“The Book of James”
After Easter Sunday, the first followers of Jesus spent forty days with the Lord before He ascended into heaven. They had amazing experiences with Him as He showed Himself alive to various people in a variety of settings. The Apostle Paul writes about these Resurrection appearances of Jesus in his first letter to the church in Corinth:
For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
For the next few weeks, I will be preaching a series of sermons from the Book of James. We’ll see how the Resurrection of Jesus transformed the life of his brother James. We’ll also see how the Lord is transforming our lives today.
In Christ,
Pastor David
“Prayerful Reflection”
They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, carrying His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. Now Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written: “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” John 19:17-19
We have completed our journey through Lent, and we are now in Holy Week. This is a somber time of prayerful reflection as consider what Jesus has done for us on the Cross.
During Holy Week, we have prepared opportunities to help you draw near to Jesus. We are praying that you will experience His grace and mercy as you face the Cross where Jesus died to free us from the penalty and guilt and shame of our sin.
Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday. We will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion in the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm. This will be a Tenebrae Service. “Tenebrae” is the Latin word meaning “Shadows.” The sanctuary is progressively darkened as candles are extinguished. At the end, only one candle remains burning. This light is, for a short time, symbolizing Christ’s three days in the tomb.
On Good Friday, we will join with other churches in Coronado for a Walk the Cross event. We will start at 3:30 pm at Coronado First Southern Baptist Church which is located at 111 Orange Ave. We will have a devotional and prayer in the sanctuary and then a cross will be carried to the next church. We will end the walk in the sanctuary at GMPC around 5:30 pm.
May the Lord bless your Holy Week with His peace. I am looking forward to spending this time with you.
In Christ,
Pastor David