Sermon Preview
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
If I were to ask you to list five of our Lord’s parables, I believe that each of us would have at least two of them in common on our list. One would be the parable of the ‘Prodigal Son.’ The other would be the parable we are going to be considering for two Sundays, beginning this Lord’s Day.
It is the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ found in Luke 10:25-37.
On Sunday, we are going to begin looking closely at this beloved parable, one of the most recognizable stories in all of the world. A story that is revered in virtually every place on the globe, in many cultures, and among many peoples, both believers and unbelievers alike.
But, as we have noted all along the way in our series of message on our Lord’s parables, these blessed stories were not told in a vacuum. They were given by our Lord in a specific setting. And if we are going to be good students of these parables, it is essential that we not only examine the story itself as told by Jesus, but why He told it, to whom He told it, and even where He was when He spoke it.
And when it comes to this most honored parable, the necessity of evaluating its setting is amplified considerably. This is why we are going to take our final two Sundays in our parables series to look carefully at this story, beginning Sunday with an examination of its context. Why did Jesus give this particular story? To whom was he speaking? These are very important issues if we are going to really grasp the full measure of the parable’s wonderful weightiness.
This week, we will consider the drama that precedes the story itself. You can read about it in Luke 10:25-28.
Understanding this introduction to the parable is the key to its interpretation. If we neglect this setting, we will interpret the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ along purely ethical lines (as is so often done!). We will conclude that the heart of the parable concerns being a ‘good neighbor’ to those in need. But, as we will discover on Sunday, this is only part of the truth! The lesson that Jesus will teach here is much, much bigger than is often assumed!
A Quick Reminder to Our Middle and High School Youth and Parents
Our Sunday Evening Bible Studies for Middle and High School Students will begin this Sunday at 4:30 PM.
Both groups will meet together at the Church for fellowship at 4:30, followed by separate Bible studies from 5:00-6:00. We will conclude our time with fellowship and snacks from 6:00-6:15.
Please be in prayer for Ken Burnett who will teach the High School, and for me and Mathew Elliott who will lead the Middle School study.
Blessings, love, and many prayers to each of you in Christ our Lord,
Mike
Counselor’s Corner:
Upcoming Events:
August 25, 4:30 PM – Youth Bible Study for Middle and High School Students
September 3, 9 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
September 3, 11:15 AM – Senior Fellows Team B Downtown Rescue Mission feeding
September 3, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Bible Study
September 4, 10 AM – Women’s Morning Bible Study
September 5, 11:30 AM – Women’s Potluck Lunch at Timbers Edge Clubhouse
September 8, 9 AM – Sunday School resumes
September 10, 9 AM – Mother’s Morning Bible Study
September 13, 11:15 AM – Senior Fellows Team A Downtown Rescue Mission feeding
September 14, 7 AM – Senior Fellows Work Day at PCA MNA Disaster Relief Warehouse, Rome, GA
September 18, 6 PM – Deacons Meeting
September 20, 6 PM – Marriage Enrichment Evening and Dinner
September 21, 8 AM – Church Work Day
Order of Worship:
You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here
If you’d like to sing the songs with your family beforehand, the songs for this week are:
To Thee I Come
I Need Thee Every Hour – Hymn 674, vs 1-3, 5
Fairest Lord Jesus – Hymn 170, vs 1-3
How Deep
Announcements:
Summer Schedule:
Christ Pres is on Summer Schedule, which means Sunday School and regular weekly activities are on hiatus. Our weekly time of fellowship begins at 10 AM, with worship beginning at 10:30 AM. Regular weekly activities resume September 3 and Sunday School resumes September 8.
Children’s Ministry Notes:
Parents, please register your infant to 12th grader for CPC programming emails/database updates. Click HERE to complete the form for each child.
Sunday school starts back on September 8th at 9:15. I am working on ordering supplies and recruiting teachers. I still need teachers for the 1st/2nd grade class and the 3rd/4th/5th. We can work out a rotating system if you don’t want to teach full-time. I encourage you to pray about this and serve our precious children in this way. These classes are a joy!
Southwood has invited us to the Slugs and Bugs concert (Randall Goodgame) on Friday, August 23rd. You can buy tickets HERE.
Save the date for the Reformation Celebration on Sunday, October 27th. More details to come, but contact Amy Drown if you’d like to be involved in the planning.
Youth Notes:
Dear Parents of Middle and High School Students, and CPC Youth,
I wanted to let you know of our plans for our Bible Teaching Ministry to our students that will commence in just a few short weeks. There are two main areas I want to focus upon.
Sunday School
Our fall semester of Sunday School will begin on September 8, at 9:15 AM.
- Our Middle School Sunday School Class (grades 6-8) will meet downstairs at the Church house and will be taught by Graham and Sarah Burgess.
- Our High School Class (grades 9-12) will meet upstairs at the Church house and will be taught by Glen Doughty.
Sunday Night Fellowship and Bible Study
Then, on every-other Sunday Night, beginning August 25 from 4:30-6:30 PM, our Middle and High School students will meet at the Church for a time of fellowship and Bible study.
The nightly schedule will go as follows:
- 4:30-5:00 PM–Joint fellowship and fun time in the fellowship hall
- 5:00-6:00 PM–Separate Bible Studies:
Middle School Bible Study (grades 6-8) led by Pastor Mike and Matthew Elliott
High School Bible Study (grades 9-12) led by Ken Burnett
- 6:00-6:15 PM–Joint snack and fellowship time in fellowship hall (parents may pick up their students from 6:15-6:30 PM).
