Community Reflections Marysville Free Methodist Church March, 2018 Easter on April Fool’s Day? Yes, Really! For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 Yes, it’s the March newsletter and I’m writing about Easter. I’m writing about Easter this month because this Christian Celebration falls on the first Sunday of April. This is not an April Fool joke! By the time you get the April newsletter it will be Easter Sunday and I want to get this fun information to you before then. This year, Easter falls on April Fools' Day. What are the chances of that happening? Not great. Since 1700, Easter has landed on April Fools' Day 11 times. In percentages, that's 3.5 percent. So, this weird calendar event is an opportunity to discuss the greatest prank in history, and to ponder the question as to who the April fool is in the Easter story. This unusual conjunction of dates cannot go without comment. It is unusual. Since 1700, 318 years ago, Easter has fallen on April 1 only 11 times! The last time Christians celebrat- ed Easter April 1 was in 1956 -- more than 60 years ago when the world was so unlike the world and culture we inhabit today. It is unusual. Although Easter falls on April Fools' Day again in 2029 and 2040, it will then not be observed April 1 for another 68 years -- 2108. And then another wait of 62 years ... 2170. Therefore, since Easter falls on April Fools' Day this year and since it has been 62 years since the last conjunction of April Fools' Day and Easter, this fascinating coincidence begs to be noticed and mentioned. This weird day has become a festive day generated perhaps by the doldrums of winter and the hope of spring. It is not a holiday, you don’t get to stay home, and there is nowhere in the world the day is observed officially. It’s more of an popularly recognized day to celebrate foolishness! In the western world, some version of April Fools' Day exists and merriment ensues. Typically, a prank is played on a hapless soul who's forgotten about the perils of April 1. When the prank is completed and the fool humiliated, the perpetrator then yells "April fool!" There's the caramelized onion prank. Dip apple-sized onions in caramel, poke a stick in them, and serve them to office workers who think they're biting into an apple. Or, cut an outline of a large bug, something that's perhaps an inch or two long, and affix it to the inside of your spouse's lampshade. When the lamp is turned on, the silhouette of the bug appears suddenly, freaking out your victim. I won’t feed your creativity with anything else. The BBC once broadcast a short documentary in a current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly grown spaghetti in what they called the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. Can you believe this. Watch out when the news business gets into the spirit of April Fool’s Day! The BBC was later flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day. April Fools! Easter Sunday is unarguably the highest and most holy day of the Christian calendar. As holy days go, it doesn't get holier than this. And since it is April 1, we’ll play along as we look at the greatest prank in history and ask: "Who, after all, is the April fool?" A whole slew of candidates come to mind. Bring a friend to celebrate what God in our Christian bible calls the April Fool. And remember our Good Friday service where the choir and drama team will combine to lead in a service of gratitude to our Lord for Good Friday as a “Day of Hope.” Pastor Vic Senior Pastor
Transcript
Community Reflections
Marysville Free Methodist Church
March, 2018
Easter on April Fool’s Day? Yes, Really! For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
Yes, it’s the March newsletter and I’m writing about Easter. I’m writing about Easter this month
because this Christian Celebration falls on the first Sunday of April. This is not an April Fool joke! By
the time you get the April newsletter it will be Easter Sunday and I want to get this fun information
to you before then.
This year, Easter falls on April Fools' Day. What are the chances of that happening? Not great.
Since 1700, Easter has landed on April Fools' Day 11 times. In percentages, that's 3.5 percent. So,
this weird calendar event is an opportunity to discuss the greatest prank in history, and to ponder
the question as to who the April fool is in the Easter story.
This unusual conjunction of dates cannot go without comment.
It is unusual. Since 1700, 318 years ago, Easter has fallen on April 1 only 11 times! The last time Christians celebrat-
ed Easter April 1 was in 1956 -- more than 60 years ago when the world was so unlike the world and culture we
inhabit today.
It is unusual. Although Easter falls on April Fools' Day again in 2029 and 2040, it will then not be observed April 1 for
another 68 years -- 2108. And then another wait of 62 years ... 2170.
