Lakeview Alive: Recent Episodes
Lakeview United Methodist Church
Hello! Welcome to Lakeview United Methodist Church. We are a welcoming fellowship of the children of God. Our hope is to bring kindness to the community of Sun City and beyond through our love of God and our neighbor. Visit or website at www.LakeviewUMC.net
Today’s scripture: Mark 16:1-8 “HOPE – Hold ON, Pandemic Ends!” Easier to say, than it has been to do. Shut in on ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, we have become pandemic zombies.
Shut in on ourselves, we have developed Covid burnout with bouts of pervasive dread and free-floating anxiety. Jesus broke through stone walls and a locked door made of solid wood to end crucifixion trauma by delivering a message of purpose to followers in the upper room. What is his message for us today?
Today’s scripture: Mark 16:1-8 “HOPE – Hold ON, Pandemic Ends!” Easier to say, than it has been to do. Shut in on ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, we have become pandemic zombies.
Shut in on ourselves, we have developed Covid burnout with bouts of pervasive dread and free-floating anxiety. Jesus broke through stone walls and a locked door made of solid wood to end crucifixion trauma by delivering a message of purpose to followers in the upper room. What is his message for us today
Easter morning begins with more questions, “How did the huge stone get rolled away?” and “Where is my Lord, what have they done with him?” The resurrection astounds us, even today, yet it is the cornerstone of our faith for without the “foolishness” of God, we have no hope. Because of the resurrection we have the greatest hope of all, forgiveness and eternal life with God.
Roman guards on the scene, a tomb sealed by a huge rock. The sabbath is over and at sunrise a number of women disciples arrive to complete the burial rituals cut short by sunset. There had just been time for Joseph of Aramathea to take Jesus’ body to his own tomb, wrap him in linen and roll the rock over the entrance sealing him in.
The unthinkable has happened. When the women arrive wondering how they would open the tomb, they discover it has already been opened and it is empty. They are told Jesus has risen from the dead and is going on to Galilee. The unthinkable? Perhaps for us because we doubt, just as Peter did. Perhaps because we have so much difficulty seeing and understanding what God has already seen.
Despite our doubt and sin, just like Peter, God does not stop loving us. He is going on ahead of us to meet us there. Where do you need God to meet you? Where is he calling you?
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Easter morning begins with more questions, “How did the huge stone get rolled away?” and “Where is my Lord, what have they done with him?” The resurrection astounds us, even today, yet it is the cornerstone of our faith for without the “foolishness” of God, we have no hope. Because of the resurrection we have the greatest hope of all, forgiveness and eternal life with God.
Roman guards on the scene, a tomb sealed by a huge rock. The sabbath is over and at sunrise a number of women disciples arrive to complete the burial rituals cut short by sunset. There had just been time for Joseph of Aramathea to take Jesus’ body to his own tomb, wrap him in linen and roll the rock over the entrance sealing him in.
The unthinkable has happened. When the women arrive wondering how they would open the tomb, they discover it has already been opened and it is empty. They are told Jesus has risen from the dead and is going on to Galilee. The unthinkable? Perhaps for us because we doubt, just as Peter did. Perhaps because we have so much difficulty seeing and understanding what God has already seen.
Despite our doubt and sin, just like Peter, God does not stop loving us. He is going on ahead of us to meet us there. Where do you need God to meet you? Where is he calling you?
Easter morning begins with more questions, “How did the huge stone get rolled away?” and “Where is my Lord, what have they done with him?” The resurrection astounds us, even today, yet it is the cornerstone of our faith for without the “foolishness” of God, we have no hope. Because of the resurrection we have the greatest hope of all, forgiveness and eternal life with God.
Roman guards on the scene, a tomb sealed by a huge rock. The sabbath is over and at sunrise a number of women disciples arrive to complete the burial rituals cut short by sunset. There had just been time for Joseph of Aramathea to take Jesus’ body to his own tomb, wrap him in linen and roll the rock over the entrance sealing him in.
