Eastertide: Walking with the Risen Jesus

Written by The Bridge Church Tech Director Andy Boettcher

Easter is my favorite holiday. There are many reasons for this––the celebrations, the renewed excitement in worship, the gradual welcome of warm weather in spring. Over the last few years, though, Easter has become my favorite holiday due in large part to the fact that I need to hear the story of Jesus’ resurrection over and over again. I need to be reminded that it is true.

With Easter as my favorite holiday, it is probably not much of a surprise that one of my favorite passages in Scripture is Luke 24:13-35. This is the scene in which the risen Jesus appears to two disciples as they are on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

Luke begins the story by telling us that these disciples were discussing the events of the past few days when Jesus came and began walking with them. However, the disciples “were kept from recognizing him.” (v. 16) 

When Jesus asks them what they have been discussing, the disciples explain the situation to him. There was a powerful prophet named Jesus, they tell him, and they had hoped that he would redeem Israel. Sadly, however, he had been crucified. It had been three days since he had been killed, but apparently his body was missing; some of the women who had followed Jesus had been to his tomb early that morning and seen a vision of angels who said he was alive! 

When I read how the disciples––who have clearly not accepted the reality of the resurrection yet––describe this to the resurrected Jesus himself, it always brings a smile to my face. This may just be the best usage of irony in history.

Jesus replies, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (v. 25-26)

In other words, Jesus was asking them, “Don’t you remember the stories?” Seeing that they apparently did not, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (v. 27)

These two disciples needed to hear the stories again. While they were still blind to the one who was teaching them, their minds were being opened to the ultimate reality of the story that is at the heart of all of history.

Isn’t it interesting to consider that these disciples were given this information before they were enabled to recognize Jesus? Among other things, maybe part of the reason this story is recorded in Scripture is to remind us that even when we don’t recognize his presence, Jesus is walking with us through every season of our lives––and maybe he is doing something during our darkest days that we won’t be able to understand until we see it with the benefit of hindsight.

This was certainly the case for these disciples. It was only once they sat down with Jesus at a table to break bread together that their eyes were opened to recognize him. Jesus, now visible to them as their risen Savior, then suddenly disappeared from before them. The disciples looked at each other and said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (v. 32)

Despite the fact that they had already traveled such a great distance, the next verse tells us that the two disciples got up right away and set off to return to Jerusalem to reunite with the other disciples. Jesus had risen from the dead––there was no time to waste!

As with any story from Scripture, I think there is much that we can glean from this text. Frankly, there is much more than I could hope to touch on in this short devotional. But I want to leave you with a few thoughts to consider here at the beginning of the season of Eastertide.

We at The Bridge have not typically followed the liturgical church year, but we wanted to take time this year to reflect on the season of Lent and the practices that characterize it leading up to Easter. I hope that this has been a fruitful season for our community and helped us to see Lent, Good Friday, and Easter in a new light. Since we concluded the series with Easter Sunday, though, I thought it would be worth acknowledging that for those churches that do follow the liturgical year, Easter is actually the beginning of another season––Eastertide––and not simply a single day.

We have spent several weeks “walking with Jesus” on the path that leads to the cross and then the empty tomb. This is the pattern of Lent, and it is a pattern we benefit from repeating year after year. Yet, we do not stop walking with Jesus once we’ve acknowledged that he has risen. Instead, we continue onwards, walking with the risen Jesus, remembering that he is who he said he is. We return to the story again and again for reminders of the hope we have. And we are reminded that Jesus is most fully recognized when we commune with him. The bread broken between Jesus and the two disciples in this story reminds us of the symbolism of the Last Supper and Jesus’ body broken for us. But it also reminds us that Jesus was fully known when he sat down at a table with his friends, and one day we who know him as our Savior will get to experience everlasting communion with him.

I see in this story the beautiful, shocking way that the news of the resurrection transformed the first people who heard of it. I see the hope of new creation dawning on those who felt they’d been left in darkness. And I see Jesus walking with people who could not wrap their heads around what God was doing until they were ready to sit down with him to see for themselves that the stories were true all along.

May we continue to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection beyond just the day of Easter. May his victory over sin and death fill us with hope as we anticipate eternal life with him. And finally, may we continue to walk with Jesus in this and every season.

Andy Boettcher

Photo: “The Road to Emmaus” by Claes Moeyaert

The Drama of Palm Sunday

Written by Bridge Church Tech Director Andy Boettcher

NOTE: THIS IS THE FIFTH BLOG IN OUR SERIES FOLLOWING THE SEASON OF LENT.

One week before He would walk out of the grave, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Do you remember the scene? Each of the gospel writers––Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John––recorded this event as they documented the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. In a way, it was the beginning of the end. Once this week was over, the world would be changed forever.

The crowds who welcomed Jesus knew something major was happening. As John reports, their shouts of “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Blessed is the King of Israel!” indicated their hopes that this man who had been stirring up such excitement––He had just raised Lazarus from the dead!––would deliver their nation with power and might. The palm branches in their hands were symbols of victory, further evidence of the sort of king they believed they were receiving. 

The people cried “Hosanna,” meaning something along the lines of “Save us, please!” The tragedy of this scene lies in the fact that these voices would soon pivot to cries of “Crucify Him!” once they recognized that He was not the sort of king they thought.

Instead of coming in power, this king was riding a young donkey. Instead of breaking into the city as a symbol of war, His procession was one that proclaimed peace. But this was only the beginning––soon, He would be on a cross, dying on behalf of the people He came to save. This was not the victory the people proclaimed as He entered the city. This “triumphal entry” was indeed a victorious one, but not in the way the crowds believed it to be.

What then do we do with this dramatic scene?

I want to suggest that we view it as an invitation to walk humbly with Jesus as we enter this Holy Week.

John reports that Jesus rode into town on a young donkey to fulfill Zechariah 9:9, which says, “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” However, the disciples did not recognize this at the time. John says that it was only after Jesus was glorified that they were able to understand the significance of this fulfillment that pointed to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, the one who would save His people.

The people around Jesus could not see the significance of the event until afterwards. Yet, He was met with fanfare and acclaim. They recognized the coming King, but they praised Him for the things they mistakenly thought He was about to do. I wonder how often you and I rush into celebrations of worship in ways that are marked more by such superficiality rather than genuine praise and humility. I know I am guilty of rushing to images of God that fit my narrative, images that fit nicely into a depiction of God who does not challenge my expectations or prove me wrong. But when you find yourself praising a God who agrees with you on everything… Well, I don’t think that’s God you’re worshiping.

The real Jesus, the one who saved His people not by force but by lovingly laying down His life, will challenge you. As you draw near in worship, strive to do so with the humility that accepts Him as He is, challenges as all. As we do so, we will find that He invites us to lay down our lives for the sake of our brothers and sisters. He invites us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. And He challenges us to believe that the Creator of the universe is so loving towards us that He sent His Son to endure suffering and trials and betrayal and death in our place. He challenges us to believe that because He rose again and is alive today, we, too, will live.

So in humility, let’s praise the coming King this Palm Sunday. Let’s enter this Holy Week expectant for the challenge of walking with Jesus even as we anticipate the blessed resurrection that is promised to those who do.

Andy Boettcher

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

The Parts of Prayer I've Forgotten

Written by Bridge Church Tech Director Andy Boettcher

NOTE: THIS IS THE fourth blog in our series following the season of lent.

“Why don’t you pray after that portion of the service?” I asked. “That should give the band some time to get back onstage to be ready for the last song.”

From the perspective of a worship leader trying to plan a tight transition from one portion of a Sunday morning service to the next, this can be a perfectly innocent thing to say. But it’s also a really easy way to forget what it actually means to pray. And I have to confess, I have often been guilty of forgetting.

It’s not wrong, of course, to plan such a transition within a worship service––we regularly do this at The Bridge so that we are ready to hear from the worship leader or start singing the next song as soon as the person leading in prayer says “amen.” My point is that I have fallen into the trap of thinking of that prayer time as a transition between practices rather than a unique practice in itself.

As we continue in our blog series exploring different practices associated with the season of Lent, I wanted to take the opportunity to approach the practice of prayer with some self-examination. After all, to quote Dave Norbeck’s first blog entry in this series, “Lent traditionally is a season where we, as the church, examine our lives to see where we have drifted away from Christ.” My hope is that as I examine the parts of prayer I’ve forgotten, there might be something for each of us to remember and reclaim about this practice.

So, other than simply not being a transition… what is prayer?

Prayer is essential for our walk with Jesus.

I confess that this is the biggest area of forgetfulness in my prayer life. If I’m honest, I think of prayer as an essential part of walking with Jesus more often than my prayer life actually reflects this. But prayer is not an add-on to the Christian life––it is essential.

