“The End of Me” - Easter Sunday Family Worship Service –

Jesus, the Son of God
[Scripture Reading from the Beginner’s Bible]
He’s still risen today! What has Jesus’ resurrection to do with us? Why does that matter to us? The Apostle John tells us the story of Jesus’ resurrection, and then he says like this: “These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it”(Jn 20:31, MSG). Who is Jesus? He is the Christ, the Son of God. When we say, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God,” that confession of faith must include three statements of truth.

Jesus Has Died
First, Jesus has died. I want to explain the meaning of Jesus’ death through one beautiful true love story. This is a story about five American missionaries and their families. Their story became a movie, titled, “End of the Spear.” They attempted to evangelize Waodani people of the jungle of Ecuador. The Waodani tribe was famed for their cruelty. They used to spear not only other tribes, but also their own tribe members. They were slaves to superstition and vicious circle of revenge. In 1956, the five missionaries found and contacted this tribe. They learned simple Waodani words, such as “We are your friends.” Eventually, all five missionaries were speared by the tribe warriors. Although they had guns in their hands, they did not use them. Instead, while they were dying, they said to them, “We are your friends.” After this, even more amazing thing happened. The wives and children of the missionaries decided to go and live with the Waodani people. And the tribe people asked them, “Why didn’t your husbands use guns?” The wives answered, “They tried to tell you the story of Jesus. He was abused, but he did not retaliate. He suffered, but he did not threaten, because he wanted to show you that there is a new way of life.” One by one the Waodani people began to experience transformation of life in Chirst. Jesus lay down his life for us because he wanted to show us there is a new way of life, because he wanted to set us free from our fear of death, superstition, and vicious circle of life. By his death, Jesus gave us new life, new hope, and new us!

Jesus Rose Again
Secondly, Jesus rose again from the dead. Why is this important? By his death Jesus gave us new life. By his resurrection, Jesus gave us power to live a new life. On the night Jesus was arrested, his disciples were all troubled. But Jesus said to them, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you… When, he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:7, 13a). In his book Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan tells us this truth in a creative way. In the story, the main character, “Christian,” saw an unquenchable fire against a wall. And he also saw a man clothed in black standing by and continually pouring water upon it, but the fire only burned brighter and hotter. And then the guide took Christian behind the wall to show him the reason for that. Here Christian saw another man with a vessel in his hand continually pouring oil upon the fire. Christian asked, “What does this mean?” The guide said, “This is Christ. He pours the oil of his grace to his children continually. So, the devil’s power cannot quench the fire in their heart.” We may be tempted, fall, and even shrink back sometimes, but we need to remember this. Risen Christ is still within us through his Spirit. He is greater than the one who is in the world! (1 Jn 4:4) So now, we have power to overcome our old selves and temptations. We have power to overcome evil with good. We have power to do what is right. We have power to live like Jesus lived. There is life-changing power in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Will Come Again
The last and but not least statement of truth is this: Jesus will come again. Are you excited about his second coming, or are you afraid of it? Are you ready to meet Jesus, or do you need more time? Jesus said, “Surely, I am coming soon!” (Rev. 22:20) This promise opens our eyes to realize that this life isn’t everything. This promise helps us look heavenward and live for eternity. In Korean church history, there was a time when Christians were severely persecuted by Japanese for half a century. At that time, Pastor Gil was one of the spiritual leaders of the Korean church. What kept him going was the promise of Jesus’ second coming. In particular, he read the Book of Revelation more than 10,000 times and memorized the whole book. Because of the promise of Jesus’ second coming and final victory, he was able to endure persecution. He realized that “he fights from victory, not for victory.” So he didn’t just barely endured trials and tribulations, but under his leadership the Korean church flourished and experienced the great revival. Jesus’ second coming gives us reason to endure. His second coming gives us reason to live the day. Yes, Jesus is coming soon. Maranatha! Amen. Come, Lord, Jesus!

Remember Your Baptism
This morning I prepared a baptismal bowl as a reminder. By baptism we (our old-self) died and were buried with Christ. And just as Christ was raised from the dead, now we live a new life by the power of His Spirit. We, Christians, are the people who already had a funeral for our old-self and live as a new creation.

Today is a perfect day to reaffirm our faith in Christ as a church, as his body, as his bride. Today we will take a moment to officially welcome our new members into this church. But this is not just a time for the new members, but it is a time for all of us here in this room to remember our baptism and to renew, reaffirm our faith in Christ. Let us be fully present and part of this celebration. Now I will present the candidates for new members... 

