Good Friday Parkrose United Congregation 14/4/17 Geoff Thompson

This is the communion address I shared with the Parkrose Congregation this Good Friday.

 The first communion, as we practice it today, came into being at the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples prior to heading off to the Mt of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemene, and His trial before Pilate and then His crucifixion;
His death on the cross.
At the supper with the 12 disciples,
Jesus broke the bread apart.
 (as we will read in a minute,)
We can wonder even then was He feeling as He broke it, as it crumbled, as it was torn apart, 
“is this what is going to happen to my actual body?”
He may have been thinking and asking His heavenly Father is there another way that you can bring your people, mankind, back into a right relationship with you.
He knew also His father would not be there to comfort Him and make the pain go away as He hung dying on the Cross.
He knew His Heavenly Father loved the world and everyone in it so much that He was willing to sacrifice His only Son for the purpose of redemption from Sin.
For each one of us.
We read also that when Jesus and the disciples(now 11 as Judas had gone off to betray Him) were in the Garden of Gethesemene that
^“41-42 He walked away, perhaps a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed this prayer: “Father, if you are willing, please take away this cup of horror from me. But I want your will, not mine.” ⁴³ Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him, ⁴⁴ for he was in such agony of spirit that he broke into a sweat of blood, with great drops falling to the ground as he prayed more and more earnestly.”
The problem Jesus had was that for this sacrifice to be valid was that  He had to die as a man, totally human with all the physical pain and emotional and spiritual pain they we are all subject to.
He had to die as a human being with all the sin of each person becoming as if He had committed that sin.
Manifesting itself in Him.
He had to die in our place.
He took all our guilt on Himself.
He could have called on all the Angels to rescue Him but He had to resist that temptation.
He knew that He would not be able to be comforted  and strengthened by even one angel,

 as He was in the garden ,

as He sweated great drops of blood in anguish.

So we read this:

Matthew 26:26-30Living Bible

 ²⁶ As they were eating, Jesus took a small loaf of bread and blessed it and broke it apart and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take it and eat it, for this is my body.”

²⁷ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it and gave it to them and said, “Each one drink from it, ²⁸ for this is my blood, sealing the new covenant. It is poured out to forgive the sins of multitudes. ²⁹ Mark my words—I will not drink this wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
³⁰ And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."
So let us remember as we give thanks for this bread and the cup why we take it.
We do so in memory of what Jesus has done for us ,
and any who will receive Him,
and we give thanks that our Heavenly Father would allow His son to go through such agony,
 and that Jesus was willing to obey.

Joy to the World

Below is an outline of the sermon and communion talk I gave today at the Parkrose Nursing Home where Lesley and I help with the service from time to time.

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Parkrose Sermon 29 Dec 2012

Joy to the World, the Lord is come:

We sing these words with enthusiasm each Christmas season and yet this song of Joy should be ours all year round.

We should be rejoicing because Jesus has come into the world.

We have a Saviour who walks and lives and breathes among us.

And yet we mostly fail to recognize his presence.

The whole of creation cries out to us that He is here and has been here.

In the song we sung earlier  we sang

“ And heaven and Nature sing.”

We have the beauty of God’s creation all around us and every day the miracle of the birth of a new born babe happens in our hospitals and places all around the world.

So do we have joy or express it?

Do we count our blessings of this past year or do we count the things that caused us grief?

Here are some of the things that we should rejoice about if we are Christians:

WHO ARE WE?

We are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).


We do have something to share with the world.This passage tells us not to hide our light but let it shine.When we are being Joyful to the world that is what we are doing.

We are children of God (John 1:12).To all of us who have received Jesus he has given us the right to be called Children of God.What a privilege! We see exemplary people and parents in the spotlight from time to time and might say I wish my parents had been or are like them.But we are children of God himself.That should make us leap for joy.

We are members of Christ’s Body (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30). We are here today as a body of believers.What a privilege to be part of His body, the Church.

We are citizens of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 2:6).
According to the Bible we are already seated and guaranteed a seat in Heaven with Jesus.It is something that has already happened before our earthly passing.

Is that a cause for Joy or not?

We are joint heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him (Rom. 8:17).
Inheritance humanly speaking can be a wonderful gift from our own families.Think of what it means though to be a joint heir with Jesus.That is hard to imagine but surely a cause for Joy.

We are one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5).


Last Sunday we attended the Activate Church at Bowden where one our sons and his wife and their 2 boys attend.The Sunday school children did a little play.Our grandson Lucas was dressed up as a construction worker.He was carrying a big papermache boulder.His role involved dropping the rock on the platform and declaring “On this rock I will build My Church!” He announced it with gusto and the whole church burst into applause.

Isn’t it exciting to be a one of the living stones chosen by Jesus to be His disciples on this earth in our communities. A real cause for joy.

Jesus rules the World with Truth and Grace.

His Righteousness is glorious.

His love is wonderful.

When we make room in our Hearts he comes in to dwell with us.

As we approach the new year of 2013 we don’t know what is in store for us.

We may have had things happen in 2012 that were upsetting.

We may have lost love ones.

And yet Jesus is still Lord over all.

His grace has been more than sufficient to enable us to cope with what may have just happened this last year and certainly what may be ahead of us.

Let us resolve to continue to trust Him in days ahead  with our whole lives.

Let us rejoice not in the troubles that may come to us but that Jesus enables us to continue with Dignity and Grace and Healing.

Let us also continue to be prayerful,and practically helpful where we can, for others who we know are struggling ,for when we do we are helping to bring the Joy of Jesus to them..

JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME

COMMUNION TALK

Have you ever wished you were someone else?

Someone who seemingly had it all together?

Confidence?

Charisma?

Wealth?

Physical good looks?

Popularity?

Good Job?

Lots of friends?

Wonderful family life?

Great House?

Would these things make us happy?

Would we be full of joy?

Sometimes we get that low in our feelings and our self esteem we wish we were someone else or might even cry ourselves to sleep each night.

The Truth is The Truth will set us free from the darkness we often can feel.

The Truth is Jesus.

“He said I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

We may have claimed Jesus as our Saviour, but have we claimed Him as our Lord.

Can we say with the Apostle Paul, “It’s no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me”

The Bible says whoever loses his life in Christ will find his true liberated life in Him.

Some people call that the Exchanged Life.

What Jesus has done on the Cross for us enables us to be one with Him.

Let’s celebrate this morning as we take these emblems the Great Exchange that Jesus offers us.

He took our place on the cross  so that we can have life,life to the full.

      I am (have been)  crucified with Christ : never the 

less I live; yet not I but

      Christ liveth in me: and the life  which I  now live in

 the flesh I live by the faith

      of (or in ) the Son of God who loved me , and gave

 Himself for me.”

      Galations 2:20

Were you there at the Crucifying of The Lord?

                               COMMUNION TALK 22/10/06 by Geoff Thompson

                                    Were you there at the Crucifying of The Lord?

                                                Luke 23:32-43

            In discussion with a friend the other night he asked a question about 
            why was the story included in the Bible of the 2 thieves crucified on 
            either side of Jesus.

            He asked what was the significance of their inclusion.

            I was able to explain that those 2 people in a way represent 
            all of mankind.

            It was also the fullfillment of a prophecy about the death of Jesus.

            All of us are sinners.

            These 2 were.

            At first both the thieves on their crosses mocked Jesus and ridiculed 
            Him, but one obviously had a change of heart as He observed Jesus on 
            the cross.

            He recognised Jesus for who He was and asked Him to remember him 

            in His kingdom..

            Jesus said today you will be with me in Paradise.

            We are here today and could be representive of either of the 2 thieves

            on their crosses. Both started from the same beginning.

            Both were sinners with no hope. But one recognised Jesus on the cross

            as truly the Son of God.

            One in His own trial could think of another and show compassion.

            The other was only thinking of Himself.

            One was promised paradise the other wasn’t.

           

            One accepted Jesus and Jesus forgave him, the other effectively
            rejected Jesus and we can only assume that He did not make the 
            same journey as his partner in crime..

            The thief who went with Jesus to Paradise was Crucified with Jesus.

            Have we been willing to be crucified with Him? 

