as a sign of love and respect. When they arrived they found that the stone covering the entrance was rolled aside. In fact this was their concern that who would roll the stone for them for it was heavy. It rolled aside so that others could get in and see for themselves that Jesus had indeed risen from dead just as he had said he would.

As women were wondering, two men stood by with shining garments and said to them: “Why do you seek the living among dead? He is not here, he is risen!! Remember what he said to you when he lived among you, “The Son of man would be delivered in the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” These rushed back to tell His eleven disciples and everyone else among Jesus’ followers who had been in hiding since crucifixion. Amazingly, the disciples did not believe it; the story sounded to some like nonsense like it can sound to some of us today. But I have Good News for you today that Jesus Christ is Risen Indeed.

Peter hearing this, he ran to the grave and saw the empty linen wrappings. Peter went away wondering what had happen. How long do we keep wondering and not believing. Do not be like the doubting Thomas; be a believer that Jesus Christ is indeed risen from dead and lives in the right hand of Almighty God. We shall live because He lives. He is risen indeed. AMEN