Easter 2015

Easter. A big bunny carrying around an endless supply of brightly colored eggs filled with candy has taken the day over. Kids canvas their house on Easter morning in the relentless pursuit of sugar. Not that I am adverse to the well-travelled, giant, friendly bunny—but I do wonder if we are missing the point?

For some people Easter is an unofficial kick-off to spring. Many families gather to eat ham, some sort of potatoes, and lots of salads. Others take a long weekend to go somewhere or get some stuff done around the house.

To the disciple, Easter is the day death died. 

When Jesus came limping out of the tomb, the dead came to life. That very moment, God planted a seed of life in us that cannot be killed. If we are blessed enough to have figured this out, there is not a whole lot we can’t do: forget fear, move mountains, love our enemies, forgive somebody who has hurt us, forgive ourselves, hope for a better tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep, laugh, experience joy, serve the hurting, grow closer to the One who wants nothing more than for you to grow closer to Him. 

Easter either means everything or it means nothing. 

All of us, with no exception, have areas of our life that need to die and be resurrected into something better. Sometime between our birth and today we climbed into a tomb that holds us captive from a) experiencing the world God has created for us to enjoy and b) living the life God wants us to live. Just like Jesus walked out of the tomb and experienced new life, Easter is the day we can walk out of our tomb and experience new life. 

Here is what I believe about Easter: The hurt become healed, the broken and bitter become better, the resentful become restored, fears become faith, the selfish become a servant, the indifferent is filled with compassion, the addict will experience recovery, doubts don’t get in the way of dreams, jealousy becomes joy for others, and low self-esteem becomes appropriate self-confidence. 

Many of us are drained. Tired. Stressed. Depleted. Sad. Living as if our world and the world depends on us. Jesus says: 

Are you tired? Worn out? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. –Matthew 11:28 

God invites you to leave the tomb and embrace and live the once-to-be-lived-and-never-to-be-repeated life He gives you. Easter: Grace prevails over sin, hope overcomes despair, and life defeats death. It either means everything or it means nothing. 

Because of Easter, I believe the best is yet to come… 

Craig

Easter Recap and Sunday Night Worship: Coming this Fall

Easter Recap 

Earlier this week I was reflecting on our four Easter worship experiences. It was an incredible day that began in the dark on a residential property overlooking our future church campus. Six hours later, the trailer was being pulled away from Millard West. During the morning 1,300 people worshipped God and celebrated that when Jesus touches dead things they become alive again. This is an increase of 46% over last year!

Sunrise over Omaha

Two reasons exist for this: 

1) The Water’s Edge is a church consisting of the most committed, compassionate, and creative people I know. Many people and families volunteered all morning. Others volunteered for an hour. Some played music. Others held babies, passed out bulletins, served donuts, unloaded stuff, loaded stuff, directed traffic, and ran sound and media equipment. Whenever the people of the church have been challenged to rise to the occasion—you all have not only met the challenge—you have exceeded it with excellence. 

2) WE have some great people and WE have an even greater God. His faithfulness and generosity are abundant. His grace is sufficient. And, He has even greater plans for our future together. 

During the sunrise service, I looked over all the people who were singing and watching the sunrise over Omaha. I looked down at our future property and was thinking in a few years it will be Easter. The parking lots will be full of cars, our sanctuary and gathering areas will be full of people, and the property will be full of excitement.

Harpist Kimberly Meyer and bass player Jeff Kahler

Sunday Night Worship – Coming this Fall 

On Monday evening, April 1st, (this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke!) the leadership team and the staff voted unanimously to start a Sunday evening worship service beginning this fall. Here is what we know: a) We will have the same message on Sunday evening as Sunday morning although the style of worship will mostly likely be a little different, b) We will reach new people who aren’t able or willing to come on Sunday mornings, c) We will be providing another worship option for those have activities or are travelling on Sunday mornings, d) The new worship service will have very little impact on what happens on Sunday mornings, and e) We don’t want this worship service to disrupt any small groups—if your small group meets on Sunday night—keep meeting on Sunday night Sunday works best. 

