John the Baptist Prepares the Way
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

 

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

 

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

 

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

The Baptism of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

 

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

 

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Two things come to my mind when I think of the word APPS. First is the tasty food (usually fried) that comes before you main course you ordered at a restaurant; an appetizer. The second is the little square icon that opens up a program on your phone or other electronic device; an application. As much as I love to eat the former, I want to talk about the later.

 

Our applications have started to rule our lives. At least for those of us who have smart phones, we kind of live our lives by those devices and the apps that we choose to take up the limited space on them. These phones get filled with apps for all sorts of things. Apps to keep in contact with others, apps to share photos, apps to play games, check the weather, get directions, check the latest scores, watch a show, keep organized, watch what we eat, track our exercise, shop online, pay for food, and many other things. There is an app that is an entire store just for apps for your phone. Currently on my phone I have 86 apps. Some of which I use and others I do not.

 

Did you notice something missing from list of apps up above? Anything that would directly help in my walk with Christ? Some of those apps could be helpful tools, but in reality are not life-giving in the least. One other app on my phone is my YouVersion Bible App. It is awesome that we live in a time in history where we can literally carry the Bible around with us in something as small as our phones are. The problem is that like with the Bibles on our shelves, does it get used?

 

This is a self-confession as much as it is a challenge to you the reader. My Bible, whether digital or physical, does not always get the time used it deserves. We are constantly looking for the next thing to help get our lives on track. The next program, the next big idea, the next app that will solve all of our problems, but in reality we have had access to the source of transformation for a long time and have rarely used it to its potential.

 

As we go through this season of lent and reflect on the life of Christ and what He did for us, are we truly getting into the one app that could help us learn even more about the one we call Savior? Whether you are using the Bible app on your phone or you pull the Bible off the shelf, we need to make time with scripture a priority.

 

What does the Bible have to say about itself?

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

The Bible comes from the mouth of God. That alone should make us think. So…what APP are you opening? It is never too late to make a change.

 

-Pastor Joshua Trojak

“. . . everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40b

 

Who was your favorite teacher? What do you remember about that person? If not a teacher per se, think of someone who taught you life’s most important lessons. I’ve listened to a number of people describe their most influential instructor over the years, and most share similar traits.

 

Favorite teachers are often those who pushed us to work hard. They challenged, corrected, and stretched us. Instructors’ standards of excellence resulted in what many of us would admit, that because of that special teacher, we accomplished “more than I thought possible”. They expressed confidence in our ability that called out a deeper commitment and stronger response than we could have mustered on our own. Learning went beyond the textbook to discovering more about ourselves and life. We will never forget them – those who believed in us.

 

As the following days lead to Good Friday and Easter, my thoughts focus on a favorite Teacher available to each of us. Sure, He instructed his twelve disciples with the textbook of Old Testament scripture, but we see Him doing much more. As you spend time with these familiar events from the Gospels, watch Jesus’ interaction with His followers. He challenges their assumptions about their Heavenly Father and the Kingdom of God He is establishing. He expresses confidence that as they trust, their future will hold “abundantly more” than could be imagined. He corrects their reliance on human strength, to stretch their belief in God’s power.

 

For their part, the disciples committed their daily lives to following this Teacher. They lived with His schedules, accommodations, meal plans, and travel arrangements. Their choice to remain with Jesus expressed the decision of the rabbinical students of the day, “to desire to be what the Rabbi is”.

 

Jesus’ offer is extended to us as well. Will you respond to His invitation? He calls. Will we seek forgiveness and be free? Like a favorite teacher, He challenges and corrects. To seek Him is to approach One who knows us completely, yet still believes in us. He is confident that as we trust, He will answer with abundantly more than we thought possible.

 

Like most favorite teachers, He has a schedule for the day posted for every student. Will you submit your list of plans and accept His schedule? It is a daily choice, but, once made, it will pull from you a deeper commitment and stronger response than you imagined. There is hard work and great fulfillment in His schedule. Who will set the order of your days this year as Easter draws near?

 

-Pastor Todd Witmer

Read John 20:10-18

 

Note in this scripture that Mary had lost her Lord and was weeping over the loss! Mary was looking in the wrong place – she was looking in the EMPTY TOMB! I have on my bookshelf a book by the title “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.” The author states that many times today people are looking for love in things, in others, in titles, in any number of places. We should be looking to our Lord Jesus for true love. He loves unconditionally – He loves us with no strings attached.

 

Mary turned from the empty tomb and saw Jesus – recognizing Him when He called her name! I wonder if we recognize His voice when He speaks to us today? Do we even want to hear what He is saying if we recognize His voice?

 

He speaks to us in a multitude of ways. He is trying to get our attention through the Easter event.

 

Easter is more than a date on a calendar. It is more than an event in the cycle of a season – budding trees, green grass and singing birds. Easter is more than an occasion for wearing a new hat or dress, a new tie or suit. Easter is more than a day for family gatherings, for meeting friends or finding colored eggs and candy rabbits. Easter is more than merely going to church, though the Church can help us find the sacred meaning of this Eternal Day.

 

Easter is God’s Day!

 

Easter is the day that marks the Resurrection of His Son from the grave! Easter is the assurance that what we call “death” is not the end of living! Easter is the promise of immortality. It is a glimpse of God’s plan for our eternal fellowship with Him!

 

You cannot find one pessimistic note in all of the New Testament after the Resurrection! Why, you may ask? BECAUSE HE LIVES. And because He lives, you and I can face anything – literally ANYTHING!

 

This Easter may we be intentional in our listening for His voice, and answering a “Yes Lord!”

 

-Pastor Bob Coddington