Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - May 12, 2023
As you read this I’m on my way back from giving the commencement address at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Chicago. Garrett is one of 13 United Methodist theological seminaries. Today Saint Paul School of Theology, another of the 13, located at Resurrection’s Leawood location, is holding their commencement in the Foundry. Congratulations to graduates of Saint Paul!
THIS WEEKEND IN WORSHIP: WHY THE WORST THING IS NEVER THE LAST THING
This weekend we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day and concluding our sermon series titled Why? God, Suffering and Hope. My message: “Why the Worst Thing is Never the Last Thing”. We often say ‘the worst thing is never the last thing’. But why is this so? And how does God ensure tragedy and suffering do not get the final word? Christianity does not promise a life free from tragedy and suffering. It does proclaim that, in the end, God’s love ultimately prevails – tragedy, suffering, sorrow and pain do not have the final word. This weekend, we’ll look at how this works.
Earlier this week, I interviewed Resurrection Brookside member (long-time Central UMC member) Sally Firestone. She is the most injured survivor of the 1981 Hyatt Regency disaster, the worst disaster in Kansas City history, where 114 people died and 200 were injured. Not expected to live, Sally was left a quadrapalegic. I find her an amazing human being. You’ll hear a bit of my interview with her this weekend.
Last night, I also spoke with Alex Hammel. His wife Natalie died two years ago Sunday. I’ll share a bit of what he told me about how he and his kids have made it through the last two years. In honor of Mother’s Day we’ll also catch a glimpse of Ray Charles’ mother from the 2004 film, Ray. If you don’t know, Ray Charles was listed as #10 on Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest musicians of all time. Blind from the age of 7, he won 18 Grammy’s in rhythm and blues, soul, pop and country. But it was his mom that made this possible.
This weekend we have a small gift for all moms, grandmothers, aunts – any significant woman in your life. And, to all joining us in person at any of our locations, we’ll have a free copy of my book, Why? Making Sense of God’s Will on which this sermon series has been based so that you can read it and share it with a friend. More on that below.
Invite someone to join you in person, online or on TV by sharing service options at resurrection.church/worship.
MOTHER’S DAY THIS WEEKEND
We’ll also celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend. I know for some of you, Mother’s Day is a difficult day. Maybe you’ve lost your mother or you’ve lost a child, or maybe you’re struggling with a broken relationship. Wherever you’re coming from, whatever you’ve been through, I believe this weekend’s message of hope and God’s unconditional love will speak to you. We’ll have a special gift for all women worshipping at our physical locations this weekend.
GET A COPY OF WHY? MAKING SENSE OF GOD’S WILL AT WORSHIP THIS WEEKEND
I wrote Why? Making Sense of God’s Will about 12 years ago to help people who have experienced tragedy or loss who are struggling with their faith. It has since been read by people all over the world, and studied in thousands of churches. We’ll be giving away the book this weekend to those who attend in person at all six of our locations. (Special thanks to Abingdon Press for providing these books at their printing cost. All royalties are waived as well to make it possible for us to do this.) But, we have a limited number of books so we’re asking that you only take one per household and only for people in person.
Our hope is that you will read the book, then share it with a friend. For those who cannot make it in person, the publisher is making the book available as an ebook this weekend only for $5 (it sells for $15). I’ll share with you the code for those who will join on TV or online during worship this weekend. Cokesbury, is going to make the downloadable ebook available Saturday through Monday only for $5 on their website with the promo code WHY5 at checkout.
Additional copies can be ordered from Resurrection’s The Well Bookstore. The Well is currently sold out, but will be receiving a shipment of books next week.
WELCOME TO RESURRECTION’S NEW MEMBERS!
This past Sunday I was honored to welcome 258 new Resurrection members on your behalf. This includes 196 adults and 62 children, with 77 households from Leawood, 19 from Brookside, 5 from West, 8 from Overland Park, 3 from Blue Springs, 9 from Downtown and 12 online. Please take a minute and look through the list of names for people that you know so you can personally welcome them. We’ll also recognize these new members in worship this weekend at each of our locations. Here’s the list.
CHURCH CONFERENCE TUESDAY NIGHT
A Church Conference has been called for this Tuesday, May 16, from 6 – 6:45 pm in Room B251, at Leawood, to vote upon our Staff Parish Relations Committee’s recommendation of church member Deborah Dellinger as a candidate for pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church. We will also vote on the Staff Parish Relations Committee’s recommendation regarding pastoral compensation for the coming year. Voting is limited to members of the church, but anyone may attend. Participants may either be in-person for this event or participate via Zoom. Here’s the Zoom link if you want to join online. For more information, email Dan.Entwistle@cor.org
HONORING GRADUATES MAY 20/21
Next weekend, May 20/21, we will be recognizing our high school and college graduates. We will pray for them and encourage them as they begin this new phase of life. If you are a graduate, we will also have a gift bag for you. Pick up your gift bag in person next weekend. My sermon will include clips from the recent film Jesus Revolution (see article below) and we’ll see how a group of hippies in the 70’s started a Jesus revolution and why our times are ripe for another Jesus revolution today – led by teens and young adults. It will be a meaningful and fun weekend in worship as we celebrate our grads and their families.
RESURRECTION MOVIE NIGHT WEDNESDAY, MAY 17: JESUS REVOLUTION
SERVE SATURDAY MAY 20
Don’t miss the opportunity to serve in the community as part of our monthly Serve Saturday on May 20. There are a variety of times and a few alternative dates to choose from for you, your family, friends and small group. Let us know if the projects offered don’t appeal to you or if you are serving somewhere else so we can create new ones and celebrate your unique experiences! Here’s the link to sign up.
RIVER OF LIGHT ORATORIO IN LEAWOOD SANCTUARY MAY 20, 7 PM
The River of Light Oratorio is an incredible choral and orchestral program dedicated to the stained glass window in the Leawood Sanctuary. If you are in the Kansas City area, this is a very special opportunity to experience an awesome musical performance under the amazing stained glass window that inspired it. The program is in the Leawood Sanctuary (Building A – 5009 W. 137th Street) at 7 pm on Saturday, May 20.
RESURRECTION AND THE ROYALS FAITH NIGHT MAY 27
We have over 700 people already signed up. My family will be there and I hope you’ll come out to join us. Everyone will not be together in one section – instead you can pick out the tickets you want. We’ll have treats available at a tent in the outfield. Our COR Worship Collective will be singing following the game along with player testimonies, and I’m told one of our pastors may be running the bases with Ketchup and Mustard mid-game. I’m still working on my opening pitch. Use this link to order discounted tickets.
Adam Hamilton
Resurrection Senior Pastor
Reverend Adam Hamilton is the senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection and the author of 22 books. He has been married to LaVon since 1982, and she has been a critical partner in every dimension of Adam’s work. They have two daughters and one granddaughter.
Adam’s writings are known for helping readers make sense of challenging theological questions, exploring the significance of the biblical stories, and equipping Christian leaders to be more effective in their work. He earned his MDiv from Perkins School of Theology and graduated with honors from Oral Roberts University with a degree in Pastoral Ministry.
