He Knows You By Name
When Jesus went to the cemetery and raised Lazarus from the dead, He called him by name. “Lazarus, come out.” God loves us enough to get personal with us. He knows us by name. That’s so amazing but also kind of scary, isn’t it? If He gets personal, shouldn’t we get personal? Shouldn’t we want to know him and others on a more personal level? In this vast and enormous universe filled with millions of people, I matter to Him because He knows my name
We are programmed these days not to get personal – with our co-workers, friends, or even family. Let them live their lives, make their own decisions, and don’t ask any probing questions they may not want to answer (or we might not want to hear). We text, chat and use social media to communicate with friends, co-workers, and loved ones, instead of spending time talking face to face, or at least just talking. Jesus loved Lazarus just as He loves us, and called Him by name out of the grave. Isaiah 43:1 says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
What does this mean for us? It means that the voice of God is calling us (by name) away from whatever imprisons us, even though we don’t always hear that call. What did Lazarus hear? He heard a familiar, loving voice calling his name, like sheep who know the voice of their shepherd. He heard the voice of reassurance, God’s voice is a calming presence, a “still, small, voice” that comforts and gives us hope. The voice of Jesus that comforted Mary and Martha, was the same voice that enabled Lazarus to be free of the grave and can set us free. His voice calls us from our old habits and invites us to try new ones. It calls us from apathy and indifference to caring, from despair to hope, from darkness to light. The voice of Jesus calls us from loneliness to community and from captivity to freedom.
Deb Hill
Executive Assistant
I Am Resurrection
You have to know the scene for the statement to have the correct weightiness. Lazarus died four days earlier. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus hoping he would come and heal him, but Jesus waited and arrived “late.” I think we can relate to Martha. She’s frustrated and disappointed. She had faith Jesus could have done something about her brother’s illness, but she was frustrated he didn’t. So Martha ran out to meet Jesus on the road.
Listen to what Marth said to Jesus:
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:21-23)
You have to put yourself in Martha’s shoes. She had just lost her brother. She was probably there when he passed away - maybe even held his hand as he took his last breath… and Jesus’ response is, “he’ll rise again.” That could be read as almost dismissive or even cold. With that in mind, Martha’s response seems fitting,
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24)
It’s almost as though Martha is downplaying the resurrection. She’s saying, “yeah, I know he’ll be resurrected someday, but that doesn’t help me TODAY.”
Jesus, wanting to give Martha hope said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)
Jesus gently corrected Martha’s thinking about that future event of the resurrection. See, many of the Jewish people had hope of resurrection. They believed one day God would put the world to rights. But, Martha was missing a main piece of the puzzle… Jesus. The resurrection the Jewish people had been waiting for and putting hope in, only happens in and through Jesus. To say it another way, there is NO resurrection apart from Jesus. When Jesus walked out of the tomb, he brought us with him.
However, when Jesus claimed to be the resurrection, he was not only stating resurrection happens because of him, he was also claiming resurrection life is about intimacy with him. The only time Jesus ever defined eternal life he said,
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)
Jesus is not only the path to resurrection, relationship with him is the point of resurrection. That is the hope Jesus is speaking into Martha’s hurt, and it’s the hope he wants to speak into your hurt today.
I think Jesus would want us to spend some time considering that truth today. He is the point of resurrection. So as you continue to celebrate Easter and the empty grave, spend some time today thinking about the fact that Jesus died and rose so that you could have a relationship with him that would last into eternity.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Good? Friday
One of the things I admire most about my father is his willingness to work hard. An early riser all his life, he has done roofing, painting, commercial fishing, and built grain barns. In his professional life as a professor he has spent hours long into the night grading papers, writing books, and obsessing over all sorts of theological conundrums.
None of the things my father has set himself to do have been easy. But they have been good. Out of his fatherly love for his family, his students, and the church, he has done many good things. God’s Fatherhood likewise compelled Him to do and allow much of the same on this hardest of days.
As we consider today means Christ died on the cross for us, let’s consider this from the Father’s angle. Certainly, this day was foreknown by Him from eternity past (Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8), it was in His plan (John 6:38), might even be said to have “pleased” Him (Isaiah 53:10), was the means by which He reconciled all things to himself (Colossians 1:20), and on this day He defeated sin and death (Colossians 2:15).