          

        

Romans 6

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

 ¹ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
 ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
 ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

 ¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.  ¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Save as!

                                                Communion 30/7/06

            What must I do to be saved?

            Read Acts 2:38   John 3:16

            Some years ago when Lesley and I were at Aunty Doreen’s house

            Aunty Doreen said to us in a  conversation we were having  about  God,

            “Are you saved? “at this stage Lesley had been a church goer most of her life and I 

            had rebelled against the whole idea at about the age of 13. Lesley at this time would

            have been about 17 and I about 20.

             I had a belief that there was a God and found the Bible a mystery.

            This word saved we thought was a bit strange. saved from what?

            We both believed in God and that was good enough we thought.

            We thought Aunty Doreen meant well but we thought she was a little bit

            strange.

            Some family friends also had challenged myself and some mates on similar lines

            perhaps a few years earlier than this.

            We don’t hear the question these days unless you are in a church and someone

            is making sure the question is asked, or you might be a keen personal sharer

            of the Gospel.

            I was thinking  how amazing salvation is and how simple it is to begin the process

            of salvation but how do you  get across to a modern generation the need to be

            saved and the simplicity.

            Then I thought to myself that those who use a computer in a sense are

           

            confronted  with this question several times a day.

            There we are creating some masterpiece on the computer and we are

            given an option. The masterpiece may be some writing, a picture

            or some other document. It may be something we have downloaded from

            the internet.

            But before we turn the computer off or move on to the next thing we are

            asked by the computer do you wish to save this and if so where.

            As the creator of this masterpiece we make a decision. A click of the

            computer mouse then saves our document for future use or pleasure.

            Our Creater God is asking us this question continually also.

            Do we want to be saved?

            He is creating us in His image and does not want us to perish.

            Unlike the material on the computer we can  have a say in our salvation.

            We can say to our creator  yes we do.

            We are a work under construction. God can save us once and then continue to

            fine tune us and keep saving the improved version of us.

            As we take this bread and cup this morning we are celebrating and remembering

            the one who makes all this possible. Our Lord Jesus.

   Note:I lead the service at Parkrose Nursing home in Adelaide occasionally and.This was  one of my communion talks from the past.Aunty Doreen was my wife's Aunty and she died in October last year aged 96. Nb, I am not sure why this post looks a bit "skew wiff".

"I don't know how to love Him."

Communion 31/10/10 “I don’t know how to love Him.” Communion talk given at Parkrose Nursing home service Adelaide South Australia.

            Last night Lesley and I went to see the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

There were many people there and it was a very good production with an excellent cast and we were told in the notes in the programme by the director that many of them were Christians.

Indeed we read in the paper a few weeks ago that the young man playing Jesus had after several performances in other productions  become a believer himself.

It was probably for some people there, their  first encounter with the person of Jesus.

For us ,we were there as we like the music and also when it came onto the scene in the 1970,s it was maligned as being sacrilegious.

But a few years ago we went to see a production and found it very moving.

We have now seen 3 or 4 versions of it.

As Christians of course you sit there thinking have they got this right or that right which is exactly what we do when we analyse other denominations or Christians and there take on theology.

It was interesting to note in the programme notes that a theological consultant was listed and she was also in the cast.

Thinking about last night the verse came to my mind, where 2 or 3 were gathered in my name then there I am in the midst of them. There were 2 spare seats next to us.

Jesus may well have been sitting in one of them.

One of the most well known songs in the production is “I don’t know how to Love Him” sung by Mary , the former prostitute.

The young lady who sung this did so beautifully.

It is a good question.

Do we know How to love Him?

Do we know how to make our relationship with Him more than just an intellectual consent to his  teaching.

In the production the last supper scene is very prominent where Jesus gives the Bread and the wine to the disciples saying this is my body and this is my blood. Drink this in memory of me. In the production He says I wonder if they will remember me.

We have the opportunity to do just that as we take the bread and the cup this morning.

We are more than 2 or 3 gathered in His name.

He may well be sitting in one of these empty chairs.

We can show Him our love as we worship Him this morning.

Is He sitting next to you?  We are learning how to love Him all of our lives as we spend time in prayer and reading His Word and remembering Him in this way as often as we can.