My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

Today is a special day, celebrated for centuries by Christians, and commonly referred to as ‘Maundy Thursday.’ On this day, believers reflect upon the commandment of Jesus, recorded in John 13:34-35–

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This “ commandment,” which Jesus calls “ new,” was given to the Disciples by our Lord on the very night that He would later be betrayed, arrested, and taken off to stand trial for blasphemy and sedition. Its importance is made evident by at least three things.

First, as you know, it was illustrated by Jesus, even before He spoke it.  John 13:1-11 records the drama. Jesus assumed both the role and the apparel of a common house slave, and washed the feet of each of the Disciples. Of particular note are the words of verses 3-4–

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

Secondly, it was explained by Jesus. This is revealed in verses 12-17–

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Then, the commandment was repeated  by Jesus, as we see later in this episode where the Lord continues to instruct the Disciples.  John 15:12 records Christ’s words:

“ This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

What is intriguing about this commandment to love one another, and to do so in the same way that we have been loved by Jesus, is not only its majestic nature as a direct and holy order from our Savior, but its setting.

We might even say that, essentially, the Gospel, and the entire mission of the Church, are being handed off to the Disciples at this critical moment.  Jesus is about to bring the Father’s eternal plan of salvation to its magnificent consummation by means of His death, burial, bodily resurrection, and ascension. He will soon leave them. And as He departs, He will send the Holy Spirit to them (as He promises in John 14-15).

But, in this most strategic of moments, as He entrusts them with the Truth, He gives them a simple commandment, a “ new” one, one defined by what He has done in humbling Himself before them, and serving them as one who has no rights or privileges at all. And then, of all things, Jesus declares that it is this, their humility-empowered love for each other manifested in service, that will now be the very means by which “ all people will know that you are my disciples” (v. 35).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, what sets us apart from the world today, what identifies us as having been redeemed, what displays the awesome power of the Gospel, and demonstrates the unrivaled energy of the Holy Spirit within us, is simply this: that we “ love one another”!  And that we do so in the very way so wonderfully exemplified by our Savior!

On this Maundy Thursday, like the first disciples, we are in ‘crisis mode.’ Our lives, just about every part of them, have been interrupted and disrupted in ways we could not have imagined. What would soon happen to the world into which the Disciples were sent, just after Jesus spoke these words, parallels our own world now.  What will yet happen to us remains outside the scope of our knowledge or control.

Yet, all things are in the hands of our Sovereign God!  The sacred command of our Lord remains as we encounter it afresh today, and we must obey it in the power of His Indwelling Spirit!  For it is “ by this” that the world knows who our Lord is!

It is true that there are many things that might identify us as believers. But today, we must think of this way: our love for each other!  This is what we need! This is what pleases our Lord and glorifies His Name! This is what delights the heart of our Father! And this is what propels the Truth forward into a world filled with darkness and death!

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday

Dear Father in Heaven, I praise you that I am one who has a place among Your people, the Bride of Christ my Lord. I thank you for Your eternal love that secured my salvation though the blood and righteousness of Your Son. I give You glory that my sins have been forgiven, that I have been filled with Your Spirit, and made to taste the sweetness of Your ever-increasing grace!

Now, O Lord, fill my heart with love for those that You have loved first. Crush my pride so that I may serve those for whom Your died. Let me find Your unquenchable joy in giving myself away for those whom You have made a part of Your Church. Grant me endurance, patience, mercy, a forgiving heart, tenderness, and all of the heaven-born graces that I need in order to obey Your commandment.

And as I love my dear brothers and sisters, let Your Name alone be glorified!  By this, show the world in which I now live that You are a mighty and gracious King, the Author and Finisher of our salvation! Amen!

I love you all more than I can ever express! May our gracious Father richly bless you and keep you in His tender care,

Mike

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Beginning today, each Monday I will be sending you a word of encouragement.  I hope that this will enable us to stay connected and informed during this extended time when we cannot meet together in person. My prayer is that you will not only stay up-to-date with any news that is relevant to the congregation, but that you will find great hope and strength despite the difficulties that have come upon us.

First, I pray that the weekly orders of worship and sermon videos are of great help to you. We are so thankful to the Lord that we are able to do this, and we trust that the Lord’s Word will bless and nourish you richly each Sunday.