But does all this mean today was not hard for the Father? That it was easy? That despite knowing today would bring victory from defeat, it was nonetheless at tremendous cost to the sovereign, Triune God?
According to Matthew and Mark, Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” suggesting in the final moments the Father was far from His Son. (Matthew 27:46) According to Luke, he cried, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) suggesting the Father was near and intimately involved in His Son’s suffering. (A side note: John’s scene in 19:30 is very different where Jesus proclaims, almost triumphantly, “It is finished.”)
When combining the two scenes together for a full picture it is as if the Father is torn between removing His presence from the object of sin that His Son has become and remaining on hand to comfort the Son the moment His task is completed.
How else would we expect the Father who is utterly righteous and loving to respond to His one and only begotten and beloved made accursed and stricken? Would we not expect Him to, in fact, be torn, as His own Son was torn, for the suffering He was made to endure?
In prayerfully considering what today means, may we consider our Father who knows loss intimately well, and who was torn by the very same punishment that his own Son endured.
It was not easy. But it was good.
Pastor Ryan Lunde
Young Adult Pastor
Jesus Wept and We Should Too!
Last Sunday, as I was waiting in line to get a hamburger during our Sunday Funday at church, I had a conversation with three people from our Spanish speaking congregation. As we were talking, one by one they began to share difficult challenges they were facing. One has been dealing with severe back pain for weeks, another fell the day before and her whole body was bruised and sore, and the other shared that his son was in the hospital because he was attacked and horribly bitten in the arm by a pitbull. After listening to their stories I ended up feeling emotionally overwhelmed and right there I asked them to allow me to pray for them and their situations. While we were praying, all of a sudden my eyes got watery and soon tears were rolling down my face. I kept praying, but if I’m honest, in my mind I was concerned about crying in public and I began to feel ashamed. You see, in my culture “los hombres no lloran (men don’t cry)”, as if we don’t have permission to feel. But praise God that Jesus is not Mexican like me.
With that said, I don’t know if it was normal or not for Jewish men to cry in public in Jesus’ days, but what I do know is Jesus wept (John 11:35). This truth is extremely significant because it reminds us we worship a God who feels. I don’t know about you, but I’m encouraged to know the second Person of the Triune God, our Lord Jesus Christ, empathizes with us when we experience pain. John 11:35 is certainly the shortest verse from the Bible, yet it highlights the humanity of our Savior. When Lazarus died, Jesus wept in the company of his sisters Martha and Mary. Jesus was not indifferent to what they were going through. Instead, in a very sincere and vulnerable way Jesus felt the pain of these two sisters, and He grieved the effect of mankind’s sin: death (Rom. 6:23). By doing this, Jesus purposely displayed the glory of His Father, the glory of a compassionate and loving God, and a glory available to us. In Jesus we have a Savior who sympathizes with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15) and a God who feels our pain.
Lazarus' story didn’t end there. After Jesus wept, He did something for Lazarus that no one else has the power to do, but that’s a topic for a different day. Today, I would like us to focus on the fact that Jesus wept when He saw the suffering of His friends, as well as to consider imitating His empathy without being ashamed. The Bible says in Romans 12:15, “weep with those who weep”. In other words, it is expected of us to give permission to ourselves to feel the pain of others. After all, we might not have the power to raise people from the dead, but we can definitely display the glory of God by being compassionate to those going through pain. Have a blessed day.
Pastor Esteban Tapia
En Español Pastor
A Snort of Indignation
Jesus gets mad at our pain, hurts, and losses. “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (John 11:33). The phrase “he was deeply moved” is a challenging phrase to translate. It comes from the Greek word ἐνεβριμήσατο; in English spelled enebrimēsato. This word only appears in this passage, but its counterparts are translated deeply moved, sternly warned, strictly instructed, groaning, murmured, or grumbled at. Some translations change "deeply moved" to very upset, a terribly upset, angry, or deep anger welled up within him. Here is a list of the English translations of that verse.
Strong’s Concordance claims the word enebrimesato comes from two root words, the beginning en or ene for “engaged in'' and root brimaomai for “to snort.” It also suggests this is “to snort like an angry horse” or “to snort or roar with rage.” A rage that is indignant and intends to sternly admonish.
