We grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles and one of the most influential churches in our teenage lives was Montrose Community Church led by Charles Svendsen and the Coffeehouse ministry. Pastor Svendsen shared the gospel simply and led many young people to the Lord during the Jesus People movement. We had a meeting in his garage in La Canada that would hold up to 100 teenagers from about five different high schools. Each week we sang songs the young people had written and some popular Maranatha songs from Calvary Chapel. Several people would get saved each week and give their lives to Jesus. About ten pastors came out of this group including my husband, Rick.

It was such a powerful time. Each Good Friday, we had a service in the church basement. Pastor Svendsen would serve each person communion by candle light and would recite Isaiah 53 by heart as he walked around the room serve ing the people seated in folding chairs around the room. It was a powerful time. It was so foundational in our growth as believers. We thank God for this awesome opportunity when we were so young.

Yesterday I led our church group in communion using the Isaiah 53:3-6 passage:

3. He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

I just wanted us to feel the impact of Jesus’ love for us and why we give our lives to Him.

I recounted the story of Montrose Community Church and the impact on our lives.

Think about what we learn about God from this passage.

What do we learn about people?

How should we respond to this passage?

Who can we share this with?

Let’s start another new week with Him! Man of Sorrows and our Savior and Lord!