lent
Lenten Devotional
In the Disciples of Christ we have a unique congregation that many people do not know about. Fig Tree Christian Church (DOC) is an entirely online church… that’s right, online church. It’s a really interesting concept one that seems to be catching on; recently Fig Tree announced that they were accepting memberships.
From their website:
Fig Tree Christian is a place where we can talk openly about Christianity. It is a place where we can learn together. It is a new adventure in being a community of God. Spring is here and a new summer is on the way. We are Fig Tree Christian because it is such a time as this when we need to be the example to invite in a new summer.
I have been asked to contribute to Fig Tree Christian Church’s 2015 Lenten Devotional entitled “Scandal at the Cross.” You can download the study now in PDF form (link) or if you are an Android user you can download the Devotional App via the Google Play store in the coming weeks. Sorry iOS users the cost to get into the Apple App store is about $100 and Fig Tree couldn’t afford it this time, maybe next year.
During Lent I will post my two submissions on February 18 (Ash Wednesday) and March 18.
I am grateful to Fig Tree for allowing me to be apart of their devotional series and I hope that you are enriched by it this Lenten Season.
To learn more about the Lenten Series and the authors that contributed click here.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Religious Rollercoaster
It seems like yesterday we were sitting in the sanctuary that was decorated with greenery, the Advent wreath and songs of the coming of the Messiah into the world. How fast the Church calendar speeds by as we approach Easter. It can be an odd disconnect. One minute we are praising God for the birth of Jesus, the Holy One, the Messiah in our midst and the next we are at the foot of the cross while he is being crucified.
It’s a religious rollercoaster.
The story of Lent is one that is filled with images and stories of Jesus proclaiming the end of his ministry and the ultimate end that is to come. It is a confusing time for not only the original disciples but us today. We look forward to the time when the world is set right again and the promises of God are fulfilled. We long for the time when peace reigns on earth and that the gospel message of hope, joy, love and reconciliation is made manifest in every human heart.
As we look outside our window and see the world around us it is hard to imagine that day. But the Easter message is one that is full of hope and yearning. Through the glorious resurrection of Christ, God makes a statement that the way things are now, are not the way they have to be. Christ died but God resurrected him, darkness descended, but the light covered it, fear and dislike sent Christ to the Cross, but an all consuming love of God brought him back to the world.
The story of Easter can be glossed over so much because we hear it year after year, even to the point where we skip Maundy Thursday and Good Friday altogether. Easter has so much more to offer us as followers of Christ.
As one of my professors in seminary once said, “Easter is more than about the reanimation of a body.” Christ was resurrected but the story is more than that. Christ’s resurrection set into motion a story that the world has not yet stopped telling.– a story about how God indwelled with humanity.
This Easter I pray that God does make things new in your life, that you (and me) have a spiritual resurrection. May the Easter story have a special meaning to you this year.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Rev. Dr. Evan M. Dolive 