Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - February 21, 2025

 February 21, 2025

With snow and record-breaking low temperatures in Kansas City this week, I’m grateful for technology that allows us to continue to connect with one another. Here’s the good news – it’s warming up and the weekend will be a great opportunity to get out of the house and worship in person! It’s supposed to be sunny and 52 degrees Sunday, after -8 degrees temperatures early yesterday!

In today’s eNote, I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing the last ten days in preparation for our Lenten sermon series. I’ll also offer a few thoughts about death in the light of two funerals I’ve prepared this week, Alyssa O’Neill’s service which will have taken place early today as you read this note, and Mary Bloom’s service tomorrow. And I’ve got something about the jobs that bring the most satisfaction. Great information for youth, young adults, and anyone contemplating a career change! I’ll also be speaking in Dallas/Richardson on Monday night if you live there or have friends who do!

This weekend, Pastor Robert Johnson will be preaching a powerful message and challenging us to consider the importance of listening as the first duty of love, and how important being heard is for most people. These are keys to loving God and loving others. I’m looking forward to this inspiring message that we all need to hear. He’ll also share some photos from Resurrection’s Civil Rights Tour that he led last year. Invite a friend to worship with you this weekend.

Only one week until our Determined Men’s Conference. Here’s a chance to enjoy food, fellowship, inspiration and fun! You’ll hear from inspiring keynote speakers and a panel of amazing business leaders sharing both leadership principles and life lessons on living through challenges and hardship during the General Sessions. You’ll also get to choose from four different breakout sessions.

I’ll be giving the closing address focused on resilience and living daily with purpose. You only have one week left to register, so click here today. We have a special offer if you bring a friend, their registration is half off with the code HALF.

• Feb. 24 – West (noon-6 pm) and Spring Hill (2-6 pm)
• Feb. 25 – West (8 am-2 pm) and Downtown (2-7 pm)
• Feb. 26 – Brookside (9 am-1 pm)

CIVIL RIGHTS TRIP PANEL DISCUSSION RESCHEDULED FOR FEB. 26

The panel discussion was postponed because of the weather last week. You can now join us Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 6 pm either in the Leawood Foundry or online for a powerful evening of stories and discussion with participants who traveled to historic Civil Rights sites with Pastor Robert Johnson. The panel discussion brings together personal experiences and historical perspectives paired with powerful musical performances that highlight the spirit of the movement. Learn how these landmarks and their history continue to shape our present as panelists share what they discovered at these important sites. The evening creates space for meaningful conversation about the ongoing work of equality and justice. To learn more and register, click here. A community dinner will be available starting at 5:30 pm for a small fee.

“MARCH MADNESS” SERIES KICKS OFF FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Our growing community of young adults meets every Tuesday night at 7 pm at Resurrection Downtown for “The Dwelling,” and coming up in March, they’re starting a new series called March Madness where a lineup of dynamic professional athletes and sports industry leaders help to transform how you think about teamwork – at work, at home and within our KC community. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, you won’t want to miss these powerful stories, fresh perspectives on faith and relationships, and powerful worship. Learn more here.

STUDENT SERVE TRIPS – REGISTER BY MARCH 1 FOR DISCOUNT

We have some exciting serve trips planned for students this summer to places like Little Rock, Arkansas; Asheville, North Carolina; and right here in Kansas City. The 10% early bird discount to register for these serve trips ends March 1. So, if you’re a student who would like to go on a serve trip this summer or you know a student who might be interested, check out the website here and take advantage of the discounted rates before March 1.

LOOKING AHEAD TO LENT AND GUEST SPEAKER JOHN ORTBERG

Lent, the six weeks leading up to Easter officially begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5 this year. We’ll have more information about special services and opportunities during Lent in upcoming eNotes, but I wanted to share one exciting opportunity so you can make plans now to participate.

On Saturday, March 8, we are hosting “A Morning with John Ortberg.” A celebrated author and speaker, John Ortberg will share insights from his brand-new book, Steps. The in-person event at Resurrection Leawood’s Foundry at 9 am includes a delicious breakfast, the opportunity to have your complimentary book personally signed, and full participation in the engaging Q&A session. Or you can also choose to join us online at 9:30 am to experience John’s compelling talk and participate in the Q&A from the comfort of your home. The cost for attending in person is $20 and the cost for attending online is $8. Register for in-person here or online here.

Also, during the season of Lent, I am encouraging everyone to join a study based on Ortberg’s book Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn’t Enough. Starting the week of March 12, classes will be offered at all Resurrection locations, led by our staff members who will guide discussions on developing lasting spiritual practices and authentic life change. As a part of the study, you can also sign up to receive weekly videos that explore and complement each week’s topic. Here’s the link where you can register for this study at any of our Resurrection Locations and Online.

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST: ARE ALL NON-CHRISTIANS GOING TO HELL? 

Every Tuesday we release a new episode of our Making Sense of Faith podcast. This week our topic was, Are All Non-Christians Going to Hell? To watch or listen to my podcast, click here.

LIVE IN THE DALLAS/RICHARDSON, TX AREA? JOIN ME ON MONDAY NIGHT!

This Monday, Feb. 24, at 7 pm I will be speaking at First United Methodist Church in Richardson, TX. I will be sharing a presentation from my book, Wrestling with Doubt: Finding Faith. You can join in person or online. Register by clicking here.

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE? 

I’m grateful our Staff Parish Relations Committee gives me time off each year to read and study in preparation for special sermon series and for writing. I spent a chunk of the last two weeks surrounded by books on theology, particularly the doctrine of the atonement, as I outlined our Lenten sermon series, Why Did Jesus Have to Die? While outlining the sermons, I was also outlining a book on this important topic, exploring a half a dozen theories of the atonement that have been held by Christians over the last two thousand years. The crucifixion of Jesus is at the center of our faith. But how precisely does it save us? Did God need Jesus to die in order to forgive sins? If not, then why did Jesus have to die? Here’s what my desk looked like in my home study most of this last week. It’s been a huge blessing to have time to read, think, pray and write. I’m excited to share this series of sermons with you starting next month.

A FEW THOUGHTS ON DEATH

As you read this eNote I will have just finished officiating a memorial service for an amazing young woman named Alyssa O’Neill, wife of one of our staff, Sean O’Neill. Tomorrow I’ll officiate at the celebration of life for Mary Bloom, one of our long-time members and pillars in our congregation.

I was struck once more by the difference faith makes in the life of those who are facing death, and in their families. Aly was in her thirties and battled cancer. But what stood out to me was her, and her family’s faith. They did not believe God caused this cancer, but they did yearn for God to use her battle with cancer for good. They faced Aly’s death with hope and found joy in the midst of this battle. People’s lives were and still are being positively impacted by how Sean and Aly faced this journey.

The same was true with Mary Bloom. She was in her 80’s and for over 30 years had been an active part of our congregation. She’d served as a Congregational Care Minister. She’d been involved in Bible Studies, women’s circles, and the small group I was a part of for years. She knew the end was near, and she was ready to go, something she told Chuck shortly before she passed. But she was also, to the end, seeking to care for those around her. She left an indelible mark on so many people’s lives, including my own. We’ll celebrate her life tomorrow at 1 pm in the Wesley Chapel.

In both women, I saw the difference faith in Christ makes in the face of death. Each will be missed terribly. Both have joined all “the saints who from their labors rest.” And each approached their death with hope.

I love those lines in the opening prayer of the United Methodist Service of Death and Resurrection: “O God, Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in you.”