Apathy

We should be blown away everyday by two things: The gloriousness of God’s creation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On the first Palm Sunday, people were blown away by that Gospel, the good news of the coming Messiah.   Come celebrate this Sunday and be blown away!

It had been too long since He felt the pat of His father’s strong hand on the top of His head.  The playful pat of Joseph has now become a piercing pain of purpose.  As the angel once told Joseph, “You will name Him Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

It had been too long since He felt the pat of His father’s strong hand on the top of His head.  The playful pat of Joseph has now become a piercing pain of purpose.  As the angel once told Joseph, “You will name Him Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

A man’s back can carry great weight, but not if the flesh is ripped and torn to shreds.  Jesus was whipped to the extreme and yet He carried the weight of all our sins.  The burden He carried was heavier than we can comprehend, yet He gives us a burden that is light. (Matthew 11:30)  

America is the land of excess.  Consumerism is rampant and waste is everywhere.  Christians are called to live in the world but not be of it.   As disciples of Jesus, we value restraint and gratitude and serving others through self-sacrifice.  We need to band together around these values in the face of an increasingly secular and corrupt society.

The cross became too heavy for the hands of Christ.  The hands of the man from Cyrene became His substitute.  That man didn’t realize the reality that the “criminal” whose cross he was carrying was his substitute for sin and death.  The prophet Isaiah spoke of how the hands of the Messiah would be pierced for our transgressions. 

Rejection

Let’s be honest, being rejected hurts. Many times it's very obvious. Yet, we don’t often think about all of the ways we reject people without thought. Jesus bore our rejection and He offers us a better way. Watch and find out what the antidote can be!

The cheek that once felt the gentle stroke of His mother’s hand now experiences the fists of those who mock Him.  “Turn the other cheek,” He taught.  What happens when the other cheek is already bruised? 

Mockery of God is all around us.  It really wasn’t any different 2,000 years ago.  In this service we recognize the mockery against God around us . . . as well as in us.  “Lord, have mercy upon us.  Help us to live faithfully in all areas of our lives.”

The eyes of Jesus were full of compassion towards people in need.  Yet at the end of His earthly life, His eyes were met with the spit of man.  The sting of sin sunk deep.  Yet the eyes of compassion persevered for them . . . and for you.

Jesus never would have received his physical wounds if it weren’t for the spiritual wounds we caused by our sin. He took our sin upon him, and the weight of that sin killed him more than his physical wounds. Each Sunday will focus on a spiritual wound - a sin. This will allow us to appreciate the chain reaction caused by our sin that ends in the Wounds of Christ.

Ash Wednesday

The series recognizes that Jesus never would have received his physical wounds if it weren’t for the spiritual wounds we caused by our sin.  He took our sin upon him, and the weight of that sin killed him more than his physical wounds.  Each Wednesday during Lent, the service will focus on one particular part of the passion story that tells of a physical wound.  Each Sunday will focus on a spiritual wound: a sin.  This will allow us to appreciate the chain reaction caused by our sin that ends in the Wounds of Christ.