Brown's Daily Word 4/3/15

Praise the Lord for this Good Friday. We are eagerly waiting for our daughter Jess and her husband Tom to arrive later today to spend Easter weekend with us. Many of you know that they are expecting their first child, a little girl, due to be born near Jess's birthday in July. We received a text message from Sunita this morning, who had just come from an ultrasound appointment that confirmed that their baby, due in late August or early September, is also a girl. She said, "It is a good thing that you love girls so much, Daddy, because Jesus keeps blessing you with them."
  Something very good happened at the Cross where the Prince of Glory died on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem over 200 years ago. Today the Church will gather all around the globe and around the corner in worship and in thanksgiving. Praise the Lord that the Church still gathers in the midst of violence and atrocities against Christians around the world. Jesus still says, "Father forgive them". We will gather for our Good Friday service tonight at 7:00 PM. Aric Phinney and the team will lead the service. We will gather for Sunrise Service at 6:30 AM at the Union Center United Methodist Church Grounds, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott. Pastor Marshall Sorber and the team will lead the service, followed by a church-wide family breakfast which is prepared by Rodney Haines and the team. We will gather for a triumphant Easter celebration with lots joyful music. We will gather for the Easter Celebration and worship at 9:00 AM at Wesley UMC, located at 1000 Day Hollow Road, Endicott. We will gather for Easter Celebration and worship at Union Center UMC, located at 128 Maple Drive, Endicott , NY at 10:15 Am. Plan to attend the Easter Celebrations wherever you might be around the corner and around the globe.
 Praise the Lord that we get to celebrate the Resurrection Sunday one more time, proclaiming, "Christ is Risen; He is Risen Indeed." I will be preaching the Easter Message for this Friday evening's Television outreach at 7:30 PM on Time Warner Cable channel 4. We have so much to celebrate and so much to give thanks for. We looked at Isaiah 53 for our Wednesday gathering last week. This is the very heart of the gospel, and the “heart of the heart” comes in Isaiah 53:4-6. No passage more clearly expresses the “why” behind the death of Christ. It is as if Isaiah somehow had a front-row seat at Golgotha and personally witnessed the terrible suffering of Jesus.
 As we begin to look at these verses, we must see how many times Isaiah uses “our” and “we” and “us.” He spoke of “Our griefs” “Our sorrows” “We esteemed him” “Our transgressions” “Our iniquities” His chastisement “brought us peace” “With his wounds we are healed” “We . . . have gone astray” “We have turned” “The iniquities of us all”
Nothing in this passage makes sense until you feel the full weight of the truth that what He did, He did for us. Jesus died for us. What he suffered was for us. The pain and the brutality and the indignity of the cross were all for us. From our perspective, we may say that Jesus was betrayed, tried, beaten, mocked, humiliated, crowned with thorns, convicted in a court, falsely accused, beaten until his skin was shredded, forced to carry his own cross, and then publicly crucified, the most brutal form of execution in his day. If we focus on those events, we may come to the conclusion that Jesus shouldn't have died, that it was all a big mistake, that somehow the powers of darkness finally triumphed over the light.
In Acts 2:23 Peter even said, “This Jesus . . . you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” That, however, is not the end of the story. On the contrary. The Bible writers unite to declare that Jesus laid down his own life, that no one took it from him. J. C. Ryle offers this perceptive comment: "He did not die because he could not help it; he did not suffer because he could not escape. All the soldiers of Pilate’s army could not have taken him, if he had not been willing to be taken. They could not have hurt a hair of his head, if he had not given them permission." This brings us to the real message of Isaiah 53:4-6.
 As we read these verses, let our hearts be warmed by the thought that Jesus died on purpose, not by accident, so that sinners like you and me could be saved. You and I are numbered among the “we” in the passage. Christ died for us. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (v. 4). When Isaiah spoke of what Christ has done for us, he did not start with our sin and our guilt. That is later. He began instead with our infirmities.
 The text says that Christ has “borne” our griefs. Borne is a Hebrew word that means to lift up and carry away a heavy load. It was used in Leviticus 16 for the scapegoat who carried away the sins of the nation. Jesus came to lift the heavy burden of sadness brought about by our sin and the pain of living in a sinful world. I love the hymn that starts, "What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear."
 We have many griefs because we live in a fallen world. We have many sorrows because we ourselves are fallen people. We need someone who can bear our grief when the burden is too heavy for us. Colin Smith (Restore Faith) explains it this way: He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrow. That must include the division in your family, the loss of your job, the death of your husband, and the pain of your past.
    In Christ we do not have some far-off God, but in Him we find a God who drew near to us, who came to us, who entered our world and became one of us, that He might carry our sorrows for us. Your pain will not have the last word our pain will not have the last word. our sorrows will not last forever. Jesus has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
Os Guinness tells the following story in No God But God: In one of their periodic efforts to eradicate religious belief in the Soviet Union, the Communist Party sent KGB agents to the nation’s churches on a Sunday morning. One agent was struck by the deep devotion of an elderly woman who was kissing the feet of a life-size carving of Christ on the cross. “Babushka [Grandmother],” he said. “Are you also prepared to kiss the feet of the beloved general secretary of our great Communist Party?” “Why, of course,” came the immediate reply. “But only if you crucify him first.” (p. 112)
Isaiah 53 contains the good news we all need. He was bruised–for us. He was wounded–for us. He was beaten, betrayed, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, crucified–all for us. Our sins drove Jesus to the cross. But he did not go unwillingly. If our sins drove him there, it was his love for us that kept him there.
If you want to go to heaven, pay attention to Isaiah 53:6. Remember that it begins and ends with the word “all.” One man gave his testimony this way: “I stooped down low and went in at the first ‘all.’ Then I stood up straight and walked out at the last ‘all.’” The first “all” tells us that we are sinners; the last “all” tells us that Christ has paid the price for our sins. Go in at the first “all” and come out at the last “all” and you will discover the way of salvation. Can an old sinner like me go to heaven?
  I read about When President Dwight Eisenhower was hospitalized for the final time before he died, Billy Graham paid him a visit. At one point President Eisenhower asked, “Can an old sinner like me ever go to heaven?” Billy Graham assured him that even “old sinners” can go to heaven by trusting in Jesus. But there is good news for “old sinners,” “young sinners,” “big sinners,” “small sinners,” and everyone in between. Jesus has paid the price in full so that you can go to heaven. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done or how bad your record might be. If you know that you are a sinner, you can be saved.
How can I be so sure about that? Because Jesus was pierced for your transgressions and crushed for your iniquities. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Philip Bliss was born near Nichols NY where we served for 8 years.In 1875 Philip Bliss wrote a hymn based on the Isaiah 53 called Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Speaking of this song, Ira Sankey (a composer and musician who served with D. L. Moody) says: A few weeks before his death Mr. Bliss visited the State prison at Jackson, Michigan, where, after a very touching address on “The Man of Sorrows,” he sang this hymn with great effect. Many of the prisoners dated their conversion from that day. Here are the words to that hymn: Man of Sorrows! what a name For the Son of God, who came Ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior! In my place condemned he stood Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; “Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior! Lifted up was He to die; “It is finished!” was His cry; Now in Heaven exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; When He comes, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring, Then anew His song we’ll sing:
In Jesus the Victor.
  Brown
https://youtu.be/Ew8ig612NQc

