What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Something happens when a soul commits themselves to the Godhead. In the same way that two become one in the mystical union of marriage, so does the believer become one with God. Jesus prayed “let them be one as we are one”. Jesus meant that prayer.
Downtown it feels like we are upping our marriage commitment as the Bride. He is asking us into a deeper intimacy and it is beautiful. We are feasting on the Marriage Supper of the Lamb…. full participation…not grabbing a snack and running out the door…
The difference between the pig and the chicken
in a bacon n’ egg breakfast?
The pig is committed,
the chicken is just participating….
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory
with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38
Last Week’s Update…stay connected!
Logistics
Served: ~70
Last week's leaders: Bryan, Julia, Jody,
Next week's leaders: Bryan,
Gifts
Last week's: Underwear
Next week's: Hygiene
Miscellaneous
Prayers for Jeff as he prepares to undergo very intensive stem cell treatment
Prayers for Sue as she's fighting pancreatic cancer, and her sister is who is battling brain cancer. Sue is about to start chemo.
Service
Hey family!
It was a power Saturday again…I had super help packing up and we were finished in record time! Please keep coming…
Big Sam and I pulled up to cold weather and folks waiting so we prayed up and as I did the sun cam out and it warmed up. What do we keep saying about the weather…
I had a message from Mark 8 where Jesus calls us to take up our cross….
The Spirit really made it clear what that meant to the original hearers of Jesus’s words;
…submit to the crushing authority of oppression
…submit to their degrading means of torture and death
…give up forever any attempt at avoiding social humiliation…
“follow me”… follow the leader, Simon says, monkey see…
Father may I?
Yes, you must if you want to save your life.
Then we gathered around the table of humiliation and victory recalling both.
Huge shout-out to VOX Church for joining us as they do each fourth Saturday of the month, and to all the others who came to be with us. So much love! We had to pry the speakers out of Eric’s hands to pack them up. The Holy Ghost after church dance party was raging!
…on one difficult note, I do need to add that Henry came around. We had told him that after his repeated verbal attacks on women and racists slander he is not welcome. He was angry and cussed up a storm, but left without incident. This is a welcoming place for everyone…but not everything…
In His love,
Bryan
Community Church updates!
I had to reschedule church at The Gables this month but was able to get to the folks at The Farmington Station Community Church. This service meets in the memory unit so it is so much fun! We sing a TON and then I share a message and they really engage. I shared on Jesus clearing the temple from the folks that turned church into a marketing campaign and how loud and crazy it was with all the animals running out…
(NB did you ever notice Jesus only dumped the money and chased out only the sheep and the cattle?)
I told them how loud that must have been with all those loud sheep, so I brought in my “screaming goat” as an object lesson and walked around the room letting everyone push the goat to make it scream… it was a huge hit!
Then we had communion, and it was good
The Brookdale Community Church
The Clairbridge Community Church @ Brookdale
The Clairbridge Community Church @ Brookdale/Chatfield
The Farmington Station Community Church
The Gables Community Church
The River Ridge Community Church
The West Hartford Health and Rehab Community Church
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