The unthinkable has happened. When the women arrive wondering how they would open the tomb, they discover it has already been opened and it is empty. They are told Jesus has risen from the dead and is going on to Galilee. The unthinkable? Perhaps for us because we doubt, just as Peter did. Perhaps because we have so much difficulty seeing and understanding what God has already seen.
Despite our doubt and sin, just like Peter, God does not stop loving us. He is going on ahead of us to meet us there. Where do you need God to meet you? Where is he calling you?
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 that the cross is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles … the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.
The seven last statements of Jesus while being crucified on a cross reveal God’s wisdom, love, forgiveness, ultimate desire for humanity, and our petulance as humans.
We examine where we are in our faith, in our lives, and in our relationship with God in this poignant retelling of the seven statements. Today, we ask questions, often questions without answers, at least not until Easter morning.
Seven statements made while Jesus hung on a cross and taken from three of the Gospels, Matthew, Luke, and John, lead us in the crucifixion account. We learn first of God’s willingness and desire to forgive. Next his desire to be in relationship with us, then to care for one another. We, too experience pain when Jesus asks God, “Why have you forsaken me?” and we wonder over the statement, “It is finished.”
We continue to examine our own lives this day – Holy Friday, as we remember and retell the account of the cross. Often called, “Good Friday,” we can only wonder, “What’s so ‘good’ about a man dying on a cross – any man, but especially Jesus. What’s “good” about it is the work Jesus did on the cross that day for you and I, for freedom.
What is your response to the Cross?
Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ mandate to celebrate what we have come to know as Holy Communion. Maundy is a Latin word meaning “command.” The “Last Supper” connects us to the Exodus – deliverance from slavery and now, Jesus is going to deliver us from the slavery to sin. We remember what God has done in the past, is doing today, and what he has done for us for the future.
The Passover meal ‘remembers’ or retells the account of the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Each of the four cops of ceremonial wine consumed during the meal recount the actions God took in delivering his people.
Cup of sanctification Cup of deliverance Cup of Redemption Cup of praise
The journey of the cross didn’t begin with Jesus, it began when Moses led the people out of Egypt. This is the continuity of the Bible as each time we experience Holy Communion, we experience the pain and joy of the Israelites in exodus and Jesus on the way to the cross. God’s faithfulness to his promises is lived out in both celebrations. The “New Covenant” Jesus introduced also sets the stage for Holy Friday and Easter morning.
Today’s scripture is: Romans 14:1-12
If compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece as Ludwig Erhard noted, then how do Christians “do” compromise? As Paul notes in Romans 14, the strong in faith work with the weak in faith to raise them up and strengthen them. This is discipleship. We are not to be spending our time judging the relative position of others, but to work to lift them up and in so doing we lift ourselves.
Compromise is often seen as weakness especially when it comes to core values. It certainly seems that our legislators have forgotten how to compromise in matters that would seem to clearly benefit the citizenry. Here, in Romans 14, we see Paul teaching us that judging others for their relative strength or weakness is sin on our part and we fail to help lift the weak.
Rather, compromise helps us to work together for unity of action, if not in thought. Compromise enables the church to adapt and change as the world changes even while we hold onto the core values of Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples and we remain steadfast with the doctrine of the Trinity and divinity of Jesus. There is an old saying, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and, in all things, charity.”
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Today’s scripture is: Matthew 18:21-35
Unforgiveness eats as us like a cancer. It is self-imprisonment. Jesus wants to free us and helps us to forgive. Forgiving flushes the pain and toxins from us setting us free to reclaim joy.
Forgiving those who have wronged us, or even ourselves, brings us healing and wholeness that frees us from being victims to the wrong. It benefits our loved ones too because our unforgiveness keeps us from being whole in our relationships. Forgivness is less about the offender and more about becoming freed from the incident and the pain it causes. It means the offender no longer has power over you. Forgiveness does NOT mean the other was right. It means we are choosing to no longer let that experience steal our joy and keep us from wholeness. Forgivenss is an amazing gift God offers each of us no matter what we’ve done, not done, or said. The servant in our scripture was forgiven a huge debt, yet was unwilling to forgive one who owed him much less. Let’s not be like the unforgiving servant. Jesus is our coach in the process of forgiveing. Let’s be freed and whole in God’s grace. Choose to learn to forgive.
