Wednesday's Word
March 18, 2015
Praise and Prayers
Praise
Samuel Joseph Hedges was born on Thursday, 3/12/15 at 4:33PM weighing in at 8lbs 8oz! Congratulations to Paul and Ashlee Hedges!!
Prayers
Nicole Head's friend, Brittany Vaughn, is dealing with the return of breast cancer.
Yvonne Kirkman passed away on Sunday.
Prayers for Donna Peek.
Mary Ann Wine's nephew, Chris Dickenson, is dealing with terminal cancer.
Crossroads UMC Youth who are at Camp Glisson this weekend for Spiritual Life Retreat
Announcements
Kid's Club TONIGHT at 6:00PM
3rd grade and under are invited every Wednesday Night for Food, Fun Lessons, and Fellowship from 6:00PM until 7:15PM with Ms. Ginger. If you have any questions please contact Ginger Peek at (470) 767-6200.
Lily Orders Now being accepted until Sunday, March 22
$1 Breakfast and Half Pound Cakes!
This is the last Sunday for the $1 breakfast! It will be served from 9:30-10:00AM to help the Crossroads Walk with Angels Team raise money for their 8 mile walk.
Menu for Sunday, March 22: Casserole, Fruit parfait and Pound Cake
2015 Crossroads Walk With Angels Team: Lindsey Preiss, Dana and Madison Hammonds, Bill, Brenda, and Jennifer Edwards, Alexis Nation, Stephanie Boyd, Howard Rowe, Susan Smith
Delicious Half Pound cakes are available for $15. Orders MUST BE made by Friday for pick up on Sunday morning. Call the church office at 770-388-7438 or email Megan at secretary@crossroadsumc.net to place your order.
Candy Needed!
Church Wide Workday Satruday, March 28 8:00AM - 12:00PM
Holy Week Worship Schedule
Palm Sunday, March 29th, 8:30am and 11:00am
Come celebrate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We will also Baptize and Confirm the students of our Confirmation class at the 11:00am service. There will be a light reception following the service.
Maundy Thursday, April 2nd, 7:00pm
Come and celebrate Holy Communion in a deep and meaningful way. We will remember Jesus’ last night with his disciples this evening.
Good Friday, April 3rd, 7:00pm
“Am I Guilty?”
A dramatic worship service featuring music and monologs that draw us to the circumstances around Jesus’ crucifixion.
Easter Morning April 5th 7:00am, 8:30am, and 11:00am
The 7:00am sunrise service is informal and inspirational. Bring a lawn chair and gather in front of the church. A hearty and holy breakfast served following the service. The 8:30am and 11:00am services will feature a special Easter message and Holy Communion. The annual Easter Egg hunt and family activities follows the 11:00am worship service.
Rev. Leigh Martin Preaching This Sunday
Sermon Summary
Resisting Evil
One of the most memorable passages in the New Testament is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” It’s a beautiful passage that is bracketed by two references to threatening forces.
The first reference is to Moses saving his people from a snake infestation killing many people in the migration from Egypt to the promised land. It was a punishment for the people’s faithlessness. The second is a reflection on people doing evil and living in the dark instead of living in the light. People choose the dark instead of the light because they loved evil more. The gift of eternal life is given in the middle of these two stories of death and darkness.
We need this saving message of eternal life, especially considering all the death that surrounds us. We’ve all experienced the finality of death in one way or another. Jesus says just as Moses lifted up a rod that healed many, so the lifted up Christ saves people who believe in him from “perishing and to have eternal life”. Jesus overcame death so we can trust in him to see us through our own deaths.
Eternal life is a free gift but it has expectations that we follow in Jesus’ ways. He challenges us to “To do what is true”(3:21). Our baptismal vows remind us how to do what is true by “resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Resisting evil, injustice, and oppression is a tall order! We do what is within our power to live out these vows. Christians sometimes killed, dying with words of faith on their lips. Christians sometimes resist personal sin, struggling with the forces that tempt us to stray. Christ is lifted up as a focus point to lead us and heal us during our lives.
Jesus’ gives us a saving message in an unlikely setting in the Gospel of John. Whatever is going on in your life, Jesus’ saving message is to believe in him and your soul and being will be saved from death. Respond to this gift by doing what is true within your power.