Sunday Morning Sermon: Sunday's sermon is titled “Beware of the Teachers” from Luke 20:20-21:4. The Old Testament reading Exodus 3:1-12, and the New Testament reading is Acts 2:29-36.
Live streamed Virtual Church (link) is available streaming at 9:00 AM.
Virtual Foyer on Zoom (link) at 10:15 AM.
There will be only one MCC in-person service this Sunday at 9:00 AM.
The recorded services are also available on MCC YouTube Channel (Link).
Week 47 of 52: Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson: “Masada (met-sa-da)” = fortress. Masada is also the name of a mountain in Judea where Herod built a fortress in 37 BC. The mountain fortress had space for 10,000 soldiers and a 37,000 square foot palace. It holds an epic place in Israel’s history because it is where 967 Jewish rebels occupied the fort and withstood a Roman siege for months before their tragic end.
This has been a season when our sources of security – people, institutions, routines – have been disrupted, and it is good for us to remember that we all have only one ultimately reliable fortress. See how David used the same word in Psalm 18:2:
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
If one or more of your alternate fortresses seems questionable, perhaps you could allow that uncertainty to remind you to take refuge in the only fortress that will never crumble to ruin – our God, our rock, our deliverer, our stronghold.
MCC News: Please pray for our country this week. Please remember that, for disciples of Jesus, our most significant citizenship is in the Kingdom of Heaven, and we have been given the role of ambassadors. I encourage all to consider and pray before we act and speak: Could my support for any other agenda undermine my calling as an ambassador of Jesus? The New Testament is consistent on the idea that Christians should be good citizens wherever they live, even under Roman occupation. Let’s look for opportunities to be part of the solutions rather than adding to the problems. For those of you who have an extra day off Monday, MLK’s birthday seems like a good day to pray for peace.
Please join us for worship at Melbourne Community Church this weekend, however you can. The live service begins at 9:00 AM, and it is live streamed on our YouTube channel. The full service is available on our website after that.
Our “virtual foyer” Zoom meeting is a group of attenders who connect briefly (about 45 minutes) after the worship service. Newcomers are always welcome. Please let me know if you would like to join us this Sunday, and I will send you a link.