Jesus Time on Earth: 0-33 A.D. March 21, 2008
Posted by Steve in : Sunday Services, Church, DifferenceMakers , add a commentWith Abby Jill Brauhn’s passing last week, I was reminded by someone about the story of the dash that separates your birth date and the date of your death on your gravestone and it really stuck with me as I reflected on Jesus’ time on earth –
so short but so impactful and world-changing.
The story was about a man who had a revelation while sitting in a cemetery where a loved one was buried.
He looked around at all the tomb stones and he noticed how each one was very similar. Each marker told a story. It told the person’s name, their date of birth and their date of death. Some even had a brief sentence such as “A loving husband and father” which inadequately tried to describe the life of that person. The man began to think of all the untold stories contained in each tomb stone. They each told of the beginning (date of birth) followed by a dash and then the end for that person on earth; However, what happened in between? The man thought, what was in that “dash” for each of these people? Then it hit him. We all are living in our “dash” right now! That little line, that seemingly insignificant hyphen is our very significant life. Jesus came to earth for 33 years to sacrifice His life for all of our sins, yet that amount of time is so inconsequential… just 33 years.
Yet the amount of teaching, mentoring, living and loving that Jesus did during His “dash” and His dying on the cross and His Sunday resurrection changed the world forever. He lived His “dash” , His time on earth, to the fullest. Here is what Philippians 2 says Jesus did with His dash:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
So, how is your dash looking? Are you truly living a life worth living in that little line between your birth date and your date of death? Remember – it is your choice! Check out this link to a moving visual poem about the ‘dash”. Click here.
If you are in Chicago, join us tonight at 7pm for our Good Friday service at Torrey-Grey Ausitorium at 840 N LaSalle Street on the Moody Bible Institute campus.
It’s Good Friday, But Sunday’s Comin! March 21, 2008
Posted by Steve in : The City, Church, Powerful Passages, DifferenceMakers, Culture and Faith , add a commentAs we sit and reflect on this Good Friday, the story of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion is one of betrayal, brutality, despair, and pain. Yet we know even before His death that redemption was promised to be coming soon. We know that the story does not end at the cross. We know what many did not realize – although it is Friday and despair ran rampant among his followers — that Sunday’s comin’ — Jesus rose from the dead, conquered death, and provided a pathway for us to have a relationship with God. This is my FAVORITE video on Good Friday (the preacher is S.M Lockridge, who also did “That’s My King“).
In two days, we will celebrate Easter, rejoicing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and recognizing what enormous sacrifice Jesus made for each one of us so that we could spend enternity in relationship with the living God. Be reminded of this truth during Easter: God has worked, is working, and will work through all things, even now as we find ourselves awaiting his return. This is important — please comment if you have any questions I could help you with.
A Reminder: New Year, Same King December 31, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Sunday Services, Church, Inside Park, Urban Church, Missional, DifferenceMakers , add a commentThis Sunday, Park Community Church was honored to have Victor Rodriguez,
Senior Pastor of La Villita Community Church here in Chicago give the last message of the year. Victor is a differencemaker in Chicago and leads a congregation in the “Little Village ” area of Chicago located around 26th street and Kedzie.
Little Village is the retail, residential and cultural capital of the Mexican community in the Midwest—a neighborhood alive with Mexican arts and culture, and a great place to live for both longtime residents and new immigrants. Over the past 30 years, Little Village has become a major port of entry for Mexican immigrants, and more than half of its residents are under the age of 25.
As we begin to think about our new year’s resolutions, Victor implored us to get to know the King better in his message. His message was a strong reminder of the King we serve and this video he played is a great reminder of all that Jesus is, qwhat he does and what He will always be:
Check out our First YouTube Video: Baptism 2007 July 26, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Chicago, Sunday Services, Church, Inside Park, Missional, DifferenceMakers , add a commentPark is now officially a YouTube broadcaster! Check out the musical slideshow of the awesome baptisms of 71 people on the beaches of Lake Michigan in the shadow the the awesome Chicago skyline from Sunday, July 22nd.
Old vs. New — Take a Look! April 7, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Powerful Passages , add a commentAs we approach Easter tomorrow here in Chicago, it is worth taking a read of ISAIAH 53 in the Old Testament — This amazing passage from one of the Hebrew Prophets was written more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, and contains writings that clearly identify and prophesy the coming life and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. This chapter is often cited by Jews and Gentiles as prophecy that must be fulfilled by the Messiah. Franz Delitzsch made an extraordinary but true comment about the 53rd chapter of Isaiah when he said that this chapter is “the most central, the deepest, and the loftiest thing that the Old Testament prophecy, outstripping itself, has ever achieved.”
If you have never done so, take ten minutes and investigate this Jesus. He is the Truth, Check out the claims of Jesus here.
