Elisabet Kirkland Page 61

By Douglas Inglish

When you look at the title line, there are several possibilities your mind could fill in where the blank space is. Many words in that blank would be true and have implications worth pondering.

Some would put it in the present tense and say Jesus lives for me. Other present tense forms that would also work, but might not be your first thought, would be intercedes, or cares. You could probably think of a few others.

The most common response is likely one that forms the sentence in the past tense: Jesus died for me. We hear the phrase often enough. It’s repeated in sermon and song, printed in books and articles, shared in Sabbath School classes. It is a thought that elicits many emotional responses from us such as gratitude, unworthiness, determination, rejoicing, and wonder, among others. It is commonly thought of as the foundational event of Christianity.

But is it? Is His death on the cross, clearly done on behalf of me, you, and everyone else, really the foundational event of Christianity?

I say no. For that, I fill in the blank another way. Jesus rose for me.

If Jesus had lived a life worthy of my imitation, left behind a treasure of teachings that enrich my life, and carried out the principles of His life to the point that He willingly died as an example of how much He loves me and how far He would go to teach me how to live a better life, and that’s all there is to the story, then Christianity would be nothing but a manner of living. If it survived into this century, it would only be found in a few volumes in the self-help section of your local bookstore.

The church was founded on the truth that Jesus rose for me, because it is the resurrection that gives meaning to the crucifixion. It would not matter so much if He had died unless “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Corinthians 15:20, NIV).

None of this is to say that His substitutionary death is anything less than all that Scripture says it is. It is my pardon, my salvation, and my debt paid. But it is not my hope. Go back and read the verses preceding the text above and see Paul’s argument that our hope of living eternally is entirely based on Jesus having risen after His death.

This is Passover weekend in the Jewish calendar and is observed by many Christians as Easter. The symbolism of Jesus being sacrificed that weekend so that death might pass over us is significant. But unlike the lambs that were a type of what was to come, Christ the Antitype conquered death. That is our hope, that is our future, and that is the foundation of all Christianity.

Yes, Jesus died for me, and yes, He lives for me. But in between those realities lies the event that gives meaning to both. Jesus rose for me.

—Douglas Inglish is RMC vice president for administration. Photo from Rajmund Dabrowski.

Jamey Houghton – Franktown, Colorado … Recently, I was invited to a meeting that I’m not qualified to attend. The meeting was for the newly-organized JOY Club at the Franktown Church. The JOY club, or Just Older Youth, is especially for the members in our church who are 55 years old or better. You see, I’m only 43, so I can’t really be a member of this club even though I’m the pastor. But they made an exception since I was doing the worship thought for this specific meeting.

This group was formed for several reasons. First, the social aspect of getting together is good for the soul. It’s easy to get in a routine of staying home, and this is a great excuse to enjoy the company of church family during the week. The leaders of the group, Earlene Hunt and Selma Wolfswinkle, help organize trips for everyone with plans to visit the Botanical Gardens, Estes Park, Garden of the Gods, dinners out at Acapulco and Olive Garden, game nights, and ice cream socials.

This isn’t just a social club, though. The second element of the JOY Club shows the heart of the leaders and participants who want to be a blessing to others. They are planning ways to help the homeless as well as to minister to people coming to the Franktown Church food bank each month. Plans are in the making to invite them to a meal in the fellowship hall. In addition, the group has a prayer ministry called “Circle of Prayer” and they pray for each other as well as for members who might be struggling.

I had a wonderful time with this group. They have been a blessing to the 26 people who have already signed up and participated in the activities. I’m excited to see what the Franktown JOY Club does in the future.

—Jamey Houghton is the senior pastor at Franktown Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo supplied.

Ana Segawa – Boulder Colorado … Campion’s select choir, Koinonia, participated in the worship service at Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church on March 25.

Led by music director Cecilia Simmons, the group performed four pieces: “Modimo Reboka Wena”, “Run, Mary, Run”, “O Love” and “Like a River in My Soul”.

Ariel Patterson, a member of Koinonia, whose home church is Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church, shared, “It was great having Koinonia show up at Boulder and everyone there really liked it. Also, it was awesome being able to be a blessing to churches other than Campion and share our music with them.”

In addition to the choir pieces, some of those students also led other parts of the service including the praise and worship time and the children’s story.

Phoebe Mamanua and Dwayne Rey, also members of Koinonia, got to share one of their childhood memories during the children’s story which had taught them how God could guide them whenever they needed directions. Rey commented, “I thought it was fun doing a children’s story because the kids there were engaged and responsive to what Phoebe and I were sharing, and our message was able to get through clearly.”

After the service, Boulder Church had thoughtfully prepared a potluck for the group to enjoy before heading back to Campion Academy.

Sharing about the experience, Simmons said, “Bad joke time. You’d think with a name like Boulder, the church would be all stony and standoffish. No sir! They were such a welcoming venue. And the acoustics were top notch! We must go back just to experience the warmth, community, and crazy good acoustics.”

—Ana Segawa, Students News Team. Photo by Debbi Lake.

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Thirza Monette Powell, 59, passed away peacefully Friday, March 24, in Cushing, Texas, surrounded by her four children. She worked for the Rocky Mountain Conference for 10 years, ending her tenure as the RMC accountant. Thirza is preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her three siblings, four children, and six grandchildren.

Thirza spent most of her life in Colorado exploring the mountain trails and enjoying the great outdoors which she loved. She enjoyed hiking, photography, and hunting for treasures to resell online, as well as experimenting with vegan recipes.

She will be remembered as a loving, calm, independent, and caring mother and grandmother who always tried to do the best at everything she did. A woman filled with wisdom, compassion, understanding, and steadfast love, she made such an impression on everyone she met and will be deeply missed.

She left many friends in RMC churches and in the Conference Office. Darin Gottfried, RMC vice-president for finance, shared, “Thirza passed away while with her family in Texas. Please keep her family in your prayers. We are looking forward to the second coming when we all can be reunited with those that we have lost.”

Funeral services will be today, Monday, March 27, at 2 p.m. at the Dickie Allen Funeral Home in Cushing, Texas. Interment will follow at McKnight Cemetery.

Click here to visit Thirza’s tribute page and to find more information on her services. To send flowers to the family, or plant a tree in memory, of Thirza Monette Powell, please click here for the Tribute Store.

RMCNews. Photo of Thirza provided and by digitalscully on Flickr.