FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, April 16,2003
Church o f the Nazarene
Finding Jesus
Text: John 2 0 :1 -18 (N IV ) But any version will do...
Mary Magdalene was the first to discover that the body
o f Jesus \\ as m issing from the tomb. She had gone there with
the other w om en v ery early on Sunday m orning. They went
there to finish the em balm ing process on the body o f Jesus.
W hen she arrived at the tomb, she saw that massive stone had
been rolled away from the opening.
The tom b w as w ide open. H er first thoughts w ere,
“C ra v e R obbers", som eone had stolen the body o f Jesus.
I hose w ere the first anguished w ords she shared w hen she
ran back to tell the disciples, Peter and John. She proclaim ed
to them , “They have taken the Lord out o f the tom b, and we
d o n ’t know w here they have put H im !" M ary was already
grief stricken, now this?
first they crucified her Lord, now she w as having a
panic attack. H is body w as gone. H er Jesus w as m issing.
M ary's Jesus had a body and she w a sn 't going to rest from
her running until she found His body.
Now, Peter and John both ran to the tom b. John was
a faster runner and arrived first. He takes a tentative peek
inside the tomb. H e sees the strips o f burial linens but does not
enter. Peter is braver than John, never one to hesitate w ith
anything. 1 le heads directly into the tomb. He sees the strips o f
burial linens also.
I low ever, something is strange here, out o f the ordinary.
Everything is neat and in order. The head w rapping cloth is
folded up by itself, separate from the linen strips. W hoever did
this w asn 't in m uch o f a hurry. The sheets have been folded,
the bed is m ade, hardly the w ork o f grave robbers.
John finally winds up enough courage to go inside the
tom b to take a better look for him self. A nd he records this
solem n sentence, “He saw and he believed"
When John saw the empty tomb and the folded linens,
w hat did he believe? He did not believe because o f w hat he
saw. No. he believed the words o f Jesus, “ Destroy this temple,
and 1 will raise it again in three days'j< John 2:19>. It was not
ju st that John had seen something. Rather, it was what he had
heard earlier. The w ords o f Jesus. N ow he believed.
Seeing is not believ ing, and believ ing is not seeing.
Seeing things places the ev idence before our eyes. Believing in
Jesus is hav ing trust in the heart that — Jesus Is True To His
Word. A postle Paul wrote in Rom ans 10:17: “ ... faith com es
from hearing the m essage, and the m essage is heard through
the word o f Christ.”
F aith connects what is seen to the crucified and risen
body o f Jesus. It is quite possible to see and not believe. The
Pharisees saw the m iracles Jesus perform ed, but they did not
believe. Peter saw the sam e things John did, but he did not
believe. Mary saw not only the folded linens, she also saw two
bright angels in the tom b. She even saw Jesus w ith her ow n
tw o eyes, and still she did not believe. It w a sn ’t until Jesus
spoke to her by nam e “ M ary" < V s l6 > that she heard His
Voice, and then she believed.
Later that sam e w eek even T hom as said, “ U nless I
see His wounds and touch them, 1 will not believe.’’ Afterward
"'ihfriftrt 20:27-28 When Jesus said to Thomas: “ Put your finger
here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my
side. Stop doubting and believe.” Then upon hearing the words
o fC hrist, Thom as said to Him, “ My Lord and my G od!”
It was not w hat these people saw that caused them to
believe. It w as the w ords, w hich Jesus had spoken that
conv inced them.
It is possible to not see and yet believe. W hat about
us, you and me? We did not have the opportunity' to see any o f
these things. In G alations 3:2, Paul asked, “ Did you receive
the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?”
A nd said in R om ans 10:17, “ faith com es from hearing the
message, and the message is heard through the word o f Christ.”
W hat about Jesus him self, w hat did He say? He said
in John 20:29: “ Blessed are those w ho have not seen and yet
have believed.” TTiis applies to you and me. John did not direct
our attention to the burial cloths, or the open tom b. R ather to
the w ord ofC hrist.
We do not see, we cannot see. There is nothing for us
to see. We could take a field trip to Israel and see w hat som e
believe to be the tom b where Jesus was buried. But could we
be sure that w e were looking at the right one? And what would
we see even if w e w ere sure? Som etim es we im agine that it
must have been easier to believe all this back then, at the time
o f Mary, Peter, and John and the first disciples, than it is for us
to believe it today.T hey w ere eye-w itnesses to Je su s’ death
and resurrection. T hey saw all o f this w ith their ow n eyes.
H ow w e long for that opportunity-just a peek into the open,
empty tomb, a glance at the carefully folded burial cloths, or a
glim pse o f a bright angel or two. O r m aybe, how about a look
at the face o f the resurrected Christ. W ould be easier for us to
believe if only we could see?
