Church guide

Youth-led Worship this Sunday, April 28th #goodnewsfcc

Midweek BLOCK resumes this evening. Please note that there is no chancel choir or bell choir practice for adults this evening as the youth will be practicing for this Sunday's Youth Worship. #goodnewsfcc Early Childhood (Preschool-Kindergarten) Music Enrichment 5:15-5:45 PM Snack Supper 5:45-6:30 PM Children’s Worship 6:30-7:00 PM Elementary (1st-5th grade) Snack Supper 5:45-6:30 PM Junior Choir 6:30-7:00 PM Kingdom Kids (1st & 2nd grade) 7:00-7:30 PM JYF (3rd-5th grade) 7:00-7:30 PM Youth (Middle & High School) Handbells 5:15-5:45 PM Snack Supper 5:45-6:30 PM Youth Groups 6:30-8:00 PM Adults Snack Supper 5:45-6:30 PM Handbells 6:30-7:30 PM Bible Study 6:30-7:30 PM Choir 7:30-8:30 PM

Left to their own devices: cultures decay, nations crumble, relationships fall apart, as so do we, and eventually the universe will die a cold death. As the famous science-fiction author and futurist Arthur C. Clarke once lamented, “Maybe those nihilist philosophers are right; maybe this is all we can expect of the universe, a relentless crushing of life and spirit, because the equilibrium state of the cosmos is death ...” But what if this isn’t necessarily our fate? What if this isn’t all there is- a fragile existence in an indifferent and uncaring universe? What if the creator and source of all that is isn’t satisfied to simply let the cosmic clock run down? What if the author of spirit is not content to let all those that possess the breath of life to return to simply return the dust? What if God not only one day will, but has already started making all things new? Join us for this seven-week series to find out how God is reaching out to welcome us to the new. #goodnewsfcc

O God, whose name is Love, we come before you this morning to pray for our sisters and brothers in Sri Lanka. You call upon us to pray for our enemies, to bless them- bless and not curse. We lift up before you those unfortunate souls who have become so angry and confused in their thinking that they believe you are best served by the death of your children on a day that celebrates the ground-breaking reality of life after life. We pray that their hearts would know the warmth of your light and that you would forgive them- for they know not what they do. We pray for awareness of the wrongs they have suffered that have led them down this dark and twisted path and for the ways we have contributed to it through things we have done and left undone. We pray for those who have been harmed through violence done in your name. Grant those who mourn your peace that passes all understanding. Take their sadness, confusion, and anger and transform them in the days to come into the energy needed for action. Help them to seek justice, not retribution. Transform their tears of sorrow into the waters of life. For on this, the day of resurrection, we acknowledge that even in the face of tragedy and death your final word for us all is life and life abundant. May our thoughts and prayers not be the end of this matter, rather may they be the beginning of a conversation that leads to the blessed community- may life come once again from death- in the name of the Resurrected One we pray. Amen. -Rev. Paul Appleby

All are welcome to celebrate the risen Christ! 9am Contemporary Worship 10am Easter Brunch (Discipleship Center) 11am Traditional Worship with Baptismal Service (Sanctuary) #goodnewsfcc

John 19:38-42 “The Burial of Jesus” Lenten Devotion for April 20, 2019 “After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds” (John 19:38-39) Light and darkness play a huge role in John’s Gospel. So does glory. John mentions Jesus’s glory multiple times and when he does he is referring to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. This is his glory, in Greek his “doxa” that Rev. Griffin wrote about back on the 11th of March. “Doxa” means “glory”, “majesty”, and “fame.” It also means “brightness” and “luminescence.” In today’s reading Nicodemus, the teacher of the Jewish people who came to Jesus by night to ask him what needed to be done to gain eternal life and left confused and confounded returns. He reappears in John 7 where he challenges the Pharisees early attempts to arrest Jesus. Later still he reappears. Here, though, we see a Nicodemus who has seen - at least partially - the glory of Christ. A witness to his death, Nicodemus comes now to pay homage to Christ by preparing him for Jewish burial. His journey has been an amazing one: from one who came to Christ in darkness, to one who tried to influence behind the scenes, to one who now takes a stand for Christ crucified - ironically coming into the light at Christ’s darkest hour. ------------------- Prayer: God whose light shines bright even in the darkness, grant that like Nicodemus our journey may be one that takes us from darkness and into the light. Grant that we may stand by you, even through difficulty, and even when it may cost us dearly. Help us to remain true to you in our journey as you remained faithful and true to us in yours. In the name of Christ our light we pray, Amen. Rev. Paul Appleby

