The sermon for April 27 is entitled, “How Do I Get Down From Here?”

The scripture is Matthew 28:11-20.

The sermon is about what happens after the pinnacle of Easter.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, signifying victory over sin and death. It’s a time of hope and renewal, rooted in the belief that Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection offer forgiveness and eternal life. Easter serves as a reminder of God’s love and the promise of a new beginning.

This Sunday April 20th Easter Sunday the sermon title is From Bukharin to Brezhnev. The scripture is Matthew 28:1-10.

Also, I hope to see some the Maundy Thursday Service @ 6:30 pm.

Be sure to join us for Easter Sunday worship.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

Maundy Thursday

Christ’s “mandate” is commemorated on Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” is a shortened form of mandatum a Latin word that means “command.” This word appears in John 13:34 of the Latin translation of the Bible (The Vulgate). It was on the Thursday of Christ’s final week. He ate His final meal with the Disciples on that evening and then went to the nearby Garden of Gethsemane for prayer. It was there He was arrested. His crucifixion happened the next day. John , in his reporting of “The Last Supper” recorded Jesus as saying, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34)

Join us April 17th for Maundy Thursday service at 6:30 pm. The message is the Garden Party. The scripture is Luke 22:14-23

We will celebrate Holy Communion

Hope to see you on Thursday.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

This Sunday April 13th Palm Sunday the sermon title is Were You There? The scripture is Matthew 21:1-10.

The theme of the sermon is Palm Sunday.

Also, I hope to see some at Bible Study this coming Wednesday night.

Be sure to join us for Palm Sunday worship.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

The Fifth Sunday in Lent the sermon title is The Longest Mile. The scripture is Luke 18:31-34.

There is a lot of material and commentary on the last week of Jesus’ life. However, there has not been much written from
the perspective of the week or two before Palm Sunday, which is the beginning of Holy Week.

It has intrigued me to consider what might have been running through the mind of Jesus and the Disciples as they approached that eventful and fateful last week.

While researching for this sermon, I ran across a march by Emil Breitenfeld entitled “Last Long Mile.” Breitenfeld was a Lieutenant in World War I
and wrote the march before leaving the Army in 1919 and moving to California where he became a composer and piano player for silent movies.

He is chiefly known as the father of Paul Desmond (his stage name),
the alto saxophone player in the Dave Brubeck jazz ensemble, and composer of “Take Five,” the best selling jazz tune of all time.

See you on Sunday.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

This Sunday March 30th the Fourth Sunday in Lent the sermon title is Where’s Waldo. The scripture is Isaiah 55:1-7.

The theme of the sermon is: “Where is Jesus in your life?”.

See you on Sunday.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

The title of this coming Sunday’s sermon is Heeding the Hulk. I know it is wacky, but trust me on this one.

The scripture is Ephesians 4:25-32, and the theme of the sermon is anger: specifically giving it up for Lent.

As with many words translated into English from Greek, the ancient Greek language had several words for “anger.”

This will not be an ancient Greek lesson. It will simply touch on a couple of uses of “anger” within the New Testament.

Looking forward seeing you on Sunday.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

This Sunday March 16th Second Sunday in Lent the sermon title is I Know Where I’m Going. The scripture is I Corinthians 15:42-53.

The theme of the sermon is Heaven (and going there). The scripture is from Paul’s first surviving letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 15, verses 42-53. It represents the foundation statement about eternity for a Christian.

Looking forward seeing you on Sunday.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

This Sunday March 9th First Sunday in Lent the sermon title is Have a Cigar! The scripture is Matthew 4:12-17.

Please join us as we enter the season of Lent.

Looking forward seeing you on Sunday.

Blessings your way.

Pastor Michael

                The first known reference to the imposition of ashes at the beginning of Lent is from Ælfric of Eynsham, an English abbot.  He mentions ashes “strewn on the head.”  This was in about 1000 A.D.  Ælfric was the most prolific of the writers who wrote in Old English; and he was the first to translate the Old Testament into Old English.  In addition, his translation of the Latin was not word for word, but a translation that would have been more easily understood by the average person who might read or hear the scripture.  This was in distinct contrast of the belief of the day when it was believed that not only the word of scripture was sacred, but also the order of the words.

                Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter. Easter is determined as the Sunday following the first full moon that happens on or after the March equinox.  Lent is 40 days long, not including Sundays. According to the calendar, that means the season is 46 days long overall.  Fasting and/or abstinence is practiced during Lent (a season of repentance); but since Sundays are in observance of the Resurrection and are considered feast days, fasting and abstinence are not observed.