I love Easter! I get so stoked about the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice and the celebration that he’s alive. We’ve planned a number of things to help us connect with the power of the Good News of this celebration here at our E. Tucson campus.
Maundy Thursday – April 1, 7pm. A representative from Jews for Jesus will be with us to present “Christ in the Passover.” Jesus instituted Communion during the Passover feast the night he was betrayed and arrested. He’ll explain how the Passover meal points to the Messiah. There will be a free-will offering for Jews for Jesus and we’ll celebrate Communion together.
Good Friday – April 2, 7pm. Our Good Friday service will focus on Jesus’ prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane and from the cross. We’ll end the Good Friday service by beginning our 24/7 prayer focus.
24/7 Prayer. Churches in Arizona have committed to pray around the clock all year round. Our church picks up the “torch” during our Good Friday service. The church in Phoenix that will conclude their week of prayer will pass the torch to us. Don’t forget to sign up for an hour of prayer on our website. Our prayer team is creating an incredible experience that will guide you in praying. You’ll go from station to station and most folks find that an hour goes by too quickly.
Easter Services. I can’t wait to share the message I’ve prepared. It is called Welcome Home and we’ll focus on what the resurrected Jesus has done to prepare a place for us. Not only that, we’ll explore how Jesus wants us to welcome him home – in us.
We’ll have two services at the E. Tucson campus on Saturday (April 3rd) at 4 and 6pm. We’ll also have a dinner available for purchase between services. Please, if possible, consider attending our Saturday Easter services for two reasons – it will make room for our visitors and it will be less crowded. Thanks. Our Sunday (April 4th) services will be at the regular 9, 11 and 6pm times.
Our Sierra Vista campus services will be at 9 and 11am.
Welcome Home! Our 3 week series after Easter is called “Welcome Home!” and we’ll focus on the parable or story of the father and his two sons in Luke 15. It is a powerful story and I think we’ll be able to surprise you about a few things. There is also a 6 week life group DVD study available that parallels our weekend teaching. It is called “The Prodigal God” based on an excellent book by Timothy Keller (available at both campuses).
Making a difference because Jesus is alive;
Glen
It is great to be home. I spent a week in Ukraine helping church Pastors and Tavriski Christian Institute (TCI) develop healthy leadership teams. By the way, TCI is doing a remarkable job preparing leaders and helping plant churches in central Asia.
I’m starting a short new teaching series this week called “Sold Out.” Jesus invites us to sell out everything and follow him. He not only invites, but demands our full commitment and allegiance to him. As sold out followers of Jesus, we have two ceremonies that reflect this spiritual commitment – baptism (the believer’s wedding ceremony) and communion (renewing our vows). In this series we’ll re-examine these two powerful practices and what they continue to mean to all of us today.
I’ve had folks ask some great questions about baptism (next week I’ll answer some questions about communion). Here are the two:
- Why baptism by full immersion in water? Immersion is the biblical practice and it also carries a deep meaning. Paul in Romans 6:3-5 suggests that our baptism parallels Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Going into the water (burial) symbolizes our complete submersion into the way of Jesus. I really like the meaning of this. When we are baptized we are declaring to the Lord and everyone else that we are “all in.” We are fully sold out. We are going in all the way.
- How old must a person be to be baptized? The age is not the primary factor. A child or person must be mature enough to understand the basics of following Jesus because they are committing to follow Jesus to the best of their ability. While we don’t require anyone to take a class to be baptized, we do offer a baptism class for children and their parents. Our next baptism class at the E. Tucson Campus is on Sun. May 16th at 11am and we have a workbook for parents called “Joining God’s Family.” Contact Robin Fisher for more information and for those in Sierra Vista; contact any of the staff at 520.459.1649 for help. In the end, the parents must be assured their kids know enough to make a life-time commitment to Jesus. So, I say, the more mature a child or student is, the better chance he or she has of making a healthy decision.
- Why do I have to be baptized to be a member? Baptism is the biblically defined way to declare you are a follower of Jesus and that’s really what it means to be a member at PCC.
- If I was baptized (immersed) somewhere else, do I have to be re-baptized here? Nope! We are baptized into Jesus, not a church.