Brown's Daily Word 4/2/15

Praise the Lord for this Maundy Thursday.  This is is also known as Holy Thursday.  Today our grandson  Gabe, that lives in Washington, DC is celebrating his second birthday.  His parents took him to the Washington Zoo.  It has been  the warmest day of the year to date here in the Northeast of the USA.  I walked on one of the local walking trails for over two miles.  It has been brilliant. Sunita told me that the temperature is reaching above 70 degrees today in Washington, DC.  The Nation's capitol is getting ready for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival that welcomes millions of visitors each year.  Alice and I have been there a couple of times.  The cherry blossoms are stunning and breathtaking.  We will gather for a special service of worship and reflection this evening as Dr. James Geer PH D will present Simon Peter at  7:00 PM.  Those who live in the area please join us.

    It was on Holy Thursday and Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.  As He washed the disciples’ feet, Jesus said that the greatest person in the Kingdom of God is the humble servant.  Jesus took the towel of a servant  and washed the disciples’ feet.  The big disciple, Peter, said, “No, no, no.  It is not right for you, our master, to wash my feet.”  Jesus said to Peter, “If I cannot wash your feet, you cannot be my disciple.”  Peter said, “Wash all of me.  My feet, my legs, my heart.  Wash all of me that I may be your humble disciple and do what you are doing.”  Jesus was doing the job of a servant, on his knees, washing and wiping his disciples’ feet. 

    God wants us to have that same quality as well.  That is, He wants us to have this same inner attitude that He possesses.  “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit.  But in humility, count others better than yourselves.  Look not to your own interests but look to the interest of others.  Have this attitude among yourselves that we find in Christ Jesus.  … For Christ did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but Christ walked the path of humility and obedience therefore God has highly exalted him.”  Because of our human nature, humility is not a highly sought attribute today.   You and I most likely struggle with trying to elevate ourselves above the next person.  We take our brains, our intelligence, our gifts that God has given to us and we often use these gifts to see ourselves as being better than other people around us.  There is a human tendency to elevate ourselves above others, and we use God’s given gifts to do this.

