Posts by Bob Rhodes (Page 2)

On Easter Sunday people all over the world celebrated in ways previously unimagined. There was a rise in telecasting while church pews remain empty. Only Jesus could bring forth life, life in abundance, from what some people say is a time of complete devastation.

This Sunday is Easter Sunday! While we continue to endure “social distancing,” we will enjoy a lively worship experience by livestream, joined by our friends at St. Mark’s UMC.

This upcoming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day where we usher in Jesus as the King of the Jews and recognize his true authority. The people back then had no idea that Jesus’ kingdom would look vastly different from the political kingdoms of old and new. Jesus’ kingdom was about love, sacrifice, compassion, and service.

Maybe it’s hard to imagine abundance as we stroll aisles of stores with bare shelves, but now we have time to do those things we postponed by saying, “If I only had time, I’d do (fill in the blank).”

In the midst of everything happening, our “social distancing” and even some of the blame taking place (some racial, some class-based, etc.) I have been continually reminded by a quote from Fred Rogers: “Look for the helpers.” In this time of isolation, we are reminded not to give in to the darkness, but to remember the light of Christ that shine’s within us all.

As we wrestle in the current COVID-19 pandemic with how to relate with one another, we might consider this alongside our ongoing series on gratitude and the illustration of the table.

Last week’s message began with a question about where we find God, and this Sunday’s message draws the illustration of gathering around God’s table. This is a time of sharing in the abundance of God’s gifts!