Do all the good you can…
The Edgar Crockett Trio will lead our music in worship on Sunday, September 5. Edgar is one of the premier jazz performers in the Quad Cities. The trumpet, piano, bass trio will share classic hymns with a jazz style. They will be sure to get your toes tapping and lead a lively, joyful celebration of God’s love. Pastor Robb will finish his two-part series called “Kindness Matters” and examine the second half of the Book of Ruth.
Freeing Jesus from our preconceived notions of who he is. Many cling to a particular image of Christ, this series is pushing us to see more facets of who he is. Each week we will look at Jesus as friend, teacher, savior, Lord, way, and presence.
Some people are uncomfortable calling Jesus “teacher.” It feels to colloquial, too informal, and not reverent enough. Some cling to Jesus as friend without allowing the friend to push us out of their comfort zone. Some bristle at calling Jesus “Lord,” because that term is cloaked in hierarchy and colonialism. Some say that they follow Jesus as the “Way,” but others feel that referring to Jesus as “presence,” is too mystical to be helpful.
Whatever term you cling to, Pastor Robb may challenge you to open up your understanding of what that means. Whatever term makes you uncomfortable, he may help you unpack and see in a new light. Guided by the great work by Diana Butler Bass and her book “Freeing Jesus,” this series will take six weeks to take a closer look at Jesus and see the brilliance and beauty of holding all six facets (and many more we won’t mention) together.
This series will last from July 18 through August 22.
You may have noticed that we are working on a new website design. The biggest change will be this section – where new posts will come over time.
The Easter season lasts from Easter sunday until Pentecost on June 9. This season we will feature a series called “Reconcile: How Christ can reconcile humanity’s deepest divisions.”
On Easter, we celebrate that Christ is Risen? To be faithful however, we must examine what that means. For our faith to be more than simply an intelectual endeavor, we must be willing to ask, “So what?”
The “So What?” of Easter is this: Reconciliation. Paul reminded us that all who follow Christ must be a part of sharing the “message of reconciliation.” For seven weeks we will examine how Christ can reconcile some of the deepest divisions that we humans have created.
As usual, there will be a Bible study to accompany this series. Each on Monday the small group will meet to discuss the upcoming Sunday’s topic and Bible passage.
April 28 – How it all started, Genesis 11:1-9
May 5 – Family of Many Colors, The barrier of race. Number 12:1-15
May 12 – Truth will make us free, The barrier of gender. John 4:1-30, 39-42
May 19 – There’s nothing to prevent you, The barrier of sexual orientation. Acts 8:26-40
May 26 – Living on the Margins, The barrier of age. Acts 20:7-12
June 2 – Another plate at the table, The barrier of class. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
June 9 – Pentecost, a Celebration of Diversity, Acts 2
