The volunteer workday hosted by our church last month was incredible to witness. Over 60 volunteers came together to work on six properties of families who lost homes in the CZU Lightening Complex fires. Many of these volunteers came from churches in the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz such as Vintage Faith Church, Westgate Church and Woodside Church.
The families we helped were under-insured, seniors, widows, single parents or battling serious health challenges. Volunteers came from our local Bonny Doon community as well as from churches in the Bay Area and our own Santa Cruz County.
Despite the outrageous weather we're having now and had in January, the actual workday was blessed with perfect weather, warm days and cloudless blue skies. It was truly a beautiful day!
Our mission's fire survivor team and participating churches were so excited to witness the encouragement these workdays gave to home owners and the joy volunteers experienced making a difference in the lives of fire survivors.
In addition to the volunteer work, we were able to hire professional help to remove dangerous trees threatening future homesites. We were able to fund this work through funds raised at our annual craft fairs, the generosity of personal donors and contributions from Santa Cruz Convergence and Trinity Church.
We want to continue helping our neighbors in this way. Won't you join us in making another workday possible. We have a place for anyone who wants to help whether it be with help organizing, volunteering on our workdays or financially.
Outdoors caroling beside a fire and under the canopy at Bonny Doon Church (7065 Bonny Doon Road) Sunday, December 19th from 1:30pm to 4pm.
Come share your stories of recovery, support and holiday cheer. Soup, cookies, hot cocoa and espresso drinks . Holly, greenery, prizes and surprises. Song books will be provided. Bring folding chairs and reading glasses.
Call Denby for more information: (831) 252-0446
If you'd like to donate holiday cookies please bring them to Higher Grounds (at Bonny Doon Church) Saturday morning between 9-11am.
In June, our first group of volunteers met to help one of our church families remove invasive plant species and encourage them in their journey of recovery. This group was a combination of our church family and Convergence Santa Cruz.
Convergence Santa Cruz was encouraged by this special day to partner with Beautiful Day with the vision of helping more families. On August 14th, near the one year anniversary of the CZU fires, with the help of Convergence and Beautiful Day, we were able to help another nine families. Thanks to the relationships Convergence has this event was supported by many churches in Santa Cruz County, such as Twin Lakes, as well as Santa Clara County.
Last Sunday the choir’s virtual choir video was our adaption of “He shall feed His flock from Handel’sMessiah. By coincidence (not any planning on our part) last Sunday, the second Sunday after Easter, is designated in many churches as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because in some lists of Bible readings it is the Sunday when the gospel passage about Jesus being the Good Shepherd is assigned to be read.
Often in the choir we sing songs that have a special meaning to one or more people in the choir. “He shall feed His flock” is a song that Nancy and Eleanor particularly wanted to do. Here is what Eleanor says about it:
“One thing that is special to me about it is that the words and the melody describe God as gentle and it’s very easy for me to be intimidated by God because he is the Lord of the universe and a king. It’s hard to visualize God’s power and His gentleness going together. This song really shows this. He’s the king of the universe but He’s also caring for His flock tenderly.”
Handel’s “He shall feed His flock” featured prominently in a story Eleanor and Nancy had been telling. It was a story about Lucinda, a woman in a world where they were trying to create a utopian society and to give people everything they needed to flourish, but it was totally naturalistic. Ultimately, Lucinda was very depressed. There was all the stuff one supposedly needed, but she felt empty and longing. One day, Lucinda walked past a house and heard people singing “He shall feed His flock” – something it was illegal to sing. It sounded to her like the thing that was missing – what she was yearning for – that there was a place to come and find actual rest for her soul. Even though singing sacred music was forbidden, Lucinda tracked down the music to the song.
Eleanor says that what drew her to the song was that it was reminding her that there is a source, there is Jesus, and He is at the center of everything that is fulfillment and rest.
It is good to be reminded that the church exists around the world and throughout time. Some of the music the Bonny Doon Church choir sings reflects this. For Easter this year the choir prepared a “virtual choir” recording of a piece we have sung live at Easter for a number of years now: “Christ is arisen”. This is a setting in English for unaccompanied choir of the famous German 12thcentury Easter song,Christ ist erstanden. This in turn was derived from a Latin hymnVictimae paschali laudesthat was an extension of theAlleluiasung at Easter time before the reading of the gospel in the Eucharist. Victimae paschaliis believed to have been written in Burgundy (now part of France) in the 11thcentury. Our choir piece thus traces to different countries, languages and musical styles over almost a thousand years.
We often put pictures to go with the words of our virtual choir pieces. I’ve never been happy with depictions of the resurrection, so I’ve opted instead for photos of surviving Middle Eastern tombs from the Roman era. I was particularly attracted to a photograph taken by retired Florida College Biblical studies professorFerrell Jenkins frominside one of these tombs. He writes:
“I asked Frank and Norm, two living disciples, to stoop and look into an empty tomb much the way Peter and John did on that first day of the week.”