Therefore, since Easter falls on April Fools' Day this year and since it has been 62 years since the last conjunction
of April Fools' Day and Easter, this fascinating coincidence begs to be noticed and mentioned.
This weird day has become a festive day generated perhaps by the doldrums of winter and the hope of spring.
It is not a holiday, you don’t get to stay home, and there is nowhere in the world the day is observed officially. It’s
more of an popularly recognized day to celebrate foolishness! In the western world, some version of April Fools'
Day exists and merriment ensues.
Typically, a prank is played on a hapless soul who's forgotten about the perils of April 1. When the prank is
completed and the fool humiliated, the perpetrator then yells "April fool!" There's the caramelized onion prank.
Dip apple-sized onions in caramel, poke a stick in them, and serve them to office workers who think they're biting
into an apple. Or, cut an outline of a large bug, something that's perhaps an inch or two long, and affix it to the
inside of your spouse's lampshade. When the lamp is turned on, the silhouette of the bug appears suddenly,
freaking out your victim. I won’t feed your creativity with anything else.
The BBC once broadcast a short documentary in a current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking
freshly grown spaghetti in what they called the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. Can you believe this. Watch out when
the news business gets into the spirit of April Fool’s Day! The BBC was later flooded with requests to purchase a
spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day. April Fools!
Easter Sunday is unarguably the highest and most holy day of the Christian calendar. As holy days go, it doesn't
get holier than this. And since it is April 1, we’ll play along as we look at the greatest prank in history and ask:
"Who, after all, is the April fool?" A whole slew of candidates come to mind. Bring a friend to celebrate what
God in our Christian bible calls the April Fool. And remember our Good Friday service where the choir and
drama team will combine to lead in a service of gratitude to our Lord for Good Friday as a “Day of Hope.”
Pastor Vic Senior Pastor
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS PAGE 2
EASTER
CELEBRATION
PALM SUNDAY
March 25, 2018
One Service at 9:45am with
Special Guest: Supt. Matt Whitehead
Followed by a Q & A Session with
Supt. Matt Whitehad
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE
Friday, March 25
7pm, Sanctuary
Program will include music from the choir, message from Pastor Vic,
Communion
No childcare is provided
EASTER EGG HUNT
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
10AM, UPPER GRASS AREA
For children ages 12 and under.
Have your child(ren) bring a basket to collect their eggs in.
THREE EASTER SERVICES - APRIL 1
8am - Traditional Service
9:30am and 11am - Contemporary Services
Nursery available for 9:30 & 11 Services
No JR Camp
EASTER BRUNCH
8:30 am - 11:00 am
If your last name begins with A - M,
please bring a fruit platter.
If you last name begins with N - Z,
please bring pastries.
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Mark 6:56 Wherever Jesus went, He touched people, and people touched Him. He spent a lot of time healing peo-ple. He was accessible. He was approachable. He was a healer. One of the incredible sayings of Jesus was to the religious leaders of His day when they condemned Him for associating with ‘sinners.’ He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick, for I am not calling the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” So, contrary to the inherited wisdom of His day, He reached out to those who were sick, even if it meant He would be ‘unclean’ by the standards of others. Now, I need to be honest here. I may have seen a few healing miracles face-to-face. Not many, but only a few at best. It is not something that we see being demonstrated in our culture, at least not in the way it was under the ministries of Jesus and His apostles. But we can still identify with Jesus by reaching out and touching people that need healing and letting them touch us in significant ways. When we reach out to people who are broken, hurting and in pain because of experiences that they have had, whether self-inflicted or caused by others, we can be the hand of Jesus that reaches out to them in ways that bring healing. The challenge is when that healing is not instantaneous, as when Jesus healed, but actually takes time, as in most cas-es of healing that most people experience. Usually, healing is a process—and sometimes a long pro-cess. Being accessible, approachable—being a healer—means walking side-by-side with someone through the fire. It means helping to shoulder some of the pain so that it is more bearable. It means sitting in hospitals, mental institutions, grave sides, kitchen tables, support groups and numerous other places and situations. But the challenge becomes even greater when we do this for people that are not the “loved ones” of our family or faith community. I recently walked into a hospital room to try and help someone who was in the hospital for alcohol abuse. I had not met him yet, so when I walked in, I intro-duced myself to him and started talking. We talked a while until he asked me who sent me. I told him it was his sister, and then gave him the name. He had never heard of her. I suddenly realized that I was in the wrong hospital room.