If you are interested in serving on a leadership team to help launch this service—let us know by emailing jennie@watersedgeomaha.com. Our first meeting is going to be in the next few weeks. You will be on the ground floor of something that is going to be great. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

Easter Photos

Alive Again

Jesus was relationally sad. The night before his death, Jesus shared his last meal with his twelve buddies. He looked them in the eye as he broke the bread for the last time. He held back the tears as he blessed the cup. Peter would soon deny him. Not once. But three times. Judas would betray him. Not just any betrayal. A betrayal that would cost Jesus his life. Goodbyes are never easy. Denials and betrayals are as tough as it gets. Heartbroken. 

Jesus was emotionally spent. His trial couldn’t have been easy. The soldiers mocked him. They asked if Elijah was coming to save him. They even spit on him. The very people he came to serve and save ridiculed him. Dejected. 

Jesus was physically abused. He took a beating. Nails through the hands. A sharp crown of thorns on his head. He was bruised and bloody. He hung on a cross gasping for air. Broken. 

Jesus was spiritually searching. He cried out with a loud scream: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” He didn’t use the word Father. He used the word God. Not close enough to call Him Father. Only close enough to call Him God. Isolated.

And then three days later he rose from the dead. None of the Gospel writers give much detail as to what happened because the details don’t really matter. What matters is that Jesus is alive again. 

Heartbroken. Dejected. Battered. Isolated. Alive again. 

The betrayal was overcome. The dejection was destroyed. The brokenness was restored. The isolation was overwhelmed. Death was defeated. 

We worry about tomorrow. We carry hurts from the past. We wonder if there is more to life. Our busyness consumes us. It seems hopeless that the future will be better than the past. We are sick of being tired. We are slowly dying. 

The big stone was rolled away from the tomb. We don’t know if Jesus limped or leaped as he re-entered the world. We only know God raised Jesus from the dead. And we know that God was just getting warmed-up because He has been raising people from the dead ever since. 

Our worries. Our hurts. Our fears of dying. Our fears of not living. Our busyness. Our hopelessness. Our fatigue. Our broken hearts. Our rejection. Our dejection. Our brokenness. Our loneliness. God invites us to experience resurrection in all areas of life. He invites us to experience new life so that we can be alive again. 

Happy Easter, 

Craig

But It's Easter

A prayer for Easter Sunday

Dear God, 

The morning begins with darkness and despair. 

     My transgressions. The sin of the world. The hatred of many. 

     Fear is widespread. Satan delights in Christ's death. 

     My worries. The helplessness of the world. The hopelessness of many. 

But it's Easter.

     Satan’s party has come to an abrupt and amazing ending. 

     The once broken and lifeless man has emerged from the tomb. 

     Christ is alive again! 

It’s a new day. 

     Faith calms fears. Love replaces hate. 

     Goodness repairs evil. Light overtakes darkness. 

     Grace forgives sin. Life resurrects death. 

I celebrate this day. 

     It is a day You have made. I rejoice! 

     The day Jesus rose from the dead. 

     Neither death nor life will ever be the same again. 

The day death died. 

     Death is swallowed up in victory. 

     The tomb couldn’t hold Jesus. 

     Nor can it hold those who follow him. 

You redeemed the world. 

     The cross was once a symbol of disgrace. 

     It now represents restoration and hope. 

     Erase my mistakes and fill me with Your grace. 

You comforted the world. 

     When the fatality and fragility of Friday comes into my life - 

     Remind me of the sweetness and salvation of Easter morning. 

     Heal my brokenness and let me begin again. 

You entered the world. 

     To seek out the lonely and lost. To serve the least and the little. 

     To save the sinner. To send out the saints. 

     To show humanity how to live and love. 

You changed the world. 

     You gave direction to the searching. 

     You forgave the prostitute of her sin. 

     You raised Lazurus from the dead. 

Enter my world and change my world. 

     Give me focus and direct my path. 

     Forgive me of my failings and sins. 

     Resurrect me to new levels of life – now and forever. 

Amen.

Holy Week Explained

Holy Week. It has been celebrated for centuries. 

It starts with Palm Sunday. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem wasn’t much to write home about. If you had been there, you wouldn’t have been too impressed—somebody from nowhere important riding on a donkey into a city. No television stations or bands were present. But for Jesus, it was his moment of triumph. People waved palm branches. Palm branches were given to Olympic Champions. A symbol of victory. The people also hailed Jesus: “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna means to save or rescue.

