" •••..• intending after Easter' Acts 12:4

"I TENDING AFTER EAST..!:R"

was that phrase that seized attention. In first place - only time word "Easter" is used in scri ture. 'Nord had not been born then. Strictly speaking the wrd "Passover" should have been used. Anyhow, glad word is used; otherwise there might have been no sermon to day.

'l'here is a story here. Eight years after death of Jesus. a Jew, Herod agrippa is ruler of Palestine. 1n order to curry favor with own people he persecutes Early Church. Puts James, leader of church in Jerusalem to death. 'l'hen plans to put Pet­er to death. But plans miscarry. Peter is placed in prison and Agrippa intends to put him to death after Easter.

But Peter escapes - miraculously. And shortly afterward, A.grippa himself, while receiving acclamation of people, while the crowd lauds him as a god, is stricken dnd dies. So much for the background.

li an Pronoses; God Disposes Not concerned with Agrippa -nor with escape

of Peter from prison. The point I wish to empas ise is this: Agrippa' s intention came to naught. His plans went awry. Discover­ed with Bobbie Burns "The plans of mice and men gang aft agley". Agrinpa proposed but some other power disposed. His intention 4lt failed to actualize. Agrippa discovered the limits beyond which he oould not go. Found himself fighting a higher will and purpose than his own. He had his intentions; but they came to naught.

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".rl. friend of mine Wds st ricken wi t h in­fdnt ile p ralysis in ~out h - t erribly. Someone sympdt hizing said, 'Afflict ion does so color your life.' 'Yes,' she cmswered auiet ly, 'and I propose to choose t he co lor'".

Harry Emerson Fosdick

-~-

Ag rippa found himself up against com­pulsions of universe. Ibsen dramatises the

A same idea in "Peer Gynttt. There was poor W Peer in darkness trying to st.ruggle up mount

ain. !.very tine he presses forward a name­less something thrusts him back. Peer can't thrust his way through. Finds a pcm er and a purpose greater than himself. -¥

When a n:an goes against God, he finds out sooner or later, that everything is go­ing against him. Life will only work one way - the way of truth and just ice. There is a moral compulsion to life. A man might decide to break the moral law but finally it will break him. Was said that the "stars in their courses fought against Sis era" - they always do.

Well, life has its compulsions beside the moral law and the moral imperatives of e the universe. Some thing3 m may do; some thing3 we must do. There is compulsion to live. Over-QUr own birth we have no control. If life is a gift then it is a forced gift. None consulted me as to whether I wanted to be born. And we have to live. Of course, within the compulsion is a choice - choice as to how we shall live. Life can be dreary lengthening out of existence - a grovelling in the mire; ot it can be a flight : toward the stars. But we have to live. There is the compulsion.

Life is filled with compulsions. May have our intentions, as Agrippa had; but God or life, interferes. Simon of Cyrene had his intentions, you remember; but "him they com-

a Pelled to bear the Cross". No escape. And W though he rebelled he was brought under the

compulsion of the Cross that day. What to do with our crosses and compulsions is very practical question. They color our lives.

Agrippa discovered that God disposes.

"Moses, it cannot be. Get thee up unto top of Mount bPisgah and lift up thine eyes t6 west, north, south and east."

What a sight to weary eyes. Behind him law forty years o~ wandering - most of it through barren deserts and jaggy peaks a Before him spread fertile, rich green ,_, of spring-fed pasture lands and the cool shade of date palms. Must have rejoiced his heart.

What a view from mountain top. Valley of Jordan stretches away to north with little sea of Galilee in distance. And to extreme north was snow-capped Mount Hermon. And to northwest was Carmel and directly in front of him was Jericho and blue Mediterranean Sea in distance.

But it was not to be!

The Road t o Hell is Pt~.ved vii t h I n t ent ions

A closing thought. Agrippa failed to get b eyond stage o-r

~ intention. "Intend-W ing after Easter". Isn't that what happens

to a lot of intentions? An old proverb -"The road to hell is paved with good intent­ions". We intend to do so much! Inveterate procrastinators. Our intentions die.

~riendship breaks down because we did not keep it in repair. We intended write. We intended to get to root of misunderstand­ing which distorted things so. But our in­tention died unfulfilled. Meanwhile that breach grew wider and life bas not been the same s!itJ.ce.

ln General Confession we say , "We have left undone the things we should have done and there is no health in us." Our intent­ions were good - but we never found time to e carry them out. We are haunted by things

. we intended to do but deferred doing until too late. Life full of blank spaces.

'1'he classic example if we need one. Story of Thomas Carlyle. Married to most accompl.ishe d woman of his day. She adored him. He loved her . ret she longed for the words he never spoke. ln diary she wrote -"He never praises me; 1 have to be content that things are all right". ·Ne have that picture of c:arlyle going to graveyard and back on day of her funeral, saying over and over, "If I had only known l" • Would gladly have gone back and fulfilled his intention.

hat of us? Why don· t we write that letter; say that word; mend that breach in

~ wall of friendship? Paul in prison writes W to Timothy - "Do your best to come to me be­

fore winter" - vHnter is too late; winter in evitably comes. ~ut ~aster marks the door of spring; we celebrated .[!;aster few days and made our resolves - what shall we do with those .[!;aster intentions?