Scripture tells us differently. Seeing is not necessarily
believing. M ary saw Jesus w ith her ow n eyes. At first she
thought He was the gardener. The tw o disciples on the road to
E m m aus saw Jesus. They w alked and talked w ith Him for
seven miles, but their eyes did not recognize Him, until he broke
the bread at the table with them and spoke.
The elev en disciples saw the risen Jesus on the mountain
in G alilee. They w orshipped and doubted at the sam e tim e.
Seeing is not believing. In fact, seeing often frustrates the way
o f believing w hen w e trust our eyes instead o f Jesus’ Word.
O nly the w ord o f Jesus C hrist can w ork faith in our
hearts so we may believe. Led by our eyes we will be mislead
to look for Jesus in all the w rong places: in our hearts, in the
beauty o f a sunrise, in the grandeur o f lofty m ountains, in our
emotions, in our thoughts and meditations, in our devotions, in
our w orks, or, in our learning and w isdom -instead o f in the
Body o f Christ
Follow ing our eyes w e will w ind-up running around
like M ary and the disciples, racing from one tomb to the next,
from one religion to the next, from one church to the next,
from one preacher to the next, all the w hile chanting M ary’s
ode o f despair and confusion:
“They have taken m y Lord, and I d o n ’t know w here
they have put Him.”
Follow ing our eyes w e will be led to a Jesus other
than the Jesus w ho hung on the cross for our sins. W ords o f
Jesus Christ will strengthen our faith and His word is loyal and
true. Listen to Jesus. His W O R D is truth and life. John 10:14,
27 says: “ I am the good shepherd; I know m y sheep and my
sheep know m e...M y sheep listen to m y voice; 1 know them ,
and they follow m e.”
Peter, John and M ary had found their Jesus. O r m ore
precisely, Jesus had found them. We don’t seek Him, He seeks
us and finds us. Yes w e must, listen w ith our eyes w ide open.
He will be present wherever His Words are heard. Jesus Christ
Has Risen. Trust Jesus, His W O R D is your life.
-Rev. Duane Jones
First Christian Church
Setting The Captives Free
T his m orning as I opened the paper, a headline o f
“G ood N ew s” looked back at m e. I said a prayer o f thanks
for the P O W ’s rescued in Iraq. I thought o f those soldiers
who have given their life to free Iraq from oppression and my
m ind turned tow ard Easter.
In the Gospel o f John, Jesus is talking to the crow d in
the 12 th chapter and says to them , “The Son o f M an m ust be
lifted up.” The crow d naturally responds, “ W ho is this Son o f
M an?” A nd Jesus replies, “You will only have the light for a
little while longer, walk in the light before the darkness overtakes
you.” Jesus is speaking o f h im se lf and w hat is about to take
place in his immediate future. I’m sure some o f you have faced
or will face the sam e thing at som e point in your life, DEATH.
His w as death on a cross.
Later as he is speaking with his disciples he tells them
that he m ust go aw ay so in the future they will have a place
prepared for them when they face the future we all face. Peter
speaks up and says, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will
lay m y life dow n for you.” O f course Jesus, know ing P eter’s
heart, asks, “ Will you really?” The thought that com es to my
m ind is that even if he had, w ould it have m ade a difference?
No am ount o f peace marches w ould have pulled the fingers o f
Saddam Hussein from around the country o f Iraq’s throat— it
took our young m en and w om en in the m ilitary to free them
from oppression and give them hope for a new life.
It is a dark hour anytim e w e go to w ar, but som e
battles m ust be faced. A s w e approach Easter understand that
Jesus faced a dark hour and battle that had to be faced, not
for himself, but for us. That first Easter morning the ladies made
their w ay toward the tom b to prepare the body and discovered
the first rays o f hope breaking through. As w e celebrate this
Easter let us praise G od for the answ er to our prayers with the
release o f the captive P O W ’s and also with the release o f our
captive hearts w ith the death, burial, and resurrection o f our
Lord Jesus Christ. He is risen, indeed!
As the new s spread it is only natural that there w as
som e confusion. N othing like this had ever happened before.
At first, som e w ere puzzled. Som e doubted. Som e, like
Thomas, simply refused to believe. They really had to consider
the event as it was reported to them . Then, once they had the
encounter with the risen Jesus, belief began to grow stronger.
T heir eagerness began to rise. T heir Friend had overcom e
death. Even though their faith and eagerness grew, yet som e
fear lingered in their hearts. They were not yet ready to go out
and face the hardships o f life. In due tim e that fear w as
overcom e, and then they went forth and challenged the world.
Even w ithout the m essage and truth o f Easter, the
account o f the life o f Jesus would still be inspiring. Yet it would
only be like a candle that was eventually extinguished. Darkness
w ould have had the last w ord. H ow ever, because o f the
re su rre c tio n , d a rk n e ss w ill n e v e r h av e th e last w ord.