We can relate to these feelings if we think of a family weeping and mourning for a loved one killed by a drunk driver, an invading army, or terminal cancer in one's youth. We see their pain and it riles up frustration and anger inside. Jesus, like us, is deeply moved. He sees the pain of sin and death and he is mad. Sin and death taint God’s good creation, and Jesus hates the fracturing of Shalom. He hates sin and death so much he went to and endured the cross. He defeated death and sin for the Father’s glory and our rescue.
Pastor John Riley
Jr. High Ministry
El Roi, The God Who Sees You
“When Jesus saw her weeping…” (John 11:33a)
Have you been in a season of struggle or found yourself wondering whether God really knows all you are facing today? Are you wrestling with the disconnect between what you know to be true of God and what you are experiencing in the here and now? Are you tempted to question whether he really knows or to slip into thinking you are alone in your pain and sorrows? I know I struggle in all of these ways. This week has been a tough one. As we dwell on those thoughts, we are robbed of our peace and our hope in the goodness of God.
The account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead reveals to us his power to overcome death, but it also gives us a beautiful picture of God's attentive, watchful heart towards his children. He knew Lazarus would die, and he grieved along with Mary and Martha and their community. He was not aloof or detached. He was not uncaring or distant. He knew where Lazarus was laid, yet he asked, “Where have you laid him?”
There is a beautiful parallel to this account in the story of Hagar in Genesis 16. Sarah grew impatient for God to keep his promise to grant Abram a son. So she decided to give her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear a son through her.
As the story unfolded, Hagar became pregnant and was mistreated by her mistress, Sarai, who now felt threatened. So she ran away. She felt totally alone. Until “the angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” (16:7-8) Since she isn’t sure where she’s going, she simply responds that she’s running away from her mistress. He tells her to return and promises to bless her son, Ishmael, giving him descendants too numerous to count. (16:9-10)
Hearing this, “she gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (16:13)
The same was true for Mary, and the same is true for us. He is still the God who sees us. He is still the One who knows our weaknesses and hears our cries. He knows our entire story, from beginning to end. And his heart is tender toward us. Praise God that we can draw near to him with confidence, finding mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
He sees you. He hears your cry. And he knows you by name. Wait for him. Hope in him.
Nicole Jiles
Director of Children’s Ministry
Confidence
It happened too quickly. He was out the store entrance, dancing down the sidewalk, and heading straight toward the driveway. My mom instinct started to rise. Suddenly just a few feet in front of him, a car pulled into the blind driveway. I yelled at the top of my lungs for my oblivious child to stop… and the car missed him by a few feet. Every traumatic event I witnessed being a nurse flashed before my eyes, and my heart sank as fast as my anger grew. I've taught my kids to be careful around cars because I've seen firsthand the lethal force they can be, so why did my child dance down the sidewalk and forget to check the driveway? I squeezed his arm tightly as I asked him why he wasn’t paying attention? And at that moment as I realized my anger was a result of my fear of losing my precious child, I let go, and hugged him gently. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”. It's a verse I've heard over and over again having been raised in the church, but this time, the part of the verse that stuck out to me was “self-control”. See I think God knows that when we are afraid, we freak out internally and/or externally and we lose our ability to control our responses. So we act out and we try to protect ourselves from situations or people in ways that keep us less vulnerable to pain. But God, in His wisdom, is calling us out of fear and into a spirit of self-control. In the moments of fear instead of losing it and reacting in ways that we regret later, we can instead have a spirit of self-control. We acknowledge our burdens and fears and throw them at the foot of the cross. And then, with self-control, we allow God to speak peace into the situation. It doesn’t mean I was wrong to yell for my child to stop running into the driveway, but that it would have looked different after he was safe with me.. Has God given you a spirit of self-control or do you let fear run your moments and your days?
