On April 21st Fourth Sunday of Easter, the message will be delivered by the Gideons.
I’ll be there, but we will have a Gideon speaker.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
Strangers on the Road of Life
Luke 24:13-24
This week’s sermon is about two disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
Chreaster
It is common to make light of those who only attend church services on Easter and Christmas. The light-hearted term is “Chreaster.” However, I have avoided making sarcastic remarks about this widespread phenomenon. And, there’s a good reason.
I believe there is a hidden message in the fact that people only attend worship on holy days. Of course, there are the people who attend because they feel as they ought to. However, the real reason may be much deeper.
It is on Easter and Christmas that people can be reasonably assured that they will hear the heart of the Gospel. On Christmas, we hear that God interrupted history by sending Jesus to mend and save a hurting world. And on Easter, we hear that there is life after death that far transcends the best we might expect here on earth.
Sadly, some preachers and churches use the occasion of Easter also to remind others that just as there is life after death, there is only eternal punishment for nonbelievers. We must remember that Paul said nothing can separate us from the love of God; not life or death….To me, that clearly implies that God offers the opportunity to choose Christ even after death. In addition, we must remember that final judgment is God’s prerogative, and God’s alone—not ours, not any human’s.
On Easter we celebrate– in a very iconic way—that through a single death, we are offered life.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.
Michael O’Bannon, Pastor
Eyes of Doubt to the Heart of Faith
John 20:24-28.
This weeks sermon is about the Disciple Thomas and Thomas is nowhere near the doubter we make him out to be.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
There’s Got to Be a Morning After
Luke 24:1-7
This Sunday we celebrate Easter in praise and adoration of the risen Christ.
We celebrate Easter with heartfelt thanks to our risen Lord and Savior and share his love and peace with others.
Our joyful voices ring out in praise; Jesus’ words of forgiveness from the cross remind us that we, too, are forgiven.
We hope to see you this coming Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Watching the Parade Go By
Matthew 21:1-11
Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week. It is the recalling of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.
This victorious entry reminds us that although Christ endured great sorrow and suffering, ultimately, He is victorious over sin and death.
We will also celebrate the Baptism of Pastor Michael’s grandson, Douglas Henry Rogers.
We hope to see you this coming Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Say It Ain’t So
2 Timothy 4:1-5.
We are living in an age where myths are propagated much more easily because of social media. This is not a statement against social media; rather, it is about being careful about what is broadcast and checking out facts before blindly believing.
Thank you for your work in ministry!
I look forward to being with you this coming Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Michael
The Divine Nature of Legos
Hebrews 11:3, and Proverbs 8:22-31.
The reference is to the wonderfully complex nature of Legos, the plastic block creation of a Danish company. While helping my granddaughters put together Lego creations, I was reminded of the wonderful and beautiful complexity of the divinely created universe.
The passage in Proverbs is “Wisdom” talking; but the passage is a good reminder of how God created everything in the universe.
Thank you for your loyalty and dedication in working together for the Gospel of Christ.
I look forward to being with you this coming Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Michael
A NOTE FROM THE PASTOR
I have probably mentioned this before, but it was such a disturbing event, I suspect I’ll never forget it. A couple of weeks after Easter in about 2004, someone came to my office to tell me about something someone said after the Easter service that year. At the end of the later service, with a room just crammed full of worshippers, a man said to those around, “ I can’t believe that Michael O’Bannon. I’m sure he’ll get some kickback on his statement that the resurrection of Jesus was real!” It was also reported that an older lady in the pew in front of him took him on. Good for her. I don’t know who the mas was: no one would tell me: but I did know the lady. She
was the type to speak her mind.
I was so upset, I went to see a professor of the New Testament. (I Won’t reveal who or where.) That person told me that the latest scholarship on resurrection was that if it did happen, it was only for Jesus.Most likely, it was believed that it was only a symbolic statement! You can imagine my dismay.
Friends, while there is much that can be explained in a reasonable and scientifically demonstrated way, it should be quickly stated that there is much about our faith that can only be accepted and believed. It always amuses me when people admit there is a God, but refuse to believe in the things God does!
We are a people of faith; and, as we approach Easter, we need to be reminded that God is bigger than our limited, human understanding of the divinely created universe. Easter is about the awesome power of God-as well as their promise of our own resurrection. Christ arose!
Michael D. O’Bannon, Pastor
Perfection
Matthew 5:48
On March 3rd the Third Sunday in Lent, the sermon title is, Perfection. The scripture is Matthew 5:48.
This coming Sunday, Anne and I will be in NYC celebrating Olivia’s 7th birthday.
Gary Smith will be delivering the message.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday March 10th.
Blessings,
Pastor Michael