Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church

Last weekend, we continued our sermon series on The Lord’s Prayer as we take a “deep dive” into the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples.

Last week’s phrase from the Lord’s Prayer was “Hallowed be Thy Name.” It was an important reminder that our Father in heaven that we address, who desires an intimate relationship with us by allowing us to call Him “daddy,” is also a holy and set-apart God, who is to be honored and praised. This is where our prayers to God begin.

At the end of my sermon, I made mention of a tool that might help us do this, it was a zip-lock bag with a few pinto beans in it to help prompt us to praise God for His different attributes. So, at the start of your own time of prayer, I encouraged you to take one of the beans from the bag and then praise God for one of characteristics (His sovereignty, His generosity, His love, His omnipotence, His goodness, His protection, His faithfulness, etc.). Well, one of our members took that tool and moved it up a notch.

Jolene Rich put together some cloth bags filled with polished stones to use them as the tools for praying to God and thanking Him for His characteristics. They are MUCH better than my zip-lock bags and pinto beans.

So next time you are at church, take a bag with some stones (please take one bag so more of us can have them) and use them as a tool to praise God for who He is, thanking Him for His characteristics, for He is a good and loving and generous God. And if you know Joelene, be sure and thank her.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and I know that many of us will be celebrating the moms in our lives. Giving them the love and thanks for the care and sacrifices they have provided in our lives over the years. It is especially meaningful when families are able to gather and celebrate multiple generations of mothers. The goodness of God is evident.

I also know that for many, this is a complex day. Some of us our missing our mothers and the hole that is left because she is no longer around. It may arise from a difficult relationship that you had (or have) with your mother.

Or this day may be a complex day because you desire to be a mother but there are hurtful and painful emotions because of the loss of a child, or infertility is not allowing you to have a child, or you have experienced a miscarriage in the past. So, Mother’s Day can bring a variety of emotions into our lives.

I will say that in the midst of these emotions, we believe in a God who cares for us, who provides for us, who looks after us. He is like a good mother to us and for that we are grateful.

1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him.

His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

5-6 The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.7 “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’

That’s the message.”

8-10 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.”

(Matthew 28:1-10) Eugene Peterson, The Message

Easter changes everything! What seemed like the end became a beginning. What was a death, became a new life!

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead means that there is no reason to despair. There is hope. There is always hope.

You and I will hear about bad news. We may experience times where we are frightened and confused but in Christ, there is always hope.

Christ’s resurrection gives us hope in any situation. It reminds us that even in death, there is hope because He is alive.