Tag: Easter

The Gardener’s Promise

“Her Savior was right there, but grief hid Him. We miss Jesus too, expecting Him to show up in a way WE want, instead of seeing Him in the Word, worship, or answered prayers. Mary saw a gardener, but His name was Jesus.”

Carl Pollard

 I’m no gardener, but I’ve got one story of botanical triumph. In Alabama, I had a fire pit where I burned all sorts of junk—boxes, old couches, mattresses, you name it. One day, I threw in a box of rotten vegetables. Didn’t think much of it. But a few months later, three corn stalks were growing right out of that pit. Shallow roots on a plywood slab, pushing through a metal grate. I didn’t water or tend them, yet they produced nine whole kernels! I ate that corn, somehow didn’t get tetanus, and I’m still amazed. 

Sometimes, where only death is expected, life is found. 

In John 20:11-18 Jesus’ followers expected a dead body but found a living Savior. Mary Magdalene met a “Gardener” who turned her tears into purpose. Christ’s resurrection plants hope in barren places, calling us to share His life with a world in need.

Mary found the tomb empty and wept, thinking someone stole Jesus’ body. She’d stood at the cross (John 19:25), watched Him die, and now even His memory seemed lost. Her tears show what life would be like if Jesus stayed dead—a world without hope. Two angels asked, “Why are you crying?” but grief blinded her to God’s messengers. We do the same, dwelling on broken families or a culture that’s left God, missing what He’s doing. A 2024 Gallup poll says most Americans feel hopeless. If you’re in Christ, the empty tomb is our hope—rejoice in it!

Mary turned and saw Jesus but thought He was the gardener. Gardeners worked tombs early, so it made sense. He asked, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Her Savior was right there, but grief hid Him. We miss Jesus too, expecting Him to show up in a way WE want, instead of seeing Him in the Word, worship, or answered prayers. Mary saw a gardener, but His name was Jesus.

Jesus said, “Mary,” and she knew Him, crying “Rabboni!” (Teacher). All 4 Gospels make women the first resurrection witnesses. This was countercultural, and some rejected their claims (even the apostles). Skeptics like Celsus called Mary “hysterical.” But she was the perfect witness: she followed Jesus, heard His prophecies, watched Him die, and saw Him rise. He spoke her name, like the Good Shepherd (John 10:3), and it shows He knows your name, your pain, and calls you to life as your Great High Priest and Shepherd. 

Jesus told Mary, “Go tell my brothers I’m ascending to my Father and your Father.” His resurrection makes God our Father. Mary ran to share the news. Only 10% of Christians regularly share their faith (Barna, 2021), but 1.6 billion people haven’t heard the gospel. Don’t hold onto safe faith—plant the seed of hope. Where death is expected, life is found. God will bring the increase.

Trust the Savior in barren places—brokenness, doubt, or pain. Jesus plants hope, as He did for Mary (John 16:33). Hear His call to repentance, baptism, or renewed commitment (Acts 22:16). 

Plant hope boldly—share your faith, serve others, invite someone to worship with you. The harvest is ready, and it’s more than nine kernels.

Seven Reasons We Fail To Give Thanks

Brent Pollard

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I can’t help but wonder how many people in the United States will take a moment to thank God. While some reject the day due to its association with Plymouth and the “original Thanksgiving” celebration, the fact remains that all of our presidents have thanked God in their Thanksgiving proclamations. Therefore, I am okay with doing away with the pilgrims as long as we can maintain the day’s significance set forth by historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln. On Thanksgiving Day, we reflect on our blessings, express our gratitude to God, and ask for His continued beneficent providence in our national life. Thus, unlike Easter and Christmas, which carry pagan baggage from the standpoint of their traditions, Thanksgiving is the most Christian of all federal holidays.

Luke records an instance during Christ’s ministry in which He encountered ingratitude on a par with modern America. Only one of the ten lepers He healed returned to thank Christ for what He had done (Luke 17.11–19). Jesus even asked, “Were there not ten cleansed?” (NASB Luke 17.17) People do their best to spin the nine’s actions in a positive light. Emotion overcame the nine, and they longed to return to their previous lives. Besides, they followed Christ’s command to go and show themselves to the priests. And what if the Samaritan only returned because he lacked a priest to whom he could present himself as a foreigner? In any case, Jesus told the Samaritan that his actions had made him “well” (Luke 17.19).

