This Sunday, we are going to encounter the words, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). In preparation for receiving this Sunday’s sermon, as well as participating in the Lord’s Supper, I am asking that we meditate on these words between now and then. Our text is going to tell us the whole Law is fulfilled, if we love our neighbors. I have failed at times over the years to love my neighbor as myself. I am sure many of you are willing to admit the same. My hope for this Sunday is to accurately explain these words in the context of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I want to also challenge each of us to practice this Law-fulfilling love with full conviction that by doing so, God is glorified.
As a means of being transparent and trying to model what loving our neighbor looks like, I would like to share a few words about Wednesday night’s Grace and Truth Discussion. I believe the atmosphere in the room was one of cooperation, mutual respect, and genuineness of concern for the way we sing in our worship. There was a question asked by one of our teenagers, and it may have been the most important question of the night, but I do not believe it received the best answer. To all the teenagers in our church family, my neighbors, I want to express my love and concern for you and my desire to see you mature in your faith. I want you to know I am aware of some of the difficulties you experience when it comes to expressing your faith in worship. I do not have clear-cut answers for what the future will hold, but my hope is by following the guidelines of truth, Christ-centeredness, singability, and effectiveness, we will be able to bridge the gap which exists between generations, so when we come together as a church, we are in complete harmony in expressing the mutual faith in Christ we all share. I want to say thank you to the teenager who lovingly asked the question on behalf of his younger sibling. He demonstrated genuine concern for his neighbor, who just happened to be his little sister. May he be an example to the rest of us, that we should be concerned for the ability of others to worship within our midst.
I also want to bring clarity to any concerns about what our music will look like moving forward. I believe nature abhors a vacuum, and without bringing any clarity, people will fill in their void of understanding with erroneous ideas. In simple terms, we plan to bring the music from our Wednesday evening Bible study into the Sunday morning service. I have been so encouraged to see the number of people involved in the playing and leading of music on Wednesday nights. It has also been exciting to hear the exuberant involvement of the congregation who have been present on Wednesday nights. My hope is, by making this decision and by adhering to the guidelines presented on Wednesday night, we will grow in our ability to lead people into authentic worship of God.
I look forward to being with you this Sunday morning as we worship our awesome God together!
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Senior Saints Luncheon
There will be a Senior Saints Luncheon on Saturday, March 25, at 1:00 p.m., at the Annex. You may sign up to attend at the Connection Desk. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Jeff. |
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Children's Clothing Closet - Help Needed!
We are looking for volunteers to help with our Children's Clothing Closet Event. Volunteers are needed for Thursday, March 30, from 3:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; Friday, March 31, from 2:45 p.m.-6:15 p.m.; Saturday, April 1, from 8:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m.; and clean up after 2:00 p.m. A sign-up sheet is available at the Connection Desk.
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2023 Weekly Giving Envelopes Are Here!!
The giving envelopes for 2023 have finally arrived! On Sunday, please stop by the table in the back of the multipurpose room to pick up your box of envelopes. If you would like to have envelopes but don't see your name on one of the boxes, please write your name down on the sheet on the table and Dave Deselle will make sure you get them. For the next couple of weeks, we will continue to have unmarked and undated envelopes available to use while you are transitioning to the 2023 envelopes. Please contact Dave Deselle if you have any questions. Thank you for your patience!
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Volunteers Needed!
Children's Church is looking for volunteers to help teach our children during the 10:30 a.m. church service. We have two groups which are in need of workers. The first group is our PreK (ages 3 and 4) and the second is the K5 through grade 5. If the Lord is laying this ministry on your heart, please contact Pastor Jeff. |
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Kid's Week 2023
Kid's Week worker registration is now open! If you are interested in helping with Kids Week, you can sign up online by clicking here or at the Connection Desk on Sunday. We need help in all areas so even if you can't help during the week there are plenty of ways to contribute. If you have any questions or want more information, contact Rose Weber.
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Services
Sunday Worship & Sunday School @ 8:45 a.m. – In-person
Sunday Worship @ 10:30 a.m. – In-person and Livestream
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Giving
You can still worship through giving from home. You may either mail checks to 517 Boston Post Road, Merrimack, NH, 03054, or donate online here. To view last week's giving statement click here. Now you can also pick up a copy of this statement at the Connection Desk.
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Seeking to serve,
Greg Odiorne
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Merrimack Valley Baptist Church | mvbc.org | 603-595-0955 |
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