Sunday Morning Sermon: Sunday's sermon is titled “Are You the King?” from Luke 22:63-23:7. The Old Testament reading Psalm 110:1-7, and the New Testament reading is John 11:40-53.
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).
Curt Deming, Teaching Pastor:
Week 52 of 52 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson: “Halal (haw-lal’)” = to shine. Our word “halo” comes from the root of this Hebrew word. The Greeks translated it as “phaneros” which means “to shine inside.” The idea is that the light is reflected, and we shine it by responding to the revealed light of God’s truth. I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 5:16 –
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Is it week 52 already? This is what I call painting myself into a corner of accountability. If there is something that I want to do, but I’m not sure if I have the discipline to follow through on my own, I will create a situation where it would embarrass me if I do not finish. As expected, there were weeks this year when learning a new Hebrew word felt like an unnecessary chore, but at the end of the year, I am glad we did this. I learned some new things that have been useful in my own discipleship, and we may hear some of these words again on Sunday mornings as we study the Old Testament.
MCC News:
Wheels for the Strunas! Thank you for pitching in on this effort with your prayer and more. I hope we can publish some preliminary numbers soon.
Ash Wednesday was February 17th. My preference for the Lenten season is not to give up something, but rather to take on something. Last year, we learned something new, and it lasted long after Easter. This year, I prefer to read two other Gospels to focus on Jesus between now and Easter. There is a reading calendar on the MCC website and also in last week’s fb post. My version of the calendar has a catch up day on Sundays so it’s not too late to join us for this year (See a 2021 Lentin Bible Reading Plan and bookmark on the MCC website blog page at this link.)
2021 Lentin Bible Reading Plan
(click image)
Speaking of prayer, please pray about City Fest. You do not need for me to reiterate the reasons for attending or not attending this event in person on March 6-7. However, I encourage all in our congregation to access the prayer resources of our church. There are prayer cards in our foyer and virtual versions on our website. I hope and believe that strategic prayer can be and should be an institutional habit at MCC.
2021 Pray Card
(click on image)
I have a few more boxes to check before it is official, but I hope to return to church on Sunday mornings before Easter. I will keep you posted when I have a firm date.
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. The new link for this semester is on the church website.