“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.
They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”
Mark 9:31
Look Up
Holy Week Worship Series
In the world’s first week, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The pattern was set. In the world’s greatest week, God redeemed the world in six days. And on the seventh day, the Son of God rested in the tomb, the Sabbath of all Sabbaths.
When you see the suffering of our Savior on your behalf, you may be tempted to look down, hanging your head in shame. You may be tempted to look around at everything disappointing in this world and shake your head. But God encourages you to look up. Your redemption is near!
Palm Sunday | Sunday of the Passion
March 29 | 8:00am Hillsboro | 10:30am Wonewoc
March 30| 7:00pm Wonewoc
Look Up to See Your King
You are going about your daily business. There is a crowd. You are easily distracted by all the activity. It’s a holiday, and there are extra things to prepare. It is easy to focus on your personal task at hand and lose sight of the bigger picture.
Focus! Look up! There is a King who presents himself so humbly that you might miss the importance of his arrival. Hail the King who humbly comes to save us!
Holy Thursday
April 2 | 4:00pm Wonewoc | 6:30pm Hillsboro
Look Up to Get a Glimpse of Heaven
We need to be washed clean in the blood of Jesus. Our own need can distract and overwhelm us with the details of our sin and our guilt. Blood always gets our attention, but it can make us feel queasy and uneasy. Jesus wants to lift our eyes above all that to his marvelous promise of forgiveness. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. The Lord’s Supper gives us a glimpse of the heavenly feast where we will eat of the eternal manna and drink from the river of God’s delights forever.
Good Friday
April 3 | 1:00pm Wonewoc | 6:30pm Hillsboro
Look Up to Find the Source of Salvation
On Good Friday we remember the crucifixion and death of our Lord. The Son of Man was lifted up on the cross to the glory of God and for our salvation. While others see a wounded man, we see the source of eternal salvation. We pray to him with confidence, remembering what he has done for us.
Worship Series | What Difference Does It Make?
April 5—May 24
Life is full of either/or moments. Some of them are of little long-term consequence. I will have either the chicken or the fish. Some of them matter more. I will accept the new job offer or keep my current job. One either/or moment is life-changing for every human being. Either Jesus is still dead, or Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus claimed he would rise from the dead. “The Son of Man must suffer many things . . . be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). So if Jesus remains dead, he is both a failure and a fraud. If Christ has not been raised, we are still in our sin.
But Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! It makes all the difference! He lives! The season of Easter is a 50-day celebration of that fact.
The Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Dawn
April 5 | 6:00am Hillsboro
He Lives to Dry My Tears and Take Away My Fears
I can walk through a cemetery where loved ones are buried. What do I feel? Sadness as I think of their departure? Fear that I will soon join them? Without the resurrection of Jesus, I fear death and I continue to cry.
But he lives, and it makes a difference. Jesus is the resurrection first fruits for the harvest of humanity. Dead is not dead forever. Death is not final at all! My deceased Christian loved ones are not gone forever. I will see them again. Jesus will do what he promised. He dries my tears. He takes away my fears.
The Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Day
April 5 | 8:30am Hillsboro| 10:30am Wonewoc
He Lives to Take Me from Death to Life
Without the resurrection of Jesus, death would appear permanent. No one would have come back from the dead to explain what happens after death. Jesus told his disciples what would happen. But they were slow to believe the Easter truth. God ensured that his people had witnesses to assure that Jesus did not remain dead.
He lives, and it makes a difference! I too shall live. Death has become a pathway into paradise. Jesus has already made me spiritually alive by giving me faith in his resurrection. In every possible way, Jesus takes me from death to life.