Special Easter Presentation by Rahway Telugu Kids

Jesus Sacrificed for Us, I Sacrifice for My Cat

 
Momma-Kitty showed up one day and never left. I had told my family, no more pets! Betsy and I decided that we wanted to travel when the kids were grown and moving on in their lives. So we decided that pets and traveling didn’t go together, and so we told our children that they were not to bring any more pets into our home. And that was that.

Then, Momma-Kitty showed up and refused to leave. She appeared on the back porch and nothing I did convinced her to go find some other family to mooch off of. I chased her away a few times, she just came back. Betsy took pity and started to feed her, but we decided that she would stay outside. Then she started getting all friendly and cuddly and I started to pet her and that was it. Momma-Kitty became my cat. She moved into the house and our carefully crafted policy against pets went out the window. I suppose Betsy and I will be able to work around the pet issue and travel anyway. But, taking care of pets is a sacrifice. Instead of seeing our burdens slowly disappear as we get older, a pet adds to them. On the other hand, when I am sitting next to a cute little kitty and she is purring as I pet her, I guess it is worth it.

My life is not just about me. Do I really have to say this? As I go through life I know far too many people who need to be convinced that they are not the center of the universe. Several of my close friends have recently walked away from their twenty-plus years of marriage. Their spouses want to keep trying to make the marriage work. Doesn’t matter, time to move on. I guess that I am a bit thick headed, but I just don’t understand being in love one day and not in love the next. This lack of understanding comes from my twenty-six happy years of marriage to Betsy. We are both very happy and looking forward to a wonderful and blessed future together. I have thought about our relationship many times and have come up with one thing that separates us from others. We are both willing to sacrifice for the sake of our loved one.

Now I’m sure that my divorcing friends would throw themselves in front of a speeding train to save their soon to be ex-spouses. But that is not what I am talking about. Betsy and I are willing to give a little every day to make sure that our life long partner is content. Betsy and I live a life of sacrifice every day, not just once in a while. We do this for each other, for our children, for our extended family, for our friends, and even for our pets. And this is the one thing that separates us from people who have problems in their relationships. Everyone can love, everyone can communicate, everyone can be passionate, but not everyone sacrifices. I would say we who sacrifice are in the minority. And yet, in sacrifice we find happiness.

Jesus sacrificed himself for us. We Christians passionately believe that through Jesus’ sacrifice the Doors to Heaven were opened for us. We also believe that Jesus’ sacrifice is the ultimate sign of God’s love. God cares for everyone, and so caring for others originates from the source of all things. And, the most powerful way a person can communicate caring and love for another is to give, to sacrifice. Once again God is the example of this by way of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We already know this! We know this because our parents sacrificed for us when we were small. We know this because many people throughout our lives have sacrificed to help us. We know this because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. We know this, but it seems to sink in very slowly.

Momma-Kitty wants me to feed her. Momma-Kitty wants me to pet her. Momma-Kitty wants to be left alone, and I have a scratch on my hand to prove it. Momma-Kitty gets what Momma-Kitty wants. But I get something out of the arrangement as well. I get to give my heart to a cute little cuddly kitty cat.

Happy Easter,

Pastor Bill

My Easter Rant

Lacking inspiration today, I have decided to reprise my Easter Rant. Many things about this holiday need fixing. And if everyone listens to me, I will be happy and that is what counts. Enjoy.

In 325 AD a group of Christian leaders got together in a room and tried to settle, among other things, the Easter mess. It was a mess because people around the world were setting the date of Easter on different days of the week and at different times during the spring season. The work the council did lead to a fix. But I think right now we need to get everyone together in room and fix the fix, as well as some other things surrounding modern Easter.

Every year the date of Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Did you understand that – because I don’t. But it gets worse. The church has fixed the equinox to March 21^st. However, the real equinox can be a day before or a day after. And so if the real equinox and the full moon is March 20^th, then that’s not the full moon the church uses to set Easter. It will be the next one later in April. I think this system is dumb and does not work in the modern world. We have to get together and fix the date to the second Sunday of April so I don’t have to figure out when it is every year.

Speaking of change, what is with the bunny rabbit? This symbol of fertility and the rebirth of the world in springtime came from German immigrants and became very popular after the civil war. I don’t know about you but I don’t see any rabbits procreating around my home in the spring or any other time of the year. So I propose that we change the symbol of Easter to the mosquito. As soon as spring comes they come and as far as procreating rabbits can’t hold a candle to them. What do you say? Let’s get together and talk.

Why do we give kids candy during Easter? My kids get hyper, lose their teeth, and fight over the big chocolate bunny. Other than aggravation, what do I get out of it? We need to get together in a room and decide to give the kids something useful. Like turkeys and hams. A great gift that lowers my food bill.

