Greetings Everyone
Greetings Everyone.
As I read through the headings in my Bible between Palm Sunday and the Upper Room, here are the topics I find in this year’s Gospel, the Gospel of Mark:
- Jesus Cleanses the Temple
- The Authority of Jesus Challenged
- The Parable of the Tenants (who eventually killed the owner’s son)
- Paying Taxes to Caesar
- Sadducee’s Questions about the Resurrection
- The Great Commandment
- Whose Son is the Christ?
He then warned about the Scribes, praised the Widow for giving her 2 cents to the Temple and delivered a lengthy sermon on the End of Days. After all of this he was
- Anointed by a woman at Bethany (probably Mary)
- Betrayed by Judas who went to the Pharisees and lined out the specifics
- Had the Passover with the Disciples
- Prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane
- Arrested, tried and
- Crucified
Palm Sunday to Good Friday occupied 6 very full days. Other events could be added from the accounts of Matthew and Luke. John spends chapters 13-17 describing the events and conversations in the Upper Room and the Last Supper. The tensions between Jesus and the religious leaders escalated. You can feel there must be a breaking point soon to take place.
This week, in so many ways, is the central part of the Gospels. It is one week that dominates the whole of Jesus’ three-year ministry. It reveals the hostility of those in power to the one who threatens their power. It reveals the long-range plan of God through Jesus to bring salvation to the world. It reveals the clarity and courage of Jesus who knew the path he must walk.
For those of us who will walk with Jesus this week our appreciation of Easter Sunday will be deepened. Easter Sunday will not only be about the assurance of eternal life and our hope of sharing it with Jesus, it will also deepen our awareness of the height, depth and breadth of God’s love in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. We do not arrive at Easter Sunday through an easy process. We get to Easter via the tears of blood in Gethsemane, the lashing by the guards following the trial, the crown of thorns, and the cry that, “It IS finished.” When we say from the bottom of our souls “He IS Risen!…He IS Risen, Indeed,” our affirmation will echo through the corridors of the past 2000 years with the voices that have preceded us and with whom we will share eternity.
- Thank you, Jesus, for your humility when you emptied yourself of your divinity.
- Thank you, Jesus, for your obedience as you said and did as the Father had directed you.
- Thank you, Jesus, for your courage to walk the painful road to the cross.
- Thank you, Jesus, for being the first fruit of resurrection life.
- Thank you, Jesus, for allowing us to share that life with you now and for all eternity.
“He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!!”
Walking the road with you.
Pastor Paul
News & Events
Thursday, March 28th
10:00 a.m. Bible Babes bible study
7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service
Friday, March 29th
12:00 p.m. Good Friday Service
Sunday, March 31st
10:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Worship Service with Pastor Paul Hayden
Monday, April 1st
5:30 p.m. Bell Choir Practice
7:00 p.m. Choir Practice
Tuesday, Aril 2nd
7:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study and breakfast
Wednesday, April 3rd
100:00 a.m. Ladies AM Bible Study (L.A.M.B.S)
6:00 p.m. FPC Youth Meet Up
Thursday, April 4th
10:00 a.m. Bible Babes bible study
Check out the Events Calendar for more upcoming events.
Easter Egg Hunt!
There will be an Easter egg hunt following our Easter Worship Service, March 31st. After Sunday school children will meet in Fellowship Hall. Volunteers will walk the children down to Baker Park on the corner of 5th and Central to hunt for eggs (weather permitting).
If you would like to hide the eggs please see Nichole in the church office. Middle and High school students are encouraged to volunteer!
Bible Babes
FPC Youth Meeting
Hey 4th-8th Graders! JOIN us the first and third Wednesdays of every month, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Our gatherings begin with a shared dinner, setting the stage for fellowship and connection through an intentional topic for the evening that will be introduced, applied to our daily lives, supported by scripture, and experienced in a fun-loving atmosphere. Gatherings will take place in Fellowship Hall. Use the glass doors on 3rd street.
Photos from FPC Youth Sledding Outing 3/6/24