What prevents us from showing gratitude like the Samaritan? Here are seven possible reasons:

We are too busy and distracted. Modern life can be busy and distracting, making it difficult to appreciate the present moment and count blessings.

We can be too materialistic. It can be challenging to be grateful for what one has in consumerist societies because materialism has overtaken the value placed on intangibles like relationships and experiences.

We compare ourselves to others. Due to constant comparison with others and the influence of social media, one may experience feelings of inadequacy or jealousy, which can prevent one from feeling grateful for their life and circumstances.

We may have a negativity bias. People naturally tend to dwell on negative rather than positive things. Instead of focusing on what we have, we will concentrate on what we don’t. That inclination is a negativity bias.

We are on a hedonic treadmill. This phenomenon of becoming accustomed to pleasure is known as hedonic adaptation. In simpler terms, we get used to things emotionally. For example, when I acquire a new and shiny object, it brings me happiness. However, this happiness is short-lived, as I soon become accustomed to it.

Similarly, when something terrible happens, I feel sad but adapt to the change over time, and my happiness levels return to normal. As a side note, we note that God offers us joy, not happiness. Joy is renewed from within, avoiding the hedonic treadmill. Hence, it can even be an implied imperative (see Philippians 4.4).

We forget to be still. This results from failing to heed Psalm 46.10, which says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (KJV). A similar root cause is that people are too preoccupied with their lives to stop and offer thanks. Luke 11.24–26 shows that refraining from one bad behavior is not enough to prevent the substitution of another bad behavior. We need to fill the void by starting something useful. New Agers and Buddhists would call this “practicing mindfulness.”

But Christians do engage in their form of mindfulness as well. A Christian sets aside specific times for quiet reflection, away from the distractions of daily life, rather than sitting in the lotus position and breathing deeply. Christian mindfulness is about creating a space to focus inwardly and become more aware of God’s presence. Praying and reading the Bible are two of the best ways to accomplish this. Those who commit to being still and knowing God will be grateful.

We feel entitled. Individuals may feel entitled in societies where success and happiness are highly valued. This thinking can dull people’s gratitude and lead them to take their blessings for granted. Gifts become their norm rather than providential occurrences (see James 1.17).

As Thanksgiving draws near, we must truly understand what this holiday is all about. It’s not only a time for food and family gatherings but also genuine gratitude. In our busy lives, full of distractions and the pursuit of material comforts, we often forget to give thanks for the simple things. However, this day allows us to break free from these tendencies. It encourages us to step off the hedonic treadmill, put aside our negativity bias and the sense of entitlement that clouds our perception, and instead embrace a spirit of thankfulness. By being still, as suggested in Psalm 46:10, we can truly appreciate the blessings bestowed upon us, recognizing them as gifts from God rather than mere entitlements or passing pleasures. Thanksgiving, at its core, is a day to emulate the gratitude of the Samaritan leper, acknowledging our blessings and expressing our heartfelt thanks to the Divine. In doing so, we honor the tradition set forth by figures like Abraham Lincoln and cultivate a more profound sense of joy and contentment in our lives. So, let this Thanksgiving remind us to pause, reflect, and give thanks with a full heart.

THE PASSOVER LAMB

Neal Pollard

  • Every home needed it (Exodus 12:3-4)
  • It was to be a male (Exodus 12:5)
  • It was to be unblemished (Exodus 12:5)
  • It was to be killed (Exodus 12:6)
  • Its blood was to be applied (Exodus 12:7)
  • Its blood was the difference in life and death (Exodus 12:13,23)
  • Its sacrifice was to be commemorated (Exodus 12:14-22,24-27)
  • Its sacrifice drew reverence and worship from the obedient (Exodus 12:27)

Interestingly, Paul says, “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus, as a faithful Jew, had observed the passover throughout His public ministry (John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55), but He knew that the one recorded in Matthew 26 would be different. He told His disciples, “You know that after two days, the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion” (2). On that Passover, He would be sacrificed for us. Jesus of Nazareth, an unblemished (1 Peter 1:18) male (Mark 8:31; 9:31), was killed (Acts 2:23). His blood is applied (Romans 3:25; 5:9; Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 9:22; 10:19; 12:24; 13:20; Revelation 1:5; 5:9) to the obedient (Hebrews 5:8-9) and is the difference in spiritual life and death (John 6:53-54). As we do every Sunday, this Sunday, which the world recognizes as Easter, we will commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus as part of our weekly worship (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29). 