“King of Humility” (Phil 2:5-11) - Palm/Passion Sunday -

A King on a Donkey?

About 2000 years ago, the people of Israel took palm branches and went out to meet their king. This morning I want to show you two pictures. One is Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the other is Alexander’s entry into Babylon. Both of them are the pictures of the triumphal entry, but the atmosphere is different. The victor Alexander wears a crown, holds the gold scepter, and rides on a chariot. He is surrounded by his soldiers carrying the spoils of war and also by numerous captives. This is a typical image of the triumphal entry at that time. In fact, Alexander did enter in solemn triumph in Jerusalem three centuries earlier. And now Jesus enters Jerusalem. He rides a donkey instead of a chariot or a horse. This is a very rare and unusual case.

The Lion and the Lamb

Then, you may ask, “Why did Jesus ride a donkey?” There is a profound reason why he did that. He did this to fulfill the prophecy of the Scriptures. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey!” (NRSV) Jesus’ triumphal entry shows us two paradoxical images: “the image of the king” and “the image of the servant.” Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah, and at the same time, he is the Lamb of God. In Revelation 5 while John was weeping because no one was worthy to open the scroll, one elder said to John, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” But then, John saw a strange thing. He saw a Lamb, not a Lion, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne. This slain Lamb clearly refers to Jesus. In other words, this passage shows how the Almighty King Jesus conquered his kingdom. Jesus saved his people by his suffering and death. In Revelation 5:9, the four living creatures and the 24 elders began to sing a new song, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men of God from every tribe and language and people and nation!” Jesus Christ is the suffering Servant, and the crucified King.

The Power of Sacrificial Love

Then, our next question would be this: “Why does Jesus save us by his suffering and death? Why not by his almighty power?” When the people came to arrest Jesus, Peter struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Jesus said to Peter, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mt 26:53) But, he chose to be arrested. He chose to be mocked, beaten, tortured, and crucified. Why? Because he so loved us! Because he knew our hearts are transformed not by power or might, but only by sacrificial love. We know the result of the Crusades. The gospel did not spread by the Crusades. Instead, the gospel has been spreading by the blood of the martyrs. Probably, many of you have been to Niagara Falls.  All of us are moved to admiration by its beauty. Where does that beauty come from? The beauty of Niagara Falls comes from 50 yard head of water. The taller and higher the waterfall is, the more beautiful it is. In Philippines 2, Paul praises the beauty of Jesus’ sacrificial love: Jesus is God himself, but he gave up his divine privilege and left his heavenly throne. He became human, and even among men he became a slave of all and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place, that every tribe and nation would come back to him, worship him, and confess Jesus Christ is Lord! (cf. Psalm 22:27-28)

How Did Jesus Draw Everyone to Him?

After his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus proclaimed how he would draw all people to himself. He said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). He confirmed that he, the Lion of Judah, must be slaughtered as the paschal Lamb to attract everyone to him and gather them around him. After he entered Jerusalem, the first thing he did was to enter the temple. He cleansed the temple. And the Jews asked him to show miraculous signs to prove his authority. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Bible says that the temple he had spoken of was his own body. He did not condemn his opponents. He did not use his power to destroy them. Instead, he destroyed his body to save them. His greatest weapon was love, not sword. There is no weapon greater than the love of Christ. When he was abused, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (1Pt 2:23). His authority was not from his miraculous signs, but from his sacrificial love. By his great love Jesus has won our hearts and drew all of us to him.

Is Jesus Your King and Savior?

When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, all the people praised him, “Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna” means “Save us now.” They confessed that Jesus is King and Savior. Jesus accepted their acclamation, but he did not rejoice over it. Instead, in Luke 19:41, he wept over Jerusalem and his people because they called him “Lord, Lord!” but did not do what he said. He wept because they honored him with their lips, but their hearts were far from him. They just trampled God’s temple. Their hearts were a den of robbers. “Is Jesus Christ your King and Savior?” If so, we must do what he said.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he washed his disciples’ feet. When he finished washing their feet, he said, “If, your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Then, he said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Why is this command a new command? What is then an old command? The old command is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And now, Jesus was taking a step forward, “Love your neighbor as I have loved you.” In other words, “Lay down your life, lay down your ‘rights,’ to love your neighbor.” Who is our neighbor? It includes ‘everyone,’ just as Jesus included all of us. It includes not only our family, neighbors, but also, our opponents, enemies and the unlovable and ungrateful. The Bible says, “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother and sister, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother and sister.” (1John 4:20-21)