Alisha Keating
The King Is Enthralled By Our Beauty
This month we have been meditating on Psalm 45:11 “The King is enthralled by your beauty: Honor him, for He is your Lord”. So many of us can’t see our beauty, worth, or value in the same way God sees it. In my Life Group every week, we so often admit the view we hold of ourselves is flawed. These beautiful, amazing ladies that I get to spend time with every week who are truly incredible inside and out, struggle with the fear of inadequacy, the lies of discontentment, and the realities of disappointment from expectations not met the way we had imagined they would be. We discuss as women how we struggle with feeling valuable, important, successful, and often only see the opposite. And I’ve been thinking…Do we help each other in this struggle or do we allow a culture of self-deprecation? Do we as Christian women, women of EFCC, do we cheer each other’s beauty on? Or is there any hint of comparison, judgment, or inadequacy that keeps us from doing this for each other? I don't know. Each of us knows our own hearts. But I do know it would honor the Lord if we, as a group, as the women’s ministry of EFCC, would try to make it our goal to honor the beauty in each other in a way that reflects God’s heart and beliefs about each other. It is essential that we fill our minds with the truth of God’s word, and that we spend time listening to God’s voice through prayer. But God also knew it wasn’t good for us to be alone. He knew when he created us that we needed each other. Maybe your words of encouragement, pointing out the beauty you see in another woman, maybe that is what she needs that day to draw her back to the truth of God’s word… that HE thinks she is beautiful. That HE created her worthy. That HE loves her. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and our hearts to the women around us. Ask him to give you a word of encouragement to speak to the gal sitting next to you on the baseball field, your co-worker, the mom you always see picking up her kids from school, your neighbor, your Life Group leader. We all need to be reminded over and over again that the KING is enthralled by our beauty.
Alisha Keating
Honor Him
Isn’t it amazing that the King who already rules over everything wants our honor? So much so that he has allowed us to have free will so that our honor to him is not robotic but actually a choice? Honoring the Lord is a genuine heart response to his love for us, not a mandatory homage. So how do we honor the Lord? I’m sure each of you does this in different little and big ways in your lives and your hearts. I have recently been practicing the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude. I wake up in the morning and sit in my living room in the quiet before the noise and chaos of the day begin and ask the Lord to quiet my heart and speak to me. I wish I could tell you that I'm really good at it and I hear from the Lord all the time. The reality is, I get anxious about the quiet and stillness and feel like I could be doing so many other things. I feel guilty for how distractible I am. But I’m learning to practice this discipline. And the practice of setting aside time in my day for my relationship with the Lord has been just that, a practice that is intended to honor my King. There have been seasons in my life where honoring the Lord meant traveling to other continents and giving my time and resources to bless the poor and the sick. Some seasons of honor looked like working really hard at my classes or learning to honor the Lord with my gifts and talents. There have been many seasons where honoring the King meant choosing to put one foot in front of the other and not give up on marriage, health, kids, career, and faith. Each heart act of honor is so beautiful to our King because it is an honest response to his great love for us, not a demand. Ladies, in this beautiful community of believers, new and mature followers of Christ, what are some ways you have chosen to honor your King? If you feel comfortable sharing, we would be blessed to hear!
Alisha Keating
You Are His
It was one of those moments when I felt like everything was coming together just as I planned it. The chicken was marinated and grilled, the salad had the perfect homemade dressing, the sweet potatoes that I scrubbed, cut, and coated were sizzling in the oven, and I was reading a book with my kiddo at the end of a long, beautiful day. That’s when I smelled the smoke. I flew to the oven and muttered something under my breath in a… frustrated tone. And then? My husband had the audacity to ask me what temperature I cooked them at and I blew up at him. The feeling of failure sunk deeper and the self-doubt felt thicker than the smoke in my house. At that moment, I didn’t think about all the wonderful moments of the day and the “successes.” All I could think about was how angry I was at myself for ruining something I had worked so hard at. I felt that surely, eventually, someone was going to figure out that I was a fraud. That I’m not a great mom, wife, homemaker, practitioner… because, at my core, I so quickly believe that I’m not. I don’t pretend to know what might plague your thoughts, but for many women, myself included, self-doubt and feelings of failure come in an instant. But then we read the Bible and see this: “The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord” Psalm 45:11. Enthralled? How can this be true when all I see in my moments of failure is an ugly self-portrait? Sometimes truth is a wonderful and difficult pill to swallow. But the TRUTH is that the KING is enthralled by you. He’s enchanted by YOU. The God of the Universe thinks you’re beautiful. Notice that it doesn’t say He is enthralled by your beauty because you have the perfect hair, made the perfect dinner, have the most successful career, etc.. He’s enthralled by your beauty simply because He made you and you’re HIS. PERIOD. And out of response to His great love for us, we honor Him. So take a breath, open the windows, whisper Psalm 45:11, and let God’s word gently fill your soul with love.
Alisha Keating