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Today’s scripture is: Exodus 12:1-4
What events have shaped your faith? This week we look at a major event in the Bible that has shaped both the Jewish faith and became a key event in our Christian faith, the Passover. From a historical event and record to a deeply spiritual shared ritual that opens the door for the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The Passover marked an event in the life of the early Israelites when they began the exodus from Egypt to become a people. Before, they were a group of slaves. Now, they would become a people. Every year, for thousands of years, devout Jews celebrate the passover feast, a remembrance of the struggles, the plagues of Egypt and the Israelites. It is a defining moment in their formative history. Jesus transformed this moment into a new formative event we call Holy Communion, the Eucharist, or “The Lord’s Supper.” It is a defining moment in our Christian faith that binds us together as one body and creates space for the presence of the Holy Spirit. In our Methodist theology, it is an “outward sign of an inward grace” which God can use as a “means of grace” to touch us and change us, to heal and restore, to renew and energize.
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Today’s scripture is: Colossians 4:2-6
First, devote yourself to prayer, pray for others, then remember that every conversation you have with someone either draws them toward Christ or pushes them away. When you call others names, put people or groups down, disregard other Christians as “lesser” your discipleship is failing. Make the most of every opportunity to be and speak grace.
Paul’s instructions to the church in Colossi is a guide for how we are to prepare ourselves to encounter people who are “outsiders” – those do not yet know Jesus as Lord. In just five verses he outlines the Christian life to be full of prayer, intercession, proclamation, wise in our actions, and our conversations always grace-filled. Yet, we see in our daily life, especially now in the riots and politics contrary practices. We are called to rise up above this fray to act and speak for Christ. Today, we hear from a number of Lakeview members sharing how their faith calls, the church guides, and grace builds others up.
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Today’s scripture is:
Luke 16:14-15; Matthew 22:37-40; 1 Chronicles 28:9
We are people of the heart as well as people of the mind. Our heart is the very center of our being. It is where all our thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, and fears come together. God created each of us to connect with Him through our deepest heart of hearts. The amazing thing is that God knows our heart, wants our heart, and is willing to wait for us to give our heart to Him. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment!
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Matthew 15:21-29
Jesus demonstrates his sense of humor in his interaction with the Canaanite woman as he banters with her but yet he honors her demonstration of faith. In the exchange, Jesus visibly and very practically shows us that everyone has a place at the table with him. We are challenged to welcome even our enemies.
Jesus was more loving and accepting than any person who has ever walked this earth. He dined with sinners and tax collectors, he welcomed the presence of the sick and despairing, he worked among the poor and the pitiful. But Jesus never let anyone get away from him without knowing right from wrong. Jesus based his tenderness in a tough-minded certainty about the presence and persistence of great wrongs and the crying need for enabling the right.
“You cannot receive what you don’t give. Outflow determines inflow.”
~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them to God and the church in gratitude and praise
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Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
If you could go back in time, what would you change about your life? Let’s face it, we all think about this and imagine what life would be like if only…. If only we hadn’t said or done something, or if only something hadn’t happened to us. After something bad happens, people often say something like, “God must want to teach you something through this” as if we are ‘victims’ of a God who toys with us to watch us squirm.
What we learn from the Bible is as long as we are in this world, bad things will happen because we live in a fallen world. We also learn that God is not the author of those events, but the ‘evil one’ is. What God does, however, is to take the events, good and bad, from our life and transform them into good, if we allow him and cooperate with him. Don’t try to change the past, instead trust God to transform your future.
Nothing is wasted with God. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they set the stage for his rise in Egypt. When Jesus died and was buried, he was put in the right place for resurrection. The zeal of Saul the persecutor changed into the passion of Paul the apostle.
Since nothing is wasted with God, there is no point in trying to change history. Instead, trust God to transform your future.
