 Probably the first rock concert I ever attended was in 1980 by the Christian band "Servant". I became an instant fan, bought all of their albums, and dragged friends to their next concert. The next year as a freshman in college I also saw them in Chicago. To be honest, I haven't listened to any of their music in years. I'm not sure if it still holds up or if I was simply wowed by experiencing a concert in person. I do remember that the message of their song "Shallow Water" was a challenge for Christians to really put their faith into action rather than simply focusing on themselves. It is a pretty cool album cover! This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday in which we remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Although the crowd's cheering didn't last for long, at least they had the proper focus at the moment. When the Pharisees told Jesus that he should tell the people to be quiet, he responded, "If they're quiet, a rock concert will break out!" (that's my own paraphrase translation). For the next two Sundays we'll be stepping away from our "FreeWay" sermon series to look at the reason Community Covenant Church exists: Jesus' death and resurrection! I'm calling this series "Rock 'N Roll" and I hope you'll be able to join us. Head banging will be optional :)  Okay, there are a few obvious questions that come to mind watching this short video:
What about relationships between people who shouldn't get along? I'm talking about people we have declared our enemies because of any number of reasons. Perhaps the person hurt you physically or emotionally. Even if the offense took place years ago, we too often carry the hurt around with us. We certainly wouldn't think of playing a game of soccer with him or her - we'd rather not even see them on the sidelines watching! This Sunday, March 13th, we'll be talking about the concept of forgiveness. It's one of the main things that keeps us from experiencing the abundant life and freedom that Jesus promises. I hope you'll be able to join us - it could be the beginning of a whole new level of freedom for you! Upcoming Events you won't want to miss!
Check out how this little boy wakes up from sleeping in the back seat. Are you someone who wakes up with a smile or someone people should avoid until you've had your morning coffee? It's funny how our circumstances impact our emotions and how each person deals with those emotions in different ways. The question is: what is the best way to handle our emotions? If we allow our emotions to dictate what we believe and how we act, we're going to run into trouble. God's Word provides plenty of examples of individuals dealing with their emotions and not all of them result in positive outcomes. As we continue our "Free Way" series, we're going to address how we can make sure that our emotions are not in control of us and keeping us from experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promises to his followers. I hope you'll be able to join us this coming Sunday, March 6th. Communion and Crisis Fund Offering this SundayOur church crisis fund was established in order for us to be able to help people within our congregation and community who find themselves in need. Each year we've been able to distribute thousands of dollars to assist in paying bills and meet other unexpected challenges. The crisis fund depends primarily on special contributions from members of our congregation with only a small part coming from our general fund.
This Sunday we'll have baskets out following the service for the Crisis Fund. Please consider making a special contribution. You can write a check with a note designating it to the crisis fund and drop it by the church or place it into the offering. You can also give online by following this link and designating "Crisis Fund" in the giving type. Thanks for helping us to help those in need. |
Pastor JeffThoughts about living as a Jesus follower and life at Community Covenant Church Archives
December 2020
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