Jesus was arrested on Thursday, crucified on Friday, lay buried all day Saturday, and arose on Sunday. Today, New Testament Christians commemorate this sacrifice every Sunday. The unleavened bread represents His body, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood. The God of perfect foreknowledge made these “emblems” part of the Passover feast which Israel celebrated the night they left Egypt, and it predated the first covenant (Exodus 20). The physical passover lamb sacrificed by Israel had significance to them in their generation and it was to be handed down to their descendants. But, God was drawing a picture that night that would be completed the moment His Son said “It is finished,” bowed His head, and gave up His spirit (John 19:30).  We celebrate and rejoice because He died, was buried, and rose again! May we never let this sacrifice lose its significance to our past, present, and future. 

12194600_10153259351415922_5422029149569280206_o

Googling Church

Neal Pollard

Despite Seth Stephens-Davidowitz’s fall, 2015, pessimistic forecast in the “Sunday Review” column of the New York Times, where he perhaps wistfully reports Google searches for God down 15% in the first half of this decade and presents data showing Kim Kardashian as at least 10 times more popular than Jesus (if such is gauged by Google searches)(“Googling For God,” 9/15/15), a front-page “USA Snapshot” from last weekend’s USA Today’s front page reveals a different statistic. Google Trends, which has been tracking searches since 2004, says that Google queries for the word “church” peak at Easter and spiked last year at 68% (3/25-3/27, 1A). Looking at Google.com/trends, searches for church in the last seven days spiked in too many categories to list but included “church service” (110% rise), “mass-church” (100%), “churches near me” (90%), and “Catholic Church (near me)” (both 100%).  Good friends of mine who are devout Catholics have referred to such querists and Easter or Christmas-only attendees as “C&Es” (Christmas and Easter), “CEOs (Christmas-Easter Only),” “Chreasters” (Christmas and Easter Christians) and “Submarine Christians” (because they only surface a few times per year). I’m not picking on Catholics, but singling them out since they see the biggest attendance spike and put special emphasis on those holidays as “holy days” with heightened importance over other days of the year.  Protestant denominations experience something similar if on a smaller scale. Many congregations of churches of Christ can attest to a rise in visitors on certain days, whether Easter, Mother’s Day, or Christmas.

While I strongly disapprove of the unpalatable, but predictable, gigging and gauging of those provocateurs with “in your face,” polarizing statements and ensuing debates praising and condemning these religious holidays, I am hard pressed to ignore the hard and anecdotal data. More people come to church services, including our church services, on these days.  While I have preached on the resurrection at Easter and the birth of Christ when Christmas fell on a Sunday (and cannot see how such is wrong) and while I have also preached “educational” sermons about the origin of these holidays and how we celebrate these great truths each Sunday and each day (which I believe is also legitimate), there is a matter of greater importance we must consider.

Yesterday morning, Bear Valley had a big crowd that included several visitors. Mark Hanstein preached on the work of elders. Nothing was said to highlight or downplay the resurrection. There were no awkward speeches about the origin of the Easter holiday and no pageantry to pander to guests. The worship, from the singing to the supplications and the Supper to the sermon and the sacrificing of the salary, was uplifting and encouraging.  As usual.

Every time we assemble to praise God and encourage our fellow Christians, we need to be sensitive to the fact that we are blessed with visitors. If we want to impact and reach those who “come into all the building,” on “special” or “ordinary” days, we need to prove it by doing everything we can to connect with them and take the conversation further. As you warmly greet them and find out more about them, ask them what brought them to church, what questions they might have, what their lunch plans are, if they are members of the church of Christ, and what you might do to be of service to them. Be genuinely interested and prove it with your words, facial expressions, and body language.

Did you know that the top church related search trends include “the church” (up 100%), “Christ church” (up 30%) and “church of Christ” (up 20% and the seventh most popular church related search), according to Google.com/trends? Who knows exactly what that means? But I can tell you what it means when a non-Christian visitor comes to one of our services. They are searching for something bigger than themselves. The real question is, “Are we searching for them?”

google search