Archive for March, 2008
What a Weekend
Easter weekend was amazing. Over 10,000 people experienced the weekend at Buckhead from Good Friday to Easter. The most exciting aspect of the whole weekend was seeing people stand to acknowledge they had received Jesus as their Savior.
Each of our worship experiences began with this video produced by our staff. Each staff member in the video came up with their own way to interpret what Isaiah 53 meant to them.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/SvK4sD3rTU8 425 350]Powerful.
Jeff
No Words…
There are no adequate words to describe the significance of Good Friday. See you at 7:30.
Jeff
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the fifth day of Holy Week and the beginning of the Sacred Tridium, which means “three-day period” in Latin. It marks the three-days between the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the Jewish calendar, sun down marks a new day thus making the events of what we would consider Thursday evening, Friday in the days of Jesus and the first day of the Sacred Tridium.
You’ll find the Biblical account of Maundy Thursday in Mark 14:12-36.
The main events of the day were…
1. The washing of the Disciples’ feet by Jesus
2. The Last Supper in the upper room
3. Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of Him
4. Christ’s struggle with the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane
5. The betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.
Join us as we celebrate communion together as a Church body tomorrow night at our Good Friday Service.
In preparation, here is a video that may help you reflect on the events of this day nearly 2000 years ago…
Carlos, could we get the guys from Third Day to come do this song LIVE tomorrow night? Just thought I’d ask.Joel Thomas
Director of Singles & College Ministry
Have Yourself, A Merry Little Easter
I led a Starting Point class a few months ago. Towards the end, one of the guys in my class asked an interesting question. He said, “Hey. I always have wondered something. Why is it that the church celebrates Christmas for 4 weeks with parties, decorations, services, and songs, yet I have never been invited to an Easter party? That does not seem right to me.”
It was one of those moments when I sat there, trying to pry the dagger out of my heart, and was speechless. I had all the answers to his theological questions. I could quote scripture till I am blue in the face. But I had no good answer for him.
I remember giving some off the cuff “cultural reason” then going home and remembering the disappointment on the face of a new friend who was still searching for Christians to do the right thing.
So I prayed.
I searched.
I asked Go to show me how, this Easter season, I could celebrate His resurrection with the fever and fervor that I celebrate Christmas with.
I remember this next message from God clear as day…
“Carlos. Quit fooling yourself. You don’t even celebrate me on Christmas. You celebrate family, friends, gifts, and the fuzzy nostalgia that the season brings. You need to celebrate Me. You need to worship Me.”
And so here I sit. Typing this on an airplane somewhere over east Texas with a week to go before Easter. Wondering what I can do to celebrate His resurrection every day this week.
So although I may not have a concrete answer yet, I do have a mission. To celebrate Him.
How can you celebrate His resurrection in a tangible way the next 4 days until Easter?
Carlos
Service Programming Director
Tuesday.
We know that on Thursday Jesus ate a meal with the disciples and foreshadowed his death.
Friday, he was crucified.
Saturday, his friends mourned and felt defeated.
Sunday, he rose from the grave.
But what happened on the Tuesday before Jesus died?
The days might not have played out exactly like that, but many traditions recount the week that way. Have you ever really thought about what Tuesday was like for Jesus? I don’t think I have.
He knew he would suffer horrific pain and die in just a few days. The tension was building in the town . . . and probably in Jesus’ mind. Torture was imminent. Crucifixion was imminent. Death was imminent. So, what was Tuesday like for him? Was it a good day?
What is Tuesday like for you? I hardly remember last Tuesday. I spent time with my mom. Did Jesus spend time with his mother? Did he cry with her? Could he laugh or smile?
What was Tuesday like? Was he easily irritated with the petty arguments among his friends? Did he walk a little more slowly, knowing he wouldn’t be present this way, in human form, for much longer? Did he grieve for those who rejected Him? Did his friends notice he was just a little distracted? Did he lose his breath for just a moment when his mind wandered to Friday? Did he look Judas in the eye that day? Did he lie awake at night praying to the Father? And how did he continue to LOVE with the weight of death on his mind?
I’d like to know what Tuesday was like for Jesus. I’d like us all to know so that when we are encumbered by our own circumstances, when the thought of what’s ahead is overwhelming, we can think of Jesus on a Tuesday.
Amber Blossom
Associate Service Programming Director