“All people pray for one of two reasons––either because they ought to or because they must… If ought-prayers see prayer like perfume, a welcome but nonessential addition to the air, then must-prayers see it like oxygen, the element of the atmosphere their life depends upon.” - Skye Jethani, What if Jesus was Serious… About Prayer? p. 26-27

Jesus modeled prayer for His disciples. He taught them how to pray. Notably, He taught them to pray behind closed doors:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” - Jesus in Matthew 6:5-8

For followers of Jesus, prayer is not something to be done as a show. It is not about the number or eloquence of your words. It is not even about transferring information to God––as if He was unaware of that which is in our hearts or minds. God doesn’t need us to tell Him what is going on and He doesn’t need a performance. We, however, need to commune with God. The One whom we need for our very breath has given us a gift in being able to go to Him in prayer with anything and everything. When we truly recognize this, we move from being ought-prayers to must-prayers.

Prayer is about being vulnerable with God.

I usually catch myself forgetting about this aspect of prayer when I am in the middle of praying. Have you had this experience? You’re praying, and suddenly you realize you have been praying for a while using phrases that are empty of meaning because you’re simply reciting them and going through the motions of prayer rather than actually conversing with God. I believe this is a large reason behind the hesitancy that many feel about using pre-written prayers. (Personally, I have found pre-written prayers to be very helpful in guiding and shaping my prayer life… but maybe I can save that discussion for a later blog post!)

As I reflect on this aspect of prayer, it’s hard for me to fathom a more vulnerable practice. In prayer, we are conversing with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves. To borrow a phrase from the Book of Common Prayer, He is “the One from whom no secrets are hid.” 

How are we to approach God with this in mind? I love the posture that the writer and Catholic priest Henri Nouwen describes when talking about our vulnerability before God in prayer:

“Often you will catch yourself wanting to receive your loving God by putting on a semblance of beauty, by holding back everything dirty and spoiled, by clearing just a little path that looks proper. But that is a fearful response––forced and artificial. Such a response exhausts you and turns your prayer into torment. Each time you dare to let go and to surrender one of those many fears, your hand opens a little and your palms spread out in a gesture of receiving. You must be patient, of course, very patient, until your hands are completely open.” - Henri Nouwen, With Open Hands, p. 25

Although he is speaking metaphorically, since reading this quote I have found it helpful to actually physically close my hands when I am beginning to pray. Then, as I consider the things on my heart and the things I would rather keep hidden or tucked away, I slowly open my hands while I confess them to God. There’s nothing mystical or magical about it. It’s not a secret practice that manipulates God into forgiving me of those things I am unveiling in my heart. Rather, it’s a way of helping me recognize my constant need to repeat this process.

When I admit to God what I would rather keep to myself, I am reminded that my default state is one of closed hands. Yet, God already knows where I have been and what I have done and how I have fallen short, and His is a posture of welcoming open hands. As I open mine, it is a reminder that I can be vulnerable with the Lord and that His grace is sufficient for me.

One day I won’t need the reminder. But in the meantime, I’ll keep practicing opening up my hands.

Prayer is communion with God amidst a busy world.

One thing I have not forgotten is the busyness of the world around me. That is the part of this aspect of prayer that comes easily. What I do forget about is the fact that prayer is not something that we wait to do once our schedule clears up. Rather, prayer should be a constant amidst the busyness.

Busyness often affects my prayer life such that I find myself remembering to pray at the very end of the day as I am getting ready to fall asleep. And while I think that praying before bed is a wonderful practice, I think that C.S. Lewis has some wisdom when he acknowledges that making bedtime our primary prayer time is not the best idea.

“My own plan, when hard pressed, is to seize any time, and place, however unsuitable, in preference to the last waking moment.” - C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, p. 20

Imagine if the only time you talked with a friend was the very moment before they fell asleep. If the friend was anything like me right before I go to sleep (or between the time I wake up and have a cup of coffee), I imagine the depth of conversation would be… lacking.

Yet I still find that there are days when I only remember to pray right at the end of the night.

I need to be reminded of Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It needs to be my default state––communion with God. 

I am by no means an expert in succeeding in this practice, but one thing that has helped me quite a bit is creating reminders for myself to pray about specific things. When I was in college, there was one building on campus in which I knew I would have the majority of my classes. I decided that every time I passed by the flagpole outside of it as I approached the building, I would find one thing to thank God for that day. It didn’t matter how big or small the thing was––the point was that I would have an easy reminder to direct my attention to God in thankfulness.

There was no real significance to the place that I chose as that reminder other than the fact that I knew I would need to pass by it more frequently than other spots on campus. But even today when I visit the campus, if I go to that building and pass by the flagpole, I search for something to thank God for as I do so.

We are all prone to forget. That is why we need reminders. What can you identify in your life––a location, a time of day, or something else you encounter regularly––that could serve to remind you to pray about specific things?

Prayer is something that shapes us for the better.

Rather than explain this final point, I want to leave it with you as an encouragement and a challenge. Do you believe that prayer, spending time with God, shapes you for the better? I have no doubt that it does. But if you have any doubts, I would encourage you to adopt the practice of praying the Lord’s Prayer every day for some time. Since we are in the middle of the season of Lent and about a month away from Easter, maybe you could make it a goal to pray it each day until that Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection. 

But when you pray, don’t just say the words. Consider what you are praying. Maybe even put it into your own words. It could look something like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
You are holy and wholly worthy of all the glory, Father.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
In the same way that you reign in heaven, make your reign apparent on earth today.
Let your will be done in and through me today.

Give us this day our daily bread,
providing my physical and spiritual needs,

and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Lord, make me aware of those I need to forgive as well as the areas in which I am in need of forgiveness.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
By your Holy Spirit, help me to identify temptations as they come.
Deliver me, Lord, from the evils that surround.

For yours are the kingdom and the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

May the words that Christ taught us to pray shape us ever more into people who give others a glimpse of that kingdom of which we are praying. And may the Holy Spirit shape us into people who continually remember to turn to our Maker in prayer.

Andy Boettcher

Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash

The Power of Saying No to Yourself

Written by Bridge Church Elder Dave Norbeck

Note: This is the third blog in our series following the season of Lent.

We have a tendency of giving ourselves treats. We deserve it, right? Nothing wrong with that! But have you ever noticed that with all the evil in our world, all the pain, that we are often imbibing more and more? That reflex to balance out our pain with pleasure. Seems just right, doesn’t it?

Only problem is, we are all a little (or a lot) bent on this side of eternity, broken in our judgments and prone to excess. Just a look at our scales tells us a story that cannot be true. Our waistlines and pant sizes don’t lie. We like to ignore that message that tells us our screen time this past week, or how many episodes we binged on Netflix.

“Hey, there is a pandemic, haven’t you heard!! It’s ok…”

...Or is it?

For millennia folks have discovered the value of feasting and celebration, but also the need for denying ourselves from time to time. There is a time for everything, says the writer of Ecclesiastes. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, mankind has been prone to excesses that need to be brought under control with self-denial. During this season leading to Good Friday and Easter, we would like to help with some thoughts on the process of denying self.

The Bible refers to this process as fasting. It was a spiritual process that put aside the physical needs for food because of a greater need for God. A desperate human desiring only to hear from God for deliverance from enemies, or healing from disease or a comfort in loss; a need for the sense of God’s presence, where nothing else was important. We see evidence of this in the Bible with leaders calling on their people to give up food to focus their attention to God: Israel in Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 7:6 and 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12; Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:3; Josiah in Jeremiah 36:9; Ezra in Ezra 8:21; Esther in Esther 4:16; David in 2 Samuel 12:16 and Psalm 35:13-14; Joel in Joel 1:14 and 2:15; and even the King of Nineveh in Jonah 3:5. Jesus fasted at the beginning of his ministry for 40 days. God told the Israelites in Leviticus 16:29-34 and 23:27 that the people were to fast on the Day of Atonement with the Hebrew word meaning “afflict yourselves.” It was the idea of self-denial to focus all of yourself on your need for God and how you had fallen short.

Now as with all things that are done with repetition, solemness can be replaced by rote tradition where the act becomes mindless and meaningless. Also, a sense of abandonment of yourself to the Lord can be replaced by a worthiness because you are following God’s decrees. Both types of false fasts happened with the Israelites as both Isaiah and Jeremiah condemned in Isaiah 58 and Jeremiah 14:12. In the post-exilic period the people were now fasting in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months of the year remembering various events of the fall of Jerusalem and mourning it. Over time the religious leaders in Jesus’ day had transformed fasting from one day a year to repetitive times (twice a week-Luke 18:12) and did it with impure motive to bring attention to themselves. Jesus condemned this. Motives matter. Jesus thought it proper for His followers to mourn and fast when He was taken back into heaven (Matt 9:15, Mark 2:20, Luke 5:34).

