Changed Lives As Living Proof

The late Pinchas Lapide was a Jewish scholar of the Christian New Testament. He wrote a book titled The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective and in it, makes a great point about the resurrection of Christ. He wrote:

"When this scared, frightened band of the apostles which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation (p.125)."

Could it be that the fact of the disciples’ great transformation is some measure of proof that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead as they claimed? Jesus, of course, promises that through the means of the Holy Spirit, the risen Christ is with us today. If we are to look for where the risen Christ is meeting us, it is in the way that our lives are changed because of the trust we have in God. How would your life be different if you couldn’t trust God and put your faith in Christ?

Like Thomas in our Gospel this week, I often have doubts about God and God’s revelation through Christ. Some days the story seems too implausible or complicated. I, too, am not always able to trust that God is present in my life or that I am truly forgiven. However, in the moments when I let go and trust God with my life, I am indeed different. I have less fear and more love to give. I am a more generous and compassionate person. The fruits of faith are many, what are some of the ways that faith in Christ has changed your life?

May the risen Christ meet you in your doubts and fears. May the risen Christ bring about changes in your life that help you to serve your neighbor and lift them up. May Christ lead you to put your trust in God with great hope for the future.

God’s peace!

Pastor Joel

I am excited to announce that our online giving solution, Tithe.ly, has been rolled out. Tithe.ly is a safe platform that helps churches simplify the online donation process. There's even an app that can be downloaded to your phone to make giving even simpler, and you can choose to make a one-time donation, or setup a recurring donation and let the program take care of that for you-no hassle!

One point of note is that we do get charged a per-donation fee to use this service and that will be taken out of the amount you donate. There is an option available for you to cover those fees if you are feeling so inclined. If you do not want to cover the fees, make sure the "Cover Fees" box is unchecked on the donation screen.

Click the Donate Now button below to give the online donation option a try. And if you'd like to download the app, you can click here to get more information for your type of phone. Our website also now has a Give option on the menu at www.oursaviourbham.org, and moving forward the Donate Now button will always be included at the bottom of this newsletter. Please let me know if you have an questions. 

Cheers,
Rebecca

Worship Service

Sundays at 10:30 am