We apologize if this is a duplicate email. Recent firewall maintenance may have resulted in subscribers not receiving some stories, which we are resending.
View this story and photos online at http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07262.htm [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kx4qu4bab.0.hvtnu4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0242&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2Fpcnews%2F2007%2F07262.htm].
07262 May 4, 2007
Whole lot of Easter shaking going on
PC(USA) moderator urges Filipino worshippers to be moved by God by Evan Silverstein
MANILA -The Rev. Joan S. Gray, moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s 217th General Assembly, challenged Filipino Christians during a recent visit here to allow themselves to be "moved and shaken" in unexpected ways by the power of God. The Atlanta pastor delivered the message during two sermons on Easter Sunday (April 8), including one at an outdoor sunrise service at a park here, the Philippines capital city.
In the sunrise sermon, "Living in an Earthquake Zone," which Gray started at 6:20 a.m., she said God does unexpected things and "loves to shake up our lives and our world" such as with the resurrection of Christ.
"The truth is that absolutely no one expected Jesus of Nazareth to rise from the grave," Gray said. "The women didn't expect it. They went to the tomb in the darkness of early morning to take care of his dead body. The disciples didn't expect it. They didn't go to the tomb at all."
The moderator said we are living in an "earthquake zone" today because the God we meet on Easter morning, "who shook the earth and rolled the stone away," is still alive and well and shaking things up today.
"The gospel tells that on the third day God almighty sent an earthquake to shake the ground and move the stones away from the tomb," Gray said. "And nobody expected it. God sent that earthquake and released Jesus from the power of death and he has been alive in the world moving and shaking ever since."
She said the Easter message is one of comfort and hope for life eternal and a challenging message about a God who does unexpected things and "loves to shake up our lives and our world."
Gray told the overflow crowd at the sunrise service, which jammed a large open-air amphitheatre, that the Easter message is also a challenge to get in line with God's agenda. To get in line with what God is doing in the world today.
"We are confronted with a God who is alive in the world today," she said. "This God calls us, me and you, and says, 'Are you willing to be moved and shaken? Are you willing to be used to do God's will in this world? Are you willing to follow him where his feet may go? Are you willing in the light of Easter morning to follow the risen Christ here?"
Gray's April 5-9 trip to the Southeast Asian island nation was part of her first visit to overseas church partners, which also included stops in South Korea and Japan.
Prior to her sermon, a Methodist church choir belted out hymns, a Salvation Army brass band played church music, and tambourine-wielding youth danced on a large stage with a banner that proclaimed "Christ Is Risen."
When she took the podium, Gray brought greetings from the PC(USA)'s 11,000-plus congregations and "all the people in our church who know and care about the Philippines."
Gray, who was elected at last summer's General Assembly in Birmingham, AL, traveled to the Philippines with her husband Bill and the Rev. Insik Kim, the PC(USA)'s coordinator for East Asia and the Pacific.
She told those attending the event, which was sponsored by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, that she has "been here listening and learning and also seeing the beauties of your country. We have been warmly received and I thank you for your hospitality."
Later at an Easter service at Ellinwood Malate Church, a congregation in Manila affiliated with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, parishioners filled the sanctuary to its rafters with others forced to view the proceedings from the sidewalk outside.
"It is only in the light of Easter morning that we can see God most fully revealed," Gray said at the Ellinwood church. "We see a God who suffers with us and for us. We see a God who pours out his blood for love among us. We see a God who loves us so much that he stretched out his arm and died. It is only in the light of Easter morning that we can see who Jesus truly was."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.pcusa.org/ [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kx4qu4bab.0.ivtnu4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0242&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2F]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101645285498&ea=wfn-editors@wfn.org&a=1101647085290
This email was sent to wfn-editors@wfn.org, by newsservice@ctr.pcusa.org
Update Profile/Email Address
Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
Privacy Policy:
http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp
Email Marketing by Constant Contact(R) www.constantcontact.com
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 100 Witherspoon Street | Louisville | KY | 40202