“You cannot receive what you don’t give. Outflow determines inflow.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise
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Today’s Scripture – Matthew 14:13-21
Some say the age of miracles ended with the disciples. Some say miracles are stories that teach. Some say miracles are just coincidences we can’t explain. Some say miracles are real. A miracle by any other name is evidence of God’s active involvement in our lives both miraculous and otherwise. God is a “hands-on” God in our lives and in the world.
It’s clear in our study of the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, Jesus uses both example and parable to teach. Parables are a clear distinction from the accounts and examples of Jesus’ work with people. Many spend great amounts of energy to explain the miracles of the Bible as ordinary physical events not otherwise understood or that were later embellished. One might be able to argue the reality of biblical miracles but what is clear from the narrative is God’s plan to be engaged with creation – you and I. God isn’t the “great clockmaker” of the sky who wound up the universe then who sits back to watch it unwind. No, one of the great teachings of the Bible is that God is engaged with us and for us. He is active in the world and in our lives and sometimes, we’re left unable to explain it other than the word ‘miracle.’
“You cannot receive what you don’t give.* Outflow determines inflow.”* ~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise
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Today’s Scripture – Romans 8:28, 31-32, 35, 37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“You cannot receive what you don’t give.Outflow determines inflow.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise
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Today’s Scripture – Matthew 13:31-33, 44-46
The Kingdom of God is near and it’s our job to break the news to the world. We are agents of the new kingdom! We are heralds and messengers breaking the best possible news upon a world eager to hear some good news!
We do not, and should not, hide our light under a bushel basket.
Matthew 5:14-15 As Jesus taught in parables, a story-teaching method of the 1st century Jewish culture, he reveals the wonder of the kingdom of God, both present and yet-to-come. The images may seem strange to our western ears, and they seem to set our notion of selfish personal gain on the sideline because there is something much more important, more grander, more wonderful, indeed a treasure from God. The stories infuse a passion for something that is currently intangible, yet deeply needed and desired.
“You cannot receive what you don’t give.Outflow determines inflow.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise
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Today’s Scripture – Romans 8:12-17
We do not stop enough to listen to God speaking. And like the people of Jerusalem long ago, we often misunderstand the Spirit’s movement among us. In the silence and stillness of this moment, let us draw near to God and truly listen..
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
“You cannot receive what you don’t give. Outflow determines inflow.”~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer themto God and the church in gratitude and praise
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Today’s Scripture – Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Love is neither a prize nor a product, but one dimension of a three-dimensional relationship. It has been God’s good gift from the beginning, and Song of Songs teaches us to use it wisely, within the bounds of the commitment and covenant for which God created us.
Song of Solomon leads us into some beautiful love poetry, if not occasionally a bit racy. This text is rich in celebrating the gift of romantic love but it’s also rich in revealing God’s great love for you and I. It reinforces that love is not one-dimensional, but three-dimensional with God and integral part of life-long, lasting love. Song of Solomon celebrates this love and reinforces God’s plan for us to use it wisely and within the bounds of the commitment and covenant God created for us. So we see a three-part ‘receipt’ for love; commitment, communication, and cooperation. All three are important and interdependent. Divine love, that is, God’s love, and human intimacy are alike. Only when we learn to trust God through commitment and learn his commitment, have communication, and cooperation with God, can we fully experience the transformation God intends for us.
“You cannot receive what you don’t give.Outflow determines inflow.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise
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Today’s Scripture – Psalm 13
In this Psalm of lament and sorrow the writer complains that he has been forgotten, ignored. Yet God remains silent in the Psalm. This is a reality for us as humans, harsh as it may be. We feel forgotten, ignored, even cast aside at times in our life and God gives us room to lament and complain about it. When we realized that God is, in fact, incapable of forgetting us, we are humbled and moved to dependence on God. This Psalm allows us room to vent and reorient to God.
