If you were to meet a follower of Jesus late in the first century he or she would greet you with the words, “Christos Anesti!” (pronounced Kree-stos Ah-neh-sti) to which you would reply, “Alithos Anesti” (Ah-lee-thos Ah-neh-sti). Put simply, this greeting means, “Christ is risen…He is risen indeed (surely, truly, certainly)!”
A church Elder recently remarked, “Easter is the Church’s most important festival, even more so than Christmas.” He spoke well, for it seems we give greater emphasis to Christmas – because we receive gifts? Easter tends to sneak up on us each year. But Easter certainly brings to us the greater gift, the gift of salvation and eternal life through all Jesus accomplished during that awful Passover weekend we now call Easter (John 3:16).
The word “Easter” is an old English term, from the month of April and the beginning of Spring. This is also around the month of Nissan, the first month of the ceremonial Hebrew New Year. Maybe we should use the term “Paschal season” from the Hebrew term used to describe the sacrifice of the lamb which saved the Hebrew people at the first Passover. The Apostle Paul describes Jesus Christ as the “paschal lamb” (1 Cor 5:7, RSV), the one who has been sacrificed for us. But the story did not end with Jesus’ death. The glorious resurrection three days later declared that mankind’s sin and debt to God was indeed “Paid In Full” by the one, Jesus. That’s why we cheerfully greet one another with the cry. “Christ is risen…He is risen indeed!”
Pastor Bob

When I visited Israel a couple of years ago one day trip eagerly awaited by everyone in our tour was the visit to the Mount of Olives. The day was fine and the view from the hill east of Jerusalem was spectacular. Below us we could see the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemene before our eyes crossed the Kidron Valley and rose to view the glowing limestone walls and buildings of the city. The golden Dome of the Rock glistened like a jewel in the sun. We then walked down the road Jesus travelled on the donkey, where the people waved palm branches, threw their cloaks on the ground to form a carpet and cried out, “Hosanna (Save us now)!” Commentators tell of nationalistic fervour among the Jews around the time of Passover which led to the Roman occupiers to increase their levels of security in Jerusalem. Clearly the people were expecting Jesus to come as their physical liberator, to form a new Kingdom of Israel.
But Jesus had other things in mind that day. He was not swayed by popular opinion. Instead He chose to define the kind of King He was and is. He would indeed save His people, but not just the Jewish nation. John grasped this when he later wrote, ‘Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that, through Him, the world might be saved.’ (John 3:17).
This Palm Sunday, we do well to also cry, ‘Hosanna, Son of David. Come save us now!’ We are reminded of our need for salvation from our sin through Jesus Christ alone. This introduces us to the week of Easter, truly a time of thanks and praise to God. Pastor Bob

Most people view Lent as the time when a luxury is given up or a discipline is taken on. You may have decided to attempt such a discipline this year. Are you still on track or have you struggled to stay committed to your decision? An important aspect of the Lenten season is perseverance – the ability to remain ‘on track’ and committed to the course. The Chambers dictionary defines perseverance as ‘to keep striving, to persist steadily’ – of keeping on keeping on, despite the setbacks. We are only human and can so easily get distracted from our original good intentions, lose heart and quit. But true commitment to Jesus Christ means that when we fail or fall, we are able, by God’s grace and strength, to rise up and continue in our quest.
The Lenten season allows us to slow down a little to consider and contemplate our situation and all that Jesus has done for us. We can do this as individuals or with others. The benefit of sharing these thoughts with trusted friends is that we realise we are not alone. This week I heard of a young man in our church who has been struggling with some issues of life. Friends gave him a Bible passage to read and think over every day. Later one of the friends, an older lady, shared with him that she, too, was reading this passage and praying God would use it to bless him. Such unselfish encouragement is so valuable.
God’s word encourages us, “Let us not get tired of doing good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Gal 6:9)
Pastor Bob

Years ago I had the privilege of undertaking a number of Scripture Union Beach Missions. 35 young people and a few adults would camp for 10 days on a beach foreshore among thousands of holiday makers. Beach missions were deliberately and unapologetically evangelical; we were keen to share about Jesus. It was lots of hard work but also lots of fun, made worthwhile when we saw children and young people meet Jesus.
We also enjoyed times of Bible study and prayer often led by brilliant teachers; we grew spiritually in a very short time. I remember a particular Bible study where the speaker quoted a verse that has stayed with me since those days, Luke 9:51 – “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (see also 13:22). Do you notice something here? Jesus was not taken by surprise when He was later illegally arrested, tried in a mock-up of a court and cruelly executed. He knew long before arriving in Jerusalem just why He going there: not to die for anything He had done but for the many wrong things we have done (Rom 3:23).
This season of Lent enables us to reflect how deliberately Jesus undertook His mission on earth and the pain He must have felt as every step brought Him closer to the expectation of the agony of the cross. Nonetheless He pressed on with determination for a higher goal. Lent is a time for those who claim to be followers of Jesus to examine just how deliberate is our walk with Him, how resolutely do we actually ‘follow’ Him?
Pastor Bob

Several years ago I heard a story from the USA where a young boy took a drug overdose, attempting suicide on his 16th birthday. What was surprising was the fact that he had just received a Ford Mustang sports car from his father! Following his recovery in hospital he was questioned why he would wish to end his life? He replied, “I don’t care for a car. I just want Dad to spend some time with me – he’s never there when I need Him”.
Most would agree we never seem to have enough time and could always do with some more. However it is not how much time we think we need (we all get the same amount each day), but how we use the time we are given. Recently our Home Fellowship Group has been discussing our ‘quiet-times’ with God. We have been challenged about the time we spend talking with God (prayer) and the time we give God to speak with us (such as reading His word) or the time to just sit quietly with Him and let Him speak in other ways, if He so desires. We have been challenged to set aside a mere five minutes a day to sit quietly and deliberately in His presence…and all of us have found this difficult to achieve. Some confessed they found all they wanted to do was talk – and God couldn’t get a word in edgeways! Others found it difficult to ‘make the time’, even five minutes a day, even for God.
During Lent we are challenged to ‘give something up’, reminding us of all that Jesus gave up for us. Maybe this is the season to ‘give up’ as little as five minutes a day to sit and listen for our Heavenly Father… He’s got the time. Have you?
Pastor Bob