Easter Sunday Service @ 9:00 am
Today is traditionally referred to as Good Friday. The day Jesus is taken to a criminal’s cross and killed. Jesus is then buried in a borrowed tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. It is a day of tragedy, suffering, death, and mourning. So why is this Friday good? Certainly not because of the unjust trial, conviction, and death sentence. Of course not because of the mental anguish and suffering of Jesus. And in the eyes of Jesus’s family, friends, and followers that Friday was horrific. But this Friday changed the course of human history. This was no ordinary death. The death of Jesus ultimately leads to life. This death foreshadows resurrection. THE resurrection of Jesus and all future resurrections of Christians! So this Friday is ultimately good.
This Sunday marks the beginning of Easter week!
Palm Sunday represents the day Jesus entered Jerusalem the final week of his earthly life. We will celebrate Jesus entering into Jerusalem by waving palms and singing songs of joy. That same Sunday we will read from the Bible as a church and sing songs of joy, lament, and hope. We will walk through the week in readings and song, feeling emotions as Jesus and the disciples must have. We will culminate the service with a reading of Jesus’s burial and communion leaving the taste in our mouths of Jesus in the grave.
Easter is one of the most sacred holidays for the Christian church. The passion week presents some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. To fully understand our faith in Jesus we must relive the week leading up to Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection every year! This year is no different. We begin Easter season this week at The Rock.
It has always amazed me that this world can be so beautiful (both the natural world and people in the world!) and so tragic at the same time. God had created this world “very good” according to Genesis 1:31, but soon after the first humans rebelled against God and God “cursed the ground” (Gen. 3:17; Rom. 8:22). The world has never been the same. We see today a remnant of God’s creation and humans bearing the beautiful image of God. But we also see natural disasters and inexplicable wars. We live everyday in this juxtaposition.
There are two important things happening this Sunday, March 13:
1) SERVICE TIME CHANGE to 4:30 pm
2) ANNUAL MEMBER’S MEETING immediately following church
I look forward to being together this Lord’s Day for worship, prayer, Bible teaching and fellowship!
Before Covid, cruise ships were an extremely safe activity. A Mediterranean cruise was a safe, lovely way to spend a vacation. We have come a long way in cruising since the Titanic! But first century sea travel in the Mediterranean could be dangerous. Acts 27 is the greatest shipwreck story ever told. There is danger, drama, lost hope, and gained trust in God! This Sunday we will see how God was at work in the crew of this ship in hopeless times.
Has anyone ever told you that '“you are out of your mind?!” I imagine we have all been told that jokingly. For example, I plan on covering two chapters of Acts in this Sunday’s sermon. Someone, based on my past record, may tell me, “You are out of your mind!” (It may or may not be a joke - ha!) But has anyone ever told you that “you are out of your mind” in all seriousness? Told you that you are legitimately crazy for something you have done? Or even for something you believe.? Paul is told he is “out of his mind” because of his belief in Jesus in Acts 26.
The rich, powerful, and influential have always had a place in society. Today, we look up to celebrities, professional athletes, industry leaders, and even so-called influencers as one’s to emulate and admire. The same was true in the first century during the book of Acts. There is a terrible downside to wealth and power… people think they are in control of their lives and destiny. Money and power have served them in this life. The danger is that influential people put their dependence in themselves, and not ultimately in God for this life and the next. This is the case in our world today. And this Sunday in Acts we will see this is the case in first century Jerusalem.
At the beginning of each year at The Rock we ask ourselves, “How is the best way to spend our time as a church? What should our focus be as a church?” These are important questions. These questions help guide us in programs, budgeting, giving, and worship. This Sunday I seek to answer in the annual Vision sermon. Join us for a Sunday of worship and vision for 2022!
We are all making decisions of what and what not to do in this season of Covid. We all have different comfort levels and personal convictions of what we participate in right now. I want to encourage each of you to continue seeking the Lord with all of your heart, strength, soul, and mind in worship.
Life has been a wild ride in 2021! What will happen in 2022? Who knows apart from God Himself. But God has revealed how we are to live in 2022. Join us for worship as I conclude the “Incarnation” sermon series. We will focus on “Moving Forward” in 2022. The glory of incarnation leads to a life of incarnation!
At the end of the day, the best way to summarize Christmas and the incarnation of Jesus is… glory. The angels came to the shepherds in Luke 2:9 with the glory of the Lord shinning all around them. The heavenly hosts in v. 14 praised God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom he is pleased.” And the response of the shepherds was glorifying and praising God in v. 20. Glory is everywhere!
Can you believe it! The 3rd Sunday of Advent is THIS Sunday! I will continue the “Incarnation” sermon series with an incredibly relatable topic relating to Jesus “dwelling among us” - rejection. We have all experienced rejection. Jesus was rejected by all. The sermon will naturally lead us into communion. Come worship and take communion to remember Jesus and receive grace on this 3rd Sunday of Advent. After the service we will eat together at The Point. If you are all-in that night, join in watching the fireworks in Manhattan Beach - we will come up with a plan at dinner. See you Sunday!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
See you this Sunday for the 1st Sunday of Advent.
Two things led me to our holiday sermon series: Incarnation. First, the holidays for the Christian should drive us to Jesus. Thanksgiving gives us a chance to thank God for all of the blessings he has bestowed on us. God’s grace in salvation and God’s continued work in each of our lives leads us to give thanks. And specifically we thank God for his great love proven by Jesus coming to us as the rescuing Savior - Incarnation. Christmas reminds us that God came near - Incarnation. We celebrate God’s plan of salvation starting in the manger with the baby Jesus. Incarnation makes the rest of the New Testament make sense and come alive!
Have you heard Christmas music yet?! Some (wrongly) believe that Christmas music starts as soon as the Halloween costumes are taken off. Whether you think its time for Christmas now or it starts after Thanksgiving, the holidays are upon us. For some this is exciting. For others depressing. But the holidays are here. It seems like everything is a little different. The pace of life. The calendar planning. The eating. So as we begin to celebrate, I thought we could look at The Rock’s schedule for the next couple of months during the holidays.
NOTE: We are meeting at 3:30 pm starting this Sunday… See you then!
Clocks are falling back this Sunday!!! That means it will get dark & cold earlier. Just like last winter, we are adjusting by meeting for our Sunday Service at 3:30 pm. See you this Sunday for worship, communion, and an ongoing renewal of coming in dependence and trust to Jesus!
NOTE: We are meeting this Sunday at 10:00 am! Donuts and Coffee available at 9:45 am - see you then!
Meeting this Sunday at 10:00 am on Halloween Day and Paul’s actions in Acts 21 are related. That may sound weird, but it is true. We worship as Christians in all sorts of cultural contexts. For Paul, his worship in Jerusalem in Acts 21 was in the context of the Jewish-Christian community. Our context today is one that includes traditions like Halloween. How do we navigate both as Christians wanting to please Jesus?! Come this Sunday at 10:00 am and find out!
NOTE: We are meeting this Sunday at 10:00 am! Donuts and Coffee available at 9:45 am - see you then!
Meeting this Sunday at 10:00 am on Halloween Day and Paul’s actions in Acts 21 are related. That may sound weird, but it is true. We worship as Christians in all sorts of cultural contexts. For Paul, his worship in Jerusalem in Acts 21 was in the context of the Jewish-Christian community. Our context today is one that includes traditions like Halloween. How do we navigate both as Christians wanting to please Jesus?! Come this Sunday at 10:00 am and find out!
