PassWord
April 12, 2024
Dear Password People,
It appears the rain is over. And it is breezy out there. But I am reminded this morning of the beautiful words from the Song of Solomon:
My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
Spring has come. And we are glad. 55 degrees in our backyard this morning.
So, this is entirely my baby sister’s fault. I went to visit my Mom sometime before Easter and as I recall she was telling me about her “Little Jesus” that my sister had given her. I’m not sure what prompted the conversation; I think I might have been talking about funerals, I might have been talking egg hunts – I don’t remember. But nevertheless, she showed me her “Little Jesus”, that Amy had given her, and she said Amy had told her, “Everybody needs a little Jesus.”. And something clicked inside me at that because I totally agree. I mean, you have to be careful how much Jesus you dole out at a time. And before you get your panties in a knot here, please hear me out. I am not ashamed of Jesus. He is my life. But as an example, I have sometimes seen my reclusive husband get started talking about dogs – specifically Golden Retrievers. And while Jeff is honestly better at small talk than I am (I have too little patience) – when it comes to dogs and Golden Retrievers, he can downright wax poetic. And he can go on and on. You can tell within the first few minutes whether Jeff has encountered someone tolerant of dogs or whether he has met a fellow enthusiast. Either their eyes glaze over and they politely attempt to move on or we stand there discussing for who knows how long each dog they’ve had in their lifetime and how wonderful each one has been. And because I am much more emotionally aware than Jeff, I stand there inwardly either rolling my eyes at the dog convention that has now been convened or trying to figure out how to move him along so he doesn’t bore the living daylights out of someone.
Same thing with Jesus. No, really...There are people who are willing and waiting for you to bring up faith and who are thirsting for someone who can talk to them about Jesus. But there are others, who are nowhere near ready for an indepth conversation about God or His Son and who might actually think that the state of their soul is none of your business. And you do well to respect that. But everybody needs a little Jesus – whether they know it or not. And so Little Jesus is simply a place to begin; a way to have a conversation, a door opener, so to speak. And further, because I now have an old candy jar filled with Little Jesuses on my desk, it serves as a reminder to me to be more intentional about offering, “a Little Jesus” to everyone.
On Sunday, we look at Mark, chapter 8. And Jesus asks the very profound question of His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” And I am sitting here this morning wondering how Peter got to the point where he could say, “You are the Christ.” Did Peter start out with a Little Jesus, a rabbi Jesus, a help you catch fish Jesus, a walk on water Jesus, a feed the 5000 and then the 4000 Jesus? My guess is, yes – all of the above. Do any of us come to faith in Jesus in one blinding moment or in a series of encounters with Jesus that makes Him who He is to us? Maybe we all start out with, “a Little Jesus” and then a little more Jesus and then a little more Jesus...until He finally becomes, Our Jesus, Our Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the World.
So, maybe you know someone who needs, “a Little Jesus”. And if they are willing, bring them Sunday as we look at Mark, chapter 8. Who knows what giving “a Little Jesus”, might do?
Worship Song: Jesus Messiah (Chris Tomlin)
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
OF April 14, 2024:
April 14 Joshua 13-15 & Psalm 58
April 15 Reflection
April 16 Joshua 16-18 & Psalm 59
April 17 Joshua 19-21 & Psalm 60
April 18 Joshua 22-24 & Psalm 61
April 19 Matthew 1-4 & Psalm 62
April 20 Matthew 5-7 & Psalm 63
April 21 Matthew 8-10 & Psalm 64
Journey MEN
Saturday, April 13 from 8:00-9:30 AM. Featured Speaker wil be Pastor Dwight Lefever from Providence Church of God.
CALENDAR
Saturday, April 13. 8:00 JourneyMen. Breakfast and speaker. All men welcome.
Sunday, April 14. Worship at 8:00 and 10:30. Today we continue our study of the Gospel of Mark and will look at Mark, chapter 8.
Wednesday, April 17. Wednesday Night Live. Supper at 5:45, Class at 6:30. All welcome.
Thursday, April 18. 11:30 Seniors Alive! Join us for lunch, devotional, and program.
Friday, May 3. Spring Fling for Seniors. More information to come.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Jimmy and Cece Abromitis
Barbara Beaver
Doris Clave
Michael Clave
Walter Houser
Peter Labella
Andrea Longo
Deanna McClellan
Otis Parker, Judy Bragunier’s Dad
Joseph Pancirov, Dawn Baumbach’s Dad
Joyce Shaffer
Jessie Willis
Kim, friend of Bonnie Benner
Enough. And Jesus' question is not just for Peter, but for all of us - and it is the most important question you will ever answer: "Who do you say I am?"