How Do We Draw People to Christ?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This is the cost of discipleship. Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will be.” The place where Jesus was at the end was Calvary. The place where we must go through is Calvary. We are called to die. We are called to die to self. We are called to die to the world. I want to share a story about one man who followed Jesus faithfully. His name is Daivd Cape. He was a pastor in South Africa. His ministry was successful and his church was the second largest in the city. Everything seemed to be going well. One day God began to challenge him. He asked, “Is the gospel you preach really the good news to the poor? Does your ministry set the captives free?” Then he said to David, “I want you to wash others’ feet.” He was embarrassed. He didn’t know what to do. For 14 months, he had struggled. But, finally, he chose to obey God’s voice. He carried water, camping chair, bowl and cross by himself. He began to preach the gospel on the streets and wash peoples’ feet. He has ministered to lepers, NBA stars, presidents, gangsters, and people of every class. Each time was a miracle of God. He experienced the whole city came back to Christ. He has seen thousands of people come to Christ for more than 20 years. How do we draw people to Christ? We draw people to Christ by washing their feet. We draw people to Christ by laying down our life for them.

About 2000 years ago, the people praised, “Blessed is the king!” “Hosanna, our Savior!” But, Jesus was not their King and their Savior deep in their hearts. They were not ready to follow Jesus, obey him, and die with him. Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Today he says to each of us in this room, “If, your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet.” Whose feet are you washing? During this Holy Week, whose feet will you wash?

“Three Ways to Honor Jesus” (John 12:1-8) - 5th Sunday in Lent -

The Five Love Languages

Pastor Gary Chapman wrote a book called the Five Love Languages. After 30 years of counseling married couples, he came to the conclusion that each person has their own primary love language. The five love languages are these: “words of affirmation,” “acts of service,” “quality time,” “receiving gifts,” and “physical touch.” According to the author, each person has a love tank. The problem is, everybody’s love tank leaks, so it needs to constantly be refilled. The only way to fill one’s love tank is to speak their primary love language. People feel loved when we speak their primary love language. For instance, suppose my wife’s love language is acts of service, mine is words of affirmation. I would often say “I love you.” But she would think to herself, “If you love me, do something!” When I just say those affirming words, her love tank is not filled. But when I wash dishes or vacuum the floor, then she feels loved. The author suggests that we need to discover what our loved ones’ primary love language is and speak that language rather than the one that we like the most.

Martha, Doing Person

In today’s Scripture we meet three different individuals who speak their love languages and honor Jesus their own ways. Scripture tells us it was six days before the Passover, the time when Jesus would host the last supper and face the agony of Gethsemane, he returned to Bethany. Right before his crucifixion, he spent some time with his friends to find a few brief hours of encouragement and support from his disciples. John 12:2 says, “Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor.” And the first person who expressed deep honor and love for Jesus was Martha. The Bible says, “Martha served” (12:2b). If you read through the Gospel of Luke, you may find that her love language is acts of service. For Martha, honoring Jesus meant serving him – opening her home, cooking, feeding, cleaning, giving the best of her heart to Jesus through the gift of hospitality. You see, Martha is a doing person. She expresses her love and devotion to Jesus through the acts of service. 

Lazarus, Being Person

The next person mentioned is Lazarus. The Bible says, “Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him (Jesus)” (12:2c). Lazarus is a being person. His love language is quality time. While Martha was serving Jesus, Lazarus simply enjoyed his presence. The Bible says that Jesus appointed his twelve disciples for three reasons: “He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14-15). One of the main reasons why Jesus called his disciples was to simply be with him. In this respect, Lazarus was a true disciple of Jesus. He wanted to enjoy every minute he had with the Master. Lazarus expressed his deep honor and respect to Jesus through spending quality time with him.

Mary, Being-Doing Person

Then, we meet the third person, who wanted to demonstrate her love and devotion to Jesus in a more dramatic way. John 12:3 says, “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair…” Today’s Scripture tells us there are different levels at which we honor Jesus. There are different levels at which we show him how much we love him. There is nothing wrong with Martha and Lazarus’s devotion. Their response to Jesus was perfectly normal. But today’s story invites us to deeper levels of honoring Jesus. We can learn at least three important spiritual lessons from Mary’s devotion. I would call it triple A: Awareness – Action – Adherence.