    Who is a person that you know who is really humble?  Who is that person who comes to your mind, who does not elevate himself or herself above others?  Abraham Lincoln is often selected as being the among the greatest leaders of our presidential past.  When people make a list of the greatest American presidents who ever lived, Abraham Lincoln is most often on the top of the list.  Yet, there was an unusual quality of humility about him.  Jesus said, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled; whoever is humble, will be exalted.”  It is one of those strange paradoxes about life that a person gradually learns is true. 

In Christ,

 Brown

https://youtu.be/0rznoe3zKxM

Brown's Daily Word 4/1/15

Praise the Lord for this Holy Week we get to celebrate one more time. Praise the Lord for this first day of April. Spring is finally coming around. It is slowly getting warmer. We can see the signs of Spring all around us. The trees are getting ready to burst with spring foliage, and the spring flowers are beginning to pop up from the ground. The bees are out and about, visiting the flowers with sweet melodies. Fat robins are out looking for worms. We praise the Lord that day now light lasts beyond 8:00 PM. We are excited for sweet Spring and best all we are excited about the Resurrection of Jesus our Lord. We will gather for our Wednesday fellowship and study at 6 PM, followed by choir practice at 7:30 PM. We will be looking at the servants songs that are recorded in Isaiah 52 and 53. It is recorded that the servant would be exalted in spite of His suffering (Isaiah 52:13-15). It is also recorded that the servant will be exalted because of his suffering. Using military terminology, Isaiah says that Jesus will divide the spoils of victory. Like a soldier returning triumphant from the field of battle, Christ receives the highest glory. Thomas Kelly pictures it this way: "The head that once was crowned with thorns Is crowned with glory now; A royal diadem adorns The mighty Victor’s brow." Jesus won the victory precisely because he was obedient to the Father’s will and offered himself on the cross. Isaiah says it four different ways: 1. “He poured out his life unto death.” 2. “He was numbered with the transgressors.” 3. “He bore the sin of many.” 4. “He made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah says that Jesus will divide the spoil. He means that since Jesus is the Captain of our Salvation, he will divide the spoils of victory with all those who follow him. Jesus is the captain of our salvation. I love the story story of David and Goliath. David won the battle, but the Israelites shared the spoils of victory. It’s the same with Jesus and us. When he wins, we win. That doesn’t mean we deserve it. We don’t. When he was numbered with the transgressors, he was numbered with us. When he bore the sin of many, he was bearing our sin. When he was appointed a grave with the wicked, he was buried in our grave. That’s what makes all this so amazing. Christ the Victor has willingly shared his victory with us. Here is the ultimate good news for those who believe in Jesus. He has returned victorious from the ultimate contest. The devil could not stop him, The cross could not defeat him, The grave could not hold him. Jesus is the Undefeated Champion! Having subdued all his enemies, Jesus marches in triumph, the Undefeated Sovereign and the Ultimate Victor. No one can stand against him. He has attained the highest place in the universe by virtue of his suffering. He came to the highest place by taking the lowest position. Isaiah said in his own way what Paul would write to the Philippians over 700 years later. Christ became “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). It is only in light of that truth, because of that truth, and as a result of that truth, that God has highly exalted his Son to the very highest point in the universe so that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2:9-11). First he suffered. Then he is exalted. He will one day return to the world that rejected Him. He will one day reign on the earth where He was crucified. In 1851 a clergyman named Matthew Bridges wrote a few verses that later became the much-loved hymn Crown Him With Many Crowns. The hymn surveys the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord. The last verse, which looks to the future when Christ will reign over all the earth, sums up the triumphant final stanza of Isaiah 53. Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me; Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity. What a Christ! What a salvation! Glory to his name forever! In Christ, Brown. https://youtu.be/3kPkjghup8E

