|
|
A Devotional Life
Deuteronomy 8:11-20
Do not say to yourself, "My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth."
(Deuteronomy 8:17)
What a hard word to hear, no? We're always tempted to believe that what we have - whether we have a lot or whether we have a little; it does not matter - we have this because of our own doing. Maybe this part of an American mentality. Maybe it's just human nature. I'm not sure, but I do know that within me - within all of us - is a temptation to believe that we are the makers of our own fate, the planners of our own destiny. But this, we are told, we cannot say.
I think this temptation comes innocently enough. We all know the amount of work we've put into what we do. We know the hours spent studying or learning a trade or just working at back-breaking work without rest. We know what we've done. But we're not sure what God has done in the midst of our work. Oh, we're not ingrates. We assume that He has been at work in some ways, but in terms of what we can see and know - what we can really see and know - we are more familiar and intimate with ourselves than with our God. And this is where the sin starts to creep in.
The sin isn't that we had some part in our own work. The sin is being blind to the part - and the much larger part! - that God had in it. And this is where worship and Sabbath are so essential. When we take Sundays off of work and we place ourselves in pews, we pause to remember and re-learn and reflect on all that God has done. We take a blessed hour out of the week to stop telling our own story and to listen to God's story about us. And parts of that story are hard to hear. Parts tell us that we're sinners, faithless, greedy, violent, and in our worst moment: atheists (that is, we do not functionally acknowledge God with our lives, even if our mouths might say otherwise). So it's a hard story, but it doesn't end there. We are also reminded that we are forgiven, drawn close to God, made His children and brought into community with one another that we might tell and re-tell His story more and our story less. So worship helps us keep the commandment to not glorify ourselves, but that's not all. Sabbath - taking an intentional day off of work - also does this. In Sabbath, we stop working and find - miraculously - that the world does not fall to pieces. That something other than our own hard work keeps everything - ourselves included - going. And so Sabbath is a sort of dramatic enactment of what we learn and confess in worship. It is where we put worship in action - ironically - through our inaction.
|
May 13, 2015
Sermon Title: "The Coronation"
Sermon Text: Luke 24:44-53
Other Text: Ephesians 1:15-23
Sermon Theme:
We call Jesus "Lord," But what does that mean? It means that He is the King, the Sovereign, the Ruler over all. Today is Ascension Sunday when we celebrate Christ's coronation as king of the cosmos. His ascension secures the world for Him and frees us from all authorities, powers, dominions, and "games of throne: that the world is addicted to playing. This Sunday you're invited to the 2,015th coronation of Jesus as King.
|
|
Upcoming Events
- Congregational Meeting to elect additional Deacons will be held Sunday, May 17 immediately following the 11 a.m. worship service. Please plan to attend.
- Nepal in Need: The mission committee has pledged $1,000 in a matching fund campaign. For every dollar you donate, the mission committee will match it. The total funds will be sent to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for Nepal, which has now suffered two earthquakes of greater than 7.0 magnitude in as many weeks. When you give, please note "Nepal" on your check's memo line or on the envelope that contains your contribution.
- The Strawberry Festival is set for 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.
- Farmers Market is Back! Beginning Wednesday, May 20, St. David's Episcopal Church will once again host the weekly Farmers Market[JS1] . The Market runs from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. and will feature food trucks, local artisans, locally-grown produce, and even, for the first week, pony rides! Please plan to attend, support local growers, and spend time with your neighbors.
- Intergenerational Summer Mission Team will be leaving on Saturday June 13th to travel to Baltimore for a week in the mission field.
- Preschool Council will meet next Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm in the Parlor
- As Center Church Christian Preschool comes the end of a wonderful school year, they are gearing up for two weeks summer camp. All preschool children aged 3-6 are welcome whether they have been enrolled here or not. Contact Bonnie for registration materials and information.
- Center Church is hosting worship at Peters Creek United Presbyterian Church this Sunday at 5 p.m. We encourage members of our congregation to attend this service as well.
- The Rachel Circle will meet on Wednesday May 13th at a member's home at 7:30 pm for fellowship, study and dessert. All women are welcome.
- Trustee Meeting - Wednesday, May 27, at 7 p.m. in the Parlor
- Session will meet on Wednesday June 3rd at 7 PM in the Bride's Room
- The Deacons will meet on Monday June 8th at 7:30 p.m. in the Parlor
|
|
A Joyful Life
Sure, this went viral a few years ago... but it's still hilarious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw
Happy Birthday:
Morgan Boyer May 24
Anthony Dami May 24
Alex Graysay May 24
Matthew Cowler May 25
Raymond Kohler May 29
Cathy Krajewski May 30
Denise Peterson May 30
Dan DeLuca May 31
Happy Anniversary
Jessica and Angelo Quarture May 22
Jennifer and Tony Billanti May 27
Denise and David Shanholtz May 30
|
|
|
