Sermon Preview:
My Beloved Ones in Christ Jesus Our Lord,
I am continually amazed at the timeliness of our Father’s Word, and the beauty of His sweet providence.
This has been an especially difficult week for us, added to an already arduous season in the life of our fellowship that began early last year with the pandemic.
Whenever the Lord receives one of our beloved members into His presence through death, it is a bitter-sweet event that touches all of us. We grieve with those who grieve and have been called to travel through the valley of death’s shadow. And yet we rejoice that another one of our Father’s precious, elect, blood-purchased children is now in His presence, beholding the face of His Only-Begotten Son, set free from suffering, immersed in celestial Light, sharing in the Savior’s sovereign reign, and awaiting the resurrection of their body on the Last Day! How could we not also rejoice!
And then, there are the many infirmities, pains, sorrows, times of extreme testing and temptation, and various afflictions that are presently being experienced and endured by so many in our beloved little flock. As Paul said to his Corinthian brethren, “ the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance” (2 Cor. 1:5 NASB).
On this coming Lord’s Day, like so many that have preceded it, we will worship yet again with a mixture of very real sorrow and an equally real experience of joy.
But there is something special about this Lord’s Day!
While the four Sundays of Advent and Easter Sunday direct our hearts to studious reflection upon the two greatest events in the history of redemption, Ascension Sunday is often overlooked and its message unheard. I have thought of it as ‘The Forgotten Day.’ While even the lost world around us recognizes Advent and Easter to one degree or another, Ascension Day receives no press at all.
I must sadly confess that for the larger part of my own ministry as a preacher of God’s Word, this Day passed without so much as a nod. My heart breaks that for many years as a pastor, I unwittingly robbed my own people of the rich treasure of blessings that this Day brings.
Now, we don’t want to be guilty of what Paul warned about, the sin of making one day more important than another (Rom. 14:15; Col. 2:16-17). But we do recognize that it is a good thing to sound certain notes and themes at special times of the year.
So, on this Lord’s Day we will reflect upon the inspired words of Luke 24:50-53, the only explicit Gospel-account of our Savior’s ascension into heaven.
As we excavate this rich Biblical soil, we will uncover some truths that are meant to sustain us, not only in the valley of death’s shadow, but in all seasons of life as we seek to serve our Lord. And like our emphasis upon the miracles of Advent and Easter, the fact of the ascension of Jesus will also profoundly encourage us and thoroughly change our daily outlook and conduct, even and especially when we are sorely afflicted. As the first disciples were so long ago, we too will be filled with great joy and the determination to obediently serve our Savior as we live for Him who died and rose again on our behalf!
Let’s all take time to read Luke 24:50-53 as well as Acts 1:1-11. And then let us pray that our eyes and hearts will be made ready to receive our Father’s Word by the power of His Spirit.
I love you all so much, and my heart is always bowed before our Father in prayer for you,
Mike
Announcements:
Summer Worship Time Change:
Beginning May 30 and continuing throughout the summer, Sunday worship will begin at 9:30 AM in the Sanctuary.
Youth Group:
Youth Group meets May 16 at 4:30 PM at the church house.
Children’s Ministry:
Our first event this summer will be our Summer Bible Club (modified VBS) on June 10th and 11th. We will spend time studying the themes in the book of Joshua, where godly characters like Joshua, Caleb, and Rahab, lend themselves well to teaching our Olympic “Athletes” who God is, what it means to be on God’s Team, and how to run the race of faith. The story of the people of Israel in the Bible is the story of how God loves and cares for His Team! Registration is OPEN. Cost is free but we ask for a donation towards the t-shirts. And they are AWESOME! Click HERE to see our registration page – both for children and volunteers (for your t-shirts). Payment links are there as well.
Nursery:
We are so excited to have had an increased number of children in our nursery! We now feel the need to have a flex volunteer to assist our nursery workers during church service on any given week. The volunteer should arrive at the nursery after Sunday School and help welcome the children in. When service begins, if there are three or fewer children, the volunteer may then go to worship (or stay if you’d like). With more than three children, we ask that you stay and assist our workers in any way needed (this usually means playing with our sweet babies!). Any Chris Pres woman or young lady (12 and up) who would like to serve our parents and children in this capacity can sign up at the link below. We plan to continue this system through the summer and will prayerfully return to our regular two nurseries in the fall.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C48AEAD2DA3FA7-sunday
Thank you for being such a wonderful body that loves and cares for our parents and children so well!
Women’s Ministry:
Monthly Lunch: Our next monthly luncheon will be on June 3 beginning at 11:30 at the Timbers Edge Clubhouse located at 1 Timbers Main, Brownsboro. It’s potluck – feel free to bring a dish or just yourself.
Wednesday Summer Fellowships: Make plans to join other ladies in the church for fellowship throughout the summer. Our goal is to connect across generational lines and encourage one another. All ages welcome! Groups will meet on Wednesdays at 10:00 am at Sharon Daughtry’s (5726 Jones Valley Drive, Huntsville 35802) as well as at 6 pm at Panera Bread on Airport Road. Contact Denise for more information.
Career/Singles:
The weekly bible study and fellowship for career/singles meets at 5:30 PM Sunday evenings at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry.
Senior Fellows:
The Senior Fellows have resumed their in-person breakfast meetings. All church members are welcome to attend. Please notify us at seniorfellows@
Prayer Requests:
Bereavement: Please pray for David O’Neil, who is mourning the death of his wife Sharon.
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Dave Angotti, Dustin and Katie Jackson, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, and Elizabeth Holton.
Expecting: Please pray for the Deans, expecting in July, and the Prizingers, expecting in November.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); Amos and Jessica Williams (RUF at Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); Gannon Miles (seminary student); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.
Online Donations:
If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link:
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