Hello everyone! Welcome to our Easter week youth group message. If you haven’t been following along, we have been posting daily devotionals looking at the seven sayings Jesus uttered from the cross and how they can apply today. You can catch up on those by clicking here.
If you missed previous Wednesday PAW Youth lessons, you can catch up by clicking below:
April 1, 2020: Standing up in the midst of a storm
March 25, 2020: What route do our roots run?
March 18, 2020: God’s calm guidance during a coronavirus craze
It may not seem like Easter in the midst of coronavirus quarantines, but we know that Easter is not about bunnies, baskets or fun-sized Butterfingers — but instead about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The following isn’t necessarily an Easter song, but definitely offers an anthem to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the sin and darkness He vanquished through His ordeal.
Prayer needs continue to be plentiful. Our extended church family members who are on the front lines of the fight vs. COVID-19 need to continue being at the forefront of our prayer lists and include Beth and Russell Jordan, Abby Faulhaber, Deb Angelo, Ned Campbell, Nicole Hoover, Brittany Keister, Brooke Keister, Joleen Keister, Wanda Keister, Barry Kuhns, Ryan Long, Sarah Russell, Jerry Rute, Tasha Rute, Jason Shaffer, Crystal Shambach, Ruth Smith, Michael Sprenkel and Starla Wagner.
Please pray for the numerous families that came through our church parking lot last Wednesday for our drive-thru more-than-an-egg-hunt event. More details about the types of prayer needs we received can be found here. The needs were raw and emotional. Fears over finances, health and childcare concerns were plentiful. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it was also humbling to hear the number of people who are thankful for the blessings they have in spite of the situation. Overall, it was a powerful moment for our church and the local community, and we want to continue to pray for God to work in the lives of those who visited and are searching for something more.
This morning, a request went out for Austin Walls, whose mother is in intensive care at the Altoona UPMC hospital fighting a bad infection in her foot/toe. It is a serious situation and we are not sure how long she will be in the hospital and what some of the next steps will be. Austin and his younger brother Blake are staying at our house starting this afternoon as we pray for guidance, calm nerves and peace throughout the situation for each person involved.
We also received a special unspoken request from one of our youth last night. We aren’t sharing anything more about it … but we’re pretty certain there are a variety of unspoken prayer needs across the group right now. If you have specific prayer requests you would be willing to share, we ask you to contact us (John 570-847-2718 and Michelle 570-495-3740) or send us an email by clicking here.
Those who know me (John) well know that I can be a master procrastinator with certain projects or tasks. In fact, my reputation for procrastination quickly turned into a yearly tradition for me with Michelle’s father, Larry, not long after we started dating.
Starting shortly after Christmas each winter, during nearly every visit Michelle and I made to their house, he’d look at me with a smile and ask if I purchased my fishing license/trout stamp yet. He loved trout season, and we enjoyed a few trips together on creeks throughout a few remote locations in Northumberland County.
However, I never purchased my license before the night before the season opener — sometimes it wouldn’t happen until after the first day. I’d also wait to stock up on fishing tackle, and it is nearly impossible to find No. 10 or 12 hooks, swivels and splitshot sinkers at Walmart (or anywhere) if you shop for those things within a few days of the opener.
This year, with the new Riverkeeper job, I felt the itch to pick up a license weeks ago. I snagged one at the local Walmart and was the only one looking at the time … in fact, I had to track down the outdoors clerk. I also stashed away a handful of packets of hooks, singers and swivels — it is amazing how many of those they have in stock when you shop early!
I’ve been following news about the season opener and how it would be affected by coronavirus for a little more than a week, interviewing a spokesperson for the Fish and Boat Commission last week who stated emphatically that the season would open on April 18 — at least, that was the plan at that moment. His cryptic final words made me think they’d be postponing the opener until April 30 or after.
Imagine my surprise when I received a press release early yesterday morning that the season officially opened without prior announcement or notice at 8 a.m. Tuesday. I called a friend at a local tackle shop to confirm, and he said it was a madhouse. There were people in lines at his pickup window trying to get supplies they had yet to purchase thinking the opener was another 11 days away. Reports on Facebook suggested the lines for licenses at Walmart were longer than ever.
The whole surprise scenario really got to me — for the first time in forever, I was prepared for the trout opener when most everyone else was not. I didn’t need to fight the crowds and risk coronavirus exposure because I had everything I needed — and the girls and I enjoyed a few hours of fishing the Little Shamokin Creek last night with surprisingly few others out. While catching a few chubs and untangling lines last night, the events of the day made me think of warnings Jesus shared during His time on earth about His second coming.
In the midst of the Easter season, it is easy to focus on the past of what Jesus DID on the cross and the sin He conquered during His resurrection. It is easy to look at what He DOES for us today because of that sacrifice — wiping away our sins and redeeming us even when we don’t truly deserve it. For a few moments, though, I want to reflect on Easter based on what He WILL DO for us at an unspecified moment in the future.
Jesus is returning to finish what He started after the events of His resurrection. He will return as a victorious King. He will vanquish evil and judge those who are left behind based on their standing with Him. Those who accept Christ as the King of their lives willingly beforehand will receive a special, eternal place in His kingdom. The rest will be left to grovel and beg and will likely fall away.
The deadline to make that decision … to be ready when Jesus does return for His people and to insure your place in His kingdom? Consider Jesus’ own words shared in Matthew 24:36-44 (NIV):
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
Consider the chaos and confusion of our current coronavirus pandemic as simply a minor taste of how scary and uncertain things will be for those who aren’t fully prepared for Jesus’ return … and that is far more unpredictable than the Fish and Boat Commission’s handling of the trout season opener. And even before His eventual return, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. A sickness, an infection, a car accident, a house fire, etc., can unexpectedly speed up the unknown looming deadline for a decision and commitment.
There is no better time to reconnect with God than during the Easter season … and considering the daily uncertainties we face via current events, the time to act — for both you and those you care about — is now.
Take some time to honest and earnestly get on your knees and pray out to God. Accept Him as your Savior, dive into His Word and talk with Him regularly via prayer. Then, help your family and friends who aren’t prepared do the same. If you need help along this process, please feel free to reach out to us.
Looking for additional creative ways to connect with God during the Easter season despite the restrictions of our current quarantines?
Renowned Christian pastor/evangelist Louie Giglio (he was going to be the speaker at Winter Jam this year) and the group Rend Collective, along with others, will offer a special Facebook Live evening of prayer and message from 9-10:30 tomorrow (Thursday) night on Facebook. Check out more by clicking here.
Sight and Sound Theatre, in Lancaster, is offering a full video version of its popular “Jesus” show online via the TBN app for free exclusively this Friday through Sunday. For more details, click here. But first, here is a preview of the show to get a glimpse of what you and your family can enjoy together:
Wrapping up with a pair of music videos. First, here is a song that reminds us, again, about the power of what Jesus endured on the cross, and why we need to turn ourselves over to Him:
And, here is a once-live rendition of one of Zach Williams’s newest songs that ties in directly with the message of Easter:
