Greetings in Christ’s name!
“All the fullness of deity lives in Christ’s body.” That’s Colossians 2:9 and it is a remarkable statement. I take it to mean that Jesus was as full of God as anyone could be; that every bit of Jesus was saturated with God; that there wasn’t a part of God that did not indwell Jesus. It is perhaps a strange belief for modern people to embrace, for it is a claim that a human being—a flesh and blood human being, who lived and breathed on this earth—was God. It’s the same claim that the gospel of John makes when it says, referring to Jesus, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.”
If you believe this, then it makes sense to think that everything Jesus said and did was the best, most right, and truest thing to say and do. And not only does it make sense to think what Jesus said and did was right and true, it makes sense to commit ourselves to saying and doing the things Jesus said and did. That’s what I understand “following Jesus” to be. To follow Jesus is to commit myself to living the way Jesus lived and the way Jesus said to live.
I’ve found the Jesus way to be a gratifying life. It isn’t without pain or difficulty or disappointment or sorrow—and it wasn’t for Jesus either. But it’s also been meaningful and often joyful. I hope you’ve chosen to follow Jesus and trust in his ways as well.
This Week:
We still need overnight hosts on a few nights this next week when we have Family Promise guests on our campus. It’s a simple way to serve—just show up in the Friends Center by 8pm with bedding (for a twin mattress) and stay in a room of your own until 6am the next morning. Your role as a host is simply to make the clients feel welcome and be a representative of the church overnight. Let Beth Skeeter or Desiree Trevino know if you can help serve in this way.
The students who signed up to attend the Ski Retreat in Colorado this Christmas break invite you to a fundraiser lunch and auction following the service on Sunday, November 20th, in the Friends Center gym. We will have soup, salad, bread, and dessert. The cost is $10/person and kids under 5 eat for free. Buy tickets in the Coffee Café before or after worship, or by contacting Josiah ([email protected]). We will also have an auction at the luncheon to benefit the youth group’s trip to Colorado. If you would like to donate a meal or items to the auction, contact Josiah Brown. In previous years, people have donated items like hosting a meal, weekend getaways to vacation homes, sports tickets, and baskets of goodies.
The Junior High Bible Quizzers are selling pies for Thanksgiving week. You can buy apple ($20), pecan ($20), and pumpkin ($15) by contacting Josiah or in the Coffee Café this next Sunday. Pick up pies on 11/20. Thank you for your generous support of Student Ministries!
Save the date: The All Church Christmas Caroling and Hayride will be on Tuesday, December 6th 5:30-7:30 pm.
Tonight and on Tuesdays in November, you’re invited to join a video study by Jemar Tisby, based on his latest book, “How to Fight Racism.” The group will view the videos and then discuss. All are welcome!
Peace,
David Bridges