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STOP READING! Find your Bible, turn to Luke 5, and read verses 1-11. Now you can continue reading. Think for a moment about this scene. Ask yourself, "What is Jesus really doing?" Is there more to this story than Jesus teaching the crowd, providing Peter, James and John, with a dinner-table worthy fishing story, and asking them to be his first disciples? In the word(s) of Pastor Avery from Common Ground..."Pondering"... As we conclude our series, Encounters with Jesus, I would like us to consider our own experiences with Jesus. Just like with the story from Luke 5, it's important for us to recognize that Jesus has this great habit of not just meeting us when we are in a "happy place" or, feeling especially "holy" or spiritual. Jesus equally meets us in moments of weakness, confusion, doubt, pain and loss. He encounters us where we are, he uses what we have, and through us, he communicates something of himself and his kingdom to the people around us. My hope is that through this series you have been reminded that wherever you are, however you may feel, that Christ is still using you for His purpose. Join us on Sunday, at 9:30am, as we are given the opportunity, through one final encounter, to see and experience the heart of God. A heart that cares. A heart that provides relief from pain and fear. A heart that heals. A heart that forgives. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Last minute invite: Tomorrow (Saturday) at 7:30pm, the Rose City Flute Choir, (of which our very own Kathy Collins is a member), will be performing here at Calvary Parkside. They performed for us during Christmas, and even played for one of our Sunday services. I'm excited to hear what they have in-store for us this time! Connecting with one another authentically is one of the core values of Calvary Parkside, and one of the best ways to connect with others is through our Sunday Adult Discipleship class. This class meets every Sunday at 11:00am. Consider joining others at Calvary Parkside as they study the last days of Jesus, as recorded in the book of John. Calvary Parkside Membership Class: Sunday May 7th @ 11:00am. Sign-up using the Connect Card or stop by the Next Step Table. Attached is this week's prayer list. See you Sunday. Doug In Matthew 16, after hearing the difficult news of Jesus' shocking agenda, the disciples began to wonder what the future held. They expected Jesus, as the Messiah, to gather a following, overthrow Rome, and return Israel to its glory days. But Jesus predicted a completely different path to glory. The path He followed led to suffering and death. To encourage the disciples, he decided to give three of them a close encounter with the supernatural, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of God's heavenly plan. You can find this encounter in Matthew 17:1-13. The impact of this encounter on their lives would last for decades. Thirty years after this experience Peter wrote these words in 2 Peter 1:16-18:
"For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when were with him on the sacred mountain." Like Peter, John also referenced this encounter when he wrote some sixty years later: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 Join us on Sunday, at 9:30am, as we take time to be reminded of who Jesus is, how much he loves us, and his incredible plan for our lives. We will also hear from two Calvary Parkside family members, as they share how an encounter with Jesus changed their lives. You won't want to miss this Sunday...(great music, God's Word, personal testimonies, fellowship, etc)...be sure to join us, it's gonna be awesome! Connecting with one another authentically is one of the core values of Calvary Parkside, and one of the best ways to connect with others is through our Sunday Adult Discipleship class. This class meets every Sunday at 11:00am. Consider joining others at Calvary Parkside as they study the last days of Jesus, as recorded in the book of John. Calvary Parkside Membership Class: Sunday May 7th @ 11:00am. Sign-up using the Connect Card or stop by the Next Step Table. See you Sunday. Doug Have you ever experienced a Sunday morning when worship felt lifeless, empty, routine, "same-old-same-old", "heard it all before", dare I say, even boring? Here's the question I would like to have you think about between now and Sunday. How does someone reignite a burning desire in their heart for worshiping Jesus?
This idea of "hearts on fire for Jesus" is not just Christianese. It's biblical. Join us on Sunday at 9:30am, as we continue our series, Encounters with Jesus. This week, we will dive into Luke 24, which recounts one of the most powerful post-resurrection moments. It was on the road to Emmaus, where two despondent disciples are transformed by an encounter with the risen Christ. Near the end of the story, after Jesus disappeared from their sight, the two disciples talked about what they learned and how it affected them. They asked each other, "Were our hearts not burning within us while he (Jesus) talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?". What set their hearts ablaze was an interpretation of Scripture that put Jesus front and center. If our Sunday worship experience is going to set our hearts on fire, it must put Jesus front and center, through the Scriptures. Protestant Reformer, Thomas Cramer, in his short manifesto on worship claimed that the purpose of worship, centered on Christ and filled with the Scriptures, was to cause worshipers to "be the more inflamed with the love of God.". In short, Cramer believed that making much of Jesus through our worship was a key ingredient for igniting hearts that were passionate for following and proclaiming the message of Jesus. I believe the same is still true today. Connecting with one another authentically is one of the core values of Calvary Parkside, and one of the best ways to connect with others is through our Sunday Adult Discipleship class. This class meets every Sunday at 11:00am. This Sunday is a perfect time to join this class, as they will begin a study in the book of John, focusing on the last days of Jesus. I hope you will consider checking out this opportunity to further your relationships at Parkside. See you Sunday. Doug "The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances." Robert Flatt
Information alone rarely changes lives. But when someone encounters the Truth (think Jesus), their future is changed for good. Sure, people's lives get changed for all sorts of different reasons, but the transformation that we see in the disciple's lives is irrefutable evidence that they believed they had encountered the living Christ. Take time to read John 20:19-20, and learn what transformed these men, from confused doubters, into radical and fearless, willing to give their lives in the name of Jesus Christ disciples. This encounter with the living Christ completely transformed them from men who were hiding behind "doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders" into an unstoppable team. History and tradition show us that the disciples were tortured, exiled, and killed because they wouldn't keep quiet about their encounter with the resurrected Jesus. Join us tomorrow at 9:30am for Easter at Calvary Parkside and allow an encounter with the resurrected Jesus to transform your life! Don't forget to bring a friend! See you Sunday. Doug For most Christians today, Good Friday and the cross is viewed as symbolic of some sort of victory, but it was devastating in the moment. The significance of Christ's death was the shedding of innocent blood--the perfect and final sacrifice for our sins. In contrast, the significance of the resurrection is best explained by Peter's words in I Peter 1:3-7:
Praise be the the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Yes, Jesus had to die...but Sunday is coming! Where would we be without the cross of Friday and the empty tomb of Sunday?! As you enter Good Friday, pray this prayer... "Jesus, touch me with the Truth of today. Quiet my heart that I may ponder what You did on the cross. Amen" Also take time today to read the account of the crucifixion of Jesus found in Luke 23 or John 19. As you read, it will become clear what it took to make the ransom for our sins. And this is just the physical part of it. We can't imagine what it meant for Jesus to have the Father's back turned on him. When you come to a point like this, recognizing the extreme price that was paid for our salvation, obedience and gratitude become the only option. I want to encourage to do two things in response to Good Friday. 1). Commit to living a life of obedience, through the power of the Holy Spirit and 2). Thank Him. Thank Him for enduring the scourging. Thank Him for taking your place on the cross. Thank Him for paying the complete price for your sins--past, present and future. Thank Him for dying that day, that you might live forever and remember...JESUS PAID IT ALL! Join us tomorrow at 7:00pm in the Worship Center for our Good Friday service (in-person only). The night will consist of singing, scripture reading, and prayer for our hearts to be receptive to the message of Easter; for our friends and neighbors who need to hear the gospel message; and that we would commit to make Jesus non-ignorable in Beaverton. The evening will conclude with the Lord's Supper. See you tomorrow night, Pastor Doug |
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