Pastor Edd Breeden's Easter message: What should I do next?
Luke 24: 1 Around dawn on the first day of the week, they gathered up their spices and came to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body. 2 What they found was an open tomb, somehow the stone had been rolled back. 3 When they entered the tomb, the body of the Lord Jesus was not there. 4 During their shock and amazement, two angels appeared before them in brilliant clothing. 5 The women bowed in honor of the angels, but the men said to them, “What makes you think that the living One would be here in the grave? 6 “He has been raised up from the dead. Don’t you remember He told you about this while you were all in Galilee? 7 He told you to expect the Son of Man to be delivered up to sinful people and He would be crucified, and then come back to life on the third day.” 8 At that moment they remembered that He had said these things to them. 9 They left the tomb and returning to the city they explained all these happenings to the eleven and to the rest of the followers. 10 The group of women included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and James’ mother, who was also called Mary, and a number of other women from the group of followers. 11 The apostles had real trouble believing what the women had to say. 12 Peter had to find out for himself, so he left the room and ran to the tomb. When he entered the tomb, he found the linen wrappings. As he returned home, he was overwhelmed by the situation.
Today there are about four different questions that arise for me this Easter out of this passage of Scripture. What would make us believe? What difference has Jesus made in our life? What would we need in order to take the next step in our life? And what is the next thing we might like to do in our spiritual growth?
The women come to the tomb to properly prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Some of the work was done on Friday after Jesus was taken down from the cross, but since it was the beginning of the Sabbath, the people were limited in the amount of preparation. The women were coming back in the early morning of Sunday after the Sabbath day was over.
When they arrive, the stone was no longer blocking the entrance and Jesus’ body was gone. As the women looked around in shock, they saw two men, dressed in brilliant clothing. The men said to them, “Why do you come to the grave to find Jesus? He told you He would not be here. He is the Living One after all.” It crossed their minds that He had told them this would happen, but they had not fully understood what He meant. Now they were beginning to realize, He was alive from the dead; whatever that might mean.
How would that make a difference in our lives? If we came to the realization that Jesus was alive from the dead, that He was truly alive, and He was desiring to be intimately involved in our life, would we be different? And what would that difference look like for us? What is one thing we could change to be more of what Jesus wants us to be? And what might be one thing that we would be afraid to change? The real question is this, what would we need to have happen in our life to begin to be different because we now know that Jesus is alive?
Everyone has an obstacle to complete and undivided belief; something that keep us believing halfway and not allowing us to plunge fully into living for Jesus. Some more than others. What is our switch, that if we flipped it, nothing would stand in our way of serving Jesus 24 hours a day? Now, do not get me wrong, I am not raising this to make us feel guilty and say we are not doing enough. I believe that most of us who follow Jesus are active in our faith and doing things for Him and we might not need to do anything more. But the question is a good one to ask from time to time so that we might find more of what Jesus wants for us.
Another question that is raised follows along with the first two. What would be in the way of us taking the next step towards a life of service to our Lord? The disciples were just at the beginning of a new life; they were at a crossroads, a turning point. Would they go back to being fishermen or would they actually become fishers of men? As the next few days unfolded, they clearly made the choice to take a new direction in their life and not return to what was comfortable.
What would be the next step for us? Those of us who do not yet know Jesus as a personal friend might want to begin making moves in that direction. We might believe because someone else believes but now we want to believe on our own. When Jesus came into the town of Samaria where the woman from the well lived many began to believe in Him. John said,“Others began to believe when they heard Jesus speaking. Some of these said to the woman, "I first believed because of what you said about this Man, but not that I have heard Him, I believe for sure that He is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:40,41 EBV)Their belief changed from accepting what another person believed to what they believed themselves, they had the proof they needed to make a stand for faith in Him.
Maybe our next step is to make some changes in our spiritual lives, to grow more mature in Christ. There are a few steps of change that take place in our lives as we leave behind the ways of the world and begin to prepare for a life in heaven. After we step out of the world and into a body of believers, we might see some changes taking place in our lives. At some point we begin to study the Bible and look at the words of Jesus and realize that our lives are quite different that the way He lived and wants us to live. Then we might begin to realize that our live with Jesus in not to make our own life happier but in some way so that we can serve others and help them find the joy of life as well. And the pinnacle of life, as Jesus would describe it would be a life of service to others and in that service, we take hold of what God intended for us to begin with.
