Sunday Morning Sermon: Sunday's sermon is titled “Lord, Help Us!” and it is part 1 of a 2-part topical series titled “Faith and Politics”. The Old Testament reading is Exodus 19:1-6, and the New Testament reading is John 17:1-23.
There will be only one MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.
Live streamed Virtual Church (link) is available streaming at 9:00 AM.
Virtual Foyer on Zoom (link) at 10:15 AM.
The recorded services are also available on MCC YouTube Channel (link).
Week 31 of 52 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson: “yadah” = knowledge. Since I do not always choose the academic high road, at least at first, this word reminded me of George Costanza’s girlfriend in season 8 of “Seinfeld.” She used the phrase “yada, yada, yada” as a synonym for “and so on,” “and so forth,” or my go-to variation “blah, blah, blah.” Although the conventional use of this phrase in our culture is not what the Hebrew word means, it is close enough to emphasize the questionable value of knowledge alone. The Hebrew meaning combines knowledge with experience and relationship and follow-through. So when two different prophets wrote that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9 and Habakkuk 2:14) they are not saying that lots of people will know more about God. Rather, these prophecies tell us that one day the earth will be filled with people who are devoted to God and are living a life that reflects their relationship with him. You and I do not have to wait for Jesus to return to enjoy the blessings of living a life founded on the knowledge (yadah) of God.
MCC News: On Monday, our friend Jose Martinez-Diaz passed away Monday from complications from diabetes. Jose was a long-term friend and an early member of Melbourne Community Church. Some of our founding MCC families have been friends with Jose and Danette for over a quarter century. Please pray for Danette and their three sons and two daughters-in-law. We are not having a public memorial service like we used to do, but rather we are having a private live-streamed memorial service next Saturday at 1:00 PM, followed by a zoom reception. For now, contact me if you would like more information on how to join that service.
Chris and Sharon Struna have finished their epic motorcycle trip from Alaska to Argentina, and now they are planning their return to mission work in Honduras. They are hoping to return to Brevard County in this fall and return to Honduras this winter. I look forward to hearing them at MCC soon, but for now we can all pray for them. They have also been regulars at our “virtual foyer” on Sundays after church. Their last email listed three prayer requests: Sharon’s migraine headache; Our exit strategy for leaving Argentina and getting back to the United States; Our plans for returning to Honduras.
I know that I announced our next sermon series would be “Psalms We Sing,” and we will indeed get there soon, but I would like to squeeze in one brief topical series before we go to Psalm 39 on October 11th. This Sunday will be the first installment of a two-part topical series titled “Faith and Politics.” That seems timely, but possibly tricky. Please pray.
Please join us for worship this weekend, however you can. We are now able to offer the Lord’s Supper at the end of our live service. That service begins at 9:00 AM, and it is live streamed on our YouTube channel.
Our “virtual foyer” Zoom meeting has settled into a steady group of virtual attenders who connect briefly (about 30 minutes) after the worship service. Newcomers are most welcome. It is not a formal study of anything, more of a social meeting, but questions about the sermon or other MCC stuff would be welcome. Here is the link to that zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/82721340958#success