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As we continue on our journey towards Good Friday and Easter, I want to turn our attention to the Last Supper. During this Passover ritual, laden with symbolism, Jesus suddenly interrupts the progress of the meal. This is how John describes this peculiar scene.....
"During the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:2-5 What a strange way for the guest of honor to act during the final meal with his friends. What kind of behavior is this from someone who called himself the Son of God? In those days, foot washing was considered so degrading that a master could not require it of a Jewish slave. However, with this one act, Jesus symbolically overturned the whole social order. Hardly comprehending what was happening, even his own disciples were horrified by his behavior. Jesus asked his followers to do three things to remember him. He asked us to baptize others, just as he had been baptized by John. He asked us to remember the meal he shared that evening with the disciples. Finally, he asked us to wash one another's feet. The church has always honored two of those commands. But today, the third command of foot washing is practiced by only a handful of denominations. For the rest of us, this act of humility seems primitive, rural and unsophisticated. There is some debate whether Jesus intended this command only for the twelve disciples or for all of us. Although, even the twelve who witnessed this command first-hand, struggled to follow it. In foot washing, the disciples had seen a living example of how Jesus wanted them to portray who he was and what he stood for.....a humble servant who just happened to be the Son of God. Who's feet is Jesus calling you to wash? Could extending an invitation to our Easter Service be considered an act of foot washing? Don't forget to join us at 6:30pm for our Good Friday service and Sunday at 10:00am for our Easter gathering. In His Grip. Pastor Doug
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This Sunday, we will begin a week-long prayer emphasis. There will be prayer guides available at the Welcome Center and on the table at the back of the sanctuary. During the week you will focus on praying for your own personal mission field and for the missionaries working here in Oregon, the United States and Canada. Then next Sunday, we will collect a special offering that will go directly toward supporting church planting missionaries, like our very own Tom Tang from New Creation Fellowship. Be praying for what God would have you give. Also, on Wednesday at 10:00am, we will gather in the Fireside Room for a special time of sharing and prayer for our church planters and missionaries. Don't miss this opportunity to pray with others.
On Thursday, we will have our monthly Young at Heart luncheon and will continue to focus on praying for our church planters and our upcoming Easter service. Lunch begins at noon in the Fireside Room and is FREE! Be sure and write the day and time on your calendar and plan to be there! This Sunday, as we begin to wrap-up our "Chosen" series, our focus turns to Pilate and the life-changing decision that has forever defined him. Along with Pilate, all of us want to make courageous decisions. We all want to make the courageous choice and were committed to doing the right thing.....until the right thing, making the right decision is more costly than we thought it was going to be and then, just like Pilate, we opt for the path of least resistance. Join us on Sunday at 9:00am, as we explore what it looks like to have a courageous faith. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life". John 3:16.
This is the message of Easter. All human history hinges on the person of Jesus Christ and the church has been charged with the task of proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. Don't miss this Easter as we join with Anthem Church and Common Ground Church to celebrate our risen Savior. On this Sunday, we will have one service at 10:00am. The most important thing we can do to prepare for Easter is to pray.....
This Sunday, we will continue our series titled, Chosen. With this series, we are focusing our attention on individuals and groups of people for whom our level of disdain varies. People like Judas who betrayed Jesus, the Sanhedrin who despised him, Herod who mocked him, the crowd, who called for his crucifixion, and Pilate who appeases the mob and washes his hands. And then there's this guy named Barabbas. Remember Barabbas, the murderer, the rebel, the guilty who was set free while our Savior was put to death in his place. Sometimes I wonder why his name is even mentioned. What can we possibly learn from such an evil man. Is there any redeeming value to knowing a little bit more about his connection to Jesus. Join us this Sunday as we unpack God's incredible love for Barabbas. If you would like to read ahead, the passage for this week will be Luke 23:1-25. Hope to see you Sunday. Pastor Doug I can't believe it's already March 1st and Easter is just one month away!
Today, I had the privilege of attending the Grand Opening of Family Promise Beaverton (Room 4 Hope), as they officially opened their doors to families in our community who are facing a homeless situation. It was an encouraging scene as I watched representatives from our local government, standing side-by-side with pastors and other faith leaders, to pray for and offer support for, the "least of these" in our community. FBC was well represented with 8 in attendance. As we prepare to serve in our role as a host church, we will be hosting another volunteer information meeting this coming Sunday, March 3rd at 11:45am in room 307. Lunch will be provided, so please consider attending this meeting and learn how you can be a part of providing hope to families who are facing homelessness. In order to have enough food, if you are planning to attend this meeting, please RSVP by emailing Doug at [email protected]. I hope to see you there! As we begin to turn our attention towards Easter, for the next 4 Sundays, we are going to be focusing our attention on some of the individuals who played key roles in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. However, the people that we are going to look at are not held in very high esteem. They are not considered heroes of the faith. In fact, just the opposite. When you hear the name Pilate, Barabbas, the Sanhedrin(religious leaders), the crowd, who in one unified voice cried out for Jesus to be crucified, we tend to place these names in the "evil" category of the crucifixion story. But regardless of whether or not they believed that Jesus was the Son of God, they were still "Chosen" by God to play a significant role in the death of our Savior that provided us the opportunity to experience forgiveness. Join us this Sunday as we look into the lives of those who called themselves "religious" and see how their desire to be in charge, blinded them from the reality that Jesus was in fact the Son of God. Take some time before Sunday to read Luke 20:1-18. After the service, stick around and connect with others in our church family by joining one of our Adult Bible Study Groups. Two of them will be starting brand-new studies. One is called "Experiencing God's Presence" and the other is titled, "Guidance for the Seasons of Life." It's also not too late to join our third group, which is just a couple of weeks into their study of I Samuel. Consider joining one of these Sunday morning groups and experience the type of community that can only happen within a small group environment. Have a great weekend and I hope to see you on Sunday! Pastor Doug |
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