So where does all this leave us? Should we fast just because we should? Did Jesus command us to fast? The answer to that one was no, but He did expect his followers to put Him first before everything else: Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:25; Luke 9:24-25, 17:33; and John 12:25. Our problem is, as mentioned above, that we often fail miserably at this! And like the Day of Atonement for the Israelites, we need to take some time to “afflict ourselves,” to deny ourselves so we can focus more purely on Christ and where we need to shore up our relationship with Him, the things we can do to walk more closely with Him.

So how do we fast? Well, certainly start with something small and doable for you. The Jews would fast from sunset to the following sunset, meaning you would eat dinner and then skip breakfast and lunch (and snacks) and eat dinner the next day. If you feel light headed or dizzy from lack of calories, you can always take some fruit juice to keep you going. But you can also give up all kinds of other things like: Netflix, Fox News, TV, video games, shopping, movies and on and on. Whatever it may be that has taken up too much of your attention and has left little time for God. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is holding you back from walking closer with Jesus. He will! Then have the courage to act on it. Ask Jesus for that as well!

That’s the practical side. The bigger point is not just denying yourself but filling that void with something. Something that will draw you closer to Christ: prayer, reading Scripture, acts of service, journaling, worship by singing or meditating on God’s attributes. These are all called the spiritual disciplines because they take discipline during a time of “afflicting yourself.” You may initially feel like a failure as all you are thinking about is your hunger, or your need for whatever it is you are denying yourself. That’s ok. Stick with it. Keep going and ask God for help. Tell him your heart’s desire is to grow closer to Him. He will meet you in your struggle. Remember to him who seeks, he will find; to her who asks, she will receive; and to them who knock, the door will be opened (Matt 7:8, Luke 11:10).

Now in the words of our vernacular, “Just do it!” “Get er done!” “Go for it!” “You can do it!”

What do you have to lose? Or more importantly, what do you have to gain?

Dave Norbeck

Photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on Unsplash

Ashes... To Go

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

Note: This is the second entry in our blog series about Lent. Click here to read the first entry.

Several years ago, I commuted to a job in the city. Along with other commuters, I would stand at the station to await my train. Finding a couple of friends, I would board the train and settle in for the hour-long commute. One winter morning when I arrived, I noticed a rather out-of-place scene. Near the station house was a small table set up with a few pieces of “holy” hardware on it. Behind it stood a priest accompanied by a couple of nuns. Hanging on the front of the table was a sign that said, “Ashes To Go.” In front of the table a few people stood waiting for the priest to administer a mark of ashes to their foreheads. It was Ash Wednesday.

“So, this is what it’s come to,” I thought. We’ve reduced a solemn sacred ceremony at a church, where we search our hearts, reflect and repent, to a fast-food-drive-thru format, so we can remain in our hurried existence and still feel like we’ve fulfilled our duty to God. Coming from my background (Lutheran on my father’s side; Presbyterian on my mother’s side), it disturbed me. 

What does it mean? What is Ash Wednesday? Why do we observe it? Is it just a Catholic tradition or can Protestants observe it also? 

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. This year it will be observed on March 2. The official name is Day of Ashes. It is always 40 days before Easter (excluding Sundays), so there can never be an Ash Tuesday or Ash Thursday. The Bible never mentions Ash Wednesday, or Lent either, for that matter. (For more about Lent, please read Dr. Dave Norbeck’s blog on the season of Lent.)

Ash Wednesday is meant to be a day of reflection, repentance, and fasting. Though the term is not mentioned in the Bible, there are numerous references (39) in the Old Testament where people would sit in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance. (2 Sam. 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Job 42:6; Daniel 9:3) The modern-day practice is to have ashes rubbed on one’s forehead in the sign of the cross. This takes place during a service or mass, by the pastor or priest, who will recite from Genesis 3:19, “…From dust you came and to dust you will return.”

Other passages giving credence to the observance of Ash Wednesday would be:

Genesis 2:7 - “Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

Genesis 3:19 - “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust and to dust you will return.”

Psalm 51:7-10 - “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Give back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”

Ash Wednesday is observed by most Catholics and a few Protestant denominations. The exact start of the tradition is lost in antiquity. It is quite likely that it was practiced, in some form, back in apostolic times. It was not formalized until the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD when a date for Easter was established.

Perhaps, you may be asking yourself, why doesn’t our church/denomination observe Ash Wednesday? By and large, Evangelicals, for much of their history, have moved away from these annual Church Year events, as they were not specified in the Holy Scriptures. It may have started back in the time of the Reformers when State Churches were beginning to be established. For example, in Germany and Scandinavia, it was the Lutheran Church; in Great Britain, the Anglican Church and so on. Not wanting to follow any state church, Evangelicals decided to reject entirely the Church Year calendar along with the liturgy that went with those observances. Personally, I miss it.

So, is it wrong to observe these days? It is not wrong to observe them so long as it is done appropriately and for the right reason. If it is done from a desire to be trendy or feel connected, in some way, to the church at large it is wise to refrain. But, if on a personal level, there is genuine reflection, repentance, fasting and meditation on Christ and His sacrifice, it is not wrong. Keep in mind Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s gospel (6:5ff) where He says not to be obvious, as the hypocrites, when participating in these observances. The Pharisees would pray publicly on street corners where everyone could see them. When fasting, they would look miserable and disheveled so people would admire them for their fasting. “Rather, when you pray, Jesus said, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Heavenly Father in private. And, when you fast, clean up, fix your hair, so no one will know you are fasting.” While there is historical support as a tradition of the church, there is no direct biblical support to observe these days. For this reason, Evangelicals did not generally observe them as I mentioned.

If you have had questions about Ash Wednesday and why it may or may not be observed, I trust this helps. 

A prayer for Ash Wednesday: Dear Father, I ask you to search my heart this day. May your Holy Spirit convict me of those areas in my life where I have sinned and fallen short of your glory. I confess my sins to you. I am reminded that without your mercy and grace, I would be dust. I repent now and ask your forgiveness. As with the Psalmist, I ask that You remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. As I enter this Lenten season, may I draw near to You. Help me in my weakness and by your Spirit give me strength to overcome the enemy. Amen.

Bill Erickson

Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Finding our Way: Walking with Jesus

Written by Bridge Church Elder Dave Norbeck

Do you ever feel like you are a bit lost? Perhaps a tad confused on what God is up to, or just forlorn for all the things that you have lost in the last 2 years? Perhaps you find yourself angry at the world or maybe even at God. Or maybe you just feel a loneliness that is haunting your soul. When we get like this, we have a need to figure out why, and then to determine what we will do about it. As disciples of Jesus the answer is straightforward. We need to get back on the path and walk with Jesus.

This year The Bridge Church will be having a series of sermons during the Lenten season starting on March 6th. They will be based on the concept of “Walking with Jesus.” We will be looking at sharing life with Jesus and rediscovering and sharing in His mission and vision, His heart, His future, His friendship and family, His temptations, trials and sufferings, but also sharing His joy and victory at Easter. You may ask that since we are not Catholic nor Anglican, what is Lent to us at the Bridge? Historically the Evangelical Free Church broke away from the State Lutheran Church and from all liturgy that was not based on Scripture.

Lent traditionally is a season where we, as the church, examine our lives to see where we have drifted away from Christ. Lent began in the early 4th century around 330 AD and was begun to allow those who had recanted their faith to find a way back to Christ, to confess and find forgiveness. We hope that this Lenten season will be about walking with Christ to discover the holiness that suffering can bring. We hope it will be about bringing good where evil has been and about bringing love where hate has been; about transforming the base to the beautiful and bringing light from darkness. We hope it will mean living as Jesus lived: for the sake of the sick and suffering, the lost, the poor, the downtrodden and for the sinner who see themselves as weak and forsaken. Lent can be the season that teaches us that darkness may overtake us but will not overcome us as we follow Christ and work for His Kingdom. Grief and suffering can be replaced by victory and bear witness to what God has done.

Our hope is that Lent can be a time that allows us to see where we have strayed from Jesus, and to be reconciled to God; to refocus us to the way and the goal of Christ. Lent is often associated with practices of confession, fasting, reading and meditating on God’s word, as well as a renewed prayer life. Perhaps we need to repent of the dillydallying on the road to God and to repent of the time we have spent playing with dangerous distractions and empty diversions. Or perhaps we need to repent of our senseless excesses and our excursions into sin, our breaches of God’s justice, our failures of honesty, our estrangement from God, our savoring of excess, our absorbing self-gratifications and our addictions and habits that lead away from God. May it be a time where we ask the Holy Spirit to confront us with what we have become and prod us to open our hearts to a new deeper time with God in prayer and His Word.

We pray this season will be a time to open ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit that will enable us to face ourselves, to see the weak places in our lives, to feel the wounds in our souls, and to determine once more to live life in a deeper walk with Christ. We will confront our desires for the physical, to rise above the greed that consumes us, to swear off the pride and anger that destroy us, and to fight the sloth that keeps us from a deeper walk with Christ. We hope to swear off the shrine of self and come to the cross and the empty tomb. But most importantly, we come to see what God’s love has accomplished. We end in the glorious victory of Christ over death, and we share in that victory!

