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A Devotional Life
Acts 3:1-10
"And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple." (Acts 3:2)
Being a fan of Acts, I've read this account numerous times and yet this is the first time I can recall being so captivated by the people who would carry this lame man to the gate of the temple. Who were these folks? Did they have the ancient version of a "phone tree" where each would call another every night and confirm someone was getting this man down to the gate? Or did his mother - older and frailer - have to go around to neighbors, feeling the shame of having to beg for her beggar son? Did the neighbors act like they weren't home when she came or cross the street when they saw her coming? And what were those who acquiesced and did the carrying thinking when they did so? Were they happy to help, proud at having taken care of someone lesser than them, busy and just getting the task over with as quickly as possible so they could get back to "normal life"? All of these questions and more flooded my mind as I read this passage and as this barrage rained down, I realized how inherently missional this passage of scripture is. I realized that we are these unnamed carriers. We aren't the beggar (well, maybe we will be the next time I read this passage, but not this time). And we aren't Peter and John. We are these unnamed servants, cajoled into service that feels almost meaningless.
I can imagine there must have been some good-hearted neighbors who did the brunt of the work in carrying this man around. In any group - work, school, church, neighborhood - there is the common occurrence of 20-percent of the people doing 80-percent of the work. These blessed twenty are generally big-hearted, kind, caring people. They also burn out quite a bit. So I'm sure the folks who did the majority of the work carrying this man around were part of this 'blessed twenty.' And once I realized this, then the passage takes on a whole new dimension. Clearly the passage is about the comprehensive, healing power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Clearly the passage is about the joy we ought to display at having the gospel come crashing into our lives. But also, now, clearly this passage is a reminder to stay strong and steady in the hard work of serving others. This passage reminds us why we serve. We don't serve others - we don't take food to the food bank or run homeless friends from Family Promise around town or give money to One Great Hour of Sharing - we don't do these things because we think these acts are the kingdom come for their recipients. No, we do these things because we want to keep putting those in need in a place where the gospel can come crashing into their lives. We work so hard for those who need so much not because we live under the delusion that we can fix anything, but because we want to put them in the way of our Lord Jesus Christ who can fix everything. And when we do this sort of work and when we see this Christ at work, then the lame man won't be the only one dancing in the streets. Amen.
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April 12, 2015 (Easter Sunday)
Sermon Title: "After Easter? Easter People!"
Sermon Text: Acts 4:32-35
Other Text: Psalm 133
Sermon Theme: Easter is over, but its impact remains eternally. Nothing can ever go back to the way it was. The early church caught onto this quickly as they replaced individualism with community, possessiveness with generosity, poverty with sharing, and silence with proclamation. We are still the early church; we are Easter People.
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Music in Ministry
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| | Give Me Jesus CPC Chancel Choir Easter 2015 |
Sincere thanks to the members of our Chancel Choir and Chancel Bells for the glorious music that helped to make our Holy Week and Easter Worship services so very meaningful. Norma Adams, Jennifer Billanti, Cindy Dehls, Mark Dehls, Ed Foley, Carrilee Hemington, Jamie Ignatius Janet Ignatius, Jim Ignatius, Woodie Lutz, Sandra Marsteller, Eric Rowe, Brianne Schooley, Kathi Spangenberg, and Cindy Zubchevich. Soli Deo Gloria
Please enjoy these video music excerpts from Easter Sunday
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| | With Praises Ring CPC Chancel Bells Easter 2015 |
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Upcoming Events
- CPC's Representative Nominating Committee will be filling five open spots on the Deaconate. Two of the spots are just for the remainder of this calendar year. Two of the spots go through 2016. One spot goes through 2017. Nomination forms will be posted in the bulletin for the next two Sundays and members from the RNC will be reaching out to folks individually. Please prayerfully consider if you're being called to serve your church in this capacity.
- Assistive hearing devices are available for those who might have difficulty hearing all parts of worship. These are small earbuds that are easy to use and not highly visible to others. Please ask when you come into to church and we will be happy to discreetly hook you up.
- Sunday April 19th will be our annual Youth Worship. Services will be at both 8:30 and 11:00. Our students will lead worship and deliver the message. Please be here to support our youth ministry.
