Smart Thoughts

       It is always amazing to me how you can read a passage of scripture and a portion of it jumps out in a way you never noticed before. This year as I read John’s version of the upper room experience of the disciples (John 13:1-20), the first verse caught my attention. You will remember that John does not write about broken bread as the broken body and the cup of wine as the spilt blood. John tells us how Jesus took on the role of the servant as he washed the feet of the disciples. As I read John’s story I have tended to get to the big difference, and I have missed his introduction. His introduction, one simple sentence, is a great summary of Jesus’ life.

       I particularly like the New International Version’s interpretation. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John is preparing us for Jesus example of caring for one another as servants, but the statement applies equally well to Jesus willful obedience and death on a cross. Without the cross and the grave, there could be no resurrection. Without resurrection, there would be no Easter–no Christianity. Early in John’s gospel, he tells us that “God so loved the world...” As I shared in my Easter message, Resurrection brings a hope and a love that carry us through life’s most difficult trials. (You can hear that message at www.earlyfumc.org)

       Our Easter celebrations were amazing. It just dawned on me. Paul said something about reaping what we sow. (Gal. 6) We come to worship on Easter Sunday, and we each offer an extra measure of energy. The crowd is larger, bringing more energy and excitement to the experience. Worship is only as good as what we individually bring to it, and on Easter we seem at our best. There were 40 enthusiastic worshiper in the Zephyr service and 161 passionate worshiper in Early.

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” We experience the full extent of God’s love in the gift of the Holy Spirit. We will be celebrating that later, but that is 50 days from Easter. On the same day we will celebrate the full extent of God’s love in the gift of our Mothers, but that is 50 days from Easter. Between now and then we can celebrate the full extent of God’s love very Sunday morning in worship. Bring your best, bring your excitement, enthusiasm, energy and passion, and you will find worship that is exciting, energetic, enthusiastic and passionate. You might even find worship that is transforming, life giving and love filled. You might even discover the full extent of God’s love for you.

See you on Sunday,