Good Friday statement from the Archbishop of Kenya

As we journey ever closer towards the dawn of salvation, let us remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who lost their lives on Good Friday. 

May God's comfort rest and remain with the families of these young victims! 

Here is the statement written by the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya. 

‘Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother’ John 19:25

My dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this Good Friday we gather in our churches across Kenya in the shadow of a great and terrible evil. People who deal in death have slaughtered 147 people in Garissa, most of them students, and brought wrenching anguish to their families and a deep sadness to our nation.

These young people died because they were Kenyans and they were Christians. This attack was a calculated manifestation of evil designed to destroy our nation and our faith, but on this Good Friday we are reminded that the very worst evil can do is not the last word.

Through spite and blatant miscarriage of justice, Jesus dies the agonising death of the cross, but his last words are ‘it is finished’. The cross was not a tragic accident, but the fulfilment of God’s purpose to reconcile men and women to himself through the atoning death of his Son, a reality gloriously confirmed by his resurrection from the dead.

But we must not rush on to Easter Day too quickly.  Today we stand at the cross with Mary and the other women, heartbroken by loss and suffering and despite the horror before their eyes, not running away.

Horror is fresh in our minds too and let us not run away or deny it, but stay by the cross. We stay with Jesus, the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, we share in the grief of Mary and we share in the grief of those who have been so shockingly bereaved, but as Mary was to discover, we know that this is not the end of the story.

Jesus death upon the cross was not in vain. By his death, death has been destroyed. The stone rolled away and the empty tomb of Jesus assures us that death does not have the last word. As we think of those dear ones who died at Garissa because they were Christians, let us remember the promise of the Lord Jesus that nothing can separate them and us from his love.

Above all, let us resolve today that these deaths, and those of other Kenyans who have died previously at the hands of Al Shabaab, will not be in vain. We call on the government to do all in its power to protect the lives of its citizens and we call on the world community to recognise that this latest outrage is not just an attack on Kenya, but part of an assault on world peace. The time has come for the world to unite as never before in defeating this growing menace.

While governments have a vital role, even more important are the hearts and minds of ordinary people. Let us covenant together before God that we will never ever surrender our nation or our faith in Christ to those who glory in death and destruction. We will not be intimidated because we know and trust in the power of the cross, God’s power to forgive our sins, to turn death into the gate of glory and to make us his children for ever.

Amen

Palm Sunday poem

Every once and while, the Spirit moves me to write poetry.  Here is an acrostic poem that I wrote for Palm Sunday last week but didn't end up using. 

Blessed is the One: An Acrostic Poem

Based on Mark 10:34 and Mark 11:1-10

H eavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.

            Hosanna!

O ut of humility, Christ came as a servant, not as a mighty warrior. 

            Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!
S ome wondered, why did he do this?

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
A nd Jesus answered, because I love you.

Hosanna in the highest heaven!

N ow it is time for Him to make the final journey into Jerusalem

Hosanna!

N ow it is time for Jesus to be mocked, spit upon, flogged, and killed

Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!
A nd after three days he will rise again

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Blessings, Emma. 

Holy Week

Holy Week is a time of great tension in the Christian tradition.  It is like a roller coaster ride - first, there is the celebration of Palm Sunday, then the wonder of the first Lord's Supper, then the horror of Christ's betrayal, arrest, death, and crucifixion and then the glory of the empty tomb. 

As difficult as it is for us to travel on this road, it is necessary because without the suffering of this week, we cannot truly appreciate the joy of Easter Sunday.  It is crucial for us to see that all of these events are wrapped up in God's grace for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Let us soak up God's grace this week because we have been assured that nothing can separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ.  (Romans 8:39)

Blessings, Emma.

P.S.  Here are some Scripture readings for each day of Holy Week. 

Palm Sunday
Jesus enters Jerusalem: Mark 11:1-10

Monday
The greatest commandment: Mark 12:28-34

Tuesday
Keep watch: Mark 13:32-37

Wednesday
Jesus anointed at Bethany: Mark 14:1-11

Thursday
The Lord’s Supper: Mark 14:12-26

Good Friday*
Jesus’ crucifixion and death: Mark 15:21-41

Saturday
Jesus’ burial: Mark 15:42-47

Easter Sunday
The resurrection story: Mark 16:1-13

* Mark’s gospel contains the longest passion narrative. The full narrative is Mark 14:32-15:15.

 

Showers of Blessings

Today is the first day of the season of Lent, a time when Christians around the world reflect on their

lives in the shadow of the cross.  During this season, there are many traditions that are followed to help us draw nearer to Christ as we journey towards Easter.  These traditions include adding additional prayers or devotions to your daily routine, fasting, denying yourself something that you enjoy (i.e. a specific food or drink), and/or donating money to the church or a cause that supports those less fortunate. 

Over the years, I have practiced several of these traditions with varying degrees of success.  Whether or not you practice any of these traditions, what is important to remember that we are SO blessed by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Nothing that we can ever do or say can ever repay God for the perfect gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

It was timely for me today that I spent some time getting ready for our Annual General Meeting which will take place on Sunday February 22nd after the worship service.  My preparation has included reviewing pictures for a slide show that I will be showing during the luncheon.  We have much to be thankful for at Knox in the past year! 

May God continue to shower us with blessings during this season and into 2015.  Blessings, Emma.

Cloud of Witnesses

In my sermon this past Sunday, I mentioned one of my favorite passages from the New Testament which is from Hebrews 12:1-2 and it says this:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

We give thanks to God for putting people of faith in our lives who guide and nurture us in our relationship with God.  These people walk with us when we doubt.  They lift us up in prayer.  They encourage us to deepen our relationship with God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When I wrote my sermon last week, I included some information about one of the people in my life who provided this support – my grandmother or Oma as we call her.  My Oma has been very sick and on Sunday morning, I decided not to talk about her because I was afraid that I would get emotional.  

It is with profound sadness that I announce that she has now gone to be with the Lord.  She was ill for only a few weeks and each night, she prayed to God to take her home and on Wednesday, God granted her request.  Even though we are sad, we know that she now dwells in the everlasting arms of the Lord.  

As a result of this loss, I will not be leading worship on Sunday February 1^st as I will be traveling to Germany to be with my family and participate in her funeral service on Monday February 2^nd.  I will be returning home on Wednesday February 4^th.  

We welcome Ken Sheward to the pulpit on Sunday.  

Blessings, Emma.