Good morning!
Thank you to everyone who was able to donate cereal for our Lenten giving project benefiting Oxford Neighborhood Services. Toni and Steve Trout delivered 141 boxes of cereal to the food pantry on Monday!
This Sunday we will begin a short message series for Easter. Throughout the series we will be looking at the passages of the Easter story that speak to Jesus’ role as our king, and I’ve titled the series “Behold Your King.”
In the Old Testament there were three “offices” that God established to govern His people – priest, prophet and king. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all three.
The main duty of the priest was to take the sacrifices that people brought to him and offer them up before God as means of achieving a temporary atonement for their sins. Jesus bore the sins of the world upon Himself and offered up His own body as a sacrifice to provide a permanent atonement for sins for all who placed their trust in Him.
The role of the prophet was to bring the word of God to the people. Prophets would speak God’s truth to the people and at times offer predictions for what God would do in the future. Some of them also performed miracles. Jesus did all of this as well during His earthly ministry and many people believe He was a prophet. He taught the people, performed many miracles and spoke often about the coming Kingdom of God. But here’s the deal – Jesus didn’t just speak the Word of God, He WAS the Word of God! John 1:1 declares:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John helps us understand this truth further in John 1:14:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The role of the king in the Old Testament was to govern and lead the people, to rule over them so that peace and prosperity was abundant for everyone in the kingdom. The king was to be the people’s protector and deliverer, keeping them safe from enemies. The king was also to be the humble servant of God. If you know the history of Israel, you know that very few kings lived up to God’s expectations for them. Jesus, however, is the perfect embodiment of a King. He is humble to the point that, although He was fully God, He came to earth as an infant born in a manger. He is so benevolent and so loving that He died for His people to deliver them from their sin. He then defeated death itself and thereby inaugurated a spiritual kingdom where all who believe in them reside for eternity. But, make no mistake, He is coming back to defeat God’s enemies once and for all and establish a new heaven and new earth over which He will rule forever!
One last thought – in the Old Testament the offices of prophet, priest and king were three distinct offices held by three different men. But Jesus perfectly fills all three offices simultaneously!
I’m looking forward to sharing this series with you as we study the truths about our good and great King…the King of Kings!
Here’s what’s happening:
- The sign up sheet for our Holy Week 24-hour prayer vigil is in the lobby. Please consider signing up for a slot. I will have a prayer guide available on Sunday.
- Spring Clean Up/Work Day at the church this Saturday, 3/23 starting at 9am. The forecast is currently …not great…we will send out an email tomorrow night if we are making any changes.
- Because of Easter, Men’s Breakfast will also be this Saturday starting at 7:45. Come eat some eggs and then head to the church.
- Good Friday Communion Service is on 3/29 at 7 pm.
- Easter Morning – Sunrise Service at 7 am, breakfast at 8 am and our regular worship service at 10 am. If you are planning to come to breakfast the kitchen committee asks that you bring a breakfast casserole and either fruit or pastries if you are able. I ask that you bring peanut butter eggs, but I suppose that’s optional. 😊
- We have invitations printed up for our Easter morning celebrations. They are located by the mailboxes. Please take one and invite a friend to join us!
- We have printed up an information guide for all of the church’s partner missionaries and ministries. It’s located by the mailboxes. Take one home and place it somewhere to remind you to pray for them!
- Forms for our “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” fellowship night are in your mailboxes. If you don’t currently have a mailbox see Becky Myers or Mary Lois Kreider for one. Please return your form back to the ladies by April 7.
This week we will be studying the Palm Sunday passage found in Matthew’s Gospel. It’s not uncommon for world leaders to visit cities with great fanfare and even people lining the streets to catch a glimpse of them. At first glance it appears that is all that is happening for Jesus as He enters Jerusalem. But as we will see, there is so much more going on than that! If you know of someone who is struggling to celebrate Easter this year, be sure to invite them to join you at the Bridge!
Scott