Lenten Bible Study

This year, during the Lenten season, there will be a pastor-led adult Bible study held two times per week for all of those who are interested in deepening your faith during this very reflective time of our liturgical year.
Lent is a reminder to us that Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Therefore, during our Bible Study we will study forgiveness both from Christ and also how we are called to extend that forgiveness to others.
During this Bible Study we will examine the Biblical passages that relate to Christ’s Passion and we will read and discuss the book Choosing Forgiveness: Your Journey to Freedom by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
The cost of the book is $11. The cost of joining this Bible Study and learning more about how we are called to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us will lead to a much greater reward.
I hope that you will be able to attend this Bible Study. You will not be required to read the book but doing so will lead to much better discussion and personal growth.
This is a co-ed intergenerational Bible Study. Adults of all ages and both genders are welcome to participate.
The first two meeting times are:
Tuesday, February 16th at 9am in Choir Room.
Thursday, February 18th at 5:15pm in Choir Room.
(Books will be ordered after first meeting.)

Fishing

I am not much of a fisherman. Those who were in church yesterday heard two stories of my failure when it came to fishing. It is a job that I don't do well but I am okay with that. I was not called to be a fisherman. I was called to be a pastor. And we all have different callings. But I really believe that they are all valuable in their own right.
If you heard the sermon yesterday, you heard that Luke 5:1-11 isn't just about that story that you remember from the Bible when you were a kid where Jesus told Peter to go out and be a fisher of men. And of course there is a very cute song that I remember from when I was a kid. But instead, we learned that this story also has a lot to do with discipleship. Not just bringing people into the church and calling it good because our numbers have doubled, but actually working in our lives and helping others to grow closer with God.
Here is the ending to the sermon:
"To be a fisherman isn’t about making sure you have the right equipment, the right amount of knowledge or the right skills. To be a fisherman is about hard work, understanding, and most importantly trust in God the Father. To be a fisherman you must have dedication and belief in the one who has called you to be the fisherman. So often the cost of discipleship does not come off the top; it is demanded of us after we have given everything that we can give. Jesus did not show up after a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast. He came to find these men at the end of a long working day, after backbreaking labor, and he told them to keep on working. And Christ does the same to me and the same to all of you."
In the Name of the One who calls us to be fisherman,
Amen!