Weekly Update Message
Grace and Peace Be Unto You!
Our
church theme for 2023 is “Becoming Acquainted with God through the lives of others”
Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity. Please continue to stay connected with us each week.
May God Bless You,
Pastor Jones
Monthly Emphasis: Annual Mission Awareness, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday,
Annual Leadership Workshop, State of The Church Address & Intergenerational Sunday
Monthly Scripture Readings:
January: “We cannot create what we can’t imagine” ~ Lucille Clifton (1936-2010)
Week of January 1st - (Holy Communion)
Scriptures: Gen. 1 & 2; Job 38:26-28; Ps. 24:1, 72:19; Eccles. 12:1; Isa. 40:8; Jer. 10:12-13; St. John 1:1-5; Rom. 1:25; I Cor. 12:18-26;
Rev. 4:11
Thought: God is Creator and Sustainer!
Week of January 8th - (Annual Mission Sunday)
Scriptures: (A.) Holy: Rev. 4:1-8; Isa. 43:3, 14-15 (One of Israel); Isa. 6:1-5 (Holy! Holy! Holy…!) Jonah 1:19; St. John 1:9; Heb. 8:10 (Holy Is the Lord of Hosts…); Ps. 24:3-5 (…in His Holy place).
(B.) Just/Justice: Deut. 32:4; II Sam. 22:31; Job 8:3, 34:10-15; Ps. 12:6; Isa. 30:18; Dan. 4:34-37; Micah 6:6-8 (What does the
Lord require?).
Thought: God is Holy and Just!
Week of January 15th - (State of Church Address)
Scripture: I Chr. 16:34; Ps. 103:11, 136:1-26; Isa. 53:1-12; Zeph. 3:5; St. John 3:16-21(God so loved the world...), 14-19, 15:13; Rom. 5:6-11 (esp. 8), 8:32; II Cor. 5:18-19; Eph. 2:13; Gal. 4:9; I Thess. 1:10; I Pet. 2:23-25
Thought: God is Loving and Kind!
Week of January 22nd
Scriptures: Ex. 34: 4-9; Ps. 36:1-9 (esp. 5), 145:1-21 (esp. 9); Lam. 3 & 4 (esp. 3:22-24); Rom. 9:14-24; (esp. 16); I Pet. 1:2-9 (esp. 3). Examples:
• I Sam. 24:10-17, David to Saul!
• Dan. 9:16 ff., Daniel to God for inequities of the Father
• Rom. 5:1-21 (esp. 8), Jesus for us!
Thought: God is Merciful!
Week of January 29th - (Intergenerational Sunday)
Scriptures: II Chron. 7:12-22, (esp. 19-22); Joel 3:9-17 (esp. 12-14); Hab. 1:12-17, (esp. 12); St. Matt. 25:31-46; St. John 5:17-31 (esp. 22-24); Rom. 14:1-13 (esp. 10-12); Heb. 9:24-28 (esp. 27); James 2:13-17; I Pet. 2:23-24; II Pet. 3:7-10; Rev. 20:11-21:8
Thought: God is the Ultimate and Final Judge.
*Books for the Month: We Shall Overcome by Bryan Collier, Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington; Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah; & Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo by Zora Neale Hurston