The changes we often make have to do with the evidence we see around us as we seek to believe more and more that our faith is not in a way of life but in a deep relationship with the Living God. We become more aware of answers to our prayers, more aware of the way people’s lives are changing because of the influence of Jesus, and we have moments when we realize we have direct encounters with Jesus. All of these experiences draw us to want to live our lives more for His benefit than for our own. It is also important to point out that by God’s design, when we do live for service to others, we become the happiest.
So, let me ask my fourth question, “What would we like to do next in our spiritual life? Do we desire to have worship be more meaningful? To sing not to sing the words but to sing to give praise to Jesus. Do we seek to read the Bible to find out what it says, what it means, and how does it apply to our life? This way we are choosing to humble ourselves before God and seek after His agenda for our lives rather than our own agenda. Do we want to learn more about the gifts God has given to us, the calling He has for us to fulfill, and even the way we can use our passion for things in this world to serve the plans of our Lord? And maybe we are ready to step out to serve other people; to go into all the world to make disciples.
My hope for us this Easter is that we all find what Jesus has for us in the next part of our life and we embrace it with open arms, no matter how much in might require us to leave behind the familiar and move into the unknown.
I bless you in the name of Jesus with faith to take the next step.
Paul says “life indeed” is the result of a life being rich in good works. Happiness comes not from acquiring more possessions but in the pursuit of helping and serving others. If my whole life is in the pursuit of riches so that I can acquire things for myself and my friends, I have missed the point of why God has us on this world in the first place.
If my life is consumed with a search to find my soul and I end up away from the people of the world in a hermit’s existence, I might find a sense of freedom, I might find some solace, but according to Paul, I will never fully find the meaning of life.
I will have missed the fullness of what God meant life to be. I have focused selfishly on my own journey towards the depths of my soul, and I have missed the true joy and meaning of caring for my neighbors, which is “life indeed.”
Palm Sunday Message
I talk often about the name of the LORD. It is the Hebrew word for "I am." The name was first revealed to Moses at the burning bush in the wilderness. Moses received the ten commandments from the LORD, the second one says, "You should not speak the name of Yahweh in an empty way." Hundreds of years later, to avoid using the name wrongly, the Hebrew people, began to pronounce the name in the same way they said the word, "Lord."
On Palm Sunday, as Jesus road into the town of Jerusalem, the people quoted the phrase from the psalmist,"Blessed is the One coming in the name of the LORD." (Psalm 118:26 EBV)The people were seeing Jesus as the one coming as God's messenger to the people of Israel. And we look back on that day and realize that God was present in the flesh with Jesus and as such, He was the King of the Jews. The King of all humankind for that matter.
What do we do to prepare for His coming into our lives on a daily basis? Anything? The people did not expect to see God that day. They felt like He had abandoned them years before. They were almost resigned to being under the rule of the Roman Empire forever. And as Jesus approached a spark of hope set a fire within them. Not a big fire, but the seed of faith that was very different from the discouragement so many of them lived with.
They were not prepared for the coming of Jesus on the donkey that day. They were caught off guard. They were not expecting God to visit His people. They were not hoping that the future could be better. And then when they least expected it, He came, riding on a donkey. Silently He rode into town, listening to the praises of those who still had some hope, listening to the cries of those who still believed that God cared, and listening to the hearts of those who could quickly change directions and believe that salvation had arrived. The King had come.
2000 years later, we still celebrate the coming of the King. We want to be included in the crowds of the first Palm Sunday. We desire to remember the glorious moment as He made His triumphant entry. We long to be counted with those who believed then, and those who believe now, that Jesus, God in human flesh, truly is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords.
And we look forward with hope to the day He will come again, when we least expect it, to take us home. At that time, He will welcome us into the eternal kingdom, into the mansions of heaven. We will see the streets of gold and the crystal sea and stand in awe before the throne of Almighty God. And there we will see THE KING, high and lifted up. All the host of heaven, the millions of angels, and the saints who have gone before us, will be singing,"Unto the One on the throne and to His Lamb, we give worship, praise, wonde,r and strength from now and to eternity." (Revelation 5:12,13 EBV)
In the meantime, we prepare to meet the Savior. We spend time with Him in prayer, talking over our lives, interceding for others, and listening to the sound of His voice, so that we might respond in obedience when He calls us to serve. We spend time with Him, reading His Word, seeking to understand the God we love. We enjoy singing His praise and by doing so, the Holy Spirit comes upon us and showers us with His love and blessing. We walk with Him, meeting the needs of those around us with the resources that God so freely supplies for us. We share our bounty with others who cross our paths. And we wait for Him, with expectation that He will one day return in glory. Our Savior desires to come to us just as He came to the people of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday.