It is our prayer that we will walk this journey together, sharing our burdens and stories. During the season we will have more posts on our Bridge Blog that discuss Ash Wednesday and confession, as well as fasting and prayer that can be tools to help us in our journey. It is our hope that it all leads to a deeper and closer relationship with Jesus. Won’t you join us?

Dave Norbeck

Photo by Thomas Willmott on Unsplash

The Disappearing Stain

Written by Bridge Church Elder Dave Norbeck

I have noticed something lately, well really all my life, but much more of late. There are sins that all believers struggle with. Those not saved by grace often throw them in our face as evidence that God is not real or is not powerful enough to change His people. As I read about statistics on how much believers’ lives resemble non-believers, in their deeds and even in their beliefs, I am struck and ask how can this be?

The wonder of the Gospel is the often-dramatic change that occurs in peoples lives when they put their faith in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit enters their lives. It is powerful and unique in the life-change that can and does occur.

But then we have these stains. Stains that we hide. Stains that we actually enjoy and derive some earthly pleasure from. We wear them on the inside, and often we are not even aware of how many there are. Others sometimes see them and stand aghast, and sometimes those stains can cause us to lose a lot, not so much because they are there, but because we refuse to show them the light, to allow them to be cleaned. We don’t acknowledge them, so they stay within our reach, to take out from time to time to look at and sniff the degradation. The shame these stains cause can keep us from walking closer to the only One who can remove them, the One who longs to make us clean, who loves us tenderly and desires wholeness for our lives. He is so patient, and gently prods us and opens our jacket and point to just one of many, and says, “Let’s work on this one now.”

“Oh no Lord, I like that one. It’s dirty and smelly, and I like it. It’s mine.”

In His love, He allows it to grow smellier and dirtier, until at some point we are overcome with the fact that we can’t ignore it any longer. He longs to make us clean. But He wants us to desire Him more than the stain.

And when we do, when we really get on our knees and ask Him to remove that stain, He smiles and draws us close, and begins to cleanse us. How does that happen? Can it really happen? Can that stain you have held onto for so long really be removed? The answer is yes! Oh yes! Gradually, the Holy Spirit begins to change your affections. Gradually the Spirit removes the scales from your eyes so you can see the stain for what it is. You have been fooled for so long that it was something that brought pleasure, but really it only kept you from a deeper and fuller walk with your Savior. Over time as you submit, God removes the pleasure and allows you to see it for what it is, and you no longer find it attractive, you want it washed away, even cut out! And He Does. Completely. It is gone.

Ponder these words from the Psalmist King David in Psalm 103:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s… The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love… He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

This Hebrew King knew firsthand the stains that can trip us up, that can blind us and keep us from seeing, that can keep us from a closer walk with God. He captures the picture perfectly, calling God a Father and us His children. Think of the little child who holds onto his teddy bear and won’t let go. It gets dirtier and dirtier and starts to smell and fall apart. Eventually even the child realizes something is amiss, how it needs to be cleaned, and hands it to their mom and dad to be washed and cleaned and repaired. You say, “Well sure, I see the analogy, but the child feels no shame in that toy, and I feel great shame with my stains.” Ah but the picture to grab hold of is not on the child; it is the love of the parent for that child. The dirty teddy bear does not in the slightest diminish the parents’ love for that child. They just want what is best for them. So God’s love for His children. His great desire is to draw you close and tenderly say, “Let’s wash that so you can enjoy life more fully.”

Take your stain to your Father. Let your Redeemer remove it far away, never to return.

Dave Norbeck

God Determines...

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

Some years ago, God directed our hearts to move from the house we had lived in for twenty years to the one in which we now live. We were not unhappy in our former house. In fact, we were very content there. We remodeled it a couple of times and expected to retire there. It was a very comfortable house. But, due to family circumstances, it was clear that God was pushing us to move. The place to which He brought us is rather isolated on a dead-end street with the river behind us. A month after we moved our backyard was underwater. Nice! Our new neighbor told us not to worry – “It does this almost every year!” he said. Thanks for that encouragement. The former owners, who built the place, reassured us, as well, that the house has never flooded. And, it hasn’t. Only the yard, and not every year. I reminded myself that God knew about the river when He brought us here. You see, it’s His river. The course it follows is also His. 

Do you ever think that the time and place in which you are living is by accident? The luck of the draw? Coincidence? Being at the right place at the right time? No, it is all orchestrated by our Heavenly Father – especially if you are follower of Christ.

From the Apostle Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, in Acts 17, we learn a valuable lesson we need to be reminded of. 

“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” (v.26) 

Psalm 139:16 says, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”   

Worried about the times we live in? Covid? Stop. “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” asks Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. He continues, “…don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.”

What are we to do then? The writer of Hebrews tells us we have a race to run. Chapter 12, verse 1, he tells us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, and the sin which so easily trips us up, and run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  Who determines and sets the course? God does. Who determines the times in which we live? God does. Who laid out every day of our life before a single day had passed? God did. All we do is run the race with endurance the course He set before us. Remember it’s His course, not ours. Notice that it isn’t a speed race, rather a race of endurance. You have your race and I have mine. 

How do we run with endurance? We strip off every weight that slows us down, verse 1 continues. We all have baggage: you have yours, I have mine. It must be laid aside. We need to train well to run the race. When I was in the military we had a saying, that the more you sweat in peace, the less you’ll bleed in war. We trained hard to endure. We must discipline ourselves to lay aside the baggage that slows us down, especially the sins that easily trip us up. Verse 2 tells us we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, because of the joy set before Him, He endured His race – to the cross. We are to keep our focus on Him and to remember what He endured so that we won’t become weary and give up. 

Maltbie Davenport Babcock was a Presbyterian minister during the latter half of the 19th century.  He was the writer of the familiar hymn, This Is My Father’s World.  He also wrote the poem below which sums up my message to you.  

Be strong! 

Be strong! 
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift; 
We have hard work to do and loads to lift; 
Shun not the struggle, face it, ’tis God’s gift. 
 
Be strong! 
Say not the days are evil — who’s to blame? 
And fold the hands and acquiesce — O shame! 
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s Name. 
 
Be strong! 
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong, 
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long; 
Faint not, fight on! Tomorrow comes the song! 

Bill Erickson

HARK! The Herald Angels are Singing

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

Over the years I have spent a great deal of time reading and studying old hymns. And, now with the Christmas season here, I am listening every day to the great choral groups with their classic renditions of centuries-old carols. 

With so many Christmas carols having been written down through the centuries, I think my favorite of all is Charles Wesley’s “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.” Originally written with ten verses (yes 10!), it tells the complete story of the gospel. Read all ten verses of this grand old Christmas hymn as it was originally written: 

HARK how all the Welkin rings, 
Glory to the King of Kings, 
Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild, 
GOD and Sinners reconcil’d. 

Joyful all ye Nations rise, 
Join the Triumph of the Skies, 
Universal Nature say 
Christ the LORD is born to Day!  

CHRIST, by highest Heav’n ador’d, 
CHRIST, the Everlasting Lord, 
Late in Time behold him come, 
Offspring of a Virgin’s Womb.  

Veil’d in Flesh, the Godhead see, 
Hail th’ Incarnate Diety! 
Pleas’d as Man with Men t’ appear 
Jesus, our Immanuel here! 

Hail the Heav’nly Prince of Peace! 
Hail the Son of Righteousness! 
Light and Life to All he brings, 
Ris’n with Healing in his Wings. 

Mild he lays his Glory by, 
Born – that Man no more may die, 
Born – to raise the Sons of Earth, 
Born – to give them Second Birth.  

Come, Desire of Nations, come, 
Fix in Us thy humble Home, 
Rise, the Woman’s Conqu’ring Seed, 
Bruise in Us the Serpent’s Head. 

Now display thy saving Pow’r, 
Ruin’d Nature now restore, 
Now in Mystic Union join 
Thine to Ours, and Ours to Thine. 

Adam’s Likeness, LORD, efface, 
Stamp thy Image in its Place, 
Second Adam from above, 
Reinstate us in thy Love. 

Let us Thee, tho’ lost, regain, 
Thee, the Life, the Inner Man: 
O! to All Thyself impart, 
Form’d in each Believing Heart. 

The term “Welkin” in the first verse is an old English term and refers to the heavens or sky. In other words, “Hark, All the heavens are singing!” This was indeed a time of rejoicing! The news was glorious! Christ the Lord is born! God and sinners reconciled! There is a wealth of theology in this great old Christmas hymn. 

May He be formed in our hearts this season and always. Christmas is not about giving – it is about receiving. Receiving the Christ-child. 

May you have a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year. 

Bill Erickson 

There is a Balm in Gilead

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

In my journey reading through the Bible, I am in currently reading the book of Jeremiah. You’ll remember that God had appointed Jeremiah – before he was even born it says in 1:5 – to be His prophet to the nations.

Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations – that’s what I had in mind for you.” 

Jeremiah protested, “Hold it, Master God!  Look at me. I don’t know anything, I’m only a boy!”

God told me, “Don’t say, I’m only a boy! I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there. I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it. Don’t be afraid of a soul. I’ll be right there, looking after you.”  (1:5-8, The Message)

“And, by the way, Jeremiah,” God added, “the people aren’t going to listen to you.” 

“Tell them all this, but don’t expect them to listen. Call out to them, but don’t expect an answer.“  (7:27, The Message)

It’s no wonder that Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet. He had a message from God to deliver to a people that would not listen. Have you ever tried to reason with someone that won’t listen to you?    

At the end of chapter 8 we find Jeremiah drowning in his lament.  

My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. (8:19 NLT)

The people struggled needlessly because they refused to repent. They continued to walk in their hypocrisy and false religion. Pastor Chuck Swindoll states this: “Few experiences are more tragic than those in which someone suffers needlessly. Why struggle if the remedy is close by?”

Jeremiah asks, “Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people? (8:22)

Gilead was right next door to Judah east of the Jordan River. It was inhabited by the tribes of Gad and Manasseh. Part of the hill country, it was famous for a resin, or gum, that was harvested from a certain tree and used for medicinal purposes. According to Strong’s Concordance, the healing resin was extracted by means of piercing the leaves of the plant so it would leak through the open pores or wounds.

The obvious answer to Jeremiah’s question, “Is there no medicine in Gilead?” is Yes, there is! The remedy for the people of Judah – and us today – was to repent and turn to God who is nearby – as close as Gilead was to Judah. Still, the people refused. The Lord sent prophets many times to the Israelite people to get them to repent. The medicine was there, the Great Physician was ready, but their unrepentance kept the healing away from them. 

The Balm of Gilead is a wonderful picture of Christ. He was pierced like the tender root of the balsam plant. In the same way that the leaves of the plant were thrust through to extract the healing resin, Jesus was broken that we might benefit from His wounds. We received new life through the one tree — the old rugged cross.

Reminds me of an old African American spiritual…

There is a balm in Gilead,
To make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead,
To heal the sin-sick soul.

Sometimes I feel discouraged,
And think my work's in vain;
But, then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.

If you cannot preach like Peter;
If you cannot pray like Paul;
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say, "He died for all."

Refrain:

There is a balm in Gilead,
To make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead,
To heal the sin-sick soul.

Bill Erickson

Thoughts While Painting a Utility Room

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

Recently as I was painting our utility room several thoughts coursed through my mind. That may sound odd to you, but that’s what I was doing. We recently purchased a new washer and dryer and their color is a steel grey.  We had to do an extensive remodel of the utility room because we were putting them in a new location. As I looked at them over several days, I wondered just how to blend the dark wood cabinets next to them with the steel grey color? I had found a new countertop that blended in but still needed an accent color. Suddenly it hit me! A 1955 Chevy Bel Air! What?!? Where are you going with this? If you know me at all, thinking about old cars is not that much of a stretch. 

In 1955, Chevrolet had a two-tone Bel Air that was steel grey and coral. (We had a ‘55 Chevy! Not that color, however!) That would be the color scheme of our new utility room! I found the accent color! A stroke of genius! Or, maybe just a stroke – the jury’s still out!

So, I went into a fifties time warp for several weeks as I continued working on our utility room. (Don’t worry ladies it turned out okay – and it’s on the lower level out of the public eye.)

More important than a ‘55 Chevy Bel Air, is that a great gospel song was written that year. (Now we’re getting somewhere spiritual!)

It was written by Jim Hill. Jim was a gospel singer and songwriter who passed away a few of years ago at the age of 87. He had a wonderful tenor voice and he would sing…

There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Refrain:  

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

As I listened over and over to this great song, certain scriptures started to come to my mind as I continued to work on my project…

Isaiah 35

Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.
    The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.
2 Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers
    and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,
    as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.
There the Lord will display his glory,
    the splendor of our God.
3 With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,
    and encourage those who have weak knees.
4 Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
6 The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
7 The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

8 And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
9 Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
10 Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

Malachi 4:1-3

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all. 2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.  And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Revelation 21:1-8 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:1-5

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

There’ll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Refrain:  

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Amen and Amen!

The next time you have a project to do, put on some old hymns and let them encourage your heart.

Bill Erickson

Living in the Hill Country

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

Nelson Mandella once said, “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.  I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come.”

If there ever was a quote that described where I am in my life right now this is it. I have recently retired and am taking a year to study, grow, and see what God has next in store for us.

Here is a glimpse of the distance covered so far. Geographically, I live just nine miles up the river from where I grew up. Without computers, the Internet, cell phones (or any of the rest of the stuff that prevents our kids from going outside), we built go carts out of old lawn mowers, caught catfish from the river on the hottest of summer days. We played softball almost every afternoon and shot BB guns at bottle caps in our garage and occasionally took out a window!   

In the sixties came high school, girls, and college… interrupted by Viet Nam. Childhood innocence evaporated. Life got real. Responsibilities grew.

Spiritually, I was beginning to own the faith of my forefathers as my own. I wanted my family to continue in the heritage of faith that I had been given. In time all of our children came to know Jesus as their Savior. Though I have failed Him time and time again, God has kept His hand on me. As I began to study the Bible, in earnest, I met Jesus. My life has never been the same. You can see Him all through this Book!

In Genesis He is Shiloh (49:10); Exodus He is the I AM; Numbers He is the Star and Scepter (24:17). In Deuteronomy He is the Rock (32:4). In 1 Samuel He is The Lord of Hosts (1:3). In Job, He is the Redeemer (19:25-27). In Psalms He is the Great Shepherd (23). In Proverbs He is The Beloved. In Isaiah He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (9:6) In Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace (3:25). In Micah, “…Whose going forth from of old is from everlasting to everlasting.” (5:2) In Zechariah He is The Branch (3:8). In Malachi He is the Messenger of the Covenant (3:1).

In Matthew He is Savior (1:21). In Mark He is the Son of Man (2:28); Luke – The Great Physician (5:12-15); John – The Word made flesh (1:1); Acts – The One who will mobilize us to witness (1:8); Philippians – “…God has exalted Him so that at His name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!” (2:9-11); 1 Thessalonians – One who will descend from heaven with a shout. (4:16); Jude – “…He keeps us from stumbling…” (24); Revelation – He is high and lifted up, the Alpha and the Omega (1:8).

My life verse comes from Joshua 17:18:

But, the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.

Dr. Craig Barnes once said, “Conversion always occurs enroute to places we do not wish to go. We can get there only if we have abandoned hope of returning to the place where we would rather be.”   

I didn’t ask for the hill country – it was a place I wasn’t thinking about going. I didn’t want to clear forests…battle Canaanites, or their chariots of iron! But, I chose to follow my Lord and let Him write the story. And so, here I sit taking some time to look back over the hills that I’ve crossed to see how far I’ve come.

Perhaps you find yourself living in the hill country today and you wonder, “Why, God?” “Why did you give this to me?” “Why did we have to go over this hill?” You know, we’re not the author of our own story. But, let me tell you what I’ve discovered after 40 plus years of hiking the hill country. If you keep searching for the God you want, you’ll miss getting to know the God who is there.  

Here’s a classic old hymn to encourage you to walk today where Jesus walked…

I walked today where Jesus walked,
In days of long ago.
I wandered down each path He knew,
With reverent step and slow.
Those little lanes, they have not changed,
A sweet peace fills the air.
I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt His presence there.

My pathway led through Bethlehem,
And memories ever sweet.
The little hills of Galilee,
That knew His childish feet.
The Mount of Olives, hallowed scenes,
That Jesus knew before
I saw the mighty Jordan roll,
As in the days of yore.

I knelt today where Jesus knelt,
Where all alone he prayed.
The Garden of Gethsemane,
My heart felt unafraid.
I picked my heavy burden up,
And with Him at my side,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
Where on the Cross He died!

I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt Him close to me.

Bill Erickson

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

I’m sitting in our sunroom this morning having my first cup of coffee. A new day is dawning and a new year. The glow of the little stove in the corner adds light as well as warmth. Our faithful dog, Scout, is laying beside me in front of the fire. As it begins to get light, I see the little golden eyes on the river already practicing their water ballet. As they drift along with the current, they turn somersaults all together in close sequence. Then, having floated for some distance down the river, they take flight north again to start the performance all over again. When they take flight, you hear a whistling sound made because the bones in their wings are hollow. Isn’t that amazing? What kind of a God would design such creatures to be so entertaining? Along with watching the ducks, I noticed a squirrel scampering across the snow, and over further was a doe feeding on some dried leaves behind the shed.  