No other person has arisen to lay claim to being a Messiah who would suffer for mankind. Isaiah 53 is found in the the Jewish Tanakh today, though it is generally left out of the weekly synagogue readings, as are many other texts of the Bible. When people read Isaiah 53 without knowing which part of the Bible it comes from, many often assume is from the New Testament. Though many modern rabbis describe the sufferings as (more…)
Only 20 Minutes to Live March 27, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Sunday Services, Church , add a commentOn Sunday, Ron May spoke about his harrowing experience in the Crash of Flight 232 on July 19, 1989 in Sioux City Iowa. Click here for his audio message. Click here for the Wikipedia page. Click here for the Google video.
One of his statements which I have reflected on for the last few days is that the pilot came on with about 20 minutes to go and said to the passengers “Folks, the damage to Engine number 2 is more extreme than we thought….We are going to make an emergency landing in Sioux City in about 20 minutes. I’m not going to kid you, it going to be a rough landing…I don’t want to fool you…it’s going to be really rough. I will come back on and give you several warnings about the time, then finally I will come back and tell you when to brace.”
What would you do if you were told you potentially have 20 minutes to live?
Since Sunday, I have tried to look at my watch and say to myself — Steve, you’ve got 20 minutes to live — then I wonder what and who would I think about, and how would I reflect on my life. I want to love Jesus with all my heart and don’t feel like I have done that yet — that would be a major regret right now if I had 20 minutes. I want to love my wife and kids better. I wnat all of my kids to come to accpet Jesus as their Savior. I want to see many come to know the salvation I have experienced in my own life…..try this exercise and see what you do as a result……
I Can’t Stand the Wait - 24 Is Killing Me! March 26, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Church, The Cultural Conversation , add a comment 
Why do I have to wait a week for the next episode of 24?
While I appreciate that I can catch any missed episodes online, the wait for the next riveting episode is next to impossible. I love the show and I am a big fan. I wish there was a way to sit down and see the whole year in two nights (wow! those would cardiac nights, don’t you think?).
The only thing we know for sure is that Jack is going to live and save the day. In the back of our minds, we know that with all the mayhem, Jack will be there to get it done.
It is a lot like the redemption story of Jesus in the Bible. We all have ups and downs in our lives but in the end, we take all comfort that God wins. The evil one is defeated and we can spend eternity with God because of the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus. God wins…God wins…….do you believe it? The only thing we know in life for sure is that Jesus provides the way for us to spend eternity with God and we know that God Wins!.
Maybe this will help you — check out “Now Try God“
SUNDAY: Why Me? Why Did I Survive? March 24, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Chicago, Sunday Services, Church , add a commentUnited Airlines Flight 232 was a scheduled flight operated by United Airlines between Denver and Philadelphia via Chicago. On July 19, 1989, the Douglas DC-10 operating this flight suffered an uncontained failure of its number 2 engine (mounted in the tail), which destroyed all three of the aircraft’s hydraulic systems. With no controls working except the power levers for the two remaining engines, it broke up during an emergency landing on the runway at Sioux City, Iowa killing 110 of its 285 passengers and one of the 11 crew members. See the video. Owing to the skill of the crew and a DC-10 instructor pilot, 175 passengers and 10 crew members survived.
Why me? Why did I survive? Why did I receive life why others died? These are some of the questions survivors were asking after surviving the crash. Our own Teaching Pastor, Ron May, was among those who survived the harrowing experience, while traveling at the time to take a deposition in a legal case, and will talk about God’s grace among the wreckage. This is an awesome opportunity for you to invite your non-churched friends to answer some of life’s real questions. Join us at Park Community Church this Sunday —we meet at Francis Parker School at 2233 N Clark Street at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 5:30 pm.
Merry Christmas and “Mele Kalikimaka” December 25, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog , add a commentI am wishing you all a merry Christmas and Mele Kalikimaka from the warm climate of Maui, where, due the extreme generosity of my parents, we find ourselves this Christmas day (I guess someone has to be here, right?). With all of the buildup this holiday season (I noticed this year that all of the holiday decorations came into the stores on Nov 1, just after Halloween – can you believe it?), we finally reach the day — Christmas Day — that allows us to slow down, and reflect on what Christmas really is. As we saw again this year, in the debate over the propriety of Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays in the stores, the real meaning of Christmas seems to have been lost. The Christmas story is at its heart a revolutionary one for all Christians — that the God of the universe became part of human history through His Son in the person of Jesus, born to Mary and Joseph in an animal manger in Bethlehem in a world in upheaval.
The message that Jesus brought is also revolutionary at heart — a message of forgiveness, of healing and of hope. The Christmas miracle and its message is one that has unfolded for the past two millennia and will continue to unfold throughout the history of the human race. Today as we find ourselves knee-deep in torn Christmas wrappings, new toys and new gifts, the sumptuous feasts, and the warmth of the joy we share with family and friends, we should take time to reflect on the story of Jesus coming down to earth and its meaning for our world, still in upheaval. As we move towards the New Year, are you willing to invest a couple of hours to learn more about who this Jesus really is? If you do, you will receive the real gift of this season.
From all of our family, have a blessed and Merry Christmas.
