| Author | Message | ||
| Hallanvaara Registered user Username: Hallanvaara Post Number: 19 Registered: 1-2004 |
I wish you all joyful and blessed Easter. Following net address is to all of you and I hope you find it as refreshing and comforting as I did. http://www.angelrays.com/Cards/moon/no/wait.html Your sister in Christ Tuija | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 140 Registered: 12-2003 |
Tuija, thank you for sharing the card. The drawings are beautiful, and the text does summarize the goal of our walk with Jesus. A joyful and blessed Easter to you, also! Colleen | ||
| Hoytster Registered user Username: Hoytster Post Number: 66 Registered: 9-2003 |
My son and his classmates from the Adventist school were performing during the service, so I had the occasion to attend the Adventist service, the day before Easter. Two people, both 40-ish adults, were baptized. The only aberrant things I noticed during their recitation of their beliefs was their having to embrace the commandments, "especially the 4th commmandment," and a reference to the remnant church. Then the minister gave a quite cheerful sermon about Jesus rising again. He was going through the second chapter of Acts, quoting scripture, and eventually got to Acts 2:24: "But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power." But the preacher only quoted "But God" and then went on about how he loves that "but." But he never actually said the verse?! It was odd, because he'd gladly quoted the other verses. Is there some reason why the preacher would not want to quote that whole line? The preacher did say "He [Jesus] is alive!" So why not quote the verse? Just an oversight? The preacher also had a nice children's time story, about two brothers ordered by their mother to clean their shared room, and one brother moaned and complained, and the other just set about cleaning his half, with a smile on his face. The punchline was that Jesus wants us to smile, which I liked. Then I watched the faces as the 14 children ages 3 to 12 (or so) filed past me afterwards, and there were two smiles, a three-year-old and his older brother, joshing each other. All the other children were solemn or expressionless. It was a little scary. Afterwards, I asked my son about the "remnant church" reference, saying that I thought it meant that it means that the Adventist church is the one true church and other churches are not valid. "That's not what it means!" he said emphatically. "Well, if they are not teaching you that, that's fine with me." The word Easter was not said in the Adventist church until we were filing out, and I shook the preacher's hand and sincerely offered him a cheery "Happy Easter." He smiled and returned the same remark, seemingly just fine with it. I wasn't trying to confront him or make trouble, I was just feeling happy about Easter. He took it well. The name of the holiday isn't the point. The preacher told the story well, aside from not reading that one verse. Happy Easter, all! He is risen! - Hoytster | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 258 Registered: 7-2003 |
Last year is the one and only time B went to a Sunday service with me. It was Easter. There were banners and all sorts of things we donít typically do. I was self-conscious and uncomfortable feeling Bís judgmental eye on every move. The sermon was excellent and Biblical as always, but it was such a damper on my celebration. Then we returned to a normal Sunday with nothing more of Easter said. This year, I made a conscious decision I wasnít going to involve B. Not that I think he might have wanted to go again, but because I wanted to celebrate. So, this year when some of the same banners started down the aisle (all with bright colors and descriptive words of Christ ìlilly of the valleyî, ìlion of Judahî, etc.), I was so choked with emotion like the king himself was coming. Then the final banner came in with bright purple background and the name of Jesus in gold letters standing 10í high and a couple of us stood as though the bride herself was coming down the aisle and by the time the banner made it to the front, the entire congregation was on its feet. I felt for a brief moment that I was in heaven itself ... I was somewhat saddened as I reflected on it later wondering if that was what I had missed last year. The sermon was absolutely incredible and just spoke so incredibly about Christ and the meaning of his resurrection for me today, here and now.... In one of the illustrations, he talked about Jackie Robinson in his rookie season. For the most part, the home crowd had been pretty accepting of him except for one time when he made 2 errors in the first inning. The crowd was booing him and calling him all sorts of racial slurs. He said the team captain came out and stood side-by-side with Jackie until the booing stopped and then the game continued. He was talking about how God sends people to our sides during our struggles, and 2 rows up sat the lady who became my mentor after I finally told someone I was pregnant. (almost 7 months by then). It just reminded me of everything God has personally done for me, not just my salvation, but the whole host of supports he has surrounded me with as I struggle with the desire to serve Christ and the sometimes incredible loneliness of being a single parent, where even an argumentative, bull-headed SDA looks better than nothing. You all keep me focused on what the Lord has told me so many times. You affirm scripture for me and remind me during my loneliest times that there is something worse than being alone and it always seems I am once again able to just let it go. It seems such a constant battle. Anyway, after church, I went to my step-sisterís about an hour away and had a wonderful dinner with my step-siblings, their kids and some in-laws. It was so nice to be with a family and part of a family. The last time I had seem them was the Christmas I was pregnant and none of them knew even though I gave birth less than 3 months later. They had noticed I had gained weight, but I was too ashamed to even let my family support me. And my step-brother came in and took the baby (now 1) at the door and just carried him all over the place. He was so welcome and I got an image of what itís really like to have family. For me, this has been an incredible Easter as the Lord has shown me so many things today. He showed how he has placed so many people to stand beside me until the booing stops (even if my voice is the loudest....). Part of me feels extremely sorry for B. I feel he misses so much. He is so into this health message stuff and it makes me wonder if heís not really, underneath it all, just simply afraid to die. Is all the stuff and fluff about ìGodís templeî really covering up a very basic and simple fear of dying? How I wish he could truly comprehend what the resurrection means to me...the truly guaranteed future hope. I hope the Lord ministered to each of you in his own special way. | ||
| Chris Registered user Username: Chris Post Number: 261 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hoyster, I'm a little afraid that your son is already picking up some of the SDA double-speak. To non-Adventist we would deny that the remnant church meant only SDA, it simply meant those who came out of "Babylon" and were God's true people That meant there would be people from all different denominations in Heaven. What we wouldn't tell you is "Babylon" was a code word for anyone or any group that worshipped on Sunday and "the remnant church" was shorthand for the church that had the 3 angels' message (variously defined, but to my understanding: Sabbath keeping, Investigative Judgement, and the health message). Since the SDA church is the only denomination to have all of these distictives, that means it is the true remnant church and someday "Sunday Keepers" will need to admit that the Adventist message is truth, then follow the truth or be lost. Adventist are masters at double-speak, and most of us never even realized on a conscious level that we were doing it because it was so engrained in us from the cradle. Just curious, did you ask your son what it means to him? If so did he give you answer number one? An alternate answer given to non-SDAs is that the remnant are those who keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. This means essentially the same thing though. For SDA's it's another way of saying, "those who keep the Sabbath and believe in Ellen White" Chris | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 144 Registered: 12-2003 |
Chris is right, Hoytster. I would be curious to know how your son understands the "remnant church", or whether or not he's actually been taught those words yet. I believe that today, children aren't learning the traditional labels as much as they're learning the concepts: God's people obey the commandments, keep the Sabbath, etc/ As for that "missing text", I really can't explain that. Adventist are expert, however, at picking phrases out-of-context to make their points. It's called "proof-texting". Melissa, I am SO HAPPY that you had such a wonderful Easter with such a warm, embracing family experience! That experience is what God wishes for you as opposed to an unequal yoking with someone who does not share your love for Jesus. Of course you need courteous relations with B because of your son, but that doesn't mean B needs to define your whole family experience! I keep praying that God will direct you in your relationship with B and that he will guide and guard your children. Colleen |
