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April 5 Worship

3/29/2015

On this Easter Sunday, we look at the narrative from St. Mark 16:1- 8. It begins with the women going to the tomb early on that Sunday morning in order to anoint the body of Jesus. They are presented with a dilemma even before reaching the tomb. We read.....

"And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?'" Mark 16:2-3

Have you ever been up against a situation that seemed like there was an insurmountable barrier?Have you wondered how you could overcome it?

As the women came to the tomb they noticed that the stone was rolled away! Yes, God had stepped in to solve the dilemma. I wonder, too, how often we worry about so-called "barriers" that come to us and we fail to rely on God's intervention to resolve the issue.

The Easter story is about resurrection - about God bringing life to what seemed death and defeat. Each of us has an Easter faith to which we live in the power of God for our lives. I hope that you will take the opportunity to attend worship on this day to give thanks for God bringing Jesus back from the dead and to learn more about how you can live with the power of the resurrection in your own life.

The Lord is risen. He is risen, indeed!

Blessings,

Pastor Marty

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March 29 Worship

3/23/2015

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This Sunday is Palm/Passion Sunday. The focus for this day can go one of two ways - either concentrating on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem or concentrating on the Passion story. The focus this Sunday will be on Jesus' riding into the holy city.

Preparations needed to be made for Jesus to make the entry. He wanted to ride on a beast of burden and he directs his disciples to obtain the colt at a certain location. We have these words in Mark's Gospel:

"When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, 'Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, "Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'" Mark 11:1-3

What might the Lord need from your life? What gifts or possessions might you have that are not being used, but could be used in the Lord's service?

The Palm Sunday story also invites us to consider how the crowd prepared the road for Jesus' entrance. We have these words:

"Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields." Mark 11:8

How might you be "preparing" the way for Jesus to enter into your heart as you enter into Holy Week? What might you do for worship and also in your devotional life?

I pray that this week will be an exceptionally meaningful one as we contemplate the mystery of Lord's death.

Blessings,

Pastor Marty

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March 22 Worship

3/15/2015

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I come to the last discipline for my sermon series which will focus on "Prayer." Prayer allows us to have that avenue of communication directly to the heart of God.

We would do well to remember the part that prayer played in the Passion story of our Lord. He prayed in the Upper Room for his disciples prior to his crucifixion. There he prayed for their protection, that his followers would be one and that they would remain in the truth. He also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he felt the tension in his life and desired nothing less than doing the will of his heavenly Father. Then, we come to the cross, where Jesus prayed for his captors and also that his own life would be commended to God.

The reading from Hebrews appointed for this Sunday brings us these words:

"In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." Hebrews 5:7

I find it interesting that Jesus did pray in this crucial part of his life. He wanted to carry out his mission and be in obedience.

For us in this time of Lent, I would invite you to think of prayer as part of your life as you are about to enter Holy Week. Pray that you would come to a deeper understanding of Jesus' sacrifice for you and how you can take your cross and follow him.

Blessings,

Pastor Marty

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March 15 Worship

3/9/2015

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My message this Sunday will be on the "discipline" of meditation. Meditation allows us to have that restful time and focus on God.

I think of the words from Psalm 46; "Be still and know that I am God." Amid our many activities in life, we do need to pause in order to direct our attention to God. In this season of Lent, there are ways in which you can be engaged in meditation to help you better experience this time of the year.

Meditation can take place in the following ways:

1. Meditate on an important word in Scripture, such as peace.
2. Meditate on an important verse in Scripture, such as John 3:16.
3. Meditate on a particular story in Scripture, such as a part of the Passion narrative.
4. Meditate on a Christian symbol, such as the cross.
5. Meditate on a piece of art, such as a painting of the crucifixion scene.
6. Meditate on a selection of music, such as listening to Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

I would invite you into meditation as we are nearing Holy Week. May it enrich your life as you know and feel the depth of Jesus' giving his life for you.

Blessings,

Pastor Marty

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March 8 Worship

3/1/2015

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Do you yearn for a simple life? Do you find your to-do list growing by leaps and bounds?

My message on this Sunday is about the spiritual discipline of "Simplicity." While we might have the desire or need to get our lives better organized, I believe our faith also calls us into a discipline of removing those distractions that keep us from loving God and neighbor. We can get so bogged down with worldly things that we miss the center focus of our lives. Jesus gave us those two commandments - loving God and loving our neighbor - that would 'simplify' what it means to live out the commandments of God.

Yes, we need to think of what impinges on our putting first the kingdom of God. So many distractions can come our way. Even our anxieties can grip us. Think of our Lord's words about anxiety with food and clothing, where we are to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness and everything else will come to us! Matthew 6:33

For the apostle Paul, he wrote: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 Corinthian 2:2 Paul was able to reduce everything he had learned to this one event in history which became the center of his life.

I would invite you to reflect in how complex your life might have become and do you feel the need to simplify. May God's blessings be upon your reflection and worship this Sunday.

Discipleship Questions for Reflection

Is there anything competing for your time that would prevent you from fully loving God and loving your neighbor?

What priorities might be indicated by your check book?

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April 5 Worship

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March 15 Worship

March 8 Worship

I invite you to reflect on these words of Scripture in preparing for worship.

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