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Brothers and Sisters in Christ our Lord,
For believers in the Risen Savior, there’s no greater news in all the world than the simple announcement, from the pen of the Apostle Paul, that God the Father has “made us alive together with Christ”! These wonderful lines are found in Ephesians 2:5, and they form just a small part of one of the most amazing passages in all of the Word of God—Ephesians 1:1-2:22. In fact, you might just stop where you are right now and read this beloved section of the Ephesian letter.
Of course, what Paul says here about all that God has done in Christ to save us—and is yet to do in the future—hinges upon the one truth without which the Christian Gospel would be just another pipe dream, adrift in a sea of innumerable ideologies and religions. That one truth is the bodily resurrection of our Lord!
The logic is simple enough. We could never be made “alive together with Christ,” and “raised” up with Him, and “seated” with Him (2:5-6) had He not first been made alive, raised from the tomb, lifted to heaven, and seated at the right hand of the Father! Amazingly, then, what Paul is declaring here is that all of these things that actually happened to our Savior also happen to us who believe upon Him! There is no greater message than this!
On Sunday, we will explore the vast riches of this Grand Truth; that because our Lord and Savior has been raised from the dead, we also are alive, and we too shall be raised bodily, and our home is where Christ is, seated at the Father’s right hand! Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Also, don’t forget that our new Adult Sunday School Class will begin on Easter Sunday. We will be investigating the vital subject of personal evangelism. Our textbook will be Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When It’s Tough, by Rico Tice. The Amazon link is below so that you may secure your own copy of this excellent little book. If you already have the book, we will be covering the Foreword (by D. A. Carson) and Chapter One: Two Halves of the Story on Sunday.
I love you all, and look forward to our Good Friday Worship tonight at 6:00 PM, and on Resurrection Day!
With all of His love for each of you,
Mike
Upcoming Events:
April 3, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
April 3, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
April 3, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
April 4, 9:30 AM – Women’s Morning Study
April 5, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch
April 7, 10:00 AM – Mother/Daughter Tea Party
April 8, 2:30 PM – Men’s Spring Bible Study
April 8, 3:30 PM – Alleluia Choir at Church House
April 8, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
April 12, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
April 18, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
April 21, 11:00 AM – Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event at Westminster Pres
April 26, 6:30 PM – Women’s Quarterly Potluck at home of Sarah Burgess
Order of Worship:
You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here
The songs for this week are:
Crown Him With Many Crowns (Hymn 295, vs 1-2, 4)
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (Hymn 277, all 4 verses)
How Deep the Father’s Love For Us
In Christ Alone
Announcements:
Youth Group: Youth Group meets again on April 8 at the church at 4:30 PM for all students in grades 6-12. Invite friends and neighbors!
Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. The Tuesday evening study is at 6 PM, while the Wednesday morning study is at 9:30 AM.
Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also back in action, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.
Men’s Spring Bible Study: The Men’s Spring Bible Study of the Psalms continues April 8 at 2:30 PM. All men are encouraged to attend. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Cooper at cooperma777@gmail.com or 256-698-6556
Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is April 5 at 11:30 AM.
Visitor Luncheon: There will be a luncheon for all guests, and any members of CPC wishing to join us, immediately following worship on Sunday, April 22, at the home of Rich and Christina Bagdazian: 2614 Legacy Preserve Drive, Brownsboro. Please sign up in the Narthex today.
Women’s Book Club: Life is busy for mothers and we need each other for support and encouragement. To meet that need, a new spring book study will begin on April 3. We will meet on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at the church for six weeks. Childcare provided. We will read Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman.
Meals for Stafford and Hill families: We have two families that would greatly benefit from some yummy meals being brought to them. It is such a blessing to receive food from our church body. Not only is the food good but the love shown by providing a meal is always sweet. It relieves a burden that may seem small but those who have received it assure me it is not small thing.
Debbie Hill will be recovering from surgery Tuesday and will be greatly restricted for at least a week. The link to that meal schedule is:
Krystal Stafford is on bed rest her last weeks of pregnancy. She is also greatly restricted as she waits for little Dakota’s arrival! The link to that meal schedule is:
If you have any questions let Erica McNeese know! Thanks so much for being so willing to serve these families!
Women’s Quarterly Potluck: The next Women’s Quarterly Potluck will be at the home of Sarah Burgess on April 26 at 6:30 PM. The address is 3009 Twelvestones Rd in Owens Cross Roads. Please make plans to attend.
Alleluia Choir: Alleluia Choir for students in Second through Sixth Grades meets from 3:30-4:20 PM upstairs in the Church House. New choristers are always welcome. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.
Senior Fellows: The Senior Fellows will have breakfast, fellowship and a devotional at the Church House the morning of April 3. Guests are welcome.
Mother/Daughter Tea: Mothers/daughters, Grandmothers/granddaughters: You are invited to “Muffins & Manners” on Saturday, April 7th, at 10 am at the church. A sweet team of ladies will present a short program on manners & table etiquette, pretty flowers, and how you were created to be a daughter of the King! Put on your favorite spring outfit and come ready for a fun morning of food and fellowship together! If you would like to help with food or decor, please see Libby Loose or Debi Walker. They’ll be in he Narthex the next few weeks before church to answer any questions. There will be a planning meeting on Friday, March 9th at 10 am at Libby’s house for those interested.
Thank you for your help!
Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event: Westminster Pres is hosting a Presbytery Youth Event at their church on April 21st from 11-4. For more details, visit the Facebook group here
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Debbie Hill, Allison Randall, Perry Calvert, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the the Stafford and Dean families, expecting in April, and the Elliott family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).