Reminder: Gungor show!

DON'T MISS THE GUNGOR SHOW!

Hey, guys!  Don't forget, one of our favorite bands (the ones who wrote "Beautiful Things" and "We will Run to You") is coming to Cary this Monday!!  You don't want to miss this.  Mike and I have already gotten our ticktes, but you can get yours HERE.  (It's open seating, so we can still go together!)  Tickets are only $15.  You all should definitely come! 

Devotion: Easter dancing

The fullness of
Your glory has arrived
In your presence, God,
I'm completely satisfied
For You, I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
to show my love

-Phil Wickham, "Divine Romance"

It's time to fully live into the ressurection, and yet I'm still learning what that means.  When I hear this (gorgeous) song by Phil Wickham, I'm given a taste of the joy of the ressurection.  How many times have I been less than satisfied with my life, despite God's presence?  The fullness of God's glory has surely arrived, and I for one want to sing and dance and show my love to the Creator.  Let us be more than mindful in these Easter weeks of the true miracle of our resurrected Savior!

Christ is risen! 
He is risen, indeed!

Holy Week!

Hello, everyone!  I just wanted to invite you to Christ Church's services for Holy Week!  They are as follows:

Maundy Thursday - 7pm
Good Friday - 7pm
Holy Saturday Vigil - 9-10pm
Easter - 6:30am sunrise, 8:30am praise and communion, 9:45 and 11am worship with brass

Celebrate the joy of the season with us this Easter!

Devotion: Palm Sunday

Mark 11.9-11: "Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!' Then he entered Jerusalem (by himself) and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve."

As we approach the end of lent we, like the disciples, find ourselves following Jesus into Jerusalem. Traditionally Palm Sunday has been a time to initiate Holy Week in a remembrance of Christ's passion. We gather on Sunday morning waving palm branches over our head as if Jesus is about to ride into the church on the back on the donkey. Though this is an incredibly important act of worship, it is one that has been often misunderstood. According to the evangelist Mark, Jesus begins the journey into the Holy City of Jerusalem with crowds cheering wildly, waving palm branches, screaming: "Hosanna! Blessed in the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!" Yet, when Jesus actually enters the city he is all alone. Where was the crowd that was so excited for Jesus and his kingdom? Why had they left him alone to walk into the temple? In a subtle way, I believe that Mark is trying to show how what the crowd wants from Jesus, is not what he is going to give them. The crowds were probably oppressed people eagerly awaiting an insurrection against Rome. Their understanding of the Kingdom of God was not synonymous with what Jesus came to bring.
What does this mean for us? Sometimes when we reflect on Jesus, we tend to see him as merely a faint reflection of ourselves. We like a Jesus who would do and say the same things as us. With Palm Sunday approaching I think it is important for us to stop cheering like the palm wielding crowds for Jesus to be just like us, but rather pray and hope that we might be more like him.
Amen.