Contact Julie Wesley at 520.298.5395, ext. 278 and she can answer any questions or help you make arrangements for your baptism. This weekend would be a great time!
Glen
This weekend we’ll finish our series – Lessons from the Old Guys. We’ll look at Joseph again. He had every reason to carry the hurt and bitterness of being mistreated. He could have carried an offense because his brothers sold him into slavery or because Potiphar’s wife made up a story about a sexual advance that landed him in jail or because of the guy in prison he helped get free and then forgot about him to let him rot in jail. He had lots of reasons to carry an offense and live a life full of bitterness.
There is so much in life that we can be offended about. People will hurt us. Life is unfair. People are broken and hurt and hurting people hurt others. But the scripture clearly commands us to not let a root of bitterness grow (Hebrews 12:15). Over and over Jesus and the apostles command us to practice forgiveness, refuse to seek revenge and be peacemakers.
The Proverbs give some great advice regarding offense.
- A fool shows his annoyance at once; but a prudent man overlooks an insult. (Proverbs 12:16)
- A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. (Proverbs 19:11)
- A fool gives full vent to his anger; but a wise man keeps himself under control. (Proverbs 29:11)
Besides the Bible, the best book I know that unpacks the subtle scheme of Satan to trap us in offense is The Bait of Satan – Your Response Determines Your Future (written by John Bevere). We choose to be offended. Yes, that’s right, we choose it. We may not choose to have someone do something bad to us, but we choose the response. When we choose to live in offense, we allow Satan to spiritually rob us of life and joy. Offense is a trap! The only way out of the trap is to choose something else – forgiveness.
I have the honor and joy of leading a church with a membership somewhere around 4000 folks (we don’t count very well). Everyday I make someone unhappy. I get calls, letters and emails about something I said or did or a decision I made. I choose not to be offended. I choose to offer grace and forgiveness. I also have learned to keep clear boundaries and finally, I’ve committed to continue to grow to place my personal security and significance in the FACT that I am loved and accepted by Jesus and not by people.
Stay on the journey! Be free from offense. It’s a choice to be free!
Glen
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the government can’t fix our problems. Yes, good public policy can have a huge impact on our lives. We need good policy (and good courageous politicians that create it) that helps rather than hinders us. But the real hope of the world is not the government – any government. When we read the New Testament, no where is the idea presented that our hope is in the government. It is the church, God’s people who authentically are following Jesus, which is the hope of the world. The church is the body of Jesus; it is to be Jesus living and bringing change to the world. It is the church that brings lasting transformation to the world.
For instance, the courts of Tucson have asked the church to provide community service AND mentoring to those facing misdemeanor violations. The justice system realizes it is the church that can help folks the best!
God has called our church to be a catalyst. That’s our vision – “A catalyst to bless Southern Arizona and the world.” God has blessed this church with godly leaders, resources, experience, direction and an army of dedicated followers of Jesus to bring the blessings of the Kingdom of God to our community. So we are focused on growing in our ability to follow Jesus well, reaching folks no one is reaching, planting healthy life giving churches and helping neighborhoods and villages experience transformation. These are not just goals on paper – we are doing these things right now. We can do them better. We will do them better. We can do these things faster touching more folks. We are moving and we will make a difference.
But we, Pantano Christian Church, can’t do this alone. God wants us to be a catalyst to influence and encourage other churches and organizations to make a difference. We are serious about that too.
We just hosted an all day seminar called “Externally Focused Church” that was sponsored by Family Life Radio. About 75 folks from 12 churches were in attendance. Everyone got a clear vision for what it means to be a church that is vital to its community and how to really make a difference. It was an honor to end the seminar sharing just a few of the many ways we are making a difference in our community. Our joy is to see what we are doing multiplied over and over in the churches of Tucson.
What are YOU doing to make a difference in others? How are you being Jesus in your world? It can be here on our campus or through one of the many ways we are touching our community. We are blessed! But the blessing is multiplied as we bless others.
Don’t forget that the Leadership Summit is coming August 5th & 6th (put it on your calendar). This is a “don’t miss” discipleship event. Leadership Summit can help you to make a difference in the lives of others and is another way we’ll be a catalyst to help the church and community leaders of Tucson.
Together to make a difference,
Glen
