Today’s message is inspired in part by the new movie HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, based on the well known book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. Todd is Pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska. He is the father of Colton Burpo, who during an emergency appendectomy and miraculous recovery, recalls in detail his trip to heaven and back. Colton, not yet four years old, told his parents he left his body during the surgery and authenticated that claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital during his operation. Colton talked of visiting heaven and relayed stories told him by people he met there—people whom he had never met in his life—sharing events that happened even before he was born and giving astonishing descriptions and obscure details about heaven that match the Bible exactly. When young Colton Burpo was asked by the book editor, “What do you want people to know from your story?” Colton,

We live in a world that is obsessed with being "special." Everyone wants to stand out, and rise above others. We want to wear clothes that are better than what others are wearing, and we want to achieve success that outshines the rest. But how can everyone be special? And who is truly special? Actually, the Bible does talk about being special ... but not in terms that you might suspect. We're told that we're special, not by what we achieve, but by who we are and how we live. Today we'll hear Jesus

All people have a past! Sometimes that past is something they’re not proud of. They want to change it, but it seems to call them – either in an attempt to avoiding changing their ways, or to fill them with guilt and shame. Truly, all of us have things in our past we wish to free ourselves from to some degree or another. It started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil; and God banished them from the Garden – into a world full of toil and pain. And today, in the midst of a world full of hurt and regret, God says, “you can leave your past and start fresh and new with me!” Come to Him. He never left you. Your past does not define you. Rather, your

The movie Alone Yet Not Alone opened in theaters last Sunday. It is based on the true story taken of Barbara and Regina Leininger, daughters of German-Lutheran immigrants, who, in 1755, were taken captive by the Delaware tribe during the Seven Years (French & Indian) War. Barbara and three others made a daring escape, while Regina stayed as a captive until the end of the war in 1765. The family reunited with Regina with the help of their pastor, Henry Muhlenberg, often regarded as the father of American Lutheranism. At its core, the film is a moving reminder of the foundational

Today we hearken back to Palm Sunday. We recognize that when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding that donkey, He was fulfilling prophecies of the Messiah from long ago. Both prophets Jeremiah and Zechariah, among others, speak of the "Kingly" reign of Jesus. Prophecies often have both "near" and "far" fulfillments. On Palm Sunday, the people were proclaiming Jesus as their King. Even Pilate placed a sign over Jesus' head on the cross which named Him as "King of the Jews" ("INRI" in Latin). This was a "near" fulfillment of the prophecies. However, we still await the "far" fulfillment of these prophecies. Those days are still coming (Jer. 23:5) when Jesus will return. Every eye will see Him, every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will profess Him as Lord and King! Until that Day, we

You've heard, "don't judge a book by its cover." Thankfully, Jesus doesn't see in us just what's on the outside. In fact, in His ministry, Jesus showed a startling - even scandalous - affection for the broken, the lowly, the sinful, and the struggling. Often Jesus endured scorn and ridicule for associating with people that most of us would have considered "undesirable." Even those in Jesus' inner circle of disciples, such as Matthew - a tax collector, were not held in high esteem. You and I often think more highly of ourselves than we ought. When we are honest, we should be grateful and humbled that Jesus, the Son of God, would call us -

“Christ is risen!” And, say the apostles, “so are you!” Though we with all believers who have gone before us still await the great Day of the resurrection of all at the return of the Lord, His resurrection seals our faith and confidence today that because He is, “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Our celebration this day is reflected every Sunday throughout the year. The first day of the week is the day of resurrection. By the power Christ’s resurrection you and I are promised to live forever! Let us celebrate with the women who first visited the empty tomb with that strange combination of joy and fear, which is faith in the power of resurrection, and faith in the power of God!