Good Friday Morning Church Requel!
There is a heart-rending scene in the second season of The Chosen, when Nathaniel is sitting under a lone fig tree in the middle of a field. Nathaniel is alone, crying out to God. He wanted to be an architect and build synagogues for God. But his first plans, carefully crafted and held in his hands, had been an utter failure. The building had collapsed and he was ruined. He lit the blueprints on fire and threw the ashes into the air as the wind carried away his hopes and his dreams. He cried out to God: “Do you see me? Do you see me?”
Later, when he met Jesus for the first time, Jesus said to him: “I saw you under the fig tree!”
My message to you Sunday morning is a simple one. Jesus sees you! I don't know everything you are going through today, but Jesus does. He sees you. He loves you. He wants to heal you in body and in spirit. Know you are not alone. Ever.
We follow the Scripture lesson this Sunday not from the story of Nathaniel, but rather from the perspective of the man born blind in John 9. The gospel writer devotes an entire chapter to this event. In John's mind, this healing of the man born blind receives the same space as the woman at the well and the conversation with Nicodemus. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. For those of you that like to read ahead, I encourage you to read John 9 for yourself. And if you'd like to read my own thoughts ahead of time, check out my sermon notes online here: http://bible.com/events/49025322.
We have great plans for the worship music Sunday morning. Here are the songs we will sing together: "Open The Eyes Of My Heart Lord" by Michael W. Smith; "Good Good Father" by Chris Tomlin; "Another Hallelujah" by Lincoln Brewster; "The Lion & The Lamb" by Big Daddy Weave; "Broken Vessels" by Hillsong; "No Sweeter Name" by Kari Jobe; and "There's Nothing That Our God Can't Do" by Passion.
Let's be generous and not keep this good worship service to ourselves! Tell other people about it. Invite them to come to church with you. Or tell them about the online stream. You can find it on our Church Requel Facebook page or on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/uqyKTSVviyk?feature=share
Neighborhood Meal on Saturday February 11th. One week from tomorrow we will be serving our neighbors a free meal. We appreciate Eric and Cindy leading the way for us. We can all help out by showing up at 4pm and helping to set up. So put this time on your calendar now. Also, there is a sign up sheet in the lobby at church. If you haven't already signed up, do so. It will let Eric know who he can count on.
Looking forward to seeing all of you Sunday morning at 11. Love you much! Pastor Mark