I stayed and talked anyway. He was an Atheist who was dying of cancer. I came back numerous times and talked with him about what he wanted to talk about. It always came back around to spiritual things. I was able to tell him the Gospel message several times, but it was always at that point that he would turn the conversation in a dif-ferent direction. One day I returned, and he was no longer there.
It was an inconvenience to drive to the hospital to sit at the bedside of an Atheist that I did not know from Ad-am, but I felt that God had placed me there for a reason, so I sat with him, and he enjoyed my company. I would like to tell you about another
healer—one that most of you know. Her name is Lynn McCoy. She has an incredible story, but I can’t go into that here. I believe she is an example of a modern-day healer, the kind that is the most challenging—the kind of healing that comes slowly, over time. Lynn is deeply involved in helping others find healing from drug addiction, homelessness and many other social ills through her work with the Salvation Army. No doubt, many of you have helped her with that work through part-nership by ringing the bell during Christmas. She is also part of a support group that helps people find freedom from chemical dependency. She has found freedom and has chosen to become a healed healer to many who are still deep in the thick of it. She also counsels people through difficult and challenging life situations. She sits with them, listens and helps them find healing so that they can, in turn, help others. I contend that miraculous, instantaneous healing is a spec-tacle to see and very sensational, but the kind that takes work is the kind where the Holy Spirit leads you to a per-son that needs healing that does not come in a neat, once-and-done package—and you walk with them through the process. Lynn is a hero of the faith, though she would nev-er call herself one. But I do.
Pastor Fain Randall
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS PAGE 3
What a great sermon series Pastor Vic took us through in February on God’s agape love. Valentines Day was Ash Wednesday this year and the start of
penitence that tended to obscure the gospel of grace. These Protestants saw Lent, at best, as something completely optional for believers, and, at worst, as a superfluous Catholic practice that true believers should avoid altogether.
A Pastoral Word: Let me note, at this point, that if you think of Lent as a season to earn God’s favor by your good intentions or good works, then you’ve got a theological pro-blem. God’s grace has been fully given to us in Christ. We can’t earn it by doing extra things or by giving up certain other things in fasting. If you see Lent as a time to make yourself more worthy for celebrating Good Friday and Eas-ter, then perhaps you shouldn’t keep the season until you’ve grown in your understanding of grace. If, on the contrary, you see Lent as a time to grow more deeply in God’s grace, then you’re approaching Lent from a proper perspective.
Some segments of Protestantism did continue to recognize a season of preparation for Easter, however. Their emphasis was not so much on penitence and fasting as on intentional devotion to God. Protestant churches sometimes added spe-cial Lenten Bible studies or prayer meetings so that their members would be primed for a deeper experience of Good Friday and Easter. Lent was a season to do something extra for God, not to give something up. After ignoring Lent for the majority of my life, I’ve paid more attention to it during the last two decades. Sometimes I’ve given up something, like watching television or eating sweets, in order to devote more time to Bible study and prayer. (The television fast was especially tough because I love watching March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament, on TV.) Sometimes I’ve added extra devotional reading to my regular spiritual disciplines. I can’t claim to have had any mystical experiences during Lent, but I have found that fasting from something has helped me focus on God. It has also helped me to look ahead to Good Friday and Easter, thus appreciating more deeply the meaning of the cross and the victory of the resurrection. Before I began honoring Lent, Good Friday and Easter always seemed to rush by before I could give them the attention they deserved. Now I find myself much more ready to meditate upon the depth of Christ’s sacrifice and to celebrate his victory over sin and death on Easter. Let me be very clear: Lent is not a requirement for Christians. Dallas Willard has said that if a certain spiritual discipline helps you grow in God’s grace, then by all means do it. But if it doesn’t, don’t feel like you must do it. I’d say the same about Lent. If it helps you prepare for a deeper celebration of Good Friday and Easter, if it allows you to grow in God’s grace, then by all means keep it. If Lent isn’t your cup of tea, then don’t feel obligated to keep it. You should realize, however, that millions of Christians – Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Independent – have found that recognizing the season of Lent enriches our worship and deepens our faith in God. Read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/how-lent-can-make-a-difference-in-your-relationship-with-god/#rYIk4340uoqKhPp4.99
Bible Study Group at 6:30pm, in Portable 1, Pastor Greg Zook facilitating.
