I mentioned yesterday that last week Katie and I got to go see a concert with our friends who came to visit from Lubbock. I thought today I would just briefly mention that we went to see Hanson, and that the concert was fantastic. I’ve been a fan of the group for years but have never had the opportunity, so when we found out they would be playing here (which also happens to be their hometown), we jumped at the chance to go see them live.

Last week was a busy week for Katie and me. My parents actually arrived the weekend before for a short trip. We enjoyed having them here and were grateful to show them a little bit of our lives God has blessed us to live here in Oklahoma. Since they were here on a Sunday they were able to meet so many of the wonderful Christians here at Broken Arrow. We enjoyed getting to see them, even though it was for a short time. After they left early Tuesday morning, I spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday sick at home.

Then on Wednesday night, we were blessed with even more visitors. Some very good friends from Lubbock—Tony, Beth, and Brent—drove all the way up to go see a concert with us. They were able to stay through Saturday morning, and it was so good to spend those days with them. Though Katie and I are very happy here in Broken Arrow, there was something so uplifting by spending time with good friends we used to see on a daily basis.

The Christian American culture is something I’ve thought a lot about over the last couple of years. For so long many people have considered being an American synonymous with being a Christian. And, whether it’s intentional or not, it feels as though many people value their status as an Americans more highly than they do their status as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. What does being a Christian have anything to do with the country I live in? And how does the proverbial “American Dream” fall in line with what Jesus had to say about our allegiances and our values?

In the Bordeaux Pilgrim (AD 333), there is mention of the location. St. Cyril of Jerusalem makes reference to it several times. In the days of the church historian Eusebius (first half of fourth century), there was no doubt as to the location of the empty tomb. No doubt that even today, there will be a guided tour near Jerusalem which will walk right past the site. One Sunday morning nearly two millenia ago, several women made a trek to the precise location of the the tomb of Jesus. As mentioned in the previous section (Luke 23.55), these women were familiar with the location of the tomb, having seen Jesus’ body placed in it just days before. There was no doubt in their minds as to where to go “after the Sabbath.”

Sunday was a pretty busy day for me. I realize that “normal” preachers do this stuff all the time, but for me, it was busy.

I taught my final class with the high school students first thing that morning. We had a good lesson on understanding that, as Christians, it matters what other people think about us. I’ve been able to teach that class for about four weeks now, but beginning next week I’ll start rotating through all the adult classes so that Katie and I can continue to meet more and more of the congregation.

What do you do with a dead body? There are all sorts of things people around the world do with death bodies, but the common practice of many is to bury it. It makes sense: you bury dead bodies. In Luke 23.44-49, we witnessed through the lens of Luke’s account the death of Jesus. He is dead and so He must be buried. From Mark (15.44-45) we learn that Pilate is surprised to hear Jesus is dead already and has to consult with a centurion to ensure that in fact Jesus is dead. The centurion, someone who deals in death on a regular basis and can tell dead from alive, confirms the reports Pilate is hearing: Jesus, the king of the Jews, is dead.

Once a month the church here splits up for Sunday evenings and does what they call “Life Groups.” To use a more familiar term to some, they do small groups together. Though they have tried versions of these in the past, they really seem to have taken off this time and have provided good community and accountability in this congregation of seven hundred Christians.