Dear Faith Community Church Family,
Luke and Acts are two volumes of one book. The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection begins near the end of the book of Luke and continues into the book of Acts. In Acts, the Apostles frequently bear witness to their King by suffering. Through their suffering they were pointing to the Suffering Servant, who gave his life for the sins of the world. It was their lives, not just their words, that bore witness to the kind of King Jesus is and what it looks like to live as citizens of his kingdom.
In our Holy Week series, we will focus on the passion week narratives in the Gospel of Luke beginning with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in Luke 19. We will see that as those called to be witnesses of our Savior, we are not only to speak the truth about who Jesus is and what he has done, but we are also called to be willing to suffer for the truth of the Gospel.
This Sunday we continue in Acts, looking at Acts 21:17-36, where the Apostle Paul finally joins the Christians in Jerusalem. However, difficult rumors have caused issues within the community. Though Paul tries to address this conflict by reasserting the importance of unity, a mob breaks out and he must be quickly rescued by a battalion of Roman soldiers. This will prove to be yet another opportunity in the providence of God for Paul to speak the gospel to the Jewish people.
This Sunday we will join together for Communion. Please prepare your hearts through prayer and confession in order to come ready to take the Lord’s Supper. I also encourage you to join us for prayer at 9:00am in room 3/4 to seek the Lord’s blessing on our worship service.
Click here to access the livestream of this Sunday’s service.
A few things to keep in mind this week:
Holy Week 2022
April 10: Palm Sunday
April 15: Good Friday Service (6:30pm)
April 17: Easter Sunday
Women’s Embracing Hope Gathering (Saturday, April 9)
Please join us from 9:30-11:00am at the home of Natalie Wierenga. We will enjoy fellowship, coffee or tea, and a message of God’s hope. Abby Huggins will be sharing. If you would like to carpool, please let us know when you RSVP. Please RSVP to Amy Paglia or Natalie Wierenga (but RSVP not required to attend).
Prayer for the Church in Ukraine
Mission to the World continues to provide updates and prayer requests on their website. Additionally, MTW has started a new website called Voice of Ukraine which “seeks to tell the story of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters and partner churches in Ukraine.”
A/V Volunteers Needed for Sunday Morning Worship
We are in need of additional volunteers to assist with A/V during Sunday morning worship. If you would like to volunteer to serve in this way, please contact the church office.
Prayer Requests
Karla and Gary Van Der Molen: Please pray for our sister Karla and her husband Gary as she manages her ALS.
Bryan Van Zanten: Thank you for continuing to pray for Bryan as he undergoes chemo treatments.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Rhett