SERMON NOTES
NEWS & EVENTS
CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED Christianity Explored is a course that goes through the basics of Christianity. Each week there will be a short video and time to discuss questions that arise from it. We will discuss what life is about, who is Jesus, and the questions you bring. To participate, you don’t need to know anything about the Bible and you won’t be asked to sing or pray. We will be running the course if people show interest. If you would like to attend Christianity Explored or would like to bring a friend who is interested please contact us at email staff@sjvan.org. RATANAK INTERNATIONAL | EMERALD GALA ON APRIL 7 On Saturday, April 7 Ratanak will be hosting their third annual Emerald Gala: an evening to benefit survivors of human trafficking and exploitation in Cambodia. There will be an elegant 3-course dinner and an opportunity to hear from Brian McConaghy, Ratanak’s founder. He will share about exciting new projects and the impact of vulnerable lives transformed. Tickets are $125, 4 for $460, or a table of 8 for $800. To learn more and for tickets visit: ratanak.org/gala HEALTHY EATING WHILE SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMERS If you’re wanting to be intimately connected to where your food comes from and want to know your farmers, consider joining A Rocha’s Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program. CSA is a weekly veggie box program. All the veggies that go into each box are harvested fresh from A Rocha Farm in South Surrey, BC. CSA members commit to the 20-week season by pre-paying for their share. The farm in turn commits to growing the best and healthiest veggies possible. CSA is about a personal relationship between farmers and eaters. It is an intimate connection between local farmland and your table. Our season runs from June to October with two sizes of shares to choose from. Boxes can be picked up weekly at the farm or from locations in Burnaby, Coquitlam, Fort Langley, Kitsilano, and East Vancouver. To learn more and sign up for the 2018 season visit: www.arocha.ca/csa or email csa@arocha.ca
TUESDAY MEN’S BIBLE STUDY | 7:30-9:00 PM We will be starting a new term on April 3. The study will follow the new sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew. All men are welcome to join this series of studies that will go until June 12. Please register online at sjvan.org/men LIGHTHOUSE HARBOUR MINISTRIES SPRING LUNCHEON 2018 Join Lighthouse for their Spring Luncheon on Saturday, April 28 at 12:00 pm (Glad Tidings Church 3456 Fraser St). To reserve a spot, email info@sealight.org or call Paul at 604-988-5084.
VIENNESE MASTERS | HAYDN, SCHUBERT, MOZART The choirs of Capilano University will perform the Lord Nelson Mass (Missa Augustiis, Mass in Troubled Times) by Haydn, the Mass in C major by Schubert and the Regina Coeli by Mozart. The concert will be performed on Saturday, April 7 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, April 8 at 3:00 pm. For more information and tickets visit capilanou.ca/centre or call 604-990-7810.
LEARNERS’ EXCHANGE Every Sunday in the Cafe Room at 9:00 am, Learners’ Exchange offers stimulating speakers and engaging discussions. Apr 8: Ven. Dan Gifford Billy Graham and the Anglican Church Apr 15: Joseph Jones Colin Woodard’s American Nations (2011): Insights into North American Christianity
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 1 7:30 AM Holy Communion 9:00 AM Holy Communion 10:30 AM Prayer for People in Authority (Room 123) 11:00 AM Junior Youth (Grades 7-9) 11:00 AM Holy Communion 6:00 PM Holy Communion TUESDAY, APRIL 3 7:30 PM Men’s Bible Study WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4
JOURNEY 101 Journey Canada is offering a six-session course, Journey 101, beginning on April 29. It will help participants identify their issues and look at some of the realities of the healing journey. For more information visit journeycanada.org.
7:20 AM Men’s Bible Study 6:30 PM Ekklesia (18-to-20 somethings) | 5375 University Blvd. FRIDAY, APRIL 6 10:00 AM ESL Bible/Book Club & Conversation Group 6:00 PM Youth Group (Grades 7-12) SUNDAY, APRIL 8 7:30 AM Holy Communion (Matthew 1:1-17) 9:00 AM Learner’s Exchange (Room 220) 9:00 AM Morning Prayer (Matthew 1:1-17) 10:30 AM Prayer for People in Authority (Room 123) 11:00 AM Junior Youth (Grades 7-9) 11:00 AM Morning Prayer (Matthew 1:1-17) 6:00 PM Evening Service (Matthew 1:1-17) Learn more at sjvan.org/calendar & sjvan.org/events
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! These are familiar words on a familiar holiday.
Many of us are familiar with the story of Easter: Jesus Christ was crucified on a Roman cross and buried in a Jewish tomb. Three days later the tomb was found empty, and Jesus appeared to hundreds of people with all the personality and physicality of a human body. The impossible happened! Flesh and bones had risen from the grave. Jesus is alive and active. This is the story of Easter. Some debate it. Some doubt it. Some deny it. Some delight in it. Yet precisely because we are so familiar with the facts of the story, we can easily overlook the meaning of the story. “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” So what? Why is this important? What difference does it make for you and me, for our children, for the world?
If Christ is risen, then... • death has been defeated. Life, not death, will have the last word. •e vil, violence and injustice have a shelf-life. The risen Christ will conquer all the forces of evil, and justice will reign from sea to shining sea. •h e really is God. His audacious claims are true. •h e is the true King of the world. He has all authority over all people and all things. •h e has the power to make a new world. He will not destroy this world, but lovingly refine, rejuvenate, and restore it. •h e is worthy of all our devotion and admiration. Every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. •b elieving in him is life-giving and life-changing. He is life! He loves life and has come to give eternal life. •w e can dare to hope. One day there will be no more mourning, crying, or pain. •w e too will be raised. We will receive bodies just like his – imperishable, immortal, and glorious. “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” Thanks be to God!
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