Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - March 22, 2024

Dear Resurrection Family,

This is going to be a HUGE and deeply meaningful weekend (and week) at Resurrection!!! Tomorrow, we expect thousands of children across Kansas City at each of our locations to join us for our Easter Egg-Venture! See more below. Then we move into Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday in worship – one of the most moving weekends in worship all year. And then into Holy Week activities, climaxing in Easter. Be sure to read all the way to the end as I’ve got an important update at the end.

THIS WEEKEND IN WORSHIP: THE MEANING OF THE CROSS

This weekend in the Christian Church is both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. We’ll begin, in most services, with children carrying their palm branches in the palm procession as we sing the Hosannas, remembering Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as the people waved their branches and shouted Hosanna! Halfway through the service, our focus will shift, and we’ll turn to the crucifixion of Jesus.

A friend once said to me, “I believe Jesus died for us, and I accept this, but I don’t understand it. Why did he need to die?” Even the most brilliant of theologians occasionally struggle with how to express the significance of Jesus’ death.

My message will start there, and then look to see what Paul said about the crucifixion of Jesus. I re-read most of Paul’s letters this week studying each passage in which he talked about the crucifixion, or Jesus’ death, or the cross, to see what he said about this. Paul draws upon seven or eight different metaphors in describing the power and impact of the crucifixion. I’ll share these with you, as well as a little debate among Christians about how we look at what precisely Jesus was doing to atone for our sins, and then I’ll end by sharing with you my visit to Wayside Waifs animal shelter this week, and what that had to do with the crucifixion.

The service will end a bit differently in each location. At Leawood, in the sanctuary, we’ll slowly extinguish the lights in the room, extinguish the Christ candle we lit on Christmas Eve, shrouding it until Easter morning, and leave the room in silence as we mark the death of Jesus.

Don’t miss this moving weekend of worship, and if you live in KC, I’d like to encourage you to come out in person if you can.

EASTER EGG-VENTURES SATURDAY

Bring your family, friends and neighbors to this family-friendly, FREE community event at all of our locations on Saturday, March 23. Details here.

• 10 am – noon at Resurrection Leawood, Overland Park, and Brookside locations
• 10 am – noon at the National WWI Museum hosted by Resurrection Downtown
• 2 – 4 pm at Resurrection West and Blue Springs locations

WHO ARE YOU INVITING TO EASTER?

We all need hope. The message of Easter is a message of hope – love conquered hate, light vanquished the darkness, and life defeated death as Christ rose from the grave. This year’s Easter services at Resurrection will include inspiring music and a hope-filled message. You likely know people who don’t have a church family, and who need Easter’s hope.

You may want to post our 60-second Easter TV spot on social media, and a link to all our Easter times and locations. You can do this by clicking here.

HOLY WEEK EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

• PRAYER WALKS
  Experience Holy Week with a prayer walk at Resurrection Overland Park (8412 W. 95th) on Wed., March 27, between 10 am and 7 pm. Take time to reflect and pray as you visit different stations throughout the Worship Space anytime between 10 am and 7 pm.
• The Leawood Prayer Walk (south of the Sanctuary) is open every day from dawn to dusk. This sacred space was created to help you step away from the demands and distractions of life and spend time connecting with God through listening, prayer and reflection. The path is about one-third of a mile or the same distance as the Via Dolorosa—the path Jesus walked from Pilate’s court to the cross. The scripture, natural surroundings and art encountered at each station follow the mission and ministry of Christ. You can access a prayer walk audio guide here.

MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICES

“Maundy” comes from the word “mandate,” reflecting Christ’s commandment to love one another. We will gather for worship at all of our locations on Thursday, March 28, to remember the final hours of Jesus’ life together. Each service is slightly different, click on the location for details.

• 6 pm potluck dinner, 7 pm service at Downtown
• 7 pm at West, Brookside, Overland Park, Blue Springs
• 7 pm March 28 and 29, Leawood Foundry – Christ’s Passion, His Final Hours is a special service to remember the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday through a worship service featuring a moving dramatic reenactment of Jesus’ final hours. The same service will be held on both nights, and the Friday night service will be online.

GOOD FRIDAY PRAYER VIGIL

This Good Friday, March 29, we invite you to join us for a special moment of reflection at 3 pm, the hour Jesus is believed to have breathed his last on the cross. No matter where you are, we invite you to pause, pray, and prepare your heart for the sacred weekend ahead. If you’d like guidance for your prayer, a helpful guide is available here.

EASTER WORSHIP AT ALL LOCATIONS, ONLINE AND TELEVISION

As you make your Easter plans, if Resurrection is your church home I want to encourage you to consider worshipping at either a Saturday service or a 7 am Sunday sunrise service if it works for you. We anticipate that many people will worship this weekend, some for the very first time, and we want to be able to welcome them and share this Easter message of hope.

