The Thursday Update

APRIL 6, 2023

Lakeshore Friends—

We call this week Holy Week, and for good reason. 

It was the last week that Jesus was on earth in His earthly body.  The process of Jesus taking on human flesh began when Jesus was conceived.  In some way, His divinity took on human flesh as we first saw on Christmas. 

Holy Week began last Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to begin this final week.  On Monday, He cleared the temple of the corrupt money changers. Tuesday saw Him teach in the temple and be anointed in anticipation of His death.  On Wednesday, the plot against Jesus was established.  On Thursday, Jesus held the Last Supper with His disciples, and this served as both an Old Testament Passover Meal and the institution of a brand new practice Christians engage in today— Communion— all in one.  That night He would go to the Mount of Olives and pray in the Olive Garden of Gethsemane.  His arrest occurred there followed by 6 trials throughout the night.

At 9am on Friday, He was crucified and for six hours endured an agony that one else ever had.  True, others had suffered in a similar physical fashion, but no one had taken on the sins of the world while doing so.

After his burial before sunset, he was in the tomb given to Him by Joseph of Arimathea until Sunday.  His week ended with the greatest day in human history: resurrection from the dead!

As Holy Week draws toward an end, we want to both remember it and celebrate it with you.  On Friday night, we have a Good Friday service that helps us do that as I teach on the sixth statement Jesus made on the cross, “It is finished.”  We’ll worship Him in music, reflect on His sacrifice, and take communion together.

Then we’ll celebrate Easter in three identical services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.  I’ll be teaching from 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter of the Bible as we celebrate.

So this is your chance to appreciate all Jesus did for you during this amazing week.  It’s also your chance to invite friends and family to join you to hear the good news of Easter!

Warmly,
Vince

MARCH 30, 2023

Lakeshore Friends—

The shooting massacre that took place this past Monday at Covenant Christian School in Nashville was another brutal example of how dark these days are.  A former student took the lives of 6 innocent people for reasons we do not fully yet understand.  Three of them were adults who were 60 or 61 years old.  The other three victims were just 9 years old.  Can you imagine that?

You would expect and hope that there would be universal outrage and anger at this evil act of murder.  Everyone with any level of compassion should be focused on the victims and their families who lost them.  And while many have done this, there are also many who have taken subtle—and even not-so-subtle—shots at Christianity in response. From AP reporters to political action groups and progressive commentators, the focus has been on how Christianity is the ultimate cause of this shooting. Here are just two quotes to reveal what some are saying:

“Very surprising that there would be a mass shooting at a Christian school, given that lack of prayer is often blamed for these horrible events. Is it possible they weren’t praying enough, or correctly, despite being a Christian school?” –David Pakman, a talk show host wrote on Twitter in a later deleted post.

“I don’t condone Audrey Hale’s actions, though I understand their outrage against an intolerant state that brainwashes children through religious indoctrination.  The reality is this human still identified as that child attending that school and carried that pain into adulthood.” –Twitter user

So it was an opportunity for people to mock prayer and to call Christian education at a private school an indoctrination that leads to violence.  It wasn’t ultimately the shooter's fault, many are insinuating. Instead, it was the folly of believing in prayer and Christian doctrine that was the root cause.  And this has been a growing trend that has accelerated over the past three years.  

God help our nation!

Sadly, even our president was joking about his love for ice cream right before talking about this shooting. Can you imagine going to a funeral home and saying that to a grieving family member?

This shooting is senseless and saddening.  But it is made worse when people use this tragedy to attack the Christian faith and ultimately Jesus Christ Himself.  This is a growing trend in our nation and world, and if you follow Jesus Christ you can expect it to continue.  Jesus reminded us that we will be insulted, persecuted, and have evil things said of us (Matthew 5:11-12) and we will be hated by many in the last days (Matthew 24:9).

So what’s the answer?  People need to know the real Jesus Christ.  If people knew who the real Jesus was and embraced Him, they would never say such horrible things or commit such heinous crimes.

That’s what we hope to do in our timely Sunday series, The Resume of Jesus Christ.  Because only a true understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us can lead to a changed life and a changed nation.

Much love,
Vince

MARCH 23, 2023

Lakeshore Friends,

It’s been five weeks since my Achilles surgery, and while the hardest part is over, I still have another couple of months of being in an ankle boot.  Hopefully, in a month or so, I can begin putting some weight on it.  This will be a slow and gradual process… I just hope it ends so I can play golf in June. :-). And the best news is that Sue and I still love each other deeply after all my requests for help.  She is amazing!

I want to thank you for all the cards, texts, messages, meals, etc. you have sent me during this time.  Seeing some of you last Sunday was very moving and encouraging.  It’s really hard to express how much love I have felt from you during this time away.  In reality, it is the same love you have always shown me.  All I can say is that your love inspires me to love you and others more than I do.  To have a church filled with so many loving people is not as common as you might think, and neither I nor any of our staff take that for granted.  It helps us work as a united body of people who can most effectively “invest and invite” others to a healthy church filled with great people and (hopefully) a great service that connects with people from the curious to the convinced and committed.

With Easter approaching, we can show this same love to the many new guests we will see over the next few weeks.  Our 50,000+ piece direct mail has been sent out and we’re praying for it to draw in many people.  We can also invite people to Easter services with the invite cards available throughout the atrium.  I’ve already started and as the pastors taught in the just completed Mission Possible series, if we all invest and invite one person who attends, our church would impact hundreds more lives with the love of Jesus.

So thanks again.  You inspire me to lead you with my best efforts and with biblical integrity.

Love,
Vince