Join us at 11am in the sanctuary on Easter Sunday as we celebrate our risen Savior and the tradition of Christian Baptism. #goodnewsfcc

Good Friday Service this evening at 7pm. All are welcome. #goodnewsfcc

John 13:36-38 “Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial” Lenten Devotion for Good Friday: April 19, 2019 “Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.” This passage reminds me of one much earlier in John where we are told that Jesus, “ … knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone” (John 2:24b-25). What was about to unfold in Peter’s life was no secret to Jesus. He knew it when he called Peter to follow him after his brother Andrew introduced them. He knew it as they walked on the water. He knew it when Peter made the first confession of faith in Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. Still, Jesus called him. So often in our own lives, we say and do things that demonstrate that in our hearts there are still parts of us that deny Christ. We know Jesus’ teachings but at times we fail to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We fail to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In those moments, particularly in those where we have really fallen short of the mark, we can wonder things like, “Can God still love me, even now?” It’s at times like that I remember this story. I remember that Jesus, knowing what Peter would do, still called him and still loved him. I remember that after the resurrection, Jesus tells Mary to inform the disciples and Peter about how he conquered the grave. Even in those moments of doubt and unfaithfulness, Jesus knows and is still there, still reaching out to embrace us. ---------------- God, we thank you for your forgiveness. You have promised that you will never leave us, nor forsake us. Help us during those moments of our journeys when we take a wrong turn. When we lose our way, lead us back to you. When we change course, help us to know that all we need to do is turn around to get right back on your path. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen. Sage Appleby

Text a friend who needs to hear the Good News! #goodnewsfcc

John 17:1-26. “Jesus Prays for His Disciples” Lenten Devotion for April 18, 2019 “I pray not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23) On the last night of his earthly ministry, according to John, Jesus took time out to pray for his disciples. Christ’s prayer is pretty straight forward. He prays that they would be protected and that they would share in his glory. He then prays for us, for those who would believe in him through the testimony of those early followers of Christ. That just as the Father is in Christ, and Christ is in the Father, that they both should live and dwell in us. This is the sign to the world, Christ tells us, that his message is true and the proof that he was sent from God- the unity of believers and the love we have one for another. Alexander and Thomas Campbell, Barton Stone, and Walter Scott- four of the founding members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) believed that disunity in the church was scandalous and harmed the witness of Christ in the world. They prayed and actively worked for the unity of the Church on earth through a ‘back-to-basics’ type of Christianity. They believed that if the unity Christ prayed for could be achieved that nothing could hold the church back from spreading the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia there are currently over 33,000 distinct Christian denominations worldwide (Vol I. pg. 16), the unity Christ prayed for and our ancestors in the Restoration Movement worked toward has yet to arrive. It is my hope that as we continue on our journey, both as individual Christians, and as part of the larger Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that we would look for partners on the journey. That we would be quick to identify those who, though they may have come from different places, are moving in the same direction that we are- toward healing, freedom, justice, light, and life. Today take a moment to pray for our partners on the journey, whether they call themselves Disciples, Methodists, Non-denominational Christians, or Catholics. Thank God that we do not walk the road to the Kingdom alone and pray that we may be strong enough to put aside our differences and work for the common good. ----------------------------------- Prayer: We are told in Ephesians that there is but one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. God, the Father of all, grant that we may live into that truth, embracing our unity and cherishing our differences as we look to walk on the road of life that you have laid out before us. Help us to help others, and to ask others for the help we need, as we seek to do your will in our world. In Christ’s name, Amen. Rev. Paul Appleby

