Hi Friends!
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
For years I have been deeply impressed with this response from our Lord. While the Pharisees and Scribes certainly argued about which commandment was the most important, and made many laws of their own, Jesus cut to the heart of the matter – literally! What could any of His opponents say in response? Nothing! It is great to have a desire to study and know all of God’s laws, but it is critical that we understand the purpose behind them. And the best way to be sure that we are covering all of His commands in our lives is to measure ourselves against this criteria – are we loving God with our entire being, and are we loving other people?
One person who was a great example in the Bible of loving Jesus with an extravagant love was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. I will be preaching about the story in Mark 14:1-11, where she anointed Jesus for burial, prior to His crucifixion, in a beautiful and costly offering. Please read that before Sunday and ask the Lord what He would have you learn from her wonderful example.
This Sunday is also Sanctity of Life Sunday. There will be information in the bulletin on Sunday, but in the meantime, please be in prayer for the unborn in our country. Also pray for pro-life legislation to pass, and pray for organizations such as Option Pregnancy Resource Centers in Corvallis and Albany. Pray for the hearts of men and women to change toward the human lives created by God and in God’s image!
Some other important items will be in your bulletin this Sunday, so make sure you read it! But if you want to put some key dates on your calendar, here are a few:
Monday, Jan. 21, 6:30pm – “Learning to Encourage Family & Friends during Grief & Loss”, led by Judy Christophersen
Friday, Jan. 25, 6pm – All Church Game Night. Bring friends, family, games, and snacks to share.
Sunday, Jan. 27, after worship service – Business meeting for members to vote on the appropriation of funds for building.
Sunday, Feb. 3, after worship service – All Church Potluck to celebrate and “send off” our short term missionaries to Burundi and Haiti.
Friday, Feb. 8, 7pm – Women’s Fellowship “Decorate Valentine Cookies Night”. (Sounds yummy, any men needed for taste-testing???)
2013 is off to a great start – let’s be praying with expectation for God to use us mightily in the lives of people in the coming days!
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael