Blog: March 2021

It is common to think of faith as something that is just within us—trust and confidence in God. While that is surely part of it, faith doesn’t stop there. Faith starts inside of us and always leads to action. The writer of the Book of Hebrews wanted to explain the fullness of faith to the early Jewish Christians. One of the best ways he could do this was to walk through examples of how men and women in the Old Testament had proven to be faithful. The result is Hebrews 11, often known as the Hall of Faith. Abel had faith when he gave an ...

Our recent “Homeward Bound” sermons (on eternal things) put the big question on the table:  Where do you stand with Jesus?  Are you ready to meet your Maker? This Holy Week as we watch Jesus go to the cross, again let’s ask:  What do you make of Jesus? The New Testament message is clear:  either we follow Jesus on the road to life or abandon him to take the path of destruction (Matt. 7:13-14).  There’s no half-way recognition of Christ; luke­warm religion nauseates him (Rev. 3:16). New birth is necessary: Truly, truly, I say to you, ...

As we walk through Passion Week, take some time each day to read and reflect on what Jesus is saying and doing.  Day One is this Sunday, March 28—Palm Sunday. Pay attention to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in these events.  Notice the resolute aim of the Son of God to do the Father’s will.  Make note of the many questions and failings the disciples experience—along with the way that Jesus does not abandon them but follows through with his saving mission, for their good and for ours as well.  And focus in on the meaning of ...

It’s good to have an awareness of current events in this world of ours.  Of course, you can overdo it and be consumed with the news.  But it’s important to know what’s going on. Here are several headlines from Google News—to put a few topics on the table:  “Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings:  Police Still Working to Notify Victim Families” – “Biden, Harris to Meet with Asian-American Leaders in Georgia to Offer Support after Shootings” – “EU Regulator Declares AstraZeneca Vaccine Safe” –  “Pennsylvania Delays State Income Tax Deadline to May 17” – ...

Come join us for worship on April 4, at 10:30 a.m., outside on the lawn behind the Family Life Center!  Come and celebrate the death-defeating, hope-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ--he is our life, our joy, and our hope for life now and forever!  (Livestream available.) Here are some specific points of info: Please bring chairs or blankets (extra chairs provided). Dress warm, bundle up (forecast says 50 degrees at 10:30). Childcare available for Pre-K and under. Leave FLC parking lot for seniors and families with young ...

Join us for Good Friday Worship and Communion on April 2 at 7:00 p.m. (livestream available). We were considering holding this service outdoors, but the forecast has prompted us to plan to gather indoors.  Details are: Worship and Communion indoors, 7:00-7:45 p.m., in the FLC We’ll share the Lord’s Supper together (if you’re joining at home, please prepare bread and cup if you plan to participate in Communion with us) No childcare Masks and distancing Depart in silence “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by ...

The 2012 movie “Les Miserables” begins on a note of despair.  As they languish in a life of forced labor, Jean Valjean and his fellow prisoners sing, “Look down, look down, Don’t look ’em in the eye.  Look down, look down, You’re here until you die.” Sadly, this is the theme song of so many in today’s world.  And not just secular people who brazenly reject God.  We who follow Jesus are tempted to “look down” and act like our small field of view is everything.  We dwell on our feelings, our abilities, our needs, our achievements, our ...

In the last book of C. S. Lewis’s children’s series, “The Chronicles of Narnia,” the main characters pass through a door from this world into Aslan’s Country.  In the new creation, the children marvel how all the hills, rivers, and fields have a familiar look—and yet are so very different:  so much bigger and brighter, so colorful, and more real than the shadowlands of the old world.  Jewel the unicorn puts this feeling into words:  we’re home at last, where we belong. Beaming, the unicorn repeats Aslan’s invitation, “Come further up, come ...

In New Testament times, Corinth was an important city in ancient Greece. About eighteen years after Jesus’ death on the cross, Paul preached the gospel to the Corinthians and established the church there. (See Acts 18.) He stayed in Corinth for at least 18 months. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote to help believers solve some problems within the church. In his second letter, written just a few weeks later, Paul wrote to encourage the church and to assure them that God loved them—even when they had troubles. Of all Paul’s ...