Our worship on Sunday morning was filled with good spirit -- likely because it was such a bright, beautiful Fall morning. We continued our celebration of Month of the Ministry by focusing on our "named" ministers, Renee, Chuck, and yours truly, and then we went into our annual congregational meeting, handling the important responsibilities of electing new officers and approving the 2013 budget.
I also began our four week series, "Jonah: Lone Wolf Prophet of God." As I said, more than once, I believe that we can learn a lot from Jonah because his reaction to God's leading is similar to how we sometimes react to God -- with reluctance, fear, or the impulse to flee. The story of Jonah is a story that highlights missed opportunities, and I hope we keep that in mind and imagine how we can avoid missing opportunities in our own lives of faith.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with someone else, you can find an audio recording here.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Pray for Mission in Syria
This week we pray for the ongoing mission to Syria, where the ongoing unrest is creating dangerous situations and encouraging refugees to seek safety in other countries.
You can read more here about the current chaos in Syria, a situation which has elicited emergency aid from Week of Compassion and other relief agencies.
There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in 70 countries around the world. Each week, Global Missions highlights one of these missions and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.
You can read more here about the current chaos in Syria, a situation which has elicited emergency aid from Week of Compassion and other relief agencies.
There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in 70 countries around the world. Each week, Global Missions highlights one of these missions and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Coming Up Sunday, October 28
This Sunday, we will conclude our October celebration of the Month of the Ministry by celebrating several people who have worked hard on Eastgate's behalf -- in addition to celebrating our titular ministers (Minister of Music, Minister for Youth and Young Adults, and me), we will also pay tribute to our board officers -- given that unforeseen technical difficulties prevented the video message I had recorded from being played in worship.
We also will begin our next sermon series, "Jonah: Lone Wolf Prophet of God." Over four weeks we will study the entirety of the 4-chapter book about Jonah, who seemed stumble as a prophet because he sometimes tried to impose his own decisions in place of the prophecy given by God for him to share. (Does that sound like something you and I also try to do?) This week, we will focus on the first chapter, where Jonah receives God's call and immediately runs away -- which is both an understandable and a laughable response, when you think about it.
Also, the annual congregational meeting will be held after worship this Sunday to elect officers and approve the 2013 budget. Our Nominating Committee and Stewardship/Finance Committee have done much good work to prepare these things for the congregation's consideration.
We also will begin our next sermon series, "Jonah: Lone Wolf Prophet of God." Over four weeks we will study the entirety of the 4-chapter book about Jonah, who seemed stumble as a prophet because he sometimes tried to impose his own decisions in place of the prophecy given by God for him to share. (Does that sound like something you and I also try to do?) This week, we will focus on the first chapter, where Jonah receives God's call and immediately runs away -- which is both an understandable and a laughable response, when you think about it.
Also, the annual congregational meeting will be held after worship this Sunday to elect officers and approve the 2013 budget. Our Nominating Committee and Stewardship/Finance Committee have done much good work to prepare these things for the congregation's consideration.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
October 14 Worship: "A Living Sacrifice"
On Sunday, we enjoyed a special celebration of Eastgate's ministry over the past year as part of October's Month of the Ministry. In addition to publicly thanking the service of the deacons and the ministry chairpersons, a key part of the sermon focused on a presentation of many of the ways that Eastgate has tried to live out its Christian service in the past year.
As we concluded our sermon series "If We Are the Body...", based on Paul's image of the church as the body of Christ, we considered how Paul may have believed that such a description was not merely metaphorical. Drawing upon his introduction to the image in Romans 12, I suggested that Paul might have imagined that Christians could in some ways physically represent the crucified/resurrected Jesus Christ. While this may take the argument too far (or might also be an over-reading of Paul), it does encourage us to imagine what we can do if we pool our God-given talents and passions together.
With that in mind, I shared many of the activities of Eastgate over the past months, relating them to our vision of "Seeking God, Sharing Christ, Serving Others." The compiled list is impressive, describing the life of an active and generous congregation, and one that is particularly concerned about giving in support of worthwhile ministries and social services in our community and beyond. It is a reminder of the opportunities we have, even with our limitations, to help others (and even ourselves) by actively engaging with God and striving to be faithful.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with someone, you can find an audio recording here.