The full schedule of Sunday night meetings for the remainder of the fall will be released next week.
Visitors Welcome!!
Both our Sunday School and Sunday Night Studies are open to all of our Middle and High School Youth. Plus, we encourage visitors to attend as well, especially those who may not know our Lord, or those who are not involved in a local Church.
I am especially looking forward to making some good connections with our Youth this fall, and I would ask that you begin praying for these ministries and leaders, and each of our young people.
If you should have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or Ken Burnett.
Marriage Evening Conference:
Dear CPC Congregation, You are invited to join us for a Marriage Evening Conference on Friday, September 20th! Our evening will include several large group seminars as well as an optional dinner for those interested. Our hope is that the evening will be a time of fellowship with others as well as refreshment for you personally and in your marriage. Registration for the event opens on August 1st and concludes August 31st.
Speaker: Our speaker is Pastor Nate Shurden. He is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. While in seminary, Nate served at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson in Christian education ministry and as Assistant Editor for reformation21, the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Upon graduation, Nate was called to be Minister of Discipleship and Young Adults at FPC Jackson where he served for three years. In 2010, Nate accepted a call to Franklin, TN to help plant Cornerstone Presbyterian Church. Nate is married to Christy, and they have four young children.
Dinner: We would invite you to join us for dinner! Catered by Carrabbas, we will begin serving around 5:45 and conclude our meal around 6:45. There is no cost for the sessions of the conference. However, for those attending dinner, a $10 per person donation is appreciated in order to mitigate some of the costs of the food. Given the limited amount of space, we are currently reserving the dinner portion of the event for members of Christ Presbyterian Church. Please feel free to invite friends and family to join you for the sessions starting at 7pm!
Details:
Christ Presbyterian Church
Friday September 20th, 2019
Dinner: 5:45 – 6:45**
Session One: 7:00 – 7:45*
Coffee Break: 7:45 – 8:00
Session Two: 8:00 – 8:45
*No cost for the sessions
**A donation of $10 for the dinner is appreciated
Childcare: There will not be any childcare provided at the church during the event. However, if childcare is an obstacle for your attendance, please indicate as such on the RSVP in the registration link provided in this email and we will contact you for assistance.
How Do I Sign Up? To sign up online, please follow the link provided here to register for the event! Please click here. We will also have a sign-up form each Sunday morning during the month of August in the foyer.
Questions: Do you have questions? Please feel free to email Matthew Elliott at matthew@christpreshamptoncove.
Women’s Fellowship Opportunities:
The women will continue their “First Thursday” monthly luncheons beginning September 4th. They start at 11:30 am at Timbers’ Edge Clubhouse. Other dates this semester are 10/3, 11/7, and 10/5.
Our quarterly potluck is on Thursday, October 17th, at 6 pm at the home of Carol Calvert. Anyone is welcome – bring a dish to share if you are able! Or drop in last minute for fellowship.
The Christmas Brunch for the weekly bible studies is December 4th.
The annual Ladies’ Christmas Dinner is Tuesday, December 10th, at 6 pm at Huntsville Country Club.
Mark your calendars for these fellowship opportunities. Contact Denise Scrip for any questions.
Fall Women’s Bible Studies:
The women are kicking off their fall bible studies with a brunch on Wednesday, 8/28, at 11:30 am at the home of Carol Calvert. If you are interested in attending a fall bible study, please join us.
Two women’s groups will begin meeting on Tuesday nights (6-7:30 pm) starting September 3 and Wednesday mornings starting September 4 (10-11:30 am). We will be doing the Jen Wilkens’ video study “First Peter (A Living Hope in Christ). “It can be ordered from Lifeway.com. Sign up in the Narthex.
A Moms’ Group will begin studying Melissa Kruger’s book “Contentment” beginning Tuesday, September 10th at 9 AM. Childcare will be provided.
Hope you will consider joining us in the Fall.
Church Work Day:
Church Work Day will be at 8 AM, Saturday, September 21. We will do landscaping, window/mirror washing and other clean up and improvement jobs. We need lots of helpers (men, women, youth) and some tools. A sign up for both will be in the narthex. A lite breakfast will be served. Don’t miss this opportunity to help beautify our church and enjoy great fellowship.
Senior Fellows:
On Tuesday, September 3 at 9 AM the Senior Fellows will enjoy breakfast followed by a special devotional. We will look at Demon Possession/Influence versus Mental Illness in light of all the awful happenings (like mass shootings) in our country today. Pastor Mike and Counselor Matthew will lead/moderate this session. Wives and guests are welcome to attend. Also both Senior Fellows teams will serve at the Downtown Rescue Mission. Team B will serve on Tuesday, September 3. Team A will serve on Friday, September 13. Each team will meet at 11:15 AM and start feeding at 11:30 AM. Carpools will leave the church at 10:30. On Saturday, September 14 the Senior Fellows will help at the disaster relief warehouse in Rome, GA. Jobs may include building a tool work bench, replacing termite damaged trim, and other needed items. We will depart the Church at 7 AM, and return home 5 PM.
New Member’s and Inquirer’s Class:
The next class will be held Sunday September 29, from 2-6 PM with dinner following. It is for all who are interested in Church membership at CPC. Taking the class does not obligate you to join, but is required for membership. Sign up in the Narthex.
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Jose Luis Rodriguez, Linda Baxter, John Baxter, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the Bryant family, expecting in September, and the Thoms, expecting in November.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA).
Emails:
general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org
Address:
288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763