Leawood

• March 30 – 10 am (Children’s Interactive Service); 5 pm
• March 31 – 7 am, 9 am and 11 am

West

• March 30 – 3 and 5 pm (Children’s Interactive Services)
• March 31 – 7, 9 and 11 am

Downtown

• March 31 – 9 and 11 am at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts,
  1601 Broadway, KCMO

Blue Springs

• March 31 – 7, 9 and 11 am

Overland Park

• March 30 – 10 am (Children’s Interactive Service)
  March 31 – 9 and 11 am

Brookside

• March 30 – 10 am (Children’s Interactive Service)
• March 31 – 7, 9 and 11 am

Online

• March 30 – 10 am and 5 pm
• March 31 – 7, 9 and 11 am

Television

• March 31
  • KMCI – 8 and 11 am
  • KSMO – 9 am
  • Fox – 10 am

DEADLINE FOR MISSION TRIPS THIS WEDNESDAY

We still have some openings for our 2024 global serve trips, but you need to act quickly because registration closes on Wednesday, March 27. We have trips coming up to South Africa (June 7 -17), Uganda (July 4-14), Columbus, OH (July 23-28), and Costa Rica (July 28-Aug. 3). Learn more and sign up here.

NEW BIBLE STUDY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN APRIL

We have a brand-new Bible study beginning April 9 for college students. This three-week study dives deep into Christianity’s toughest questions, fostering meaningful discussions and a supportive community. The class starts at 7 pm and is offered at Resurrection Leawood and online. There’s a free pizza dinner at 6:30 pm for those who attend in person. So, if you’re a college student seeking to grow in your faith or you know of a college student who might be interested, we encourage you to find out more and register here.

RESURRECTION WESLEY/METHODIST HERITAGE CRUISE TO THE BRITISH ISLES

Just a quick update: we’re finalizing the details of the Wesley Heritage Cruise for August 2025. We have over 300 people who are interested in going. We’ll likely be joined by another 300 United Methodists from other churches across the U.S. I’ll be teaching some of the lectures, and we’ll have a Wesley historian and others sharing in the lectures. We’ll spend two nights on land, and the rest by ship cruising around the British Isles. For five days we will visit important Wesley and early Methodist sites, the rest will be visiting interesting places in England, Scotland, Ireland and Whales. Once we have the final information and sign-up links, we’ll send them out to all who are on the list who have expressed interest. If you would like to be on that list or to find out more about price and dates, please click here.

RESURRECTION DOWNTOWN – ROYALS UPDATE

We have had multiple meetings with the Royals leadership in the last two weeks. We’ve had proposals that have gone back and forth and several late nights this week. We’ve yet to reach an agreement. We’ve gotten closer, but we are still some distance apart. We’ll have further conversations over the weekend. I know many of you are anxious to hear about the results of these negotiations, particularly those who live in Missouri who will be voting, and even more so those who are a part of Resurrection Downtown. I will send a special e-mail out next Wednesday with what I hope is our final update.

I am aware, as many of you are, that the Royals acquisition of our downtown locations would be painful emotionally as we invested a lot into our current sites. We would have to move to a temporary location (not easy with a congregation the size of Resurrection Downtown and all of our programs). We will lose visibility, momentum and possibly people during our move to temporary quarters, and it will require a lot of work to rebuild. We are committed to being in the Crossroads and serving our community downtown. Our hope is to come to an agreement that furthers our ministry and is a win for Resurrection Downtown. I believe that John Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the Royals, through our many talks will keep to his continued assurance that we will be made better because of this. Look for a note from me on Wednesday. I’m grateful for our team negotiating on this including, Scott Chrostek, Anne Williams, Dan Entwistle, some expert lawyers in the field, myself and others who have helped. Please continue to pray for these efforts. I am cautiously hopeful.

VESPERS THIS TUESDAY

I’ll be back live this Tuesday night for Tuesday vespers, sharing a few reflections on faith and life, particularly related to fear. Join me at 7:30 pm central time on Facebook Live.

GENERAL CONFERENCE WEBINAR APRIL 9

The United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy and Friends is sponsoring a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, April 9, at 6 pm Central Time and I have been asked to be one of the keynote speakers, along with Bishop Karen Oliveto for the Mountain Sky Conference. The conversations will be focused on the topic: “The Resurrection of an Inclusive Church: United Methodism’s Upcoming General Conference.” This webinar will be in lieu of my Tuesday night Vespers, and anyone interested is welcome to join. You can register here.

 

Join me for a great weekend with our Easter Egg-Venture and Palm Sunday!

Adam