2019! We are kicking off the year together with a series on Communion: The Lord’s Supper. We will be looking at the Lord’s Supper from several different angles:
- Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life!” (John 6:25-51)
- Discerning the Body – Potential Abuses of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
- Bread or Wine or Body and Blood? (John 6:53-70)
- The Cross: Power or Weakness? (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
The Lord’s Supper has been a central sacrament of the church of Jesus Christ for centuries. What do we believe about this sacrament and how does it affect our life together? These are important questions with beautiful outcomes for our living together. Getting ready for the journey into this beautiful sacrament that God has given us.
Beginning in February, we will begin a series through the 10 commandments. One a week for 10 weeks! This too, I look forward too with anticipation. We tend to look at the commandments with singularity and with negative instruction. “You shall not kill” for example is seen as a singular negative command: “Do not take another person’s life.” Yet, the commandments are better understood in the ‘scope of life’ that the command covers.
I think of each command as a bullseye on a target. Its the center of the command. And the rings that echo out from the bullseye are like ripples on pond after a rock (the central command) is thrown into the water. For example, ‘You shall not kill’ also intends the positive, ‘Do all you can for your neighbors good’ and ‘do not say anything insulting about your neighbor.’ These are ripples on the pond, rings around the bullseye, that fit within the scope of the command.
This should be ‘fun’ exploring the ramifications of these 10 commands. We have some catchy titles each week for this series, such as, ‘Honoring Authority in an Age of Disrespect’ (You shall honor your Father and your Mother) and ‘Fearing God in a Permissive World’ (You shall not commit adultery). How does each of these commands of God increase our flourishing? Looking forward –
In the name of Jesus and for God’s glory,
Pastor Mark