Blessings,
Pastor Kim
Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/middletowncog/
Our Website: www.middletowncog.org
Dear Password People,
It appears the rain is over. And it is breezy out there. But I am reminded this morning of the beautiful words from the Song of Solomon:
My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
Spring has come. And we are glad. 55 degrees in our backyard this morning.
So, this is entirely my baby sister’s fault. I went to visit my Mom sometime before Easter and as I recall she was telling me about her “Little Jesus” that my sister had given her. I’m not sure what prompted the conversation; I think I might have been talking about funerals, I might have been talking egg hunts – I don’t remember. But nevertheless, she showed me her “Little Jesus”, that Amy had given her, and she said Amy had told her, “Everybody needs a little Jesus.”. And something clicked inside me at that because I totally agree. I mean, you have to be careful how much Jesus you dole out at a time. And before you get your panties in a knot here, please hear me out. I am not ashamed of Jesus. He is my life. But as an example, I have sometimes seen my reclusive husband get started talking about dogs – specifically Golden Retrievers. And while Jeff is honestly better at small talk than I am (I have too little patience) – when it comes to dogs and Golden Retrievers, he can downright wax poetic. And he can go on and on. You can tell within the first few minutes whether Jeff has encountered someone tolerant of dogs or whether he has met a fellow enthusiast. Either their eyes glaze over and they politely attempt to move on or we stand there discussing for who knows how long each dog they’ve had in their lifetime and how wonderful each one has been. And because I am much more emotionally aware than Jeff, I stand there inwardly either rolling my eyes at the dog convention that has now been convened or trying to figure out how to move him along so he doesn’t bore the living daylights out of someone.
Same thing with Jesus. No, really...There are people who are willing and waiting for you to bring up faith and who are thirsting for someone who can talk to them about Jesus. But there are others, who are nowhere near ready for an indepth conversation about God or His Son and who might actually think that the state of their soul is none of your business. And you do well to respect that. But everybody needs a little Jesus – whether they know it or not. And so Little Jesus is simply a place to begin; a way to have a conversation, a door opener, so to speak. And further, because I now have an old candy jar filled with Little Jesuses on my desk, it serves as a reminder to me to be more intentional about offering, “a Little Jesus” to everyone.
On Sunday, we look at Mark, chapter 8. And Jesus asks the very profound question of His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” And I am sitting here this morning wondering how Peter got to the point where he could say, “You are the Christ.” Did Peter start out with a Little Jesus, a rabbi Jesus, a help you catch fish Jesus, a walk on water Jesus, a feed the 5000 and then the 4000 Jesus? My guess is, yes – all of the above. Do any of us come to faith in Jesus in one blinding moment or in a series of encounters with Jesus that makes Him who He is to us? Maybe we all start out with, “a Little Jesus” and then a little more Jesus and then a little more Jesus...until He finally becomes, Our Jesus, Our Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the World.
So, maybe you know someone who needs, “a Little Jesus”. And if they are willing, bring them Sunday as we look at Mark, chapter 8. Who knows what giving “a Little Jesus”, might do?
Worship Song: Jesus Messiah (Chris Tomlin)
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
OF April 14, 2024:
April 14 Joshua 13-15 & Psalm 58
April 15 Reflection
April 16 Joshua 16-18 & Psalm 59
April 17 Joshua 19-21 & Psalm 60
April 18 Joshua 22-24 & Psalm 61
April 19 Matthew 1-4 & Psalm 62
April 20 Matthew 5-7 & Psalm 63
April 21 Matthew 8-10 & Psalm 64
Journey MEN
Saturday, April 13 from 8:00-9:30 AM. Featured Speaker wil be Pastor Dwight Lefever from Providence Church of God.
CALENDAR
Saturday, April 13. 8:00 JourneyMen. Breakfast and speaker. All men welcome.
Sunday, April 14. Worship at 8:00 and 10:30. Today we continue our study of the Gospel of Mark and will look at Mark, chapter 8.
Wednesday, April 17. Wednesday Night Live. Supper at 5:45, Class at 6:30. All welcome.
Thursday, April 18. 11:30 Seniors Alive! Join us for lunch, devotional, and program.
Friday, May 3. Spring Fling for Seniors. More information to come.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Jimmy and Cece Abromitis
Barbara Beaver
Doris Clave
Michael Clave
Walter Houser
Peter Labella
Andrea Longo
Deanna McClellan
Otis Parker, Judy Bragunier’s Dad
Joseph Pancirov, Dawn Baumbach’s Dad
Joyce Shaffer
Jessie Willis
Kim, friend of Bonnie Benner
Enough. And Jesus' question is not just for Peter, but for all of us - and it is the most important question you will ever answer: "Who do you say I am?"
Blessings,
Pastor Kim
Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/middletowncog/
Our Website: www.middletowncog.org