Grace and Peace from our Lord, Savior, and God, Jesus Christ,

 

One of the TV shows I used to watch when I was a kid was the “A-Team.” To this day, it stands as one of my favorite TV shows to ever exist. It was campy. It was over the top. And it was fun. The characters had charisma, personality, and a lovability to them. One of these characters, Col. John “Hannibal” Smith, would often come up with fantastical, overly dramatic, and complex plans in order to accomplish a particular mission. When his team would show doubt in the plan or push back on it, he would regularly tell them to have faith in the plan, even if it sounded crazy. So, that is what they did. Despite how ridiculous the plan might sound, or the complexity of the planning involved, they trusted Hannibal. And like any good campy 80s adventure TV show, the plan always worked.

 

This show can teach us a lot about our faith and how we ought to live as Christians. Sometimes, God comes to us and tells us to trust God. To us, God’s plans might seem crazy (I am sure Moses thought that when God told him to go to Egypt and tell Pharoah to let the Hebrews go!). But like Hannibal with his team, God tells us to trust God. Even if it might seem ridiculous to us. And just like Hannibal’s plans in the show, God’s Plans always work out when we trust God and follow God.

 

This upcoming Sunday ends the Easter season. It is known as “Ascension Sunday.” A day in which we recall Jesus Ascending into Heaven. This creates a challenge for us. Since Jesus Ascended into Heaven, we cannot prove (in the conventional sense of the term) the claims we make about our faith. And if we are honest, we have to acknowledge just how crazy and ridiculous our claims sound. To declare that someone rose from the dead is “crazy talk.” To say the person was Resurrected in a Glorified/Eternal Body is “ridiculous talk.” We cannot prove it. Either to ourselves or to other people. Because Jesus is no longer physically with us. He has Ascended! All we can do, therefore, is do what the team did with Hannibal. Despite how crazy or ridiculous the claims of our faith might be, we persist in belief. We trust God. We place our confidence in Christ.

 

This upcoming Sunday, I invite you to do just that. Persist in belief. Trust God. Place your confidence in Christ.

 

You can prepare for the service by reading John 20: 24-29.

 

Worship starts at 11am, but if you are unable to attend the service, you can watch it online here:

 

Also, a few other things you can do in order to prepare for service:

 

1. Pray the rest of the week. Pray for me that I preach well. Pray that the people receive the message well. Pray that all of us meet God this Sunday.

2. Worship this week. Do not wait till Sunday to worship. Start singing the hymns and songs now. Help your neighbor. Spend time in quiet solitude with God. Take time to worship today.

3. Get there early.

4. Invite people to come to the service.

5. Bring your Bible.

6. Take notes during service.

7. Do not treat Church like a Country club.

8. Focus on God!

 

I hope to see you there if you can make it!

 

 

With love, compassion, and prayer,

Reverend Michael G. Whitcomb-Tavey