Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, 7 PM

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

 

Just a reminder that our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship services will be at 7:00 PM both nights in the sanctuary. 

 

Sunrise service will at 7:00 AM, and will be followed by breakfast in the fellowship hall.

 

The choir has once again prepared incredible services of worship to help us share and even find out place in Jesus' story as his mission continues today.

 

See you Thursday and Friday at 7:00!

 

Spike

Parable of the Running Father, Sermon this Sunday

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!  I hope you and your family are well, and are enjoying the beautiful weather we're having so far this week.

 

Here is info for worship this coming Sunday, March 14:

Sermon title:  The Running Father

Old Testament Lesson:  Psalm 23

New Testament Lesson:  Luke 15:1-2, 11-24

 

In his book Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15, Dr. Kenneth Bailey provides an outline of this parable.  As we pray and prepare for worship this Sunday, I thought it might be helpful to share this with you. 

 

A:  Death (verses 11-12)

    B:  All is Lost (verses 13-14)

        C:  Rejection   (verses 15-16)

            D:  The Problem?  (verse 17)

            D':  The Solution?  (verses 18-20a)

        C':  Acceptance  (verse 20b)

    B':  All Is Restored  (verses 21-22)

D':  Resurrection  (verses 23-24)

 

As Dr. Bailey notes in his book, in such passages that use this type of literary structure (inverted parallelism), the key to understanding the passage is in what he lables in this one as C'.  In this case, in these verses the Father runs to his son.  I encourage you to read these verses and to perhaps make notes that help you felsh out Dr. Bailey's outline of this passage to help you see the flow.  As we do, also considering the cultural context in which shame and honor are so very important, we will see how radical and startling the Father's action is in this story. 

 

Here are some questions you might want to consider as well:

1. Why does Dr. Bailey say that what the son demands of his father is tantamount to death? 
2. Based on what you know about Jews (especially their feeling towards pigs!), what would does it say about the son's condition that he is now envious of pigs who have more to eat than he does?
3. What might have happened to the son had the father not run to him?
4. What might have been some of the consequences for the father for running to his son?
5. How does the father demonstrate his acceptance of his son?  
6. How do we know taht we are accepted by God? 
7. Remember, Jesus tells this parable as he was making his way toward Jerusalem to accomplish his "exodus" (Luke 9:31)..  In what ways does this story help us understand what Jesus did for us on the cross?
8. Does this parable help you to better appreciate what God has done for us in Jesus Christ? 
9. How can we live more out of gratitude to God in our daily living, as opposed to "murmuring" like the Pharisees and scribes (verse 2)? 

Again, thank you all for your continued prayers for my family, especially my brother Joneathan.  I'll share reports as often as I am able while in Raleigh. 

 

See you Sunday!

Spike

Sunday lessons and sermon

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

 

I hope you and those you love are well.  Below you will find the sermon title and lessons for Sunday, February 28.

 

Sermon title:  Love's True Prophet

 

Lessons:

Psalm 118:  This is a psalm of ascension (when going to Jerusalem, it is always uphill).  As our ancestors made their way to Jerusalem to share in special celebrations.  In the Gospel lesson Jesus quotes Psalm 118:26 (Luke 13:35).

 

Since this psalm was chanted responsively by our ancerstors as they made their way to Jerusalem, read it out loud.  If possible, read it with someone else, taking turn reading alternating verses.  

 

Hebrews 1:1-4:  What does it mean to say that God, who spoke to us through prophets, now speaks to us through God's Son, Jesus?

 

Luke 13:31-35:  This is a challenging text to intperpret because some things really are not clear.  For example, did Herod really want to kill Jesus?  Remember, this Herod is not the same one responsible for the slaughter of the innocents.  In the other instances where he is mentioned it is not clear that he has any animosity towards Jesus.  Given this question, what is the real agenda of the Pharisees mentioned?  What are they up to?  And, remember, the Pharisees were a group of people, not all of whom were of one mind--and certainly not of one disposition towards Jesus.  So it's hard to say "All Pharisees are like this..."

 

And, what does Jesus mean when he calls Herod a fox?  What does Jesus mean when he compares himself to a mother hen trying to shelter and protect her chicks?  What does he have in mind when he says these things?  In saying them, is Jesus in some way interpreting what will happen in Jerusalem, namely, his death? 

 

As we prepare for worship this Sunday, think of God's wondrous love that is demonstrated on the cross, in the outstretched arms that were pierced for our transgressions.  Are those arms, indeed, like those of a mother hen trying to shelter her chicks?

 

See you Sunday!

 

spike

 

 

--
Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Pancake Supper and Ash Wednesday Worship Service

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

 

Just a reminder of the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper tomorrow at 6:00 PM, and the Ash Wednesday worship service at 6:30 PM.

 

I hope you and your loved ones and friends can share in these opportunities.

 

Share the Joy!

Spike

Water Missions International

Thank you all for your generous support of the youth's Souper Bowl of Caring luncheon last Sunday. 

 

Last night the youth went to Water Missions International to present to them in person the check for $760.00!!!

 

We also received a wonderful tour of the facility and heard the story of how Water Missions started. 

 

Thank you for supporting the youth of our church and enabling them to ...

 

...Share the Joy!

Spike

Haiti sale Saturday

Remember, this Saturday, Feb. 13, the Women of St. A's are hosting a sale of crafts and art work from Haiti.

 

The items will be displayed in the fellowship hall from 10:00-2:00. 

 

This is a micro-finance project of the Presbyterian Women of the Charleston-Atlantic Presbytery.  The items were that will be for sale were all made by women in Haiti, and the money from the sale of the items will go to them (%100!).

 

See you Saturday!

 

Share the Joy!

Spike

Manna Sunday at 5:30 PM

"Finishing Well" will be the theme for our  Manna worship service this Sunday, February 7th.  We will meet in the fellowship hall with the service beginning at 5:30 PM. 

 

See you Sunday at Manna! 

 

Share the Joy!

Spike