Zion Blog

Beauty For Ashes

This is what I read to my kids on Sunday morning. It has now become the theme of what is running through my head every time I think of the church:

Isaiah 61

1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,

3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities…

This is the gospel (in fact this is one of the first passages that Jesus chose to read in the synagogue)and now it is a promise for us: God will give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

And we shall rebuild the old ruins…

Blessings,

Jeff Downing

Posted on June 13, 2007.

A Word From Stu

Friends of Zion,

As most of you know by now the Zion building at 9th and D was consumed by flames early this morning. The building is a total loss, but Zion remains strong and steadfast, ready to follow her Savior.

Sunday service will be held June 10 at 12 noon at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 12th and M Streets (downtown). We are deeply grateful for their kind offer of assistance! We have been receiving many such offers and can be truly grateful for the Body of Christ in Lincoln. Their hearts are truly with us.

As she looked on the smoldering building Verna Damm noted that it was really “hard to see the church in such disrepair.” Then without skipping a beat she reminded us that “Jesus is still on the throne.” It is right to grieve over the memories lost; the baptisms, the weddings, the funerals, and the fellowship hold special memories for us all. But what is most important cannot be taken away. We believe in an Almighty God and a powerful gospel of grace. God’s purpose for us has not changed at all. We are called to be transformed by Grace and poured out for others. He will be glorified. What is important will remain, what is not must be left behind.

Pastor Tobey reminded us this morning that the most horrific event in history, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, was the turning point of history and the key to our salvation. God is not caught off guard by tragedy, He plans it. And He will use it for His glory and our good, burning away the dross and forming the character of Christ in us.

Pray that:
* Jesus would be honored in all we say and do.
* we would be attentive to God’s leading, and ready to follow.
* the two firefighters who were injured putting out the fire would be healed.
* we would be even more focused on our mission to proclaim and live out the gospel of Grace.
* that Jesus would use our tragedy to draw together the body of Christ in Lincoln.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Stu Kerns

Posted on June 09, 2007.

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