Join us tonight at 7pm. Communion will be served. All are welcome. #goodnewsfcc

Please spread the news...and STAY SAFE! Large hail and the possibility of a tornado are predicted for this evening. We love our #goodnewsfcc family. 💕

John 12:27-36 “Jesus Foretells His Death” Lenten Devotion for April 16, 2019 Here John the evangelist reinterprets the meaning of Jesus’ death over against the synoptic tradition (Matthew, Mark and Luke). There are echoes of Gethsemane here (“My soul is troubled,” v. 27) and “what shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour?’), but there is no real struggle with sweat drops of blood. In John, Jesus’ hour is the hour of his death and his glorification (When I am lifted up I draw all men to myself, v. 32). Resurrection in John is a commentary on the crucifixion. One might say his resurrection account constitutes an interpretation of the death of Jesus. The death and exaltation of Christ is what draws all people to the Him. What an amazing statement. The Fourth Gospel Christ has known about “his hour” at least since He told his Mother (never named) at the wedding feast of Cana in Chapter two. Does John affirm universal salvation when Jesus says, “When I am lifted up I draw all people to myself?” Intriguing question. One can quote lots of judgment verses in the Fourth too, indicating that those who reject Jesus are condemned. Yet we have this hopeful statement are all people are drawn to the crucified and exalted One. Jesus is near the end of his journey here in John 12. We who journey with Him can reflect on our journey and its end. Have we been worthy children of the light? Probably not all of the time, but we can get back on track now and at any time. Let’s choose to use this Holy Week to find our way back home as we journey on the pathway of light. ------------------ Lord, we see your light as revealed in the face of your Son. May it guide us into a renewal of our Christian faith. Amen. Tim Griffin

John 12:20-26 “Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus” Lenten Devotion for April 16, 2019 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor." Perhaps they had been in the Temple precincts that day, in the Court of the Gentiles with the other foreigners, when Jesus had made such a scene, overturning tables and driving out the money changers and dove sellers. People must have been talking about the scandal of such behavior, and these foreign pilgrims… these Greeks… probably didn’t know what to make of the strange, charismatic rabbi from Nazareth. If he was still somewhere in the city, they wanted to seek an audience with him, to talk with him and find out what he was all about. Greeks were famously curious like that, always eager to talk about different philosophies and religions. When they spotted Philip (that disciple with the Greek name), they asked if he could introduce them to Jesus… if he could arrange a meeting. And here is where the story takes a strange turn. Instead of Philip saying, “Sure, come with me and I’ll take you to him,” he first goes to Andrew with the foreigners’ request, and then they both go to Jesus with the inquiry. But Jesus doesn’t give them a simple yes or no answer, instead responding with these enigmatic musings on death and life and discipleship. Were Philip and Andrew as perplexed as we are over this non-sequitur of a response? Did they even go back to the Greeks to try to convey an answer, or did they just leave the foreigners standing there… wondering? We’re not told. Perhaps Jesus is trying to get them to understand - Philip, Andrew, the Greeks, and us - that there’s no more time for talking. (And Lord knows, we still talk too much about religion.) He’s telling them, and us, the hour has come. It’s about to get real. Are you sure that you want to see Jesus, to understand what he’s all about? Then come and see…. Come and see this particular week where this journey will take him. Do you think that you may want to follow along with him? Good… but be careful what you wish for. By the end of this week, following him may take your life in an unexpected direction. The drama of this Holy Week compels us to remember the poignant words and life example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” ------------------------ Prayer (from the Iona Community, Scotland) Christ, you are within each one of us. Nearer are you than breathing, closer than hands and feet. Ours are the eyes with which you, in the mystery, look out with compassion on the world. Take us outside, O Christ, outside holiness, out to where soldiers curse and nations clash at the crossroads of the world. We ask it for your own name’s sake. Amen. Ken Mott

Memorial service for Larry Neel