04/25/2019
Saturday before Easter was a soggy, rainy day which meant that when my dog, Ava, came in from chasing the squirrels, birds and ducks as she loves to do, she was a drowned rat and smelled like one too. Her feet smelled of pure mud as she had run through once mulched beds that were then covered with mud and water. At one point Ava came to me, nuzzled up and wanted to be pet but I told her "Ugh, you stink!"
By the time that you read this, we will have celebrated Easter and told one another that "He is Risen!". My dog reminded me of the Easter message. Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, happened because "I stink!". I stink with the many ways that I sin day in and day out. But God has not turned me away. He has continued to invite me to nuzzle up with Him. He accepts and loves me no matter how dirty or smelly I am. And not only that, He did exactly what I ultimately needed...to be washed clean of my sins. He sent His Son, Jesus, to live, die and be resurrected so that I may be made clean as snow and therefore can celebrate Easter!! Hallelujah!
I pondered the message of Easter and what Jesus has done for me. Though my act is not nearly as sacrificial as what Jesus did, I did give Ava a bath so that she was clean and smelled sweet again.
Easter Sunday 2019 may be passed but the Easter message lives on and on and on.
Blessings- Pastor Patti
Archived Posts
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”
One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share
Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem. Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case. Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.
What Jessica Really Meant to Say in Her Sermon…
When Jessica or Rick or a guest preacher takes the pulpit it’s hard for me to write a One More Thing Blog. I can’t share with you what didn’t make it into the sermon because I have no idea, not having written or delivered it.
Jesus Keeps On Ruining Funerals!
I didn’t have anything this last week that didn’t end up in the sermon. No catchy illustrations that didn’t make the cut. No theological insights that slowed down the main point. No one can ruin a funeral like Jesus. Told as I saw it and that was it. So I did some quick research and I thought I’d share just a reminder of what Easter is all about.