Dear Congregation,

 

Montview has offered over 30 years of Youth Sundays. This is the time of the year that sixth grade through twelfth grade have the opportunity to lead us all in worship. Youth Sunday is an excellent way to introduce youth leadership in a variety of roles in worship.  

 

On March 8 our teenagers will be using the scripture John 2:13-25 - Jesus Cleanses the Temple.  We know this story - it's in all four gospels.  But John does something different with the story.  He places it at the beginning of Jesus' ministry...his first foray into the public.  And what an entrance it is, as he overturns tables and drives out moneychangers with words and cords.  Jesus says the Temple has become "a marketplace."  It was a marketplace that took advantage of the poor.  It was a "subprime" market in which a few accumulated great wealth for themselves at the expense of those who could least afford to pay.  It created a world with sharp social boundaries -Jews in the inner court, Gentiles in the outer court, men in this section, women in that section, sacrifices the poor could afford, sacrifices the rich could afford.   The money changers had taken a place reserved for the values of God and used it to profit.   So Jesus comes along - angry at the injustice and confronting those who exploit the poor.   These money changers were tolerated & encouraged by the temple authorities who should have known better.  They had made a career of studying God's word but they managed to accommodate the money changers.    Jesus overturns the tables as well as the old way of doing things.  Offering sacrifices was no longer going to be necessary, for in Christ, there was a new way to access God.  God in Christ would be present with people in a new way. God was now open to ALL people in ALL places and could be experienced everywhere.  

 

So where is God for you?  Where do you expect to meet God, to experience God, to participate with God in God's ongoing work?   We invite you all to share photos of where you see God at work.  The photos can be of just about anything or anywhere that points to where God's presence is being felt, seen, and made real through your life, work, and faith.  Then post the photo to your Instagram and/or to Montview's Facebook page with the hashtags #MontviewGod and #MontviewChurch.  

 

You can follow Montview on social media at www.instagram.com/montviewchurch 

 and www.facebook.com/montviewchurch.