Archive for January, 2012
February 2012 Newsletter
January 28th, 2012 | 
Author: See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again. Mark 10:32-34
The gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus spoke of his suffering, death, and resurrection to his disciples at least 3 times before He actually began His passion. And each time His disciples did not quite understand what He was explaining. Perhaps things were going so well that the 12 did not want to consider that their beloved rabbi would suffer and die. Maybe they could not quite grasp how their teacher, who had cured people of their sicknesses and even walked on water, could come to such an awful end. And yet, Jesus knew Himself that He would have to suffer in order to fulfill His mission to save us from the evils of sin and hell. Only Jesus could fully grasp what was about to happen to Him, whether or not His followers could. Every year, I actually look forward to Lent and the 40 days of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. For us, the Church of Christ, this is the highest and holiest season of the year, more important than Christmas! This season forces us to remember all that Jesus endured for our sake…how He suffered and died to grant us God’s forgiveness and to reconcile us to our heavenly Father. This is at the heart of what we believe, what the gospel is all about – Jesus’ death and resurrection. To have faith and fail to spend time reflecting on how much Jesus went through to save us is to fail to grasp how personal this all is. God in the flesh in Jesus, God’s Son, felt pain and anguish in order to free us from suffering for our own sins. How much more beautiful Jesus becomes to us as we contemplate what He went through for us in His suffering and death. How much more personal He becomes to us as we think about his death and resurrection! To not simply gloss over it, but to really spend time, even 40 days, reflecting on what Jesus’ sacrifice means to us! I pray that you too will be moved deeply in your hearts this Lenten season as you begin this 40-day journey with Jesus and your church family. Your time spent preparing your heart, confessing your sins, seeking the Lord’s forgiveness, looking for a new way of life, will not be time misspent. Come Easter, you will have a brand new outlook on your life. You will approach the Lord with a renewed faith and vigor as His disciple. And your Easter celebration will reach a new level of joy as you truly participate in Jesus’ call to new life through His resurrection. May God bless you as you prepare your hearts!
Pastor Michele
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January 2012 Newsletter
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:18-19
Sometimes being a Christian can make us weary. The weekly worship service early on Sunday mornings…the monthly session meetings…the work of ministry that never seems to stop…the special calls and letters, asking you to consider helping with this project or donating to that endeavor…demands on your time and your energy. Being a Christian is not something for slouches. It requires a longstanding commitment which lasts a lifetime. Knowing this, it is good to periodically rededicate ourselves to our Lord and His work. As the apostle Paul once prayed, we need to constantly know how great Jesus’ love is for us, because that is the sole driving force behind all that we do for Him. When we forget His love for us, our work and ministry becomes dry and wearying. But when we take time to remember His love and revel in that rich relationship He has invited us to be in with Him, we become renewed and inspired to take up the mantle of servanthood yet again, with the ultimate desire of our hearts being to be filled with all the fullness of God. Therefore, come ready to recommit yourself to Christ on Sunday, January 8thduring worship. This will be our Recommitment Sunday for 2012. The sermon will be based on the above passage and there will be a time during worship to rededicate yourself to Christ and His mission. Plan to bring your entire family as it will be a very special Sunday for us as individuals as well as a church. Come to be filled with the love of Christ our Lord and His Holy Spirit!
Pastor Michele