These words offer guidance and wisdom to live by. Here are some reflections on each:
“Everything has its time” reminds us that change is inevitable and that we need to embrace it.
“Peace be with you” is a powerful phrase that reminds us of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“Tell everyone about me” is a call to action for all believers. We are entrusted with the message of Jesus and are called to share it with the world.
May 21, 2023 – Everything Has Its Time
If you are of a certain age you can’t help but hear music when your read these words from Ecclesiastes! Some of you may be surprised that The Byrds didn’t write this text! But the writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to understand a timeless truth: things change. And while change is hard, it’s the natural order of life. As long as we understand that there is a time for every purpose, we can find purpose in every time of our life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NRSV
Everything Has Its Time
1For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
8 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
Traditions Service
Connections Service
May 28, 2023- Peace Be With You
Every year we celebrate Pentecost as a time of the Holy Spirit coming down to dwell in and amongst humanity. In John 20, Jesus visits the disciples and breathes upon them a gift through just four words: “Peace be with you.” Today, we dig into how these words impact our lives – words that we ought to shape our lives around as followers of Jesus.
John 20:19-23 NRSV
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Traditions Service
Connections Service
June 4, 2023 – Tell Everyone About Me
Jesus’ last earthly words to his disciples contains both a command and a promise. The command is simple: tell everyone about me. And the promise is reassuring: I’ll always be with you. This Great Commission is the foundation for what we should always be doing as a church: telling the world about Jesus and embodying His presence every day!
Matthew 28:16-20 NRSV
The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[a]
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