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We will have a Strawberry Festival on Sunday, May 31st from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Food, games, and - naturally - strawberries will abound. Mark your calendars now and please plan on attending.
- Brianne Schooley will be contacting folks to volunteer for the Strawberry Festival. Please be on the look out for her requests for volunteers.
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Pastor's Christian Ed Evening has completed its study of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Thanks to those who participated. Everyone can keep their eyes peeled for more Christian education opportunities.
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Rachel Circle will meet on Wednesday April 8th at a member's home at 7:30 p.m.
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Mary Martha Circle will meet on April 13th at 11:30 am. Bring a lunch and join us for our study and fellowship.
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Presbyterian Women's Spring Gathering is Thursday, April 16, 3PM at the Presbyterian SeniorCare Chapel. A light supper will be served. Cost is $8.00. The Please call Nancy Magera to RSVP by April 10. 724-745-3291
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Special Ecumenical Worship service at St. Paul AME Church (16 Ridge Avenue, Washington, PA 15301). Pastor Schooley will be participating in a special service - "The Value of God's Love" - that will feature choirs, mime groups, soloists, and more. Service is on Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. You are strongly encouraged to attend and help foster a spirit of Christian unity in love.
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CPC's Book Club, currently reading Anne Lamott's Help, Thanks, Wow will meet at Bob and Harriet Dilly's house, 268 Maplewood Drive, McMurray on Saturday, May 2nd at 10 a.m. for our "Brunch and Books" discussion. Please RSVP to the church or to Pastor Schooley no later than Thursday, April 30 if you plan to attend. All are welcomed!
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We are still seeking a volunteer morning van driver for Friday, April 17th as we host Family Promise at Trinity Methodist Church. Contact Steve Perryman if you're available to help out as the morning van driver.
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Intergenerational Summer Mission Trip to The Center in Baltimore, MD. There are still a few spots left for our Intergenerational Mission Trip this summer, June 13-20, to Baltimore, MD. Contact Becky ASAP if you are interested in going.
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Don't miss the opportunity to support Family Promise and help change the lives of homeless children and their families! Click on the image below to register TODAY!
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Our preschool is holding a "Frozen Fun Super Saturday" on Saturday, April 25 for 3 - 7 year olds. The cost is $10 and the event will feature Elsa, Anna, and Spiderman present to take photos with the kids and interact with them. Food and games will also keep everyone happy. Please RSVP soon, as spots are limited.
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Can't make it to Frozen Fun Super Saturday? You can still participate by providing a theme basket for the event's Basket Raffle. Themes can include "Movie Night," "Sporty Fun," "Nature Time," etc. Please donate your basket and/or materials for a basket no later than Sunday, April 19.
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Join in the middle school group trip this summer July 19 - July 23 to Pine Springs Camp for Mission Ex! Mission Ex is for middle school youth groups designed to provide campers with all the fun elements of Pine Springs combined with a meaningful experience in missions. WE will explore what it truly means to serve Jesus and others. Highlights include team building activities, 3 days of service, evening activities like pool parties, Bible study, BIG games, camp fires, fun and challenging Praise and Worship sessions at THE BARN. Click here to find out more about Pine Springs Camp
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Condolences are extended to the family of former member (1954-1986) and children's choir director, Frances Bell Wood. Frances passed away on Friday April 3rd. You may follow this link to her obituary.
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A Joyful Life
Who's got a joyful life? Steve Perryman does! Steve won our "March Mission Madness" challenge by successfully picking the most winning games during the NCAA March Madness tournament. He capped off his amazing performance by correctly picking Duke to win the National Championship. But the real winners are Family Promise, whom Steve selected as the mission partner for which he was playing. They will receive the $210 raised in this fun fundraiser (or fun-raiser?) event. Thanks to everyone for participating. You can see the final results below:
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| | March Mission Madness Results |
Say Happy Birthday to:
Karen Heinrich April 3rd
Jim Ignatius April 6th
Vicky Li April 7th
Heather Battista April 12th
Piper Kern April 12th
Gabby Quarture April 12th
Melissa Deklewa April 13th
Mark Kern April 13th
Pat Robbins April 14th
Jayne Culver April 15th
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