Praise
the Lord for the way He encapsulates us with the invocation of the sunrise
and the benediction of the sunset every day. The Lord has been
sending April showers during early days of May. After the Summery days of
April the weather is cooling off. The gentle and friendly rains have been
causing the spring flowers that are blooming profusely and lingering with
sweet and aromatic fragrance all around. The tulips patches around town
are still sturdy and luxuriant. Once again the farmers, ranchers, and gardeners
are getting ready for another season of planting with mirthful
anticipation. I spent some time yesterday visiting the senior saints and
citizens during their week-day gatherings for lunch and fellowship along with
games. It is always a blessing to listen to their stories and interface
with them. I got spend some time yesterday also with the children who
come to church during the Release Time program. Praise the Lord for
these children and the faithful and devoted staff who share about Jesus
and his love with them.
We praise the Lord for the life and witness of a winsome servant of Jesus who entered the Church triumphant this week. She was 73 years old. She was widely described by her family and friends as a "giver" and a "doer". Praise the Lord for all those confess Jesus as Lord and savior and worship and serve Him in this life with joy and obedience. When their days are accomplished on earth they will go forth to live with the sure and certain hope of resurrection.
We are getting ready for worship and celebration this Sunday, the Lord's day. We will meet for Sunday School at 9:30 AM and for worship at 10:30, followed by a Church-wide fellowship hour. Plan to be in the House of the Lord wherever you might be in worship and celebration. Jesus is Risen. He is glorified. He is crowned with many crowns. He is the Lamb upon the Throne. He holds every thing in Himself.
Alice and I will be traveling to Boston this Sunday after worship. We will be back in New York on the 24th of May. Thank you for praying for us. The best part of being in Boston is that we get to spend time with our grand children, Micah, Simeon, and Ada. For us they are the "Best of Boston".
There is a poignant and powerful passage, recorded in John 1, "He came unto His own and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." Fyodor Dostoevski’s book, "The Brothers Karamazov" is possibly the finest literature ever written by human hand. In it is found a chapter entitled, “The Grand Inquisitor.” Ivan Karamazov is telling his brother a story that he has just written. The setting is Spain, during the terrible Spanish Inquisition where many people were put to death by the church for almost any heretical belief — real or imagined. In the story, Christ decides to reappear on earth during the time of the Inquisition. He comes quietly and inconspicuously, but everyone recognizes him and many are excited about his appearance. He says almost nothing, but people are drawn to him by an irresistible force. He stretches his hand out to bless the people and they are healed as he touches them. Christ is walking by the great Cathedral of Seville just as a child’s little coffin is brought in, with weeping parents who follow it into the church. Inside the casket is a lifeless little girl of seven. The child’s mother implores Christ to bring her back. Without a word he touches the young girl and raises her from the dead. Meanwhile, the bishop is looking on disapprovingly. His face darkens and he orders the arrest of the Stranger. But during the night, the Bishop descends the stairs into the cavern of the Sacred Court building where the Stranger is being held in a dark, vaulted prison. The Bishop, who is the Grand Inquisitor, i.e. the head inquisitor who inquires in order to discover heretics, looks at Christ in the squalid cell and says, “Is it you? You? Do not answer, be silent... Why did you come to meddle with us? Tomorrow I shall condemn you and burn you at the stake as the vilest of heretics, and the same people who today kissed your feet, will at the first sign from me rush to rake up the coals at your stake tomorrow.” But the Grand Inquisitor somehow changes his mind, and the story ends with these words: “When the Inquisitor finished speaking, he waited for some time for the Prisoner’s reply. His silence distressed him. He saw that the Prisoner had been listening intently to him all the time, looking gently into his face and evidently not wishing to say anything in reply. The old man would have liked him to say something, however bitter and terrible. But [the Prisoner] suddenly approached the old man and kissed him gently on his bloodless, aged lips. That was all his answer. The old man gave a start. There was an imperceptible movement at the corners of his mouth; he went to the door, opened it and said to him: ‘Go, and come no more—don’t come at all—never, never!’ And he let him out into ‘the dark streets and lanes of the city.’ The Prisoner went away.”
That is the story of our Christ-rejecting world. It is how we treat the Lord of Heaven and Earth. It is interesting thing that in Dostoevski’s story it is the most "religious" folk who reject Jesus. The Bible says that the Pharisees knew that He was talking about them. They were the religious leaders. Even in the arena of religion God often is not welcome. He is too radical. He is too awesome. His person and power are overwhelming. We prefer a god we can understand, control and even manipulate. In this world people seem to be more attuned to the words of such men as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
This is the story that originated with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, who lived in a wonderful garden paradise. When God went away from them for awhile, they were easily convinced that it is not enough to be a tenant. It is not good enough to be the friend of God, they wanted to be God. The story continues today as we, like them, may begin to question the goodness of God, and desire to taste our independence. In our ear we hear the tempter’s words: “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). What an exhilarating thought! We begin to look around us and we decide we want to be in control. We throw off the control of God and cast aside restraint. We stop worshiping the Creator and begin worshiping creation. We kill the Giver and take his gifts. The vineyard becomes our own. We are still resisting and fighting God himself.“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). We will worship anything: the sun, moon and stars; trees, rocks and water; money, sex and power — anything but the Landowner, God Himself.
“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23; Matthew 21:42). Jesus gives us the real end of the story, one that does not end in defeat, but victory. The end of the story is found in the book of Revelation: “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever’” (Revelation 11:15). The Bible says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
In Christ,
Brown
https://youtu.be/PANiveIKVX0