It is said that God is ‘omnipotent’ – he knows everything. God created everything yet the Psalm writer seems to feel ignored, forgotten by God. God is capable of forgetting, he has promised to forget our sins if we confess Jesus as Lord. But if God is capable of forgetting there is one thing he is incapable of and that’s forgetting you.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” ~Helen Keller
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Today’s Scripture – Matthew 9:35-38 & 10:1-4
In these verses, Jesus is moved to compassion for people who were “harassed and helpless” and were like “sheep without a shepherd.” They were lost and vulnerable. Jesus connects the work of compassion to salvation – sending workers out to the harvest and then they were sent with authority. God calls us to serve and save, and then we are sent with authority. Take the authority God has given you to be compassionate to the world and bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Jesus sets a stage for what compassion looks like in action. He demonstrates what the word means as he cares for people who were otherwise ignored and ostracized. Compassion is a part of our call as disciples and can set us free to be fully God’s people in his image and reveals the kingdom of God.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” ~Helen Keller
Let us gather our gifts together and offer themto God and the church in gratitude and praiseMake your donation today
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Genesis 1:26-28, 2:1-4
Going back to Genesis reminds us of God’s triune nature on this Trinity Sunday and a reminder in a time of racial unrest, we are all created in the image of God and of equal worth.
It’s all the rage today to take one of those DNA tests to see what our family heritage is. The question is, “Where did I come from?” This is significant in our world today as people are seeking connection with our identity and a desire to find value and meaning in who we are. As Christians, it’s fun to know where we come from culturally and it might even broaden our worldview and understanding of others so we might love them more. What unites us in a common bond and heritage is, even in our diversity, we each bear the image of God implanted in us. Because of Christ each of us can claim that royal heritage and be counted as princes and princesses of the kingdom.
“Alone we can do so little;together we can do so much” Helen Keller
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise.Make your donation today
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Today’s Scripture – John 20:19-23
The great novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that “there are no second acts in American lives.” But Fitzgerald was wrong. There are plenty of them. Pentecost Sunday celebrates the power of the Holy Spirit in enabling us to have not only second, but third, fourth, fifth, or more, chances to get it right. This is the power and mystery of God’s grace and powered by the Holy Spirit.
The disciples experienced a very direct imparting of the Holy Spirit into their lives and this came with an authority and power unheard of – the power to forgive sin. God is always a “sending” God; sending us to mission, to heal, to serve, to help, but God is also a forgiving God. For the disciples, and that means you and me, Jesus gave us marching orders to forgive sin in others. This is a powerful charge and accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is this presence of God in each of us which brings the authority of God and his power into direct action to free people from guilt and shame. Sometimes our “Act Two” is learning to live into that authority and power.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”~Helen Keller
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praiseMake your donation today
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Today’s Scripture – Acts 1:6-11
If the disciples had remained focused on looking for Jesus they would never have spread the good news throughout the world. Do we spend our time looking up, waiting for Jesus’ return, or are we engaged in the world and taking Jesus everywhere we go?
As the disciples stared in wonder at the ascension of Jesus, an Angel got their attention refocused back into the world. Finding the balance between seeking Jesus with our vision vertical toward God and seeing the needs of the world around us is always a work in progress. We need the time of refreshment that brought the disciples to a season of prayer and retreat but we cannot neglect implementing our discipleship. All too many Christians spend more time worrying about when Jesus is returning and not enough time on living as a people of action – disciples.
“Alone we can do so little;together we can do so much”~Helen Keller
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise.Make your donation today
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Acts 17:22-28
Many have such a skewed understanding of who God is and what God wants that we are sometimes swayed from the truth of the gospel. Is our goal to feel happy and just be good? Perhaps we have been created to be something so much more than that and this is what Paul was talking about with the Romans; don’t worship what you do not know, worship the one you know who loves you. What god(s) are you worshiping instead of the king? What would help you during this time to refocus on Jesus or deepen your devotion that you might know him better?
We are easily distracted from our focus on God’s plan and will for our lives. Like the Romans, we may be worshiping an “unknown” god or allowing the world to pull us away form worship of the living God. This season of isolation is a good time to reorient yourself and your priorities.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” ~Helen Keller
Let us gather our gifts together and offer them toGod and the church in gratitude and praise.Make your donation today
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