Secondly, while we are profoundly saddened that we are unable to meet, we do rejoice that all of this is in the hands of our loving Father in Heaven. Our times and circumstances are fully under His control. And, based upon His unfailing Word, we know with absolutely certainty that all of this, however long it might last or intense it might yet become, is being used for our good and our Savior’s glory!

We also know that by not meeting together, and by observing the ordinances of our Governor and State Health Department, we are acting in love toward one another and our neighbors. Anything that we may reasonably do in order to prevent the spread of the virus will bring glory to Christ and good to our world.

Now for a Brief Word of Encouragement

All of us are most familiar with those New Testament verses that instruct us as to how we are to relate to one another. This rather extensive listing of Scripture passages is commonly referred to as ‘the one-another passages.’ You can probably list several in your mind right now, such as: “ love one another,” “ forgive one another,” “ be patient toward one another,” and “ exhort one another.”

But the one that is on my mind today is found in Romans 12:10 (NASB)–“ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.”

One of the most important ways we can care for each other during this difficult and unprecedented time is to express our loving devotion to one another. And this can be done, even when we cannot meet physically.

I’m sure that, perhaps many times recently, the Spirit of the Lord has brought someone from our congregation to your mind. You’ve missed them and wondered how they are, especially those who have suffered some physical or material hardship of late. Let me suggest that when this happens, when the Holy Spirit prompts you to remember one of your brothers or sisters in Christ, that you contact them.  This might be done though a phone call, an email, a text, or even a handwritten note placed in the mail.

I believe that the Lord is working among us in a powerful way, and that His Spirit is not hindered in the least by the current crisis we are experiencing. The very Spirit of love and mercy that binds us together in the Gospel, unbreakably so, is also at work in our hearts and minds as He moves us to think of those we love so dearly.

Upon every remembrance of one of your dear brothers or sisters in the Lord, pray for them, and then reach out to them immediately! And in this way, even the worst of the days that we may face will be sweeter as we express our holy and loving devotion to each other in Christ Jesus!

A Word About Holy Week

On Thursday and Friday of this week, you will receive a simple Devotional/Worship Reading Plan for use on these two special days, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Each day’s plan, designed for personal devotional use or as a guide to family worship, will consist of several Scripture readings and prayers.

Then on Easter Sunday, our worship order and sermon video will be available on our website for use on Sunday morning.

I love you all so much, and never cease praying for you!

Mike

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Elizabeth Holton, and Nolan Osmer.

Please pray for the Elliotts, expecting in May, the Libertos, expecting in August, and the Elys, expecting in September.

Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.

Sermon Preview

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

My prayer for each of you as you read these words is that, even today, you would know the joy of our Savior and the peace that His love and power provides for us.

We had certainly hoped that by now we would be able to meet together for worship. But, as you know, given the orders of our Governor and State Health Officials, it has been necessary to cancel all worship services and meetings of the Church body until further notice.

While we are disappointed, we are not in despair! For we know that all of this is in the mighty hands of the One who loves us, and is always working in the events of our lives for His glory and our good.

Every living thing (and all inanimate matter as well!) is under His sovereign command. And this goes for microbes, bacteria, and viruses! While there is, indeed, so much we do not really know about the pandemic that presently threatens us, and has successfully disrupted our lives so thoroughly, we do know that all of this is serving His greater purposes for the exaltation of our Lord, the blessing and purification of His people, and the progress of the Gospel!

Last night, in my bedtime reading, I discovered these fitting lines from Dr. John Piper regarding the weekly gathering of God’s people for worship:

“It is a beautifully fitting thing that Christian people gather for corporate worship every week. When they do, they give united expression to the truth-rooted knowledge of the triune God and their treasure-rooted affections for all God is for them in Jesus. They have seen with the eyes of their hearts (Eph. 1:18) the supreme beauty of God and his ways. And they have come to cherish the supreme worth of this treasure (Matt. 13:44; Phil. 3:8). And when they have completed their corporate exaltation of the glories of God, they continue the worship in a thousand daily tasks where the supreme worth of Christ governs their lives. This is what it means to be a Christian” ( Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship, p. 100. Emphasis added).

