April 2024 - It’s All About…

When I got married, I learned pretty quickly that it would not work if I thought that life is all about me.  Having an instant family, I discovered that for our marriage to work life had to be all about my spouse and my son.  As the years have gone by, I am at my best in the marriage when I remember that.  And of course, Lois and I often muse that it really isn’t about either one of us, it is all about our dog.  All you have to do is ask Jo and he will let you know that.

As we grow up (not older) we must learn that life is not all about “me”.  Part of our Lenten journey to give up something and take on some positive behavior seeks to show us that life isn’t about “me”. 

But then the message of Easter turns that on its head.  We discover that the mystery of God’s gift of his Son as a sacrifice for our sin is all about us.  Christ died for us!

We discover that who life is all about is answered in different ways.

When we come together to worship, it is all about God.  We come to sing praises to God, to offer our prayers to God, to give our gifts of time, treasure, and talent to God’s glory, and to hear a word from God through the scriptures and message.  It is all about God!

When we come together in fellowship and study, it is all about us.  It is our opportunity to learn more about God’s love, to have fellowship with others on the journey, and to grow in our understanding of what it means to be a Christ-follower, a Christian.

When we come together in mission and service, it is all about others.  It is our opportunity to live out our Discipleship as we care for the needy and we share God’s love.

In truth, our life in faith is like a three-legged stool.  For the stool to be the most functional and useful, it needs all three legs to be present and firmly connected.  For our faith to be the most functional and useful, it needs all three legs of ‘worship’, ‘fellowship and study’, and ‘mission and service’ to be present and firmly connected.  Without all three, like the stool, we become less than God intends.

We gather for worship each Sunday at 9:30 AM.

We offer fellowship and study opportunities through Sunday School for children, youth, and adults after worship each week.  On Sunday nights we offer children and youth opportunities from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.  On Wednesdays, we have two different studies, one at 10:30 AM and one at 7:00 PM.

We offer a variety of service and mission opportunities, some that meet the needs of our community of faith and our surrounding community, while others meet the needs of people all around the world as we share our time, talent, and treasure.

Of course, nothing about “church” is mandatory.  But when we take the opportunity to live out our lives remembering that it is all about God, us, and others, we will discover the depths of what it means to be a Disciple!

Christ is Risen!  Alleulia!

Alan