The “church” includes all – Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, children, teens, and adults.
At the end of this month, we will celebrate Pentecost, the day the church was born. Luke describes the event in Acts 2:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd... Read the article
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Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 • Genesis 21:8-21 • Romans 6:1b-11 • Matthew 10:24-39
The theme for this week is the revolutionary responsibilities of discipleship, and it’s our opportunity to consider that real discipleship requires us to let go of closely held opinions and worldviews to love and advocate for others the way Jesus did, trusting that God will be with us. Our call to worship in Psalm 86 helps us understand God’s revolutionary willingness to be small, to bow down just to reach us, and we can be challenged to do the same for others in humility. Genesis 21 tells the story of Abraham’s family conflict between Sarah and Hagar, and how God resolved the problem outside the typical cultural constraints. In Romans 6, Paul... Read the article
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By Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator
As previously mentioned, the 4 Es – engage, equip, empower, encourage – provide an intentional process to guide the development of the priesthood of all believers for participation in Jesus’ ministry.
So where do we start? Engage is the first of the 4 Es for a reason. The process of development begins where all good things begin – in relationship. Engage is all about relationship. Through purposeful engagement with one another, we grow in Christ-centered relationships and community. It is within such relationships that we begin to recognize what God is doing in the life of another. We see that God has given one person a gift of teaching, another with hospitality, and another still with... Read the article
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Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 • Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) • Romans 5:1-8 • Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)
This week’s theme is God’s response to human need. The call to worship Psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s response to human need. The Old Testament reading from Genesis recounts Abraham’s and Sarah’s responses to God fulfilling his promise of a son. The epistolary text in Romans expresses confidence and trust in the God who provides justification, peace, and grace through Jesus Christ. In the Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus is proclaiming the gospel while healing out of his compassion for the crowd, and he commissions the disciples to do the same.
Like Master, Like Disciple
Matthew 9:35-10:8 (ESV)
Today we continue... Read the article
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Psalm 33:1-12 • Genesis 12:1-9 • Romans 4:13-25 • Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
We are in the early weeks of Ordinary Time, where our focus is on our being, behavior, and actions as disciples of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, so it is important that we trust what God says. The theme for this week is the word of God is a promise. The call to worship Psalm speaks about the fidelity and rightness of God’s word. In the Genesis passage, we read how Abram acted upon the promises God made to him. In asserting the superiority of faith over legalism in our Romans passage, Paul argued that Abram received the promises of God through faith in a promise-keeping God. Finally, in... Read the article
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Psalm 8:1-9 • Genesis 1:1-2:4a • 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 • Matthew 28:16-20
This week’s theme is beginning and ending with the Trinity. The call to worship Psalm points to the majesty of the Triune God’s glory declared in creation along with the exalted status of humans within it. The Old Testament reading revisits the classic creation account where God speaks into existence a cosmos of orderly and fruitful relationships. The epistolary text from 2 Corinthians is Paul’s farewell pronouncement in the Triune name of God. The Gospel reading from Matthew is also the conclusion of the book where Jesus commissions his disciples to make disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
In The Name of The... Read the article
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This month's Church Hack demonstrates the importance of developing an annual church calendar and budget to ensure that the congregation’s resources, time, and money are being invested in alignment with the church’s mission and values.
Follow this link to read the full Church Hack:
2023-CH4-Planning-Budgeting.pdf (gci.org) Read the article
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The importance of debriefing after a Love Avenue event.
By Ceeja Malmkar, Love Avenue Champion, Grace Communion Surrey Hills, OK
I’ve enjoyed event planning for as long as I can remember. As Jesus drew me back into church and ministry, that passion never changed. In fact, it opened a whole new world of ministry for all of us in a little church in Oklahoma.
As a Pioneer/Connecter, I love to bring people together, and I love to think outside the box. I have been blessed with an amazing Love Avenue team who are diverse, unique, and full of passion. What started as a neighborhood camp and a water balloon battle has flourished into six big events we plan throughout the year (one every other month). I cannot begin to explain how... Read the article
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The Holy Spirit came as wind and fire, symbols that help us focus on God. Included in this article is a spiritual practice using one of these symbols.
By Justine Paolo G. Parcasio, Associate Pastor, Philippines
Pentecost is part of the Christian Worship (Liturgical) Calendar. This year, it is celebrated on May 28, 2023, and is a celebration that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter, which is 50 days after Easter Sunday. The name "Pentecost" comes from the Greek word pentekoste, which means "fiftieth."
The celebration of Pentecost can also commemorate the birth of the church, as it was the day when the disciples followed... Read the article
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Pentecost reminds us of our true identity as the children of God and brought us into a new community as the body of Christ.
By Bill Hall, National Director, Canada
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Saskatchewan Homelessness Conference. For two days I listened to presenters talking about the causes of homelessness and what is being done to address the plague of homelessness.
I was again reminded that homelessness is the symptom of many issues. That any one of us could find ourselves in the same situation given our life circumstance. Or as one speaker said, “When life life’s us.” Many times, addictions cause homelessness. Yet, there is always something behind those addictions. People don’t just wake up some... Read the article
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