As I watched this new day dawn, I thought of Irish poet and hymnwriter Cecil Frances Alexander’s classic children’s poem, All Things Bright and Beautiful.  

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Each little flow’r that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
God made their tiny wings. 

The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky; 

The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them, ev’ry one.

God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well. 

In the creation account in Genesis 1, there is a recurring phrase, “…God saw that it was good.” When He is finished, verse 31 says, “Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!” 

Maybe you are still trying to make sense of the craziness of the year past and feeling overwhelmed to face a new year. Rest assured that a God who creates ducks with whistling wings will surely take care of you! Trust Him today. He has made all things well.

Bill Erickson

It Won't be the Same this Year

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

Noted country artist Vince Gill penned these words in a song he wrote a number of years ago:

When the stockings are hung,
Silent Night has been sung,
And Christmas is finally here,
It won’t be the same this year.

The holiday season is upon us and indeed it won’t be the same this year. Many of us have suffered losses. For some it is the loss of a loved one. I lost my one of my brothers this past August. For some it has been the loss of a job. Or, for others perhaps a broken marriage, or… or… you fill in the blank.

In our kitchen we have a wall plaque that says “Hearts to God, Hands to Work.” It’s an old Shaker phrase. It is a reminder that we belong to God, but that we can’t sit back and be idle. We must continue to move forward no matter our circumstances. 

One of my favorite passages in the Bible comes from the book of Nehemiah. You remember that he was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, the one responsible to certify that the king’s drink was not poisoned. When Nehemiah heard about the condition of the walls in Jerusalem he knew he had to do something about it. He could not sit idle.  

The first thing he did was to pray. The opening verses of the book say he prayed to the God of heaven, the great and awesome God. He confessed the sins of the people of Israel, and his own sins. On the basis of his prayers to God, the king granted his request to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.

In chapter 2, Nehemiah acknowledges the bad situation and tells the people of the need to repair the walls.  Verse 17 says,

“Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild….” 

Fired up and ready, the people respond,

“Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to work.” (v.18)

At the end of chapter 4, verse 6 says, “So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

Then, opposition came. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem began to mock and despise the people. 

“What are you doing?’ Are you rebelling against the king?”

Nehemiah’s response was, “the God of heaven will give us success.” You know, victory always lies with God alone. The psalmist says, “Through God we shall do valiantly, it is He who will tread down our foes.” (60:12; 108:13)

However, discouragement had already set in in the hearts of the people. The strength of the people was failing. (4:10) Fatigue can bring about discouragement. I recently heard a message that we need to get back to keeping the Sabbath. In our busyness we have lost the Sabbath. Remember, keeping the Sabbath was instituted long before it became one of the Ten Commandments. Genesis 1 tells us that after God’s work of creation, on the seventh day He rested. (Not because He was tired.) One day out of our week we need to give back to God. We need to stop doing what we do every other day of the week and keep a Sabbath.   

The people also experienced a loss of vision. The verse goes on to say, “Yet, there was much rubbish…”  Their focus was on the mess and not what they had built. According to current COVID-19 data 98% of those that contract the virus recover. Why doesn’t the media report that? It might help lessen our fear and restore our vision.  

But, maybe that’s how you feel this season. You’ve lost your vision. Let’s stop looking down at the mess around us and look up. God is still in His heavens. The sky is still blue…and not falling!   

The people also lost their confidence. Continuing in verse 10 it says, “…we ourselves were unable to rebuild the wall.” They believed the opposition! What did Nehemiah do? He repositioned those working on the wall to positions closer to their homes and families. He gave them protection and security. He saw their fear and encouraged them saying, “Do not be afraid…remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers; your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

It concludes, “…then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.”

No, the holidays and celebrations won’t be the same this year. We have faced, and are still facing, great challenges. However, we can be thankful that we are still on the journey, and we will be until God calls us home. So, please take a deep breath, rest, relax and enjoy the season, because… There is Coming A Day.

There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be

There’ll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no more pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

- Jim Hill

Bill Erickson

Prejudice

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

When I was in my early teens we moved to a new subdivision. Our street was the only one finished and there were no houses behind us. Across the street lived a very sweet dark-haired young girl named Janie. On Sundays when she was waiting on her family to get in the car for church, she would walk out on her driveway and survey the neighborhood. I liked to think she might be looking my way. However, Janie was of another faith, and so, off limits for me as I was from a very strict Christian home. I played a lot of softball during the summertime with other kids I got to know, including Janie, but my mother would remind me, “Don’t even think about going out with Janie.” You see, my mother held this prejudice against the particular faith of Janie and her family. They “don’t believe like us.” After a few years, by the time high school rolled around, I’d worn Mother down and I finally got to go out with Janie.  

What is prejudice? If we look to a dictionary we find it is:  

• An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.

• Any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.

• Unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group.

Your prejudice may not be the same as my prejudice. But some form of it tries to grow in every human heart. It might be a political affiliation, an economic or marital status, a religious background as my own story showed. Perhaps, it’s clothing style, hair length, style or use of cosmetics. Whatever, it is an insidious weed in the human heart and we must be diligent to pull it out. The apostle Peter was no exception. Let’s look at his story.

In Acts chapter 10 and 11 we find a lesson in overcoming prejudice. At this point, the church is about 5 or 6 years old – same age as The Bridge. The gospel has spread from Jerusalem and was sweeping through Judea and Samaria. Amazingly, Peter had welcomed, as brothers and sisters, the Samaritans, a people that he and fellow Jews looked down upon.   

In the opening verses of chapter 10 we meet Cornelius, a centurion of what was called a Italian cohort.  Cornelius was about as Roman as a man could get outside of Rome. But, this commander was a God-fearing man. He gave generously to the Jewish people the text tells us. Cornelius was from Caesaria Maritima. It was a city that represented everything that was wrong with Israel – Roman domination and Gentile occupation aided by Hellenistic Jews.

Caesarea Maritima was built by Herod the Great to rival Greek cities. It was complete with elaborate palaces, public buildings, a large amphitheater, a temple dedicated to Caesar and Rome. It was the capital of Roman occupation in Israel. It was an engineering marvel of the time and a preferred harbor for merchant and military vessels alike.

Cornelius had a vision that he should send for Peter. Peter was in Joppa staying with a man named Simon, a tanner. Jews considered tanners as unclean because they handled dead animals. Why would Peter be staying with a tanner?

Despite his open-mindedness regarding the Samaritans and accepting the hospitality of Simon, the tanner, he would never have considered going up the coast 30 miles to Caesarea, but that’s exactly what he did! While there, he has this vision of a large sheet coming down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. (v.12)

A voice came to him saying, “Arise, Peter, kill and eat!”  

“By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy or unclean.”

Again, a voice came to him… “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”

This happened 3 times. (Seems Peter’s lessons always come in threes!)

God had to prepare Peter’s heart. It was no easy task. From the beginning, by God’s grace and His sovereign choice, the Hebrews had been His chosen people. Through the centuries, from the patriarchs of the Old Testament to Peter, pride crept in and convinced many Jews that because they were the chosen nation, they were somehow superior to all the others. With traditions built upon traditions, prejudice took root in their heart.

The story continues with Peter at Cornelius’ home in Caesaria. Entering the house he tells them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” (v.28)

The Gentiles were “unclean” to them.

It’s important to note that Peter was perplexed by his vision, yet he obeyed. (v.17) 

“I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him.” (v.34)  

Change is difficult, and often we must do what is right even though our feelings don’t always follow right away.  Peter obeyed. And, by his obedience opened the door of sharing the gospel to the Gentiles by the apostle Paul. He says in chapter 11 verse 17, “Therefore if God gave them (the Gentiles) the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 

So I ask you this. What is the prejudice in your sheet and in God’s way? We all carry some sort of it and must repent.

Bill Erickson

Perseverance

Written by Bridge Church Elder Chairman Dr. Dave Norbeck

I read a recent study by the American Bible Society that said during the COVID pandemic (January to June), those who engaged in meaningful Bible reading was down by 13 million people in the United States. Daily Bible reading dropped from 14% of the population to 9%. I found this surprising as I would have thought it would have gone up during this crisis. The authors speculated that it may be due to kids being home and moms and dads more occupied with their care. But I worry about a fatigue factor in our faith. Are we getting tired and worn down by all the evil in the world? I don’t know about you, but I have found myself much more prone to crabbiness. I don’t want to be crabby, but I am. I looked but didn’t find that in the list of the fruits of the Spirit! I think it arrived Fed Ex from a place further south, but I suppose I can’t blame him for all my problems and I have to own my own stuff. 

