Announcements
Prospective
Member Luncheon—Interested in joining
New Hope? Want to learn more about being a member? On May 5,
following worship, there will be a luncheon for all those interested
in joining.
Community
Kitchen Spot
There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God
and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to
help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday &
put them in the grocery cart.
Plastic Spoons
Paper Napkins
8 oz. Styrofoam bowls
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—This Sunday, the adult class will study 2
Timothy.
Pray
For:
Christine
Dyer
Connie
Robinson
Colleen
& Gary Smith
David
Smith
Links
Keith's
Random Thoughts
I believe that Jesus Christ wants to be Lord of every part of our lives. I also am just crazy enough to believe that when we allow Christ to be Lord of all, we are then transformed and enabled to lead a life that is far richer than anything we can do on our own.
I was thinking about my car the other day. Now, you can build the perfect car, beautiful and shiny and new, and be very satisfied with it. The danger is this--if you take it out and drive it, you might just wreck it. Or a bird will poop on it. Or it will get dirty or some stray grocery cart will ding it in a parking lot, so we leave it in the garage out of fear. We're afraid something might happen, so we miss out on the exhilaration of driving it, of doing the one thing with it that it's made to do, and we just sit and admire it.
When we fail to let Christ be Lord of our lives, we're failing to allow our lives to be lived the way they were made to be lived. Worse, the other gods that we allow to be lord wreck our lives, driving them into the guardrails, scratching the paint, dinging up our lives, running us into the ditch, and then we wonder where it all went wrong.
Christ wants to be Lord, and he promises us abundant life if we let him do so. When we let him be Lord, we recognize that life is meant to be lived for others, that we're called to pour ourselves out for the benefit of others. When we let Christ be Lord, we no longer see others as competition, but rather as fellow brothers and sisters, made in the image of God. When we let Christ be Lord, we become community, and we stop squabbling over minor issues that the devil uses to distract us from our true mission.
I'm imperfect. I fail more than I succeed. But I will continue to bow my knee in prayer, to be in awe of the wonder of God, and I will pray for the courage and strength to hand over my life, to let him be Lord, and to worship him and let his splendor enrich my life, that I might then enrich the lives of others.
I was thinking about my car the other day. Now, you can build the perfect car, beautiful and shiny and new, and be very satisfied with it. The danger is this--if you take it out and drive it, you might just wreck it. Or a bird will poop on it. Or it will get dirty or some stray grocery cart will ding it in a parking lot, so we leave it in the garage out of fear. We're afraid something might happen, so we miss out on the exhilaration of driving it, of doing the one thing with it that it's made to do, and we just sit and admire it.
When we fail to let Christ be Lord of our lives, we're failing to allow our lives to be lived the way they were made to be lived. Worse, the other gods that we allow to be lord wreck our lives, driving them into the guardrails, scratching the paint, dinging up our lives, running us into the ditch, and then we wonder where it all went wrong.
Christ wants to be Lord, and he promises us abundant life if we let him do so. When we let him be Lord, we recognize that life is meant to be lived for others, that we're called to pour ourselves out for the benefit of others. When we let Christ be Lord, we no longer see others as competition, but rather as fellow brothers and sisters, made in the image of God. When we let Christ be Lord, we become community, and we stop squabbling over minor issues that the devil uses to distract us from our true mission.
I'm imperfect. I fail more than I succeed. But I will continue to bow my knee in prayer, to be in awe of the wonder of God, and I will pray for the courage and strength to hand over my life, to let him be Lord, and to worship him and let his splendor enrich my life, that I might then enrich the lives of others.
Text
for this Sunday
Mark
14:32-42
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his
disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took with him Peter and
James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said
to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep
awake.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground
and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
He said, ‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove
this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.’
He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are
you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray
that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak.’ And again he went away and prayed,
saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping,
for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to
him. He came a third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping
and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is
betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my
betrayer is at hand.’
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& Devotionals
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