Clean City Sweep 2010

Join us on Saturday, April 24th for Clean City Sweep 2010

We will be picking up debris along Wappoo Road

to help keep our community beautiful!

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Refreshments will be provided!

Hope to see you there!

~SHARE THE JOY OF LIFE IN CHRIST~

Youth Spaghetti Luncheon

Youth Spaghetti luncheon and bake sale will follow worship this Sunday, April 25th. This is a fund raiser for the youth mission trip to Tennessee

in June (6-12).





~SHARE THE JOY OF LIFE IN CHRIST~

The Way of the Lamb?

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

I hope you and those you love are having a good week.

As we prepare for worship this Sunday (April 25), here are the
Scripture lessons and the sermon title:

Isaiah 55:6-9
Revelation 7:9-17
Sermon title:  The Way of the Lamb?

The sermon this week will be based on our text from Revelation.  It
will focus on the image of the Lamb of God, particularly on what this
depiction suggests of the nature of God and of God's response to evil
and suffering in the world.  As we explore this together, we will then
consider what it means for us today to follow in "The Way of the
Lamb."

While there is much confusion about how to interpret Revelation, there
are characteristics of Apocalyptic literature that enable us to better
understand this book's witness to Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

As you no doubt are aware,  Apocalyptic literature employs a wide
array of symbols to convey meaning.  Since the end of the 18th
century, a number of examples of Apocalyptic literature have been
discovered (most dating back between 200 BC-100 AD).  By comparing
these examples, we have discerned common uses of symbols, especially
colors and numbers.

Here are a few that you may find helpful:

Colors:

White = victory
Red = war, conflict
Black = lack of something (like food, for example)
greenish-gray ("pale" in some translations) = death

Numbers:

3 = the realm of the spirit
3.5 = the time evil is allowed to run its course
4 = the created order
7 = complete, mature
10 = fullness, all, total
12 = people of God

Of course, it is important to remember that numbers are used
symbolically that also include multiples and combinations of numbers
(example:  144,000 in Rev.. 7:4).

Questions to consider:  Revelation 7:9-17

What is the setting for this vision?  Where does it take place?
Who is there?  Where are they from?  What are they wearing?
What do you think are the significance of the white robes and palm
branches?  What does white symbolize in Apocalyptic literature?
What are the people doing in this vision?  Are they quiet?  Sad?  Joyful?
Who is the Lamb?  How do you know?  Why is this image used?  What is
the point of this image?
How did the Lamb respond in his time of tribulation at the hands of
the Roman authorities?  Did he trust God?  What did God do for the
Lamb?
What have the people in the white robes experienced? (v. 14)
What were the followers of Jesus experiencing at the end of the first
century AD in Asia Minor?  Do you think the original hearers of
Revelation would have been able to identify with the people dressed in
white robes?  Why?  Or why not?
Have you ever suffered as a consequence of your faith in Jesus Christ?
What happened?  Did your experience change in any way your
relationship with and understanding of who Jesus Christ is?  If so,
how?
Based on the experiences of the church at the end of the first
century, what do you think it means to say "they have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb"?  (v. 14).
(Remember what white symbolized in Apocalyptic literature)
To these people, does God keep his promised and fulfill his purpose
for their lives?
Do you trust God to do the same for you and the people you love?  How
does your answer to this question influence the way you make decisions
in your daily life?
What does it mean for us to be washed in the blood of the Lamb and to
follow in his Way?

 See you Sunday!

Spike

Confirmation breakfast, 9:45 Sunday

Greetings to you all on this beautiful day the Lord has made!

This Sunday the Christian Education ministry team will host a
breakfast for the youth who participated in the confirmation class and
their mentors.

We will begin at 9:45!

See you Sunday, and come hungry to enjoy the delicious treats that
will be provided!

Spike

Easter Worship Service

Easter Worship Service will begin at

11:00 AM on Sunday, April 4th, 2010.

Join us! He is Risen!

~SHARE THE JOY OF LIFE IN CHRIST~

Easter Sunrise Service

Sunrise service will at 7:00 AM,

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

and will be followed by breakfast in the fellowship hall.

Good Friday Service April 2, 2010 @ 7:00 PM

Good Friday worship service

will be at 7:00 PM tonight in the sanctuary.

Hope to see you there.

Confirmation schedule

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

 

The youth in our confirmation class are working on their statements of faith, a one page statement that they will share with the Session during the SS time on Sunday, April 11. 

 

Also, on April 11, the confirmation class will share in leading worship.  The Rev. Linda Burger will preach and lead some of the prayers, and the youth will lead other parts of the service.  That makes it very important for the youth to be here next Wednesday, April 7th, to prepare for leading worship the following Sunday.

 

On Sunday, April 18th, the youth will be presented to the congregation.  We will celebrate their confirmation in worship.

 

The spaghetti luncheon has been moved back one week to April 25th.  This luncheon is a fund raise for the youth mission trip to Tennessee in June.

 

I hope you and your family are well!

 

Spike

Easter sermon lessons, And So it Begins...

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

 

Below you will find the lessons (biblical texts for the sermon in the 11:00 AM service this Sunday).  I invite you to not only read these passages and consider the questions below, but also to share in our worship services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday (both at 7:00 PM).  By hearing the parts of the story in Luke's Gospel that lead up to the first Easter, we can better appreciate the significance of the events of that morning for our lives and for the world.

 

Isaiah 65:17-25

• Does this passage encourage you or offer you hope?  Why (why not)?
• Have you ever experienced anything like the images in verse 25? 

Luke 24:1-12

• When you life gets hectic & crazy and your feel disoriented, how do you usually respond?  Do you stick to your practices and the things in life that are familiar, or do you just feel like collapsing (emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically)?
• Why did the women in this text wait until the first day of the week to go to Jesus' tomb?  (see Luke 11:56)
• Why did they go to Jesus' tomb?  What did they discover when they arrived?
• Who are the two men who greeted them?  Does Luke's description of their clothes remind you of another story in Luke?  (think Luke 9:28-36, also where Jesus speaks with Moses & Elijah about the Exodus (Greek word is Exodon) that he will accomplish in Jerusalem. 
• What did these men say to the women?  Whose words did they quote?  (Do you remember 9:51, when "Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem"?  The act of setting one's face is to take on the role of prophet (see examples of this in Jeremiah).
• What did the women do next? 
• How did the male apostles respond to the news?  ("Idle tale" is a understated way of translating the Greek word Luke uses!  If you have other translations of the Bible, check to see if other translations of this word are different from the RSV, which is our per Bible) 
• Where were the women when Jesus was crucified?  Where were the men (male apostles) when Jesus was crucified?
• Do you think this (verse 12) is a strange way to end the first Easter Sunday?  Do you know people who think the Gospel of Jesus Christ is "an idle tale"?  Why do you think they believe that? 
• What do you believe is the significance of Jesus' resurrection for your life?  ...for the world? 

In the coming weeks, we will continue to the story as Jesus is present with his followers, gathering and preparing his church for mission. 

 

Share the Joy:  Christ is Risen!

Spike