The songs and the symbolism on Palm Sunday are as powerful as it gets. The songs are about being rescued: from ourselves, from hurts, from addictions, from death itself. The children wave palm branches to celebrate the victory we claim through Jesus. Victory over our brokenness, victory over sin, victory over our fears, victory over death. 

But within a week, the people were saying a different phrase, “Crucify him.”

We’ll gather again on Thursday night. Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy is only used in the church. Maundy is from the Latin mandatum, the first word of Jesus’ teaching from John 13:34 - "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" - "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus was sharing his last meal with the twelve men who would be responsible for taking the Gospel to the nations. No time for small talk. Not even time for good stuff. Only the best stuff. “I’m going to make this simple. You need to remember this: Love others as I have loved you.”

Less than a day later we will gather again on Good Friday. The symbol is the cross: the essence of the Christian message and the heart of the Gospel. “Good” seems to be an odd way to describe the day. It was the day Jesus died. No laughter. Only tears. No joy. Only sorrow. But because of what happened two days later, we experience that death is not the end. Death is necessary for new beginnings. Fear dies and becomes faith. Sin dies and becomes grace. Despair dies and becomes hope. Bad habits die and become healthy behaviors. Death dies and becomes eternal life. Nothing seemed “good” about that Friday at the time. Looking back, the day Jesus died was the day “good” was reborn.

Then there is Easter Sunday. The pinnacle of Holy Week. The bunny and the eggs and the pastel clothes – they neither add nor subtract much because there is nothing that can really be added or subtracted. Jesus is alive again and so are we! The resurrection gives our lives meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what our circumstance. Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. It is a day like no other.

Because of Easter, the best is yet to come…

Craig

Marathons, Africa, Easter, New People, and Mother's Day

Marathon

Over 60 of us are running the Lincoln Marathon and Half Marathon this morning. Lots of family and friends are supporting the runners as well. It is the first race ever for many of the runners and is the culmination of six months of training. If you are interested in training and doing a race this fall, we are investigating participating in the Omaha Marathon, which also includes a half-marathon (13.1 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles). Stay tuned.

Part of the Running for Kids in Africa team getting ready to run

Africa

The reason we are running is to raise money for children in Africa. All runners have paid their own expenses so that one-hundred percent of all donations can go to help kids in Africa. We set an ambitious goal of raising $20,000. We ended up raising over $25,000! To all those who are running and all those who donated, I am so grateful. $25,000 will provide abundant fresh water, nutritious food, education, medicine, and hope for children in Africa. We will continue to raise money for kids in Africa and support missionaries serving in Africa. In the future, I feel God is leading us to partner with a church in Africa, pray with them, financially support them to transform a village, and send teams of people to serve, learn, and worship alongside them. It’s a big dream, but we have a bigger God.

Easter

Last week we had over 1,000 people in worship and in the nursery. This is a new record for us. We have come along way since our worship launch four and a half years ago. Thanks to the dozens of volunteers who served on Easter morning and to all the guests to worshipped with us. Thanks to those at the 10:30 service who stood around for a while until we found chairs for you. We have some innovative ideas how to accommodate our current people better next year and how to welcome additional guests as well.

10:30 Worship on Easter @ The Water's Edge

Are You New?

We have been going through a growth spurt in a last few months and we have a lot of new people. I hope you are experiencing God, connecting to others, and feeling at home. Later this spring and throughout the summer we are going to have some gatherings to meet new people. I hope you will participate in one of these. Joining a serving team is a great way to meet people, serve God, and become an owner of our ministry. We are also going to be starting new small groups and Bible studies in the fall. Check these out in August and September.

Mother’s Day

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day. We have a great worship celebration planned to honor moms. I hope to see next week. And for all the moms out there…thanks for being you.

The best is yet to come…

Craig

H2O: Drained - Video

Easter Sunday at The Water’s Edge.

We started off our new sermon series, H20 - A Journey of Faith. 

