TREASURE

I always enjoy watching the little kids during the church’s Easter Egg Hunt.  They come with their empty baskets and see the church grounds covered with tons of goodies for them to collect.  This past Saturday I watched the two year olds in amazement.  So many different personalities show themselves. There are those who have only one goal, fill the basket with whatever they can get their hands on.  There are others who pick up a sucker, look it over, mull whether it’s something they want and either put it back on the ground or put it in their basket.  By the time all the candy has disappeared from the hunt area, some have their buckets full to overflowing and others barely have anything in theirs.  Yet both seem very happy with what they have.  

We came on Easter Sunday with our buckets ready to be filled.  We celebrated the treasures of God in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.   Our buckets were filled with His love, peace, joy, salvation, right standing, Holy Spirit, inheritance, heaven.  Our buckets have all the best goodies in them, “treasure with which we couldn’t be happier.”

Christ the Lord is risen indeed.  Our Savior reigns.  Hallelujah!!

EASTER

I was captivated by a short quote from author, Madeleine L’Engle.  She wrote, “Easter is always the answer to “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  The depth of Christ’s pain on the cross was way more than the excruciating physical suffering of crucifixion, it was the agony of His soul as he experienced His Fathers’ just wrath for the full judgment of our sins.  We can’t even imagine what the darkness of that hour was like in Jesus’ soul, but Easter answers the question of why Jesus felt forsaken by His Father.   God forsook Him because of His love for US!!!  Knowing the resurrection would complete redemption’s full plan, He allowed His Son to endure that dark hour of suffering and death.  Easter turned tragedy to triumph and we are the benefactors.   Without a satisfactory sacrifice for sin, there is no redemption.  Easter opens up hope.  And as the song writer penned, “Our hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.”   Without the cross there is no way to enter into the presence of a Holy God and experience an eternal Easter.  I Peter 2:24 says it so well.  “He bore our sins on His body on the tree that we being dead in sin might live unto righteousness”.   What a God!!! 

GETTING EXCITED

If you were at CCC last week you heard from our Search Committee chair, Mark Davis and an Elder Board member, Joe Smith that God has led us to my replacement. In fact Joe's words expressed the joyous opportunity to having a ringside seat of God at work.. This has been our prayer over these past seven months, "God's Man, God's Glory, God at Work". And He has been. Sunday, April 27th will be part of a confirmation weekend, where our church family gets to meet "God's Man and his wife."

Two years ago I went to visit a buddy in Hawaii. I spent time at McKenzie Park seeking the Lord's direction for my future. What was His plan for me? I left the islands with a clear sense that I enter into a two year transition to leave CCC and do interim ministries, helping churches who were between pastors. During the two years I was to prepare our staff for transition. continue to guide our vision advancement and begin the process of finding the new lead pastor. All is complete. We are at God"s time for change and I couldn't be more excited. I love seeing God at Work. So don't miss Sunday, April 27th for your own ringside seat.

SOMETHING SPECIAL TO CELEBRATE

This past weekend Melinda and I were at the church her son in law started five years ago in Wilmington, N.C.  They were celebrating the good work of God over these past five years and looking forward to the next five.  Two things especially impressed me as I saw their heart and values.  They were committed to bless their community with grace and generosity.  They identified needs and gave time and resources to impact those needs for the better.  Second they were committed to build a better community by partnering with other churches to make sure Christ got a good name in their community.  

Their Easter Egg Hunt this year is really fun to hear about.  They are joining with three other churches at the Community Park of Leland, inviting all the kids from the neighborhoods, some from very poor areas.  As the kids collect easter eggs, each egg has a number inside which can be exchanged for specific gifts.  People have donated things like new bikes to give to a kid who has never had one.  The intentionality to bless is all over this church.  

In fact they did something last Sunday I am not sure I would have the faith to do.  The offering that morning would all be given away.  None of it would go for the church budget.  The largest offering ever received was given, which included $6900 for a Vietnamese mom and her son, who became Christians last year and now want to return to Vietnam to share Jesus with her Buddhist family.

God’s hand is all over this church.  You've gotta love His imprint.  

The cool thing is that churches all over America are “getting it”.  It is all about getting the beauty of Jesus out into our communities.  His Grace and Generosity are worth emulating.  Let’s do it.