April 26th, 2012
Fifth Sunday
Whenever there are five Sundays in a month, we try to get together with other churches for something special. At 6 pm on Sunday, April 29 the Marbury Church of God will host a celebration and expect to see friends from Accokeek First Church of God, Temple Hills Church of God, and Arlington Community Church of God come together with us to share moments of music and worship. Every time the people of God get together “just because” we want to celebrate Jesus, there is a bit of a foretaste of that great celebration envisioned in Revelation 5:9-13:
And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Yes, that’s right, people from every nation, language and culture will one day unite together in praise. All we do when we gather, whether morning or night, Sunday or weekday, is get a little practice in, bringing some of God’s “not yet” into our “already.”
The theme and emphasis for these Sunday evening gatherings for 2012 is: “Love one another.” John 15:12, John 15:17, 1 John 3:11
April 6th, 2012
Learning Jesus
We recently came through a valuable experience:
- A six-week intensive series in practical Christianity
- Rev. Wayne Harting led us into a deeper experience of faith and ministry
- This course lasted from Sunday, February 19th through Sunday, March 25, at 6:00-7:150 PM
- Teachers, Leaders and all who want to “go on to perfection” in faith and ministry [were] urged to attend [--and many did!].
What next? How will we keep moving on to maturity in Christ?
Learning Jesus is a lifelong enterprise which engages our whole being: body, mind, and spirit. Like any journey, it is good to have companions on the way. Join us this Easter Sunday:
Easter Sunrise service at 7:00 a.m. Our friends from the Marbury Baptist Church will join with us for this community event.
Sunday School at 9:00
Worship celebration at 10:00 — Christ is risen!
Come back the following Sunday to hear about Jesus in his role as The Good Shepherd… join in our new time for Bible study on Thursday evening at 6:30…. join a Sunday School class.
Even better: make sure that learning Jesus becomes more than something you do at church…. look for him everywhere, and welcome him into your life. Then come share your struggles and victories with others.
Expect a blessing…. Give a blessing!
April 6th, 2012
Good Friday
Pause for a moment to remember: by nine o’clock one Friday morning, the mockery of a trial was over, sentence had been passed, and the Son of Man was hanging on a cross.
He went in the place of all who are accused, whether innocent or guilty of any crime. He was sent there by the collective judgment of the best religious system the world had ever seen, that of the Jews, together with the best legal system the world had ever produced, that of the Romans, both enriched and informed by the philosophies and culture of the Greeks. All the best of our human institutions condemned the Son of God as a criminal.
On that morning as the sky grew unnaturally dark, he, full as he always was of the holy Spirit of God, cried an anguished cry on behalf of every one of us who has ever felt abandoned. By his own choice he fulfilled his own word, “I only do what I see my Father doing,” thus demonstrating that our heavenly Father suffers with, thirsts with, every human being, and forgives even those who harm the innocent, “for they know not what they do.”
On a Friday morning much like this one, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Will you take a moment, and remember?
March 1st, 2012
Verse of the Month – March 2012
Nourishment
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
– John 6:27 a
February 1st, 2012
Verse of the month — February 2012
Love
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.
January 31st, 2012
The Second Century
For the Marbury Church of God, the second century is now! Here are some things coming up that we believe will help us to new levels of ministry this year and for the time to come.
Learning Jesus
- A six-week intensive series in practical Christianity
- Rev. Wayne Harting will lead us into a deeper experience of faith and ministry
- Sunday, February 19th through Sunday, March 25, at 6:00-7:30 PM
- Teachers, Leaders and all who want to “go on to perfection” in faith and ministry are urged to attend. A sign-up sheet is available at the church so we can plan to have enough space and enough materials for everyone.
Focus 40
Across the Church of God in North America, churches and individuals are being challenged to forty days of prayer and fasting, from February 29 to March 8. The goal is for 25,00o new disciples to come into the Kingdom of God. A wealth of material is available to help us join with many other churches in this journey. Material is available to help adults, youth, and even children to take part.
January 1st, 2012
Verse of the Month — January 2012
Trust
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
— Psalm 37:5
December 31st, 2011
Give A Blessing!
Each year we try to think of a theme that will help us focus the direction of the congregation. We want one that is clear, easy to remember, and reflective of the Good News of Jesus Christ. One year it was “Good News In Tough Times” and that was helpful as our country and community, and some of our members, struggled through an economic downturn. For 2011 the theme has been “Expect A Blessing.” Most surely, as we celebrated 100 years of ministry as a church, completed numerous projects to give our facilities a facelift, welcomed new members and old friends, prayed through illness and sorrow on behalf of those who needed it… in short, as we sought to be faithful to God’s call in this place at this time… we have found that it really is possible to “expect a blessing” in every circumstance.
For the New Year, 2011, we want to “hold on to what we have received,” but also to build on that foundation. So, introducing the theme for the Marbury Church of God in 2012….
Give A Blessing!
It is my prayer that we will find ways to heed the words of Jesus, “Freely you have received, freely give,” and become more and more intentional about celebrating the Good News by sharing it with others, by word and deed as individual persons, and by how we come together as a group of God’s people in our own place and time. Lord knows, we can’t outpace God in giving. Happy new year, and let the blessings flow!
Pastor Bob