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C9om'erse 1cith Jesus

W H EN J esus is present , all i good and nothing

seems difficult ; when J esus is absent , all is hard.

\XI hen j es us speaketh not inwardly ro us, all o ther comfo rt

ts nothing worth; but if j es us speak but one wo rd , we feel

great comfort . Did not Mary Magdalene rise immediately

from the place where she wept , when Martha said to her ,

1 /J e M as ter is com e a11d ca/l et/1 for 1 /.J ee) H appy hour I

when J es us calleth from tears to spiritual joy.

H ow dry and hard art th ou with out j es us I H ow foo li <i h

and vain if th o u des ire an y thin g out o f J es us! Is not thi " a

greater loss , than if thou shouldst lose th e wh ole world J

W hat can the world proRt thee witho ut Jesus? T o be with -

o ut j es us, is a grievous hell ; and to be with Jes us, a sweet

pa radi se. If J es us be with thee , no enemy shall be abl e to

hurt thee . H e that Rndeth J esus, find eth a good treasure,

yea, a G ood above all good. And he that lose th j es us lose th

much indeed, yea, more than the whole world ! M os t p oor is

he wh o liveth without j es us ; and he mos t rich "'ho is we ll

with J es us.

- 11,e J111itation of Ch rist. TttOM .\ \ A Kt=Mt>I S

A P H l •r.o N o 741

rJt Is T'

FREMONT STREET METHODIST CHURCH Gloversvill e , New York

Fred Clarke, Minister Marjorie Gensemer Minister of Music

Grace L. Gifford Church Secretary

ORDER OF MORNING WORSHIP

ORGAN PRELtmE - "Grave, Adagio" CHORAL INVOCATION - "Jesus, stand among us" HYMN 162 - "O for a thousand tongues" SURSIDJI CORDA:

Minister: People:

Min~ster:

The Lord be with you. And with thy spirit. Lift up your hearts.

Mendelssohn Mann

Azmon

People: Minister:

People :

We lift them up unto the Lord. Let us give thanks unt o the Lord. It is meet and right so to do.

DOXOLOGY - To 9e sung by all

* RESPONSIVE READING - 15th Sunday - pa ge. 580 GLORIA PATRI :: APOSTLES' CREED

* SCRIPTURE LESSON - Acts 12 ANTHEM - ''Open Our Eyes"

The Fremont Choir PASTORAL PRAYER :: LORD'S PRAYER ORGAN OFFERTORY - "Pa storale" OFFERTORY SOLO - "Lord God of Abraham"

Norman Pugh HY1.11N 326 - "Children of the heavenly King"

SERMON - "INTENDING AFTER EASTER"

MacFarlane

Franck Mendelssohn

Pleyel 1 s Hymn

HYFiN 342. - 11 Dee.r Lord and Father of l!'l8.nkind" Rest BENEDICTION ·:: CHORAL A1-1EN ORGAN POSTLUDE - "Salvation now is come to earth" Bach * Interval for Ushering

A cordia l welcome is extended to all visitors today.

10:30

10:30 ll:OO 11:55 4:00 6:00

7:30

APRIL 13, 1947 - CALENDAR FOR TODAY

Morning Worship. Sermon, "Intending After Easter". Fremont Choir with Norman Pugh as soloist. Church-time Nursery Hour for small children. Primary and Junior Church. Church School with interesting classes for all. Fremont Choir rehearsal for Saratoga Festival. Youth Fellowship. Theme, "A Fellowship of Cour­age". High school youth invited. Union Evening Service at North Main Street Method­ist Church. Presentation of Easter drama by the youth of that church- "Symbol of a Cross".

The altar flowers today are given by Mrs. George Fritcher and daughter in memory of husband and father -George W. Fritcher.

THROUGH THE V'lEEK AT FREMONT

MON. 6:00 Council of Churches' dinner and meeting at NOrth Ilf..ain Street Methodist Church. 7:30 The Boy Scouts meet in the church.

WED. ~ Weekday School; gra des 4, 5 and 6. 7745 Mid-week Service. Everyone invited.

THURS. 7':30 The Epworth Workers will meet at the church. 8700 The Laure l Band will meet at the home of ~Jesse Rickard, 21 Saratoga Boulevard. "D".

FRI. 11:00 and 1:00 Weekday Schools; grade s 7 to 9. 6:30 Junior High Depa rtment Spring Party.

THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC Fremont Choir - Tue sday, 7:30 p .m.

Youth Choir -Wednesday, 7:00p.m. Chapel Choir -Friday, 3:30p.m.

The Cordial ciass will hold a Rumnngo Sale in the immed­iate future. Articles will be gladly r eceived.

The Annual Session of the Troy Conference will be he ld in Sara toga Springs, Thursday through Sunday of this week -Bishop G. Bromley Oxna.m will preside over t ht ses sion.