In His providence, our Father has not permitted us to assemble before Him together as the Body of Christ. We accept this as His good and perfect will, just as we do all of the events that transpire around us. But I believe that Dr. Piper has sounded a vital note for our current situation.

We have been reduced to “a thousand daily tasks,” conducted mostly in our homes as we seek to love one another and our neighbor by observing the quarantine. But even in this, we worship! Even in these days, now characterized by inconvenience, disruption, uncertainty, and fear, we seek to allow “the supreme worth of Christ” to control and to govern our lives at every point. To “be a Christian,” and to think like one, means that we view all of life, in any circumstance, as the proper and appropriate arena of our praise, adoration, exaltation, and our humble worship of the One who reigns on high!

For a season, we cannot meet together. But we are never, ever, hindered from worship or praise!

Sunday’s Message

On Saturday morning, we will once again be recording our sermon so that you may view it (along with the worship guide) on Sunday at your convenience. This week’s message will come from Hebrews 2:17-18, and our topic will be, “ Christ: A Better High Priest.”

Holy Week Observance

Then, next week, our Holy Week emphasis will continue with our observance of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We will provide a worship guide for home use on each of these days as we move toward our celebration of Resurrection Sunday.

Information Regarding Tithes and Offerings

We want to thank you for your faithful giving during this most unusual season in the life of our Church. You may continue to mail your offerings directly to the Church, using the address listed on our website. Also, we wanted to let you know that our Deacons have been working to set up a way to give on-line. When this is up and running we will let you know.

I love you all, miss you terribly, and pray for you constantly!!

Mike

Order of Worship:

This week’s order of worship will be posted on Sunday morning along with a sermon video for use as you worship at home.

Announcements:

Meals for Brackins:

We praise the Lord for the safe arrival of William Quinn Brackin, born today to Kevin and Leanne. Both Mom and baby are well. While we as a church body usually love to provide homemade meals dropped off personally so we can meet William and hug the family, we thought it would be best to provide love and blessings by sending food gift cards. Publix, Walmart, or take out restaurants in the Hampton Cove Area would be great! We are praying that we will be together in worship and loving on this new family member soon! Please contact Erica McNeese if you have any questions. The link is below:

https://www.TakeThemAMeal.com/KVUR5705

Resources for Further Study:

Pastor Mike has posted a list of books on a variety of theological topics that you might find useful. Check out the list by clicking here. You can also find this list from the About Us menu on the web site home page.

Senior Fellows:

Senior Fellows activities have been canceled pending the virus quarantine. Check this space for rescheduled events.

Women’s Ministry:

Women’s Ministry activities have been canceled pending the virus quarantine. Check this space for rescheduled events.

Children’s Ministry:

We are testing out something new this week – a children’s bulletin for sermon notes! You may print this out for your children to use with Sunday’s sermon, and we hope to incorporate this into the regular bulletin when we are meeting together again.

Sermon notes for April 5, 2020

Sunday School Lessons: HERE is the next lesson for your elementary children from our Sunday School curriculum. Great Commission is putting that out for us for free right now, and I pray you will use it with your children. It includes a video lesson, coloring page and graphic.

Easter Resources: Click HERE to see a list of wonderful books and activities to included in your Holy Week celebration.

I also shared some additional things in the Children’s Ministry Facebook group (email me to be invited to our closed group).

Men’s Studies:

Men’s activities have been canceled pending the virus quarantine. Check this space for rescheduled events.

Career/Singles:

These activities have been canceled pending the virus quarantine. Check this space for rescheduled events.

Youth Group:

Youth Bible Study for Middle and High School has been canceled pending the virus quarantine. Check this space for rescheduled events.

Second Sunday Lunches:

Second Sunday Lunches are suspended until the virus outbreak is contained.

Flower Guild:

Have you noticed the beautiful flowers in the narthex and sanctuary?  The Flower Guild places the flowers weekly.  If you would like to assist in that ministry, please contact Donna Henry or Virdia Jastrebski.

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Lynn Doughty, Ramona Edwards, Pat Galecki, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, John Baxter, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the Elliotts, expecting in May; the Libertos, expecting in August; the Elys, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.

Online Donations:

If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link:

Emails:

general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org

Address:

288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763