Drained. It means empty and dry. Just like the zebra mussel has caused Lake Zorinsky to be drained, behaviors like busyness, stress, poor choices, rejection, and lack of appropriate boundaries drain us.

Craig told us that Jesus didn’t die so that our lives would be drained, average, stressful, busy, and broken. He died so that we may have life and all its fullness. The Greek word for baptism means filled or drenched. God’s plan is that we are filled and drenched in His love, grace, and power.

H2O: Drained - Audio

Listen to this morning's sermon.

Lake Zorinsky - Drained. Courtesy of the zebra mussel.

The story of Easter, somebody trading places with us and doing what we are unable to do ourselves. 

We’ve been there before: rejected. Jesus was rejected too.

Jesus challenged the comfortable and comforted the challenged.

Rejection hurts the most when we are rejected by those we love the most. 

But we feel more than rejected, don’t we? 

1. Busy 

2. Tired 

3. Pretty Good 

4. Stressed 

5. Drained 

Here’s the deal: Jesus didn’t die so that we could feel 

1. Busy 

2. Tired 

3. Pretty Good 

4. Stressed 

5. Drained 

Let’s look at drained…

A zebra mussel cause Lake Zorinsky to be drained. The lake become contaminated.

Poor choices contaminate our life and drain us. God wants us filled and not drained.

Busy becomes purposeful (John 13:34-35) 

Tired becomes rested (Matthew 11:28) 

Pretty good becomes abundant (John 10:10) 

Stressed becomes peaceful (John 14:27)

Drained becomes filled – (Baptized means drenched and immersed) 

Matthew 28:10 

Don’t be afraid! 

Normal = Drained 

Normal isn't working 

Don’t be afraid to be different 

Matthew 28:6 

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! 

Jesus didn’t die for us to stay in the tomb. 

Escape from your tomb and experience freedom.

Sometimes the God calms the storm. Sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms His child. 

God isn’t small. God is big. 

God doesn't make life a little better. God transforms life totally. 

Death is dead.

Life wins. Grace wins. Love wins. Forgiveness wins. Hope wins.

Easter

Easter. A big bunny carrying around an endless supply of brightly colored eggs filled with candy has taken the day over. Kids canvas their house on Easter morning in the relentless pursuit of sugar. Not that I am adverse to the well-travelled, giant, friendly bunny—but I do wonder if we are missing the point?

The Easter Bunny preparing for Easter

For some people Easter is an unofficial kick-off to spring. Many families gather to eat ham, some sort of potatoes, and lots of salads. Others take a long weekend to go somewhere or get some stuff done around the house. 

To the disciple, Easter is the day death died. 

When Jesus came limping out of the tomb, the dead came to life. That very moment, God planted a seed of life in us that cannot be killed. If we are blessed enough to have figured this out, there is not a whole lot we can’t do: forget fear, move mountains, love our enemies, forgive somebody who has hurt us, forgive ourselves, hope for a better tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep, laugh, experience joy, serve the hurting, grow closer to the One who wants nothing more than for you to grow closer to Him. 

Easter either means everything or it means nothing. 

All of us, with no exception, have areas of our life that need to die and be resurrected into something better. Sometime between our birth and today we climbed into a tomb that holds us captive from a) experiencing the world God has created for us to enjoy and b) living the life God wants us to live. Just like Jesus walked out of the tomb and experienced new life, Easter is the day we can walk out of our tomb and experience new life. 

Jesus walked out of his tomb and invites you to walk out of yours

Here is what I believe about Easter: The hurt become healed, the broken and bitter become better, the resentful become restored, fears become faith, the selfish become a servant, the indifferent is filled with compassion, the addict will experience recovery, doubts don’t get in the way of dreams, jealousy becomes joy for others, and low self-esteem becomes appropriate self-confidence. 

Many of us are drained. Tired. Stressed. Depleted. Sad. Living as if our world and the world depends on us. Jesus says: 

Are you tired? Worn out? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. –Matthew 11:28 

God invites you to leave the tomb and embrace and live the one-to-be-lived-and-never-to-be-repeated life He gives you. Easter: Grace prevails over sin, hope overcomes despair, and life defeats death. It either means everything or it means nothing. 

Because of Easter, I believe the best is yet to come… 

Craig