Some call it Holy Week. Others call it Passion Week. Regardless of the term, this week is the week that transformed the world. In this series, we dive into the last week of Jesus’ life here on earth to challenge our hearts and renew our minds. We take the series “The Last Week” and allow the last days of His life, His brutal death, and His glorious resurrection to shape us and compel us to live for Him.
As a church, we should do things on purpose instead of doing things because “that’s what we’ve always done.” There should be a “why we do this” behind our “what we do.” January 2023 we are diving into what drives what happens on Sunday mornings and how that affects our lives for the rest of the week. Our Sundays are not meant to stay on Sundays. They are a launching point into our next step of following Jesus. They are a place to point our lives toward Christ and propel us into the world as light
As a church, we should do things on purpose instead of doing things because “that’s what we’ve always done.” There should be a “why we do this” behind our “what we do.” January 2023 we are diving into what drives what happens on Sunday mornings and how that affects our lives for the rest of the week. Our Sundays are not meant to stay on Sundays. They are a launching point into our next step of following Jesus. They are a place to point our lives toward Christ and propel us into the world as light
What Is an RSVP? The term “RSVP” comes from the French expression répondez s’il vous plaît, meaning “please respond.” If RSVP is written on an invitation, it means the host has requested that the guest respond to say if they plan to attend the gathering. For the fourth year in a row, we look to a group of letters often referred to as the “Prison Epistles.” These letters were sent from Paul while he was in prison to a handful of churches. To the church in Colossae, he sent them a letter that was an RSVP. It was his invitation to “please respond” to the transformative work of Jesus. The same invite given to the Colossians is now given to us. It’s up to us to say “yes” and accept the offer of a life change in Christ.
The most simple definition of a “plot twist” is an unexpected development. It’s a tactic used in literature and film to introduce a change in a storyline that is unexpected and unforeseen. This can also be a way to describe the life of a man we know as Samson. This man who’s birth was foretold by an angel had a life and a calling laid out for him to live. But because of his own desires and ego, what was to be a life of a Godly direction became of life full of “plot twists.”
What do you think of when you hear the word “reclaim”? To some, they think of “reclaimed” wood or timbers and decking rescued from old barns, factories, and warehouses. People will take what is reclaimed and use it for another purpose than the material was originally intended.
But to others, “reclaiming” has another meaning. It’s all about retrieving something that was lost or taken. It’s recovering something for the purpose of returning it to its original purpose or intent. And that’s the story of a place called Eden. It is here that biblical narrative has its beginnings with God creating everything. Light. Land. Animals. Humans. It was flawless and the birthplace of marriage. But in Genesis 3, perfection is broken. Innocence was not misplaced, it was given away. And since, we’ve been trying to figure out marriage hoping we’ll discover the key to marital happiness.
This June, we’re going back to Eden. We will go back to the design of what God brought together and learn from the One who designed it all. This June, we’re “Reclaiming Eden” and asking God to help us rediscover His design for marriage.