Announcements
SYMPATHY: to Don & Nancy Bittman at the passing of Don’s mother, Charlotte Bittman, on Monday, March 9. The funeral was held on Thursday, March 12, in Holyoke, MA.
SYMPATHY: to Kenneth Burrier, David & Belinda Burrier, and Mary Ann Albaugh, and their families, at the passing of their wife, mother, & sister-in-law, Reba Burrier, on Saturday, March 7. The funeral was held on Thursday, March 12, in Sykesville.
LIVING CROSS COSTUMES: are available today for pick up downstairs in the Costume Room, 30 minutes before and after the main services. Please see Eli Fenton for any questions.
USHERS & PARKING LOT ATTENDANTS: are needed for each night of Living Cross. If you would be willing to serve in one of these areas, please sign up at the Welcome Desk. For questions, see Carl Baker for ushers or Sam Mosley for parking lot attendants.
LIVING CROSS NURSERY: Volunteers are needed to help in the nursery for each night of Living Cross. If you can help, please text or call Anne-Marie Albaugh at (443) 375-2078
From My Heart
Today is “Friend Day,” and we are trusting the Lord for a great number of visitors. If you are a guest with us today, we have a special bag with some goodies inside, just for you. We also have a couple of special gifts to give to those who bring the most visitors, as well as the second most! I ordered some more of the coffee mugs, which, when hot tea or coffee is poured in, the mug lights up with a picture of the Church.
Also, in connection with Friend Day, we are having a chili fellowship after the evening service. We will have chili with all sorts of different spice levels from mild to “blow off the top of your head, 5 alarm, blast furnace, torture” level. Pastor Brian tells us there has not been a chili yet that has been too hot for his cast-iron palette! And…where I come from, we would call that a challenge! So, I trust you come this evening and stick around for some good home-made chili.
Living Cross is just around the corner, and we have tickets to pass out as a reminder for folks to come. We have a new play this year, and it looks to be one with a powerful and clear message of the Gospel. We have some posters if you would like to put one up in grocery stores or where you work. We also plan to have a few hours next Saturday morning, where we will drop folks off at various neighborhoods and invite people to come. This is always a very productive way to get the message of the Living Cross out to the community.
Without a doubt, the best thing we can do for this year’s presentation is to pray for the Lord to bless each night. We certainly need to invite folks, but we also must pray and seek the Lord’s Hand of blessing upon each performance. The Lord will certainly bless His word, and we know there is power in prayer. I want to ask our Church family to bathe the Living Cross in prayer! Our choir, orchestra, cast, and crew have been diligently working for weeks on bringing everything together! So, let’s invite others and pray diligently.
Psalm 142 is called (in the little explanation at the top of the Psalm) a
“Mas-chil of David.” The little Hebrew word “Mas-chil” simply means “instruction.” The heading then says, “A prayer when he was in the cave.” This cave he is referencing is during that dark time in David’s life when, for 10 long years, he was on the run to stay one step ahead of King Saul. For ten long years, David was pursued by a jealous King Saul who was brutally trying to kill him! I dare say none of us have ever had to endure such a thing - but David did! Day after day, night after night, running throughout the rugged mountains of Judah, hiding in caves from Paul’s relentless pursuit. But he handled the chaos and shared with us some of the things that helped him. In v. 1-2, David prayed. In v. 3-4, persisted. Then, in v. 5-7, we see David praising God. That is a formula to use when the trial of life comes. Pray, don’t quit, and keep praising the Lord.
Have a great day!
Pastor Norris