[Mcgregorpage] Fwd: McGregorPage #552, Easter 3, 4/22/07

[rmcgregoralbq at aol.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: GrammieAlbq at aol.com
To: RMcGregorAlbq at aol.com
Sent: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 8:39 AM
Subject: Fwd: McGregorPage #552, Easter 3, 4/22/07


 






See what's free at AOL.com. 
Attached Message
From:rmcgregoralbq at aol.com
To:grammiealbq at aol.com
Subject:McGregorPage #552, Easter 3, 4/22/07
Date:Mon, 9 Apr 2007 8:13 AM

 
Easter 3 – (April 22, 2007) 
 
Acts 9:1-20 
Psalm 30 
Revelation 5:11-14 
John 21:1-19 
 
THE RISEN LORD RAISES UP THE CHURCH 
 
The risen Lord takes an active role in managing the church. He waylays Paul to recruit him as the missions chairperson. He makes Ananias a member of the nominating committee. He interviews Peter for the position of lay leader. John of Patmos, he makes worship chair. The church can exult like the Psalmist, "I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me." (Psalm 30:1) 
 
The church was and is the singular witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus busies himself with the organization and direction of the church immediately following the resurrection, and the church busies itself in proclaiming the resurrected Lord following Pentecost. The church is a community of witnesses with a single priest who is Jesus himself. 
 
In Acts, Luke makes it clear that God in Christ leads the church out of its original setting as surely as the Holy One brought the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt. Saul, like Moses, is accosted by God while in the pursuit of his own mission. God changes that mission and reinterprets the reality in which both Moses and Paul operate. 
 
John, presumably the Disciple that Jesus loved in some distinctive way, is clear that Jesus chose Peter, not him, for authority over the original community of witnesses. Jesus, even more than the rest of the community, knew Peter's weakness for power, either to be intimidated by not having it or to be arrogant in having it. Jesus knew this to be true of all future church leaders, too. So, Jesus ties power to love and love for him to love for the community of witnesses. 
 
The early witnesses interpreted the resurrection to be the confirmation of their vision for the conversion of the world, one that looked much like a half-hour western on TV where the Lone Ranger and Tonto come into town from nowhere, identify and dispatch the bad guys, establish the reign of righteousness and ascend the throne on the horizon with a hearty, "Hi Ho Silver." The author of the Apocalypse seems to embrace this vision, but the way he describes it leaves the action hovering in space. The rescuer doesn't quite ride into town. The shoot-out is in the sky. There is a parallel drama to the one on earth going on above, and it is on that plane that the conquering lamb clearly conquers. On this earthly plane, he also conquers, but not with the same finality. Worthy is this lamb who was slain and who conquers for the sake of the church. Worthy is this lamb who was raised and leads the church, worthy to be praised. 
 
His victory can be seen on earth the way other invisible forces can be seen, by their impact on the visible, e.g. the raising up of a joyous, loving community from a bitter, hateful execution; the turning of a persecutor into a missionary; the sustaining of genuine righteousness in a church populated with sinners. 
 
It is the risen Lord who creates and directs the church. Apart from that the church has no mission and no proper existence. I promise to try harder to keep this in mind when I prepare an order of worship and a sermon. It is the risen Lord who raises up the church. 
 
May these thoughts strengthen you. 
 
An Open Letter to Fellow Pastors 
>From Roland McGregor, United Methodist Pastor 
(an e-mail service) 
 
[See Web Page address below for a Children’s Message coordinated with these lections.] 
 
http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/ 
 
Multiple Sermon Starter Essays are available at 
http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/ 
 
The MCGREGORPAGE is available free to your email inbox 
To subscribe, write the word SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and send it to mcgregorpage-request at intenex.net. 
 
To unsubscribe, write the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and send it to mcgregorpage-request at intenex.net. 
 
You may contact the author at RMcGregorAlbq at AOL.COM. 
 
 --Copyright 2007, Roland McGregor, all rights reserved— 
You have permission to share this material with any individual provided that you include the source with e-mail address. 
 
 
________________________________________________________________________ 
AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. 
=0 
________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.