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This Week at First

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April 13th: Determined


    Sixth Sunday in Lent – Palm Sunday: This Sunday is often called Palm-Passion Sunday, as it is the last Sunday before Easter. We need to be sure we are not going from one mountain top experience, the Triumphal Entry, to the second mountain top experience with the resurrection, without going through the valley. At First Church, rather than pack too much into one Sunday service, we are encouraging everyone to participate in the special Holy Week services, including the Good Friday service.


    For Palm Sunday we will focus on two scriptures, Philippians 2:5-11 and Luke 19:28-40. Our sermon topic will be “Determined,” which perfectly describes Jesus’ attitude and the one we too should adopt.


    See you Sunday.


    Grace and Peace,

    Pastor Jim


    Philippians 2:5-11


      5 Let the same mind be in you that was[a] in Christ Jesus,

     

    6 who, though he was in the form of God,    did not regard equality with God    as something to be exploited,7 but emptied himself,    taking the form of a slave,    being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,8     he humbled himself    and became obedient to the point of death—    even death on a cross.

     

    9 Therefore God also highly exalted him    and gave him the name    that is above every name,10 so that at the name of Jesus    every knee should bend,    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue should confess    that Jesus Christ is Lord,    to the glory of God the Father. 


     Luke 19:28-40


    Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

    28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

     

    29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,  30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them.  33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”  34 They said, “The Lord needs it.”  35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.  36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.  37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen,  38 saying,

    “Blessed is the king    who comes in the name of the Lord!Peace in heaven,    and glory in the highest heaven!”

     

    39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.”  40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”









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    April 6: The Citizenship Test


      Fifth Sunday in Lent: While the nation may debate “Birthright Citizenship,” being a Christian is not a birthright! On this last Sunday before Palm Sunday, we will read from Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 as we hopefully begin to realize what we need to do to become a citizen of heaven. Our message will be “The Citizenship Test.”


      See you Sunday.


      Grace and Peace,

      Pastor Jim


      Philippians 3:4b-14


       4 If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:  5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;  6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

       

      7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ,[a] the righteousness from God based on faith.  10 I want to know Christ[b] and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,  11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

       

      Pressing toward the Goal

      12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal;[c] but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  13 Beloved,[d] I do not consider that I have made it my own;[e] but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly[f] call of God in Christ Jesus.  


       John 12:1-8


      Mary Anoints Jesus

      12 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.  3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said,  5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and the money given to the poor?”  6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)  7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it[c] so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.  8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”









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      March 30: Do I Have To?


        Fourth Sunday in Lent: This week, we turn to a very familiar story we call the “prodigal son.” If you know the story, which character do you see yourself playing: the father, the older son, or the younger son? This week’s message will use the story found in Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 along with 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 and will be titled “Do I Have To?”


        See you Sunday.


        Grace and Peace,

        Pastor Jim


        Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32


        15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.  2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

         

        3 So he told them this parable:  

         

        The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother

        11 Then Jesus[a] said, “There was a man who had two sons.  12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them.  13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.  14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.  15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.  16 He would gladly have filled himself with[b] the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.  17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!  18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;  19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’  20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.  21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[c]  22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;  24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

         

        25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.  26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.  27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’  28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.  29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.  30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’  31 Then the father[d] said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.  32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”



        2 Corinthians 5:16-21


        16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;[a] even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view,[b] we know him no longer in that way.  17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,[c] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.











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