As we concluded our sermon series "If We Are the Body...", based on Paul's image of the church as the body of Christ, we considered how Paul may have believed that such a description was not merely metaphorical. Drawing upon his introduction to the image in Romans 12, I suggested that Paul might have imagined that Christians could in some ways physically represent the crucified/resurrected Jesus Christ. While this may take the argument too far (or might also be an over-reading of Paul), it does encourage us to imagine what we can do if we pool our God-given talents and passions together.
With that in mind, I shared many of the activities of Eastgate over the past months, relating them to our vision of "Seeking God, Sharing Christ, Serving Others." The compiled list is impressive, describing the life of an active and generous congregation, and one that is particularly concerned about giving in support of worthwhile ministries and social services in our community and beyond. It is a reminder of the opportunities we have, even with our limitations, to help others (and even ourselves) by actively engaging with God and striving to be faithful.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with someone, you can find an audio recording here.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Pray for Mission in Guadeloupe and Martinique
This week we pray for Tim Rose, our missionary to the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Tim serves the Protestant Reformed Church as a Pastoral Assistant for Diaconate Ministries and a Prison Chaplain.
You can read more about the mission to Guadeloupe and Martinique here, including the challenges faced by youth on the island due to significant economic challenges.
There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in 70 countries around the world. Each week, Global Missions highlights one of these missions and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.
You can read more about the mission to Guadeloupe and Martinique here, including the challenges faced by youth on the island due to significant economic challenges.
There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in 70 countries around the world. Each week, Global Missions highlights one of these missions and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Coming Up Sunday, October 14
On Sunday we will celebrate Eastgate's ministry over the past year, as part of the Month of the Ministry. We will consider some of the ways that we have tried to live out our vision of "Seeking God, Sharing Christ, and Serving Others." We will also acknowledge the many people who have guided our efforts in specific ministries.
In addition, we will conclude our current sermon series, "If We Are the Body...", which has looked at the metaphor for the church as the body of Christ. Having explored the image from many angles, including the meaning of Christ's resurrected body and the bread of communion shared as the body of Christ, we will now consider how our bodies are a part of the body of Christ. Taken from Romans 12, we will see how our bodies are each "A Living Sacrifice" that mirrors Christ's physical sacrifice through our service to others.
Following the worship service, we will share a fellowship dinner as part of our celebration.
In addition, we will conclude our current sermon series, "If We Are the Body...", which has looked at the metaphor for the church as the body of Christ. Having explored the image from many angles, including the meaning of Christ's resurrected body and the bread of communion shared as the body of Christ, we will now consider how our bodies are a part of the body of Christ. Taken from Romans 12, we will see how our bodies are each "A Living Sacrifice" that mirrors Christ's physical sacrifice through our service to others.
Following the worship service, we will share a fellowship dinner as part of our celebration.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
October 7 Worship: "My Body, Broken"
On Sunday, we celebrated World Communion Sunday by considering the roots of the Lord's Supper in the Passover Seder meal. We enjoyed wonderful music from the choir, including two solos and another duet, and we honored the service of our elders as part of our Month of the Ministry celebration.
The sermon on Sunday was a reflection of the meaning of Christ's words at the Last Supper -- "This is my body" -- in conjunction with the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ. A big part of the reflection of the sermon, entitled "My Body, Broken," is drawing out some meanings for communion through its roots in the Jewish Passover celebration. In particular, it is important to understand that this relationship implies that Jesus imagined a day when followers in many places would celebrate Communion as a sign of unity, despite the distances of space and time. This is an important piece of the "re-membering" of Communion, the way in which it tries to take the different parts of the church -- you, me, and all other Christian believers -- a put us together into one entity, one body.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with someone, you can find an audio recording here.
The sermon on Sunday was a reflection of the meaning of Christ's words at the Last Supper -- "This is my body" -- in conjunction with the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ. A big part of the reflection of the sermon, entitled "My Body, Broken," is drawing out some meanings for communion through its roots in the Jewish Passover celebration. In particular, it is important to understand that this relationship implies that Jesus imagined a day when followers in many places would celebrate Communion as a sign of unity, despite the distances of space and time. This is an important piece of the "re-membering" of Communion, the way in which it tries to take the different parts of the church -- you, me, and all other Christian believers -- a put us together into one entity, one body.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with someone, you can find an audio recording here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