Awareness (Being)

First of all, Mary had enough time to have fellowship with Jesus before doing something for him. As we read through the Gospel of Luke, if we find the picture of Martha, cooking and serving, we find the picture of Mary, listening to Jesus at his feet. When Martha got upset and complained about Mary, Jesus said, “"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). There is nothing wrong with Martha’s devotion. But what the Lord Jesus is saying here is about priority, which should come first: being or doing. Mary chose to “be” with Jesus first. And then, she began to experience how much he first loved her. She began to understand one by one why he was doing all of this – healing, preaching and teaching. She began to have acute awareness that his time was coming. Before today’s story, Jesus openly talked about his death and resurrection at least three times, but Jesus’ disciples did not understand what he was talking about. But Mary seemed to know what was coming soon. She did speak the love language that Jesus needed the most at that time, although all the others didn’t understand what she did. Jesus said, in John 12:7, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial” (NLT). Jesus was comforted and encouraged by Mary’s devotion. Mary had good awareness of when, what, and how to express her love and devotion to Jesus, which came from being with him and listening to him. Awareness. Being comes first.

Action (Doing)

Mary didn’t just remain as a being person. When an opportune time came, she became a doing person. Mary gave her best to Jesus. The Scripture says that perfume was very expensive, worth a year’s wages. Jesus tells us that she had been saving it for the day that he would be buried. Probably, she had to save the money for years, even for life. And finally, she bought this perfume and saved it for this day. And she poured out the most valuable possession she had without reserve. There are times when we need to save. There are times when we need to give and sacrifice. What is your best? Are you willing to give your best to Jesus? In John 6, for a boy, five loaves and two fish were his best. In Luke 21, for a poor widow, two lepta, two very small copper coins, were her best. In 2 Kings 17, for the widow at Zarephath, a handful of flour and a little oil were her best. They did give their best as an expression of love and devotion to God. Mary too, did give her very best to Jesus Christ the Lord. Action. Doing must follow after being.

Adherence (Being-Doing)

The third A stands for “Adherence.” Not only did Mary pour out the perfume on Jesus feet, but also she did wipe it with her hair. That is another thing. One commentator notes that since a woman's hair is her glory, Mary was laying her glory at Jesus’ feet. She was giving up her pride and honoring him in humility. In fact, Mary’s devotion brought criticism among the inner circle of Jesus’ friends. In today’s scripture, Judas Iscariot was angry. In two other parallel passages, Jesus’ disciples were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?” (Matt 26:8), and also some other people there rebuked Mary harshly (Mark 14:5). Mary worshipped despite criticism. There are times when we need to overcome peer pressure, family pressure, or culture’s pressure in order to honor Christ. When the Israelites were carrying the ark of the Lord, David danced before the Lord with all his might. That brought criticism from his wife, Michal. The Bible says that she despised him in her heart (2 Samuel 7). When the people brought their charges against Paul before the governor, they said, “We have found this man a plague” (Acts 24:5 NKJV). When Paul shared his story how he encountered Christ, the governor Festus said, “Paul, you are crazy!” (Acts 26:24 MSG). In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said that he was treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash – no respect, no honor (1 Co 4:13 NLT). But Paul didn’t care what others think. In the same way, Mary was just consumed with a passion to honor Jesus Christ. It was her joy to honor him though it might bring criticism and humiliate her. The people didn’t understand what she was doing at that time. But Mary did stay the course. Adherence. 

Honor Jesus Today

When the people were criticizing Mary, Jesus said to them in verse 7, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Jesus is telling us that there is a time for everything. There is a time to honor him. For us, now is the time to worship Jesus and honor him. Now is the time to develop and nurture our love languages in more mature and dramatic ways. For a doing person, now is the time to sit still and listen to Jesus at his feet in order to know his will. For a being person, now is the time to take action, because opportunities for honoring Jesus through our lives are passing. Let us honor Jesus today.

Mary was a being-doing person. She first listened to Jesus, and then boldly took action for Jesus when the opportune time came. And Jesus affirmed what Mary did. In Mark 14:6-9, Jesus said to his disciples, “Leave her alone… She has done a beautiful thing to me… I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” The life of Mary teaches us one important truth of life: “A life lived for Christ leaves a lasting legacy.” If we have Mary’s epitaph today, I think it would be probably written something like this: “Here lies the body of Mary of fragrance, who always enjoyed listening to Jesus at his feet and prepared for his burial by giving her best without reserve, nothing left behind her.” What would you like written on your epitaph? How would you like to be remembered after you die? 

“Let’s Go Back to Gilgal” (Joshua 5:9-12) - 4th Sunday in Lent –

What Is Gilgal?

