As Lent concludes…

28 Mar As Lent concludes…

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday!

That’s the official beginning of Holy Week & the end of the Lenten season. We move into not just a new season of the church year, but a new cycle of worship and teaching themes.

CrossRoad Choices…

Which way do we go? What do we do now? How do I know that’s the right thing? Despite the technologies & algorithms designed to make our decisions easier & our options clearer; we still have to choose…to make a decision…to pick a course of action.

This week Jesus too chose: to enter Jerusalem amid a cheering mob, to share a last meal with his followers, to sacrifice his life, to redeem you from death & devastation. His choices were all made in accord with the Father’s intent to restore what sin & death had stolen, to reveal his mercy & grace, to redeem sinful humanity, to rescue you for joy & life with him forever.

We stand at our own crossroads, and we have to choose: a life wholly immersed in the gift of life in Jesus or one consumed by our own desires…a life generously & expansively released for the sake of others or one made smaller in the pursuit of self. Join us at the crossroad where the choice is made…for you. This is another great time to invite someone you know to worship over the course of the week…Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter…Help someone discover the eternal choice Christ has made for them!

 

Service Times:

Palm Sunday – 10 a.m. – This is a Morning Tea & Giving Beyond Ourselves Sunday for CareVan.

What a great way to celebrate the servant kingship of Jesus by helping those who serve the poorest & neediest among us in our town!

Maundy Thursday – 6^th April – 7 p.m.

Good Friday – 7^th April – 10 a.m. – We’ll have Hot Cross Buns after worship

Easter Worship – 9^th April – 10 a.m. – another Morning Tea time for fellowship & sharing the joy among Christ’s people.

 

BUT – Before we get to all those exciting worship experiences…

 Zoom Bible Study Catch-up

Friday 31^st March 2023 @ 1:00 PM  —  Join Zoom Meeting —  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83586782734  —  Meeting ID: 835 8678 2734

 

Living Water Prayer Morning – Saturday 1^st April – 10 a.m. in the Guide Hall – a great opportunity to pray alongside brothers and sisters in Christ for our community, each other & the world at large.

 

And if you’d like to know what’s ahead…over the next few months we’ll have the chance to study (as a congregation) 2 books of the Bible starting in worship but then leading out into the weeks following.

Immediately following Easter, we’ll be looking at 1 Peter…an outstanding letter encouraging the faith of Christ-followers living in “exile” in a world and a culture that would happily stamp them out of existence. As Christians, God has called us to a new normal that began the day Jesus rose from the dead.  It’s a living that is so attractive and directed by the glory of God, by the stunning beauty of his presence, the eternal security of his Kingdom inheritance, and by the amazing reality of his grace.  The New Normal is a living hope that enables us to embrace difficulty, involve ourselves in suffering, and endure hardship because the good news of the resurrection engages our hearts and transforms our lives.

Then…throughout June, July & August…Exodus! A Journey of Promise. Like it or not, life is an education. We can choose to learn from it or bury our heads in the sand, telling ourselves that we know all we need to know. Learning can be fun and a blessed relief as we gird ourselves with the knowledge and skills to avert future catastrophes. It can also be an uncomfortable struggle with the reality of our own shortcomings. The story of the children of Israel is an opportunity for us to learn from other people’s mistakes and from the life-changing power of God’s grace in their lives.

Now a word of encouragement & promise…and I’ll see you somewhere along the way this week…

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

                                — Psalm 91:14-16