Pastor’s Page | April 2nd, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read John 10:25-27)
Ricky Skaggs has a wonderful and haunting song called “Seven Hillsides” and it is about a young minister during World War 2 in the Appalachian Mountains who has to offer comfort to his community when he has to bury 7 young men who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy. The song goes like this:
All night I’ve wrestled Jacob’s angels
And prayed with Matthew, Luke and John
Struggling to find the words you face the task
That comes upon the blood red dawn.
I’ve buried men before their time
Of alcohol and blackened lung
But how to bury seven of these
Appalachian miners’ sons.
Who stormed the beaches wave on wave,
And sailed home to these rocky graves
In family plots that bared their names.
Tomorrow I’ll walk up seven hillsides
Tremble before my flock on seven hillsides
Seven sorrows, seven sons, seven mothers and everyone
Will turn to me for the word of God, what does this mean?
And there I’ll stand good book in hand,
A shepherd to these precious lambs
What will I say, what will I say, what can I say?
To tell the truth I’d never thought much
About the will of God before.
Called to preach at seventeen
I was in love with fiery words and not much more.
The time has come to keep the faith
For others shattered by their loss.
Remind them of the loving God
Whose son like theirs paid the cost.
To save a sad and wicked world
Through sacrifice our love is heard
And pray that I believe those words.
I heard this song a few weeks after I did my very first funeral as a pastor. I was only 23 years old and I didn’t know what to say or what to do. The lady didn’t even go to our church. She was a Korean lady in our community who even though she was a Christian, was unchurched primarily because of her health. I read all the pastor’s books I could find on how to do a funeral (there are plenty), but during the funeral, her 9-year-old grandson began to scream, “Mamaw, No! Mamaw, NO!!!” and his mother had to restrain him. None of my books prepared me for that. Afterwards, at the graveyard, this 9-year-old kid who was still crying came up to me and asked, “Will I ever see my Mamaw again?” I tried to think of all the clever and theological brilliant things I had read in my books to say to him, but the only thing that I could think of was the story of Jesus telling Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” I said, “Yes, because of Jesus.” The kid was still crying, but I knew in my heart the difference that Jesus made in the face of death.
What hope do we have to say to those who have lost a loved one? What hope do we have when talking to someone about a terminal diagnosis? The hope we have is Jesus. This is why Easter is so important. It’s because of who He is, what He has done, and what He promises to us. This Sunday, we will have a wonderful worship service centered around Jesus as the King of Kings, who has conquered sin and death, full of grace, truth, and love. I encourage you to invite your family and friends to come worship with you and to celebrate the author of life, the victor over sin and death, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Savior…Jesus.
March Sermon Series
“The Great I AM”
03/29 - The Good Shepherd - John 10:11-18
04/05 - The Resurrection and the Life - John 11:24-29
04/12 - The Way, the Truth, and the Life - John 14:1-6
04/19 - I AM thus You are - John 15:10-17
04/25 - I AM thus I AM with You and in You - John 16:5-16
Updates, Thoughts and More
Easter is Sunday and I hope you will invite your family and friends to come and worship with you. This is the Sunday that most people who normally would not consider going to church are open to joining you when they are invited. Please, be intentional about inviting people to come and worship with you on Easter morning.
Speaking of Easter morning, we are anticipating a large number of visitors. Let’s go above and beyond in making everyone feel welcomed and loved. Make sure to be extra friendly in welcoming everyone as they come in.
Next week, we are back on our normal schedule. If you have not had a chance to come to our Table Talk series on difficult questions, I highly recommend it. We have covered some very difficult and interesting questions. If you have any questions or topics you would like to have addressed, please email me to let me know at barry@actonmethodist.com.
Upward Basketball practices have begun and we are excited to have all these kids in our church. The games will begin on April 11 th and we are still needing some volunteers to help. If you would like to help on Saturday mornings with greeting, helping to watch the kids, setting up, or cleaning up afterwards please contact Izzy at Izzy@actonmethodist.com or just simply show up on Saturday April 11 th anywhere from 8:30 am to 3 pm and we will find a place for you to serve.
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (04/05)
Easter Sunday “King of Kings” - 9:00am & 10:30am
Monday (04/06)
OFFICE CLOSED
Stitching Angels - 1:30pm
Upward Practice - 4:00-7:00pm
Tuesday (04/07)
Men’s Prayer Breakfast - 7:30am
Bible Study - 10:00am
Upward Practice - 4:00-8:00pm
Wednesday (04/08)
Prayer Warriors - 9:00am
Sip And Share - 10:00am
Table Talk - 5:00pm
Youth & Kids - 5:00pm
Choir - 7:00pm
Thursday (04/09)
Psalms Bible Study - 9:30am
Stephen Ministry: Real Faith, Real Food, Real Function - 5:30pm
Upward Practice - 5:00pm-7:00pm
Friday (04/10)
Good Friday Service - 7:00pm
Saturday (04/11)
Upward Games Begin - 8:00am-3:00pm
Joke of the Week
This is an old proven joke that never gets old: Once upon a Time...
...3 guys were in a car wreck and went to Heaven. They dusted themselves off and got in line to wait to see St. Peter at the Gates. After a while, they got up to the front and it was their turn to approach the gates.
St. Peter: “I’m afraid I have some bad news. Heaven has been rather crowded of late, so many bad things are happening to nice people that we are flooded with applicants. You all are nice folks, but I’m going to have to ask you a question, kind of like a quiz. Understand?”
The 3 men nodded. St. Peter took the first one aside.
St. Peter: “OK, here’s your question: what is the meaning of Easter?”
First man: “Oh, that’s easy! The Easter Bunny brings around eggs to all the good little boys and girls, and there’s cake and ice cream for everyone!”
St. Peter: (shakes his head) “No, I’m afraid that’s not it. You’ll have to take the lift down. Cheer up, it’s not so bad, central heating and all. Off you go!”
The man disappears down through the clouds. St. Peter goes back for the next fellow.
St. Peter: “OK, your question is the same as the other guy had: Tell me the meaning of Easter.”
The second man doesn’t seem too focused. “I think that’s when we have the lights on the tree and presents. And turkey, I do love turkey!”
St. Peter: (shakes his head sadly) “Let’s hope you like Turkey in the summertime. Off you go,” and the man heads down.
At his wit’s end, St. Peter heads back for the third man.
St. Peter: “I hope you have better luck than those other two. What’s the meaning of Easter?”
Third man: “Well, it’s about when Jesus was crucified, they put his body sealed up in a cave for 3 days...”
St. Peter: “Hallelujah!!! C’mon in!” and with that, St. Peter threw the Gates to Heaven wide, and the lucky fellow was admitted to the realm of the Divine.
St. Peter was happy and very relieved to have let him in after having to reject the other two. He gave him the grand tour: The tennis courts, the golf course, the Olympus-sized swimming pool...
St. Peter: “I’m really impressed with your knowledge of Easter, tell me more of your thoughts.”
Third man: “Well, there’s not too much more to the story. They rolled the rock away from the cave, and if Jesus sees his shadow, there’s 6 more weeks of Winter!”
Memory Verse of the Week
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'“
~John 11:25-26 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
“The resurrection of Christ is the Amen of all His promises.”
~John Boys