Personally, I have found that it is easy to be discouraged with all the unknowns and our normal world turned upside down. All the things that we would normally do to distract us and relieve stress are harder or sometimes impossible to do. I always found Church to be a weekly oasis where my spiritual battery was charged and I was made ready for another week in the world. It’s been harder trying to do that online. The feeling of community gathering before God for worship and spiritual edification just isn’t the same without my brothers and sisters around me. There is something about physical presence. Zoom has been a wonderful tool, but its just not the same as breaking bread together with my dear friends in my gather group. I miss their presence. God with us becomes so important when we don’t have each others presence in our lives. It seems this pandemic will be lingering on and it looks like we may be in this trial for a while. So what do we do? How do we obtain God with us? 

Well, this is nothing new to the Church. Trials and pandemics and plagues have dogged us for millennia. The Church has survived and even flourished in spite of it. In a word, it has persevered. 

And so must we. But what is perseverance? Webster’s describes it as a continued effort to achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition. It is being steadfast. But I find it’s hard to be steadfast. There is a gumption to the word perseverance, like you do it with gritted teeth.

Paul tells us in Romans 5 that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character and that gives us hope. We have hope because Christ’s Spirit is being formed in us and that reminds us of how close we are to eternity with God. In 2 Thessalonians 1 he says that if we persevere, we will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. The writer of Hebrews states so eloquently in chapter 12, verse 1 that we are to run the race set before us with perseverance, avoiding sin. How do we do that? He gives us the answer: by fixing our eyes on Jesus, who began the work in us and will see it to completion, no matter what is going on around us. James tells us in chapter 1:3-4 that our faith produces the perseverance we need to see this life through no matter what evil befalls us. This perseverance produces maturity which will make us much like Christ. We are to let perseverance finish this work in us. That sounds very passive doesn’t it? But it means that the Holy Spirt gives it to us. In chapter 5 James says that we will be blessed as we persevere because God is full of compassion and mercy.

Lately I have been feeling ineffective and unproductive in my walk with God. In Peter’s second epistle, chapter 1, he gives me an answer: persevere in your faith and let the fruit of the Spirit increase in godliness, self- control, knowledge of Christ, goodness, and love for others. So, is this persevering something I do or the Holy Spirit does in me? The answer is yes. As they say, show up, suit up, and let God do the rest. Or as I told my small group, let us keep on keeping on. Keep seeking God in His Word, in prayer and in as much community as COVID allows. God is still with us in Christ Jesus, and He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He also will empower us to stay the course.

So my Bridge brothers and sisters, may the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance! See you on the other side.

Dr. Dave Norbeck

Recording the Story, Passing the Mantle

Written by our Director of Children’s Ministry, Kelly Kaufmann.

Every day we wake up now and we think about how we can make this day different from the day before as we continue to tick off the days of pandemic, social distancing, and quarantine. In our home, we pray each morning that we will make the hours given to us count for significance, for productivity. As a collective people, we fuss with our masks, we mourn what we perceive is lost, and we grow agitated with disruption to our regularly scheduled lives. Some of us pivot and embrace innovation for the current circumstances. Some of us lay low and wait for the “all clear” signal. Some grumble. Some fear. Some despair. Regardless of our emotion on any given day, we cannot afford to stall now. If we shift our focus to a kingdom lens, we see the momentum that God offers us, but to seize it, we must stop looking at our present sufferings. We must move our gaze to the future—the future that will belong to the resilient children and youth watching us now. 

In 1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2 we read the account of Elijah, a mighty prophet of the living God. Although he knew and experienced God’s power and provision, Elijah grumbled, he feared, and he even despaired when it seemed all was lost. In a moment when Elijah questioned everything and desperately wanted to give up, God tenderly restored his strength and his purpose. Directed to find his newly appointed student, Elijah soon brought Elisha under his wing, making him an observer and a student of his ministry. Elisha would become the successor, the one to follow Elijah, the one to carry the ministry to the next level. 

When it became known that God would soon take Elijah to heaven, Elisha asked for a difficult inheritance—namely, a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, or the Spirit in Elijah. Elisha desired to be like his mentor, but even more so. He wanted the ministry to be magnified and multiplied under his leadership. Elijah allowed his cloak, his mantle, to fall on Elisha and he did not begrudge him the even greater gift. The Bible tells us that Elisha did more miracles and greater miracles than Elijah. 

Are we, in our circumstances, willing to stop thinking and talking about only what we can do now? We must be willing to look beyond our short-term, stop-gap innovative digital solutions to isolated ministry. We should be looking at the eyes that are looking at us. Our children, our youth, are watching us—parents, teachers, pastors, mentors, coaches—to see what they can learn from us during this time. They often struggle silently while trying to grasp what is happening to their world and what is happening to their faith.  

Psalm 102:18 says, “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.”

This verse implores first the nation of Israel, and by association all worshipers of God, to record our story for the next generation so that they may praise the LORD. What will we write? What will we fill in? How will we tell the account of the COVID-19 pandemic? Will we tell of the disruption, despair, and frustration? Or will we give an account of the momentum towards something new, better, more kingdom-worthy? Will we give the next generation genuine hearts of praise? What will be the account of our children when they re-tell the tale? Will they want a double-portion of us?

We must consider how we are equipping them to become the next generation of church leaders and godly influencers. We must be content to let our accomplishments finish their purpose and make way for the leadership of the resilient ones who follow in our footsteps. Are we willing to pray that they receive a double portion of ministry spirit? Are we ready for the handoff? If we are to prepare them, we must invite them in—to catch the fire burning in us, to be impacted by the Spirit in us, to see, to talk, to ask, to pray.  We must desire more for them, and we must hope for them to accomplish more than us. What happens now in our homes, in our towns, in our churches will shape the future leadership and innovation of the church around the globe. God has the momentum for the new thing. Lift your eyes of faith up to catch the kingdom view, and pray for magnification and multiplication as you hand the keys to the ones under your mantle. 

Kelly Kaufmann

What is Your Only Comfort in Life and in Death?

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

During these days of the COVID-19 virus we are bombarded daily with body counts. On nearly every newscast we hear how many new cases of the virus there are and how many have died as a result. Perhaps it has touched your family in some way. It reminds me of another time in our history when we heard similar reports. It was during the height of the Viet Nam war. As we sat at our dinner tables and listened to the nightly news, the media anchors would report the grim statistics. Again, maybe your family was impacted in some way. I was there and I do remember. So, how do we respond?

The first question of the Heidelberg Catechism asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”

Answer:

“That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ, who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yes, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live for him.”

In his book, Body & Soul, author M. Craig Barnes says this:

“When the catechism speaks of comfort, it’s not referring to a sentimental notion that tranquilizes us from life’s anxieties. It’s not telling us ‘There, there now Dear, everything will be okay!’

Rather, the Latin root of the word comfort is confortare and implies a strengthening.  

The comfort the gospel offers is more than consolation or empathy for our worries. It is redemptive. It restores us to our position as humans made in the image of God, crowned with dignity and honor.  

In other words, the catechism asks, ‘What can get us back on our feet as people who are no longer threatened by the next looming loss, the emptiness that re-emerges when we’re tired and undefended?’ Simply put, ‘What can make us unafraid?’”

One person who understood what his only comfort in life and death was, was Job. In the opening chapter of the book of Job we learn that he was a very wealthy man and a man of complete integrity. He owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 teams of oxen and 500 female donkeys. He was the richest man in the entire area. He had a wife and 10 children along with many servants.

Behind the scenes is God’s conversation with Satan.  

“Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless – a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” (v.8)

Satan replies, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But, reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” (v.9-11)

“All right, you may test him”, the Lord said to Satan.

You know the rest of the story. During one of the many family feasts of his children, messengers came, one after the other, to report that they had been raided and all the animals were taken, all the farmhands were killed. Finally, the last messenger comes to report that a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed and all of Job’s children were killed!

Can you imagine the devastation? The heartache? The anguish? 

The scriptures tell us that Job stood up and tore his robe in grief, shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

The last verse of chapter 1 says, “In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.”

Job did not see any of this coming! He did not know about the conversation between God and Satan. He did not know that God had given Satan permission to test him. Satan’s blood must have been boiling when Job did not turn against God. Job did not sin by blaming God. 

So ends round one. Chapter 2 opens with members of the heavenly court coming to present themselves to the Lord and Satan shows up with them. God says again, “Have you noticed my servant Job?” He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless – a man of complete integrity. He has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”  (v.3)

Satan wants to push it further.  “…Take away a man’s health and he will surely curse you to your face!”

Alright, the Lord says, but spare his life.  (v.6) 

Satan struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery and sat among the ashes! What a pitiful sight! When his wife challenged his integrity and told him to curse God and die, he responded, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” (v. 10)

(Incidentally, lest we be too hard on Mrs. Job, remember that she lost everything as well! She was a grieving mom.)

So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. 

Chuck Swindoll in one of his messages said this:  

“Even though Job didn’t see the disaster coming, still he was ready. You see, not being able to see something coming is a matter of the mind. Being ready for something coming is a matter of the heart.”

Where are you today? During these days or any days, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But, we can be ready. What is your only comfort in life and in death? It’s a personal question that we all must answer. 