There are some places in our life that are special to us. If you were born here, Houlton or Hodgdon is a very special place. If you came to Christ here in this place, this church is a very meaningful place. For Israel, Gilgal was a place of special meaning to them. It was the place that Israel kept going back to while they were conquering the Promised Land. It was their base camp. Why is Gilgal so special to the Israelites? It is because there they experience God personally for the first time. As we know, the Israelites in the Book of Joshua are the second generation. The first generation who had a Red Sea experience all died in the wilderness. These second generation always heard about it from their parents, but now they themselves cross the Jordan miraculously. As soon as the priests’ feet touch the water, the flow of water are cut off upstream and the river stands up like a wall. After this, God commands them to set up the twelve stones in the middle of the Jordon at the very spot. The purpose is this: “He (Joshua) did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you (Israel) might always fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:24). Every time the Israelites went to war, they visited this place and looked at the twelve stones. After the war, they revisited this place and remembered God. They kept going back to this place.

At Gilgal

At Gilgal, not only does God command them to set up the twelve stone externally, but also he commands them to be circumcised. What is circumcision? It signifies purity. It signifies the removal of sin and holiness to the Lord. We need to remember that now the Israelites are in wartime. They already sent spies to Jericho, and anytime now the war may begin. God knows this, but he commands the Israelites to be circumcised. That means they are to be disarmed and vulnerable for several days. That means they are to be exposed to the risk of the enemy’s surprise attack. We can learn a very important lesson from this: It teaches us that as we do God’s work (or spiritual battle), what we really need is purity and holiness to the Lord more than any other practical preparations. In Psalm 19:13 David confesses, “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” We cannot stand against our enemies until we remove our sins. Let us examine our hearts. And let us cut off the old self – old habits, unhealthy patterns of life.

Under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites obey God. They are circumcised and consecrate themselves. And they celebrate the Passover and remember God. Then, what happens? God intervenes in the battles and fights for Israel. We say, “The battle doesn’t belong to us, but to God.” But how many times do we fight our battles with our own strength and wisdom? When the Israelites were circumcised and consecrated themselves, God did intervene and fight for them. It was God who knocked down the wall of Jericho and gave the city. It was God who stopped the sun and the moon for Israel. And it was God who hurled large hailstones and destroyed the enemies. The Israelites didn’t need to fight. How can we fight “mountains beyond mountains” challenges of life? We cannot. In fact, we don’t need to fight. Our part is to repent and remove our sins. When we consecrate ourselves, God works for us.

Back to Gilgal

The Israelites keep going back to Gilgal. They keep returning to Gilgal where they encountered God for the first time. They keep returning to Gilgal to remember what the Lord has done for them, how he brought them into the Promised Land with his mighty hand, and how he did save them and fight for them. The word “Gilgal” sounds like the Hebrew for roll. In Joshua 5:9 when the Israelites are circumcised, the Lord says to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place begins to be called Gilgal since then. God wants us to come back to our Gilgal. God wants us to remember what he has done for us, how he saved us, how he raised us, how he healed us, how he was extremely patient with us who were ungrateful, and how he leads us up to this point.

The Apostle Paul always remembered his Gilgal and kept coming back to that place. As he was preaching the gospel, he went through countless hardships. If he wanted, he had an ability to persuade people with words of human wisdom. But he said, “I resolved to know nothing (while I was with you) except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2), because he found his source of strength and hope in Christ alone. At the first opportunity he preached Christ and him crucified. There were two occasions when Paul had a chance to speak for himself – before the people of Israel (Acts 22) and before King Agrippa (26). But both times, he didn’t speak for himself. Instead, he did bear witness to Christ whom he encountered on the way to Damascus. Damascus was Paul’s Gilgal. He revisited that place over and over again and remembered the first hour he believed.

Remember Ai

There was one single battle that Israel was defeated. The battle of Ai was the only defeat of Israel. Why were the Israelites defeated? Achan took some of the things devoted to God. But that was not the only reason. The more significant reason is this: “pride” among the whole community of Israel. You see, as they were going to war, they said to Joshua, “Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there” (Joshua 7:3). Somehow they totally forgot how the city of Jericho was captured. They forgot how God did fight for them. And they thought, “I defeated Jericho. And I can do it again for the city of Ai.” They forgot their Gilgal. And when they forgot, they were completely defeated. There is a power in remembrance.

So, let us go back to Gilgal. Lent is a perfect time to do this. Now is the time to revisit our Gilgal and reexamine our relationship with Christ. Now is the time to cut off the old self and consecrate ourselves. Now is the time to remember what Christ has done for me. “Christ died for me, that I who live should no longer live for myself, but for him who died for me, and was raised again” (cf. 2 Cor 5:15). Amen.