Brown's Daily Word 3/31/15

Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord for family and friends. Praise the Lord for His church around the corner and around the globe. Praise the Lord for the children in our circles and amongst us. The other day our oldest daughter Janice sent me a text message,"Daddy Simeon became a vegetarian tonight.. When he heard about the chickens dying he felt sad." Simeon is 7 years old. Another text message Janice sent yesterday, "Simeon is eating only vegetarian dishes..."Do not you dare to have any bacon in the house when we come to New York". Children make us laugh. They make us spontaneous in our loving and serving and giving. No wonder Jesus had a tender spot in His heart for children. He said Unless you become like children...."
  Praise the Lord for this week, which is known as Holy Week or Passion Week. As this Holy week goes on, we remember the last days of our Lord, and anticipate both his death on the cross and his glorious resurrection. If we stop and think about it, it is a strange thing to celebrate the suffering and death of God. One of my favorite Bishops and preachers, Bishop William Willimon, has written, “One of the dangers of being in church as often as I am is that it all starts to make sense.” In other words, we who go to church, who pray, who search the Scriptures and partake of the Lord’s Supper, are in danger. The danger is assuming that all the puzzle pieces fit, that all this gospel really and truly makes perfect sense. If we lose the sense of mystery, the sense of strangeness about this faith that has laid claim on our lives, we should also worry that we may have lost the true message and ministry of God in Christ Jesus.
Mystery is at the heart of our faith. My children have read the book The Shack. The Shack is a book that deals heavily with the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Although it is fiction, it deals seriously with the relationship among the three persons, how they relate to one another. It is mysterious and odd that God would choose to initiate the salvation of the world on a cross. Paul told the church at Corinth that Jesus’ crucifixion was a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles. While Christians know the cross as “the power of God,” the world scoffs and laughs.
The cross means suffering, humiliation, pain, and death. It is not natural for us to run to it; only the Spirit of the living God to help us to embrace that cross in faith, hope, and love. It is the cross of a Savior who asks us to do nothing but die to ourselves. To the world such a cross is ridiculous, utter foolishness, but to us, as Saint Paul says, it is the power of God.
Tony Campolo has told a story about a man who walked up and down the streets of downtown Philadelphia wearing a sandwich-board style sign over his shoulders. On the front of the sign was written, “I am a fool for Christ.” As you might imagine, many who approached him would snicker and laugh at the man as they drew near, but all became silent as they continued to walk past him and read the other side of the board, which read, “whose fool are you?”
As Easter approaches, the world is busy in its trivial pursuit, but in various places, Jesus’ disciples gather in his holy Church to remember that the new life promised at Easter is not possible without this foolish, rugged old thing called a cross. We can be wise in the world’s eyes, or fools for the sake of Christ and His cross.
In Christ, Brown
https://youtu.be/mDkuxEIcpdI

Brown's Daily Word 3/30/15

Praise the Lord for Palm Sunday.  We had the opportunity to celebrate one more time, joining the Church around the corner and around the world.   The Lord gave us an almost a perfect day.  It was sunny and brilliant.  Children and adults presented special music.  There was an Easter Egg Hunt after the worship.  We also had a church wide banquet following the service.  There was food galore.  It was all celebrative and very much festive.  Praise the Lord for His Church, that we can celebrate with and celebrate along with a sense of triumph.  Some of my friends around the globe posted the Palm Sunday precessions  which were held outdoors on the public square including the Palm Sunday worship services that were very colorful.  Alice and I walked by the river banks on one of the walking trails in the evening.  The birds, including black birds, morning doves, and  all other spring birds in droves were making a symphony of praise to Jesus who entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in triumph.   May we all now prepare our hearts for Passion week. 

 

    It was on September 5, 1974 that I flew for the first time on an International flight. Since then I have flown around the globe by the grace of the Lord.  Our children fly to various places and countries regularly.  We at  times get concerned about the safety and the danger of those flights.  We must trust the engines, the machines, and the people who operate them.  We are saddened about the the German Flight that was crashed by the Co-pilot recently, killing 149 innocent, beautiful people along with the co-pilot.  

 

    On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just after taking off from the Detroit airport, killing 155 people.  There was only one survivor, a 4-year-old from Tempe, Ariz., named Cecelia.  News reports said that when rescuers found Cecelia, they did not believe she had been on the plane.  When investigators found her alive, they first assumed she had to have been in one of the cars the plane crashed into on the highway.  Yet, when the flight manifest was checked, there was Cecelia's name.  She survived because even as the plane was falling, Cecelia's mother, Paula Chican, unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and would not let her go.  Nothing could separate that child from her mother's love—neither tragedy nor disaster, neither the fall nor the flames that followed, neither height nor depth, neither life nor death.

    Like that child caught in the middle of disaster, so we have been trapped by our own sin, spiraling down to an inevitable doom; but our Lord Jesus  loved us so much that He left heaven, met us on our level, and covered us with the sacrifice of His own body so we might be saved from the consequences of the fall.

In Christ,

Brown

https://youtu.be/h3a8fTTrAdE