February LEGACY DINNERS
Wednesdays: March 7, 14, 21, & 28
5pm—5:45 pm, FH
Menus are posted each week in the bulletin.
Dinners: $3/person with a maximum of
$15/family.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS PAGE 5
March is a big month for the kids at Marysville Free Methodist Church! In our Sunday morning teaching, we
are reminding kids that Easter is coming and remembering the significance of Jesus’ going to the cross and bringing us salvation. For the youngest, it’s really all about the bunny at Easter time, but they are here at church, and they love Jesus, so we are joining with families in laying that foundation of faith. At Awana, we are gearing up for another family event. Awana Grand Prix is March 14! It’s a great time for the whole club to be in one room, cheering each other on in the races and admiring the handiwork of their cars. Did you know that adults can enter the races, too? If you are considering crafting a car for the derby, be sure to get your kit and join us! We would love to have you all join us for the fun that night, up in the sanctuary. You can cheer us on! Car kits are $7, and include the entry fee for the race (to help pay for the trophies and ribbons). Kits are available on Wednesday nights, before and after Awana. Join us! Have a blessed March! Dawn
Dawn Zook Children’s Ministry
Director
CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES LEGACY DINNER
THERE WILL BE NO AWANA, LEGACY DINNER OR BIBLE STUDY ON WED., APRIL 4TH
March 2-4 Warm Beach Camp
Get way for a powerful
weekend! A time for Christ to encourage you in life.
Be inspired by keynote speaker, Rick Thiessen, Allen Creek Community Church Senior Pastor. Register at www.warmbeach.com by March 1 and get the special rate of $49 for commuters.
MEN’S BREAKFAST
SATURDAY, MARCH 10
8:00AM IN THE
FELLOWSHIP HALL
DURING BREAKFAST WE WILL
BE WATCHING:
BIBLE, BACON & BATTLE
SPECIAL SIMULCAST ON PREPARING FOR
SPIRITUAL BATTLE
SALTS (55+) POTLUCK LUNCHEON
Tuesday, March 13, 12:15pm
At MFMC Fellowship Hall
Please sign up for the food item you will be
bringing on the sign-up sheet located on the Resource Table in the foyer.
Questions? See Belle Miller.
We meet at John & Lynn McCoy's home on Tuesday evenings, 6:30pm - 8:00pm. If you are interested in joining the Drama Team, just come to the Tuesday meeting, or talk with the director, Kathy Larsen.
DRAMA MINISTRY
Grief Share is a support group to help and encourage you after the death of a spouse, child, family member, or friend. A warm, caring environment is provided for your long journey through grief. There are three key parts to your Grief Share experience: Video semi-nar, Support group and a workbook. We meet weekly on Sundays from 5pm - 6:30pm in Pastor Vic’s of-fice. Our Facilitators are Chaplain Steve & Annabelle Schertzinger.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS PAGE 6
SUNDAY, MARCH 11 AT 5PM IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL
An informal get together to talk to, and get to know, our pastors, as well as a time to ask ques-tions about what is a Free Methodist? If you are new to the church, or even if you have been coming for awhile and have questions, please RSVP on your Connection Card on Sun-day; we ask so we know how many to expect to make sure we have enough dessert.
