Sermon Preview
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
For me, one of the most exciting kinds of movies or television shows is the mystery. I am especially fond of the TV documentaries that tell the story of a crime that has been committed, and then it follows the investigative processes that are used to solve it. And some of you will remember that once-popular board game Clue. We used to play it for hours, enjoying the thrill of trying to figure out who was guilty of murder (was it Mr. Green, or Colonel Mustard?). Mysteries are most intriguing, and virtually anyone can become enthralled in a good ‘who done it.’
The reason I bring this up is because within the Word of God there is a grand mystery, the greatest of all! Paul speaks of it in Colossians 1:25-29. It is a most magnificent mystery, and it has something to do with each of us who belong to our Savior. However, this mystery is different than other mysteries. We don’t have to figure it out, for it has been revealed by God. And this mystery involves something infinitely more important than the solution to a crime!
This coming Lord’s day we will consider this passage from Paul’s letter to his friends at Colossae. And we will learn about this wonderful mystery that was once “hidden” within the types, shadows, and promises of the Old Testament, but has now been “revealed” in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As I write this, my heart is overflowing with praise to the Lord for the wonderful conclusion to our 2018 VBS that we experienced last night! It was an amazing week of learning for our children, and the fruit that will result from such an investment in their lives will be revealed for years, and even decades, to come. We thank our Lord for Ashley Turnbull and every helper, volunteer, and teacher who assisted her! And thank you parents for entrusting your little ones to us as we seek to teach them the truths of God’s Word.
May you have a most blessed weekend, and I can’t wait to see you this Sunday!
I love you all with all of my heart!
Mike
Upcoming Events:
July 21, 6 AM – Men’s Whitewater Rafting Trip
July 22, 3 PM – Baby Shower for Meghan Elliott
July 24, 8 PM – Senior Fellows visit to the Von Braun Planetarium
August 2, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch
August 5, 2 PM – Kristy Hill Wedding Shower
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:
Take My Life And Let It Be – Hymn 585, vs 1,2,5,6
His Mercy is More – New song this week, check it out on youtube
Have Thine Own Way – Hymn 688, all 4 verses
Why So Heavy
Announcements:
Summer Schedule: Christ Presbyterian is on Summer Schedule. There will be no Sunday School, and regularly scheduled bible studies for men, women, and youth are on hiatus. Fellowship will be each Sunday at 10 AM, with worship beginning at 10:30 AM. Check this space for information regarding when the normal schedule will resume, including dates and times for specific studies and activities.
VBS: VBS was a huge success! The children had a great time learning about the Creator of the universe, and they were able to raise around $390 (girls won!) for our missions project. There were several anonymous members who were so moved by the generosity of the children that they added to and matched that number so that the final tally was more than $1300 in support of our missionaries in Ireland. This is enough to send 13 youth to camp at Munster Christian Camps on scholarship. The family night was a big hit as well. Thank you for being a church who loves our kids! If you’d like to see a video of the festivities, click HERE. The password to view the video is christpresvbs.
Baby Shower for Elliotts: Sunday, July 22nd at 3 pm at the church. Please join us as we celebrate the arrival of their baby girl. The Evite is HERE (please RSVP). She’s registered at Amazon and Target.
Music: Attention instrumentalists and vocalists! We are currently in the process of putting together a list of people of high school age and older in our congregation who would like to share their musical gifts in occasional special musical events at the church. Please indicate your interest by sending an email to Rich Bagdazian at rbagdazian@gmail.com and include the word “music” in the subject line. Indicate what instrument you play or if you are a vocalist, what part you sing. We will contact you within a few weeks with additional information after everyone has had an opportunity to respond.
Senior Fellows: On Tuesday, July 24, the Senior Fellows will visit the Wernher von Braun Planetarium located within Monte Sano State Park. Visitors are welcome. Plan to arrive at 8:00 PM and finish about 10:00 PM. For directions or more information send email to seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org. Plan to bring the whole family. Joe Fikes, our guide, says kids will love this adventure. Atmospheric conditions may dictate a change of the date/day of the event.
Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is August 2 at 11:30 AM.
Baby Nursery Volunteers: Moms of babies/toddlers, please sign up to work in our baby nursery at least once this summer. I also encourage all ladies of the church to sign-up. Please consider serving our families in this way! We need help July 29, and August 26. Click HERE to sign up.
Member Services Survey: Annually we issue a list of church members who offer skills or services to other members. These may be professional services or just shared skills. This list is sent only to members by email and is not posted on any web site. Of particular interest may be services offered by our youth. Attached is last year’s list dated March 2017. If you would like to add an entry to this list or modify/delete your prior entry, please send your information in the format shown to Jack Loose, jackdloose@gmail.com, by August 1, 2018. If you have any questions, please contact Jack Loose by email or 256-881-8953.
Wedding Shower for Kristy Hill: Please join us August 5th at 2:00pm at the home of Jennifer Martin for a bridal shower to honor and celebrate Kristy Hill. See the link below for details and to RSVP.
http://evite.me/9DGzS6J1fj
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Debbie Hill, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the Elliott family, expecting in September, and the Ely family, 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); Franky Garcia (seminary student).
Emails:
general inquiries: admin@
benevolence needs and prayer: deacons@
men’s ministry: men@
women’s ministry: women@
children’s ministry: children@
youth ministry: youth@
senior fellows: seniorfellows@
Address:
288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763