Let’s take a closer look at the whole story from Matthew’s point of view.1 "They came to Bethphage on their journey into Jerusalem. They stopped at the Mount of Olives, just in sight of the city and Jesus sent two disciples, 2 instructing them to go into the village. There they will find a donkey and her colt tied up to a post. He said, “untie them and bring them here for Me.” 3 He continued His comments, “If someone questions what you are doing, just say to them, ‘The LORD has need of them,’ and he will let you go.” 4 His riding on a donkey fulfilled the words of Zechariah, the prophet; "Raise your voices in triumphant shouting, O daughter of Jerusalem! Your King is on the way to you. He brings with Him justice and salvation, He comes humbly seated on a donkey, even a young donkey." 6 When His disciples arrived in the town, they saw the donkeys 7 and brought them to Jesus. Then they covered them with their coats so Jesus could sit upon them. 8 There were plenty of people in the area and they began to spread their coats on the path in front of Jesus, others were cutting branches off of the palm bushes and laying those in the road along with the clothing. 9 As the people closed in on Jesus they shouted, "Hosanna to David's Son, Blessed is the One coming in the name of Yahweh. Glory beyond measure!" 10 The whole city was stirred up as He entered through the gates and they were saying to one another, "Who are the people praising?" 11 They were told, "This is Jesus, the Galilean, the prophet from Nazareth." (Matthew 21:1-8 EBV)
I remember the coming of a King, well, actually, the President of the United States. Two times I have had the privilege. Once, it all happened so fast, and I was so young. There was little time for preparation and the meeting lasted much longer than I expected. The crowd was small and silent. There was a sense of honor in the air and the memories have lasted for over fifty years in my mind.
My mother had dressed me in nice clothes and reminded me to be on my best behavior. And on the first tee of the golf course on the Air Force Base in Ramey, Puerto Rico, I stood near my father as he prepared to play golf with President Ike Eisenhower and some other men.
The second time, it took days of preparation. The sighting was very short. The crowd was enormous, and they cheered for many minutes before and after the motorcade of John F Kennedy passed in front of us. And then we went into one of the biggest hangers on the base to enjoy a reception, a celebration for the one coming to our town. There was excitement permeating the crowd and I can still remember the moment over fifty years later.
My father-in-law shook hands with President Reagan and his life was never the same. He talked about it for years to come. He pulled out the picture and showed everyone who would listen. He had the honor of escorting Ronald and Nancy to their seats in the Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara, California. There the President was in the company of a greater King. He was present for the whole hour, worshipping and listening. The crowd stood and applauded as Ronald and Nancy left the church and no one left early that morning.
I also had the privilege of meeting another honorable lady. Her name was Beatrice, a stately lady of about five feet one inch tall with a deeply British accent. Her claim to fame, was to say she had met the Queen, and she was not talking about the present Queen Elizabeth II, but the Queen Mother. Beatrice had made her way from England in the 1920s to marry someone she had not yet met. She arrived and caught a train to the town in the mid-west where her husband lived. The next day she was fitted with her wedding dress and met her husband for the first time at the altar of the small-town church. When I met her in 1988, she was 98, still writing poetry, living on her own, and full of life. She reminded everyone that she had met The Queen.
If we knew ahead of time when Jesus was going to arrive, I would think we would make some preparations. We might gather a crowd as Cornelius did to welcome Peter to his home. Would we respond with silence and honor or cheers and excitement? Would we want to tell the story to everyone we met? And tell it for years to come? Then why don’t we feel that way each Sunday when we gather with two or three others where Jesus is in our midst?
I met Jesus, late one night, in the quiet of my room. And when I awoke the next morning He was still there. I asked Him for some help, and He reached out to guide me along the right path. I had and still have all the proof I need. My response was the same as a kid on Christmas morning or what it was like to meet Ike Eisenhower.
On the first Palm Sunday, the crowd did not leave their houses knowing that they would meet the King of kings that day. But someone saw Jesus riding on a donkey and knew in the power of the Holy Spirit that this was the Messiah. And one by one, people around him began to know what he knew, the Messiah was coming, sitting on a donkey. And they began to grab whatever they could find to lay a royal path, the very first red carpet, before Him as He approached the Great City.
Were you there, at least in spirit? Would your coat have lined the road of the King of kings? How loud would you shout along with the others, "Blessed is the One coming.”? Do you expect to see Him again someday? Do you have hope that He is coming? Are you prepared to meet Him every Sunday when we come together for worship? You know He is present with us when we gather, don't you?
Approach this week with a sense of expectation for what Jesus might choose to do for you and through you.
Hosanna, Hosanna, in the highest, Blessed is the One coming in the name of Yahweh. All glory belongs to Him.
Pastor Edd
We had the pleasure of two choir pieces this Sunday from Bonny Doon's virtual choir.
The first pieces is the "The Palms" by Jean-Baptiste Faure. Listen on YouTube »