Consequently, St. John tells us in the first chapter ofhis gospel:
“T he light shines on in darkness, a darkness that did not
overcom e it.” And at another time Jesus w ould claim to be the
light o f the world.
A s we celebrate this Easter, we are challenged to live
by His truths, challenged to live in the light o f His life. Like the
disciples, we also m ay have som e fear in or hearts, but He will
give us the courage we need when we have faith in Him. Let us
live in His light.
-Fr. Gerry Condon
lone United Church o f Christ
Five Easter Lessons
T he story is told briefly in the P a u l’s letter to the
Phillipians: “He hum bled himself, and becam e obedient to the
the point o f death— even death on a cross. T herefore G od
also highly exalted him and gave him the nam e that is above
every name, that at the name o f Jesus every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory o f G od
the Father.”
W hat lessons can w e draw from the Easter story?
1) G o d ’s essential attitude tow ard each o f us, and
tow ard the world, is love.
2) Death is not the final word. Rather than being defined
by our fear o f death, w e m ay live according to G o d ’s
promise o f life.
3) G od breaks the p o w er o f sin. Evil can only be
overcom e by good, hatred can only be overcom e by
forgiveness, and hatred and rejection can only be
overcom e by love. O u r ow n goodness, m ercy, and
caring are important, but these cannot undo the damage
done, or restore us so that w e can be blam eless before
G od. In Jesus C hrist, G od has done for us w hat w e
cannot do for ourselves.
•
4) Jesus is worth our attention. We need to listen not
only to w hat is said about him , but to w hat he said to
his followers, “You shall love the Lord your G od with
all your heart, and all your mind, and all your strength,
and all your soul; and you shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” We need to take the tim e and effort to study
the scriptures, and listen to good preaching, so that
our hearts and m inds m ay know Jesus as clearly and
accurately as possible. O ur w orld desperately needs
courageous Christians who will.
5. Jesus is still available to us. We m ay still turn to
Jesus in prayer. T he S pirit o f C hrist is still at w ork
am ong us. We may still place our trust in Jesus, in life
and death. We may still follow Him in his way.
T he good new s is not only in the past tense, not ju st
that Jesus died and then he lived again. The G ospel is forever
in the present: Jesus lives!
Alleluia!
-Reverend Paul Clay, Pastor
H ep p n er C h ristia n p lan s E aster
service
T he H eppner C hristian C hurch invites everyone to
attend w orship on' E aster Sunday, A pril 20. B reakfast is
planned for 9:30 a.m ., with w orship at 10:30 a.m.
“C om e as you are and m eet Jesu s,” says P astor
A ndrew Johnson, w ho prom ises “aw esom e w orship” and a
“relevant message.”
Son Rise service Easter morning
-Pastor Andrew Johnson
St. Patrick and St. William’s
Catholic Churches
A “Son Rise” service, sponsored by the South M orrow
County M inisterial Association, will be held Easter, April 20,
at 7 a.m. at the M orrow County Fairgrounds.
Breakfast, sponsored by the Church o f the Nazarene,
will be held at the church at 335 G ilm ore in Heppner.
Early on that first Easter Sunday morning some o f His
Everyone is invited to attend.
follow ers discovered that the tom b, in w hich Jesus had been
buried, was empty. There were som e wom en, there were Peter
and John, there was M ary M agdalen. They had witnessed his
death w ith their ow n eyes. N ow the tom b w as empty. They
O n Holy Thursday, April 17, Even M ass o f the Lord’s
began to believe that He w as alive. They cam e to recognize
Supper,
a
solemn commemoration o f the institution o f the Holy
the truth o f what Jesus had predicted about Himself. Now, He
Eucharist,
will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church
was truly risen from the dead.
in Heppner.
O n G ood Friday, April 18, Stations o f the C ross will
be at 12:05 p.m., with a solemn com m em oration o f the Lord’s
suffering and death planned for 7 p.m.
An Easter M ass o f the Resurrection will be held at 11
a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 20.
Victory of Light Over Darkness
Holy Week events set at St. Patrick’s
Heppner Christian Church ]
Invites You To
Come Worship With Us
on Easter April 20th
St. William’s plans Holy Week services
Aw«som« Worship,
Relevant Message,
Friendly People, Child Care
Jew elers/
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Heppner
676-9200
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On G ood Friday, April 18, Stations o f the C ross has
been planned at St. William Catholic Church in lone beginning
at 5 p.m .
Easter M ass o f the R esurrection will be at 8:45 a.m.
on Easter Sunday, April 20.
9:30 e.m. breakfast
10:30 a.m. worship
“Come As Vou Are and Meet Jesus*
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