APRIL 2022 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
THESENIORPOINT THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
SHOUT FOR JOY
RESSURECTIONS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
Written by: Dr. Edmund W. Robb III Maybe you heard about the 8-year old boy who was playing left field in a Little League game. As he was standing out there in the field all by himself, a man yelled over the fence to him and said, “Hey son, who’s winning?” “We are!” the little boy replied. “What’s the score?” the man asked. The little boy said, “They’re beating us 23-0.” “I thought you said that you were winning.” “We are,” the little boy said, “it’s just, we ain’t come to bat yet!” On GOOD FRIDAY it seemed the ballgame was over and that Satan had won. But the truth is, Jesus hadn’t come to bat yet! On the third day, he rose from the dead. And the disciples encountered their Risen Lord. My friends, as long as the earth stands, as long as men and women share wonders with their children, as long as truth endures, the story of these disciples shall be told. They experienced first-hand the joy of the empty tomb. We know that joy, too. And on Easter Sunday we will gather by the thousands to add our voices to those countless Christians down through the centuries who proclaim, “Alleluia, He is risen!” Dr. W.E. Sangster had that kind of strong faith. You may not have heard of him, but he was one of the great preachers of the last century. Way back in 1940 – when the Germans started their horrific bombing of London – Rev. Sangster opened the basement of his Methodist church to those who had been blasted from their homes. Hundreds of persons used it as permanent quarters. Dr. Sangster and his family moved in with the people – and there they lived in one tiny, cramped room for five years. Each night, Mrs. Sangster helped cook meals. And Dr. Sangster moved through the distressed people bringing comfort and hope. He told stories, joked with the folks and offered prayers. Well, what I really want to tell you is this: After the war, while he was in his late 50s, Dr. Sangster came down with an aggressive muscular disease. Gradually Sangster’s legs became useless. Then his voice went completely. But he could still hold a pen and write – but it was very shaky. On Easter day, a few months before his death, in the grips of the disease, unable to walk or speak, he wrote to his daughter: It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice with which to shout, “He is risen!” But it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout. This Easter Sunday we will gather because we have voices, and we want to shout: “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!”
Written by: Rev. Christ McLain
Friends, there is good news! It’s the fog on the mirror you placed under your first child’s nose as she laid in her crib for the 2:00 a.m. breathing check. It’s the call that says the scan is clear or the procedure went as planned. Maybe it’s the adult son who finally comes home like so many prodigals have before. No matter what the resurrection, we know the instant just before can be a moment of great duress or bravery. Take the two blind men in Matthew 9:27 for example. What bravery it must have taken for them to dare shout at a first century rabbi, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus says that their faith in him contributes to their healing. Jesus still walks among us today waiting for us to show our faithfulness. In our scariest or lowest moments Jesus continually wants us to be brave. I want to invite you to participate faithfully in Holy Week this year! Join us in person or online for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Whether you find yourself in a season of duress or bravery and you’re worried about death, sickness or reconciliation. let’s cry out with the blind men, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Friends, there is good news! This year, like the first year it happened. Jesus will walk with us, through the crowds, past the temple, into the garden, up the hill, out of a tomb, and into a glorious resurrection. “We are resurrection people!” Thanks be to God!