When I was 12, the public school teachers went on strike. So my brother and I transferred to a catholic school in a town nearby. This was the first time that I got to experience nuns as teachers. These nuns were scary and intimidating. Or they seemed to be at the time.
But one nun stood out in my memory from long ago. Her name was Sister Angelina. She taught religion class. We had homework and tests just like any other subject. What I didn’t realize at the time was that religion class was not like any other subject. It was the most important subject of all!
Sister Angelina spent most of her efforts trying to follow the curriculum which was moving through the 66 books of the bible.
I admit, I wasn’t an A student in her class. And even more so, I didn’t even like her class. We read out of these Good News bibles and I really didn’t understand why they were called good news or what the good news was. I know it was religion class but why did we have to read about all that stuff? Why couldn’t she just tell us all the important stuff? Maybe a bullet point list and have a discussion and a quiz?
If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:
CrossPointe Community Church P O Box 126 Chippewa Lake, OH 44215
SCRIPTURE
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with His disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then He took the children in His arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on My behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
Howdy folks! I’m going to make a conscious effort to speak a little more slowly than usual today because I know I tend to talk way too fast when reading something. Hah!
Anyway, today I’d like to discuss everyone’s favorite topic. Sin. More specifically, I want to impart a deeper understanding of sin to assist in combating it. Of course, we can always appeal to the fact that God said such and such action is evil, and He knows better than we do, and that is a perfect reason to avoid something, but you see, the human heart tends to drift. Even though we know consciously that something is sin, and we really shouldn’t do it, our hearts can feel very distant from that reality. The eyes of our hearts become blind to just how bad sin is, and we get numb to the truth of the matter. We think things like: “What’s the harm? Surely, I could get away with a little something here and there. I’ve been good lately. Maybe this really isn’t that bad after all.” We are masters of self-deception when there’s something we really want that we shouldn’t have, and sometimes we don’t even notice that we’re deceiving ourselves. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:
CrossPointe Community Church P O Box 126 Chippewa Lake, OH 44215
CALL TO WORSHIP
But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day.”
Then they remembered that He had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell His eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
Luke 24:1-12
SCRIPTURE
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters,
When Jesus was in Jerusalem He used Bethany as His base of operations, much like Capernaum in Galilee.
Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
But when Jesus heard about it He said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He stayed where He was for the next two days. Finally, He said to His disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
But His disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?” Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light. Then He said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So He told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:
CrossPointe Community Church P O Box 126 Chippewa Lake, OH 44215
CALL TO WORSHIP
After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of His disciples. As He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” He told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on. As He rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him. When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