And finally we should do something about the name. The word Easter has German roots. Estre was the goddess of the rising light of day. Brought to England by the Saxons the word was applied to the Christian holiday. But this is not what Easter is about. It is the day that celebrates the hope of a new life that will extend into eternity. It is the day that Christians all around the world believe is the sure sign that there is more to this life than daily struggles. We believe Jesus rose from the dead and promised that we would do the same. The name Easter should be changed to Resurrection Day.

And so some changes need to be made. We should get together in a room somewhere and fix these things, as well as a few other minor problems like world peace, eliminating hunger and poverty – stuff like that. Now I think I will go and arrange to get at that chocolate bunny before the kids do.

Happy Resurrection Day

Pastor Bill

Easter in Afghanistan

Easter 2009 services at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan.



Gospel Choir in Kandahar, Easter 2009.

What Easter Is All About

 

Ask the above question to ten people, and you will probably receive ten different answers.

Easter can be about pageantry and spectacle. I know several churches that produce lavish productions of the trial and death of Jesus. One church even rents a donkey for Jesus to ride in on Palm Sunday, complete with diaper (just in case you were wondering).

Other churches dress their sanctuaries in black during the week, covering all of their beautiful art and decorations. Then on Easter Sunday morning they unveil it all and dress their pulpits and vestments in white to celebrate the risen savior.

And then there are groups of believers who carry crosses in a dramatic reenactment of Jesus’ walk of pain to Golgotha. I took part in a cross walk when I lived in Pennsylvania. At the end of a five mile walk in which we shared the burden of carrying a cross, we had a prayer service at a local church. I found it to be very moving.

Beyond the ceremony and celebration, the meaning of Easter can have a life changing impact upon believers. There are two important ideas we can take from the story. First is receiving new life through faith in Jesus Christ. And second is the love of God shown to us through Jesus’ willingness to sacrifice himself for us. The first concept is easy to talk about. The second one, sacrifice, is a lot harder. But I think that it is the idea of giving of oneself that needs to be emphasized and promoted more often during the Easter season.

So much of our lives are devoted to the attainment of what we want or need. And yet if we think about the most important moments in our lives, the attainment of things rarely makes the list. Meeting and marrying my wife was an event that filled a gaping hole in me and made me a better person. Throughout our 25 year life together we have had to compromise and sacrifice in order to have a wonderful relationship. Selfishness just doesn’t work. The same goes for my children. I have given up so many dreams and desires in order to provide for them. I have sacrificed so much for my family, and they have sacrificed for me. This is what it’s supposed to look like. And it is the love expressed through the act of sacrifice that makes these precious moments so powerful.

On Easter Sunday Jesus rises out of the tomb and proclaims a new life. And we all cheer. But with that new life, comes a demand to sacrifice for the ones we love. Because sacrifice and love go hand in hand.

Happy Easter!

Pastor Bill

Let’s Revamp Easter

In 325 AD a group of Christian leaders got together in a room and tried to settle, among other things, the Easter mess. It was a mess because people around the world were setting the date of Easter on different days of the week and at different times during the spring season. The work the council did lead to a fix. But I think right now we need to get everyone together in room and fix the fix, as well as some other things surrounding modern Easter.

Every year the date of Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Did you understand that – because I don’t. But it gets worse. The church has fixed the equinox to March 21^st. However, the real equinox can be a day before or a day after. And so if the real equinox and the full moon is March 20^th, then that’s not the full moon the church uses to set Easter. It will be the next one later in April. I think this system is dumb and does not work in the modern world. We have to get together and fix the date to the second Sunday of April so I don’t have to figure out when it is every year.

Speaking of change, what is with the bunny rabbit? This symbol of fertility and the rebirth of the world in springtime came from German immigrants and became very popular after the civil war. I don’t know about you but I don’t see any rabbits procreating around my home in the spring or any other time of the year. So I propose that we change the symbol of Easter to the mosquito. As soon as spring comes they come and as far as procreating rabbits can’t hold a candle to them. What do you say? Let’s get together and talk.

Why do we give kids candy during Easter? My kids get hyper, lose their teeth, and fight over the big chocolate bunny. Other than aggravation, what do I get out of it? We need to get together in a room and decide to give the kids something useful. Like turkeys and hams. A great gift that lowers my food bill.

And finally we should do something about the name. The word Easter has German roots. Estre was the goddess of the rising light of day. Brought to England by the Saxons the word was applied to the Christian holiday. But this is not what Easter is about. It is the day that celebrates the hope of a new life that will extend into eternity. It is the day that Christians all around the world believe is the sure sign that there is more to this life than daily struggles. We believe Jesus rose from the dead and promised that we would do the same. The name Easter should be changed to Resurrection Day.

And so some changes need to be made. We should get together in a room somewhere and fix these things, as well as a few other minor problems like world peace, eliminating hunger and poverty – stuff like that. Now I think I will go and arrange to get at that chocolate bunny before the kids do.

Happy Resurrection Day,

Pastor Bill Whitehead