This Sunday, March 10, in Worship
“Freeing Jesus” Sermon Series
Based on the book Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence
by Diana Butler Bass
“Jesus as Presence”
Matthew 28: 16-20
"Jesus is with us always". This is the last sentence of Matthew's Gospel that we will be unpacking this Sunday. Lent is the perfect time to begin to explore what it means to live with God in all moments of our lives. It is one thing to know that Jesus is with us, it is another thing to call upon Christ in all times - good and difficult.
We will discuss how it feels when we lean into these moments with Jesus, and how it can change our thinking and our lives. The presence of Jesus is a "present" that we can use for the good of others and our world. .
On this Fourth Sunday of Lent we have a variety of music during our worship service. Jason McNally will be expertly filling our sanctuary with glorious sounds from our mighty pipe organ. And we welcome back our Children’s Choir, this time singing in combination with our Chancel Choir. They’ll sing Children of the Heavenly Father arranged by Paul Sjolund. Paul was the director of one of the church choirs I sang in many decades ago and this is one of my favorite of his anthems for combined choirs. Our Chancel Choir will also sing the John Stainer anthem God So Loved the World, quoting John 3:16,17: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; But that the world through Him might be saved.” And for the morning’s offertory, Shannon Miller and Emily Reed will sing Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem. What a grand morning of the spoken and sung word. Won’t you join us?