MID-WEEK NEWS FOR JANUARY 22nd Thank you for your patience as we continue to work through computer problems. We have compiled a list of e-mail addresses that this is to be sent to. If we are sending it to the wrong address or not to you, please let us know. We are still unable to access the firstpresbyteriancorry e-mails and hope this problem will be resolved by the end of the week. E-mails can be sent to [email protected]. We apologize for any inconvenience. PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS: Family and friends of Ace Bracken Family and friends of Harold Wolbert John Bracken Dave Edwards Cyndee Holton Carol Swanson Louis Walters Hannah Beason Mark Stebler Chase – 4 yr old with possible MS Curt Bailey Michael McClenahan Bob Church Pastor Mike Sperry George “Pat” Patterson Doretta Fleet Danette Tucker Marian McClellan Dan Downey Peggy Paul SOUP FOR THE SOUL tonight, January 22nd at 5 PM - Goulash, Roll and brownies SPECIAL SESSION meeting tonight, January 22nd at 7 PM 2014 PER CAPITA was set by Lake Erie Presbytery at $29.50. COMMUNION WILL BE SERVED at both services on Sunday, January 26th. PRAISE MUSIC JAM SESSION Tuesday, January 28th from 7-9 PM. Poster Attached MISSION STUDY TEAM will meet on Wednesday, January 29th at 6:30 PM. SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY, February 2nd. Help our local food pantry. Besides soup, they are in need of tuna fish and canned veggies. There will be a box to leave your donations at the church. BABY CAPS PW will conclude the baby caps mission on Sunday, February 16th. So far you have provided 30 caps to go to LifeCare here in Corry and area hospitals providing maternity care. Thank You. Sermon Cliff’s Notes: Isaiah 9:1-4 Matthew 4:12-23 Our Old Testament passage describes the coronation and reign of a coming king to three areas of northern . When the Assyrian king conquered the northern tribes of , he set up several different political areas with puppet rulers in that region. Two of those tribes were Zebulun and Naphtali, sons of the patriarch Jacob. Israel contained two main trade routes, one was the wilderness way that ran through the desert east of the Jordan River and the other was way of the sea that ran between Israel’s central mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea, “In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations,” (v. 1). Isaiah prophesied of a time when these conquered lands would one day obtain their freedom and experience joy when a great light would enter into their darkness under the rule of a new king, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined,” (v. 2). On the third week of Epiphany, we continue to explore the manifestation of God through Jesus Christ and our Lord’s earthly ministry. As a member of the Jewish culture, Matthew writes his gospel with a Jewish Christian audience in mind. Jesus wholeheartedly accepts his mantle of fulfilling God’s mission to a sinful world when he hears John the Baptist was imprisoned. Jesus begins his earthly ministry in in accordance with our passage from Isaiah. Jesus’ home town of was located in Zebulun and Jesus’ new residence of was located in Naphtali. Matthew uses this literary record to demonstrate that the Messiah is leaving an area of Hebrew majority to an area that has a Gentile majority. The Messiah is accomplishing ’s responsibility to become a light to the nations. Because Jesus started ministering in , the light of the of has shined into the darkness of that gentile region. Jesus continues John the Baptist’s message of repentance, “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,”” (v. 17). Out of respect and awe for the name of God, Matthew uses the term “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of the term “Kingdom of God” normally used in other Biblical documents. Matthew further demonstrates the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven using the immediate response of the calling of Jesus’ initial disciples. The faithful disciples drop the tools of their trade, walk away from everything normally considered important, and follow an unknown itinerate evangelist, “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people,”” (v. 19). The Kingdom of Heaven is a major theme in Matthew’s gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Matthew ends this week’s passage with details of Jesus Christ’s ministry in answering God mission, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people,” (v. 23). Would you and I have the courage to leave all our earthly priorities and accept a call to serve the Kingdom of Heaven? We take on an entirely new mindset when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, enter into service of the Kingdom of Heaven, and become faithful disciples of Christ. We embrace an entirely new lifestyle that includes Kingdom ethics, values, and economics.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 16:19:34 +0000
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