Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The opening words of Psalm 22 are probably familiar: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Even if you didn’t know that they are the words of David from Psalm 22, you might recognize them as the words spoken by Jesus as he hung upon the cross. Jesus speaks these words in utter pain shortly before his last breath.
In the opening verses of this psalm, David is wrestling with a deep feeling of pain and alienation from God. However, the tenor of Psalm 22 shifts as the psalm progresses. Mourning turns to joy; feelings of dejection transform into a call to praise and honor the Lord as King:
“All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.” (vv. 27-28)
Jesus died as our Savior, yet he was resurrected as our King. Nothing is outside of his sovereign rule, from the war in the Ukraine to the struggles we face in our communities and in our daily lives. He is our crucified Savior and our resurrected Lord. He has overcome sin and death and we look forward with steadfast hope to the day when he will return to dwell with his people forever.
On Friday at 6:30pm we will gather for our Good Friday service. On Good Friday we worship our King for the great salvation he achieved for us by giving his own life for the sins of his people.
Here is the link for the livestream of the Good Friday service.
On Sunday, we will join together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. The sermon text will focus on Luke 24:1-12. I encourage you to invite friends and family to join us this Sunday for worship and fellowship. As a reminder, we will not hold Sunday school this Sunday; however, hold a special fellowship time in the Mission Center following the worship service.
Click here to access the livestream of this Sunday’s worship service.
WordPartners Event: The Power of God’s Word (Saturday, May 14, 6:00pm)
On Saturday, May 14, our church will host The Power of God’s Word, an in-person and livestream event, which centers on celebrating the work God has done through the ministry of WordPartners. During the event we will hear about the ways God is using WordPartners to train pastors and make disciples throughout the world. Dinner will be provided. If you would like to register for the event, you may do so through our church’s registration page or by contacting the church office.
No Men’s Bible Study this Saturday
There will be no men’s bible study this coming Saturday. Bible study will resume next Saturday, April 23 at Larry LaBelle’s home (8:00am).
Church Cleanup Morning (“Donut Day”): Saturday, April 30
Join us on Saturday, April 30 (9:00am-noon) for our church cleanup morning led by Mark Wissing and Phyl Holt, our Property Team leaders. In case of rain, the cleanup day will be rescheduled for Saturday, May 7.
Prayer for the Church in Ukraine
For regular updates on how to pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine be sure to check the Mission to the World website and their blog Voice of Ukraine.
Prayer Requests
Beth Wright: Beth Wright had hip replacement surgery today. Please pray for a smooth recovery for Beth in the days ahead.
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