Bill Erickson

Easter... So Now What?

Written by Bridge Church Elder Steve Johnson

Easter...so now what?

It’s been almost two weeks now since followers of Jesus around the world celebrated Easter - Resurrection Sunday - a pinnacle in the believer’s calendar year. Christians and seekers gather in record-numbers to descend upon churches, packing out the seats and pews (or in the case of this year’s current crazy pandemic - logged in to YouTube, Facebook Live, or whatever online video streaming service from the quarantined comfort of home) to hear the message of God’s redemption plan for the world and rejoice in the Good News of the empty tomb.

Christ is risen! 
Death is conquered! 
Hope restored to mankind! 

 The high-point of Holy Week after the sorrowful introspection of Good Friday, and the recognition that it wasn’t just the Jews and Romans of 2000 years ago who were primarily responsible for putting Jesus on the cross but yours and my doing as well.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

He died because of our sins. That’s the bad news.

But, He also died FOR our sins and rose again so that we may have life in Him. That’s the good news! Or as we also like to say - that’s “the Gospel.”

But what really does that mean?

Many people from various backgrounds may understand this in a basic sense. They perhaps know or have heard the facts about the story - a crude mixture of pop-culture Christianity and foggy details from decades-old Sunday school lessons...Jesus, Mary, Joseph, stable, wisemen, angels, fish & loaves, palm-branches, cross, empty tomb. 

To them it likely starts and ends with just information about some supposedly historical religious happenings; no more or less important than yesterday’s news or stories from their parents’ or grandparents’ day or details of any other dusty topics from high school history class. 

Or they see Jesus as a good teacher but just one among many founders of the world’s many faith offerings. 

For the believer, though, it’s personal. It means we know and understand that we as human beings, created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), have a broken relationship with our Creator due to our indwelling sin-nature (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9). The Apostle Paul tells us in verse three of the third chapter of Romans, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

But it’s not just that we are told of the existence of our sin. Paul goes on later in 6:23 to state that “the wages of sin is death…”  Well that doesn’t sound very encouraging.

Throughout scripture we read and understand that God is holy, pure, set apart. 

He cannot dwell in the presence of sinful people. And with that, we understand that there is nothing we can do to make it right with God. The unbeliever may even think there are many ways to God, or even that there are many gods.

However, in Acts 4:12 we’re told, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This is where Jesus comes in. 

God, through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, speaks of Jesus’ sacrifice and our direct responsibility in that.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

Jesus, the sinless One, paid the penalty for our sins. And in doing so, God has accepted this as the only sacrifice to cover the sins of all all of us. This is called “atonement” and means we are now justified in God’s eyes.

People frequently believe they can do something to earn God’s favor in order for them to be saved. But Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

And what of the whole “empty tomb/raised from the dead” thing?

Again, back to Romans 6: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

So, for the unbeliever, now what? What is your response?

Throughout the Psalms and Proverbs we read that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom/knowledge.” (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10) This is a healthy fear and should be rooted in reverence of your Creator.

”Psalm 25:14 goes further: “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”  This expresses God’s desire and plan to restore our right relationship with Him.

Paul says in Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Grace is the unearned favor of God toward you. Faith is your response to God, trusting in his plan for your salvation.

Maybe you heard the gospel message at the Easter service, but your heart was not ready. God created you and knows you. Today may be the day that He is calling you to repentance and forgiveness. Humble yourself before God, confess your sins to Him, trust in the sacrifice of Jesus for your forgiveness. He will give you new life for now and eternity.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (Romans 6:22)

It’s good news for the unbeliever & Jesus-follower alike. 

So now what...for the believer? 

Perhaps the rush of Easter celebrations is fading; your back to the daily grind and this shelter-in-place/lockdown has given you a spiritual beatdown. Maybe you’ve slipped back into setting your mind on things of the earth and not on things above.

We may be stuck in our homes, but in Christ Jesus we are free! “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Does not God know the beginning from the end? He is in control of all of this.

You and I know this, and yeah, it’s hard and discouraging sometimes. We long for the spiritual mountain top every day. But we must remember that we’re not alone. When we accepted Jesus as our savior, he gave us his Holy Spirit as comforter, healer, guide.

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

God speaks to us by His Spirit in us and through His Word! Are you reading God’s Word regularly and letting it encourage and change you? Are you hearing from Him and talking to Him in prayer? The relationship God called us to when He saved us is the same as when He’s sanctifying us. You can have Easter every day - it’s there for the taking...abundantly!

I trust this word has encouraged you today. If you are now a new believer or maybe still on the fence, would you consider reaching out to us here at The Bridge Church? Maybe a friend invited you to join the online service. Let them know you want to know more about a new life in Christ. If you were just searching and stumbled onto our website, one of our pastors, staff, or elders would love to hear from you. Please give us a call or send an email.

If you’re part of Christ’s Church, be strengthened today. Your steadfastness and hope in the Gospel lived out is critical to your spiritual walk. Are you doing it alone? Stay connected as well by reaching out to us, join a small group of other believers (even virtually). We are here to love, care for, and build up one another.

In Christ,

Steve Johnson
Bridge Church Elder.
April 23, 2020

When the Brook Dries Up

Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson

What do you do when the brook dries up?

In recent days our lives have changed dramatically. Everywhere you look, every news clip you read, or listen to, hits us with this new reality. We’re told it’s only temporary -and I believe that - but today it’s real. Today we’re adrift in the middle of an uncharted sea. When times of uncertainty come how should we respond?

One of my favorite Old Testament characters is the man Elijah the Tishbite. He was a rugged old prophet from the town of Tishbe, in Gilead, east of the Jordan River. We meet him in the OT during the reign of King Ahab. (1 Kings 17-19). Elijah’s very name means, “My God is Yahweh.” This man, with a heart tender toward God, was told to go visit King Ahab, the worst of the nineteen kings that ruled over Northern Israel. What a contrast in personalities! I Kings 16:33, says, “King Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord than any of the other kings before him”. He was one mean dude! Still, God chose Elijah to carry this message to King Ahab:

“As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives – the God I serve – there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word.” (v.1)

A troubling message to give to the worst king in Israel’s history! The next verses are interesting. “Then the Lord said to Elijah, Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food. So, Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. Some translations say, “go away from here and hide yourself.” By telling him to hide, God was protecting him from wicked King Ahab and his shrew of a wife, Jezebel!

Now, he may have lived by Kerith Brook for quite some time – perhaps years. It was a solitary experience for him, and he, quite likely, grew lonely. Yet, he did what God told him to do, and God did as He promised. Then, one day it all changed. Verse 7 says, “But after a little while the brook dried up because there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.” The draught he told Ahab was coming, now affected him too. His daily provision of water that he received from the brook was gone! I know we have all had times in our life when we feel like the brook has dried up! We thought we were in God’s will and suddenly the brook dries up. Elijah had done what God asked, but the brook dried up! What gives?

God lots of times uses periods of suffering or trials to teach us obedience. James 1:5 tells us to consider it an opportunity for great joy when troubles come! But, wait! “Lord, you don’t understand…The store shelves are empty!”…the brook has dried up. “My hours were cut and as a result my pay got cut!...the brook has dried up.

We need to learn to depend on God – for everything! It was no different for Elijah.

The story continues and God tells Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath. I have instructed a widow there to feed you”. So, he arose and went. The training Elijah received at Kerith Brook was to continue at Zarephath. Zarephath was about seventy-five to a hundred miles up on the coast from where he was – and there was a draught in the land! Imagine what he must of looked like when he arrived there! The text tells us that he saw a poor woman gathering sticks to make a fire. It must have been a very bleak and discouraging picture.

Elijah went ahead and asked her for a drink. As she turned to get him a drink, he then asked for a piece of bread. She explained to him that she had no bread, only a little flour and little oil. She was going to prepare a small bite to eat for her and her son, so that they may eat and die! How depressing their circumstances!

Elijah responds, “Do not fear, go…make me a little bread cake from it first…and afterward you may make one for yourself and your son.” (Here’s my favorite part of the story) Elijah tells her, “There will always be flour and oil in your containers until the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

The following text tells us that she and he, and her whole household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted, nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord.

There is much more to this story which concludes with a great victory for God and Elijah at Mount Carmel. God taught Elijah to trust Him at Kerith Brook and, again at Zarephath. On the basis of that trust, he experienced a great victory at Mount Carmel. Elijah had learned he could trust God when the brook dries up. He saw God’s faithfulness at Zarephath. The flour was never exhausted, and the oil never ran out. We need to learn these same lessons as we go through difficult times such as this.

I encourage you to read these chapters in I Kings 17-19. Don’t be discouraged if your brook seems to have dried up. God is in control and He cares about you! Just remember, you’ll likely never experience a victory like Mount Carmel without first spending time by the brook Kerith and travelling through Zarephath!

Blessings on you, 

Bill