G’day Church,
I thought it’d be helpful to outline how we’ll be spending our time this Easter as we invite people to Meet Jesus. On both Friday and Sunday we’ll be especially mindful of your guests, offering a really warm welcome and a relaxed experience of church:
- On Good Friday the kids will head out after the first couple of songs, with creche running as usual, but Minis and Mixers combined together in the Community Centre Hall for a great morning learning about Jesus’ death in our place. This also means the main church gathering will have a more reflective tone with a number of Bible readings and points of reflection. There will also be hot cross buns and tea and coffee to enjoy together afterwards.
- On Easter Sunday we’ll change the tone with an all-in, all-ages celebration of the amazing life-changing news that Jesus is risen! We’ll have three short readings from 1 Corinthians 15, each followed by a short talk to engage, encourage and challenge us all, whether we are young or old, following Jesus or meeting him for the first time. The creche space will be set up for parents to supervise their little ones if they need a spot to roam and play.
- And please keep in mind the opportunity to invite guests along for the four Sundays in April when we consider whether the love, justice, freedom and hope that Jesus offers are indeed Good and True? Are they both desirable and reliable? Liveable and believable? While I’m convinced that the answer is “YES!” we’ll engage with these questions with compassion and a genuine respect for those who aren’t so sure.
It really is wonderful to be able to invite people to Meet Jesus this Easter. As the writer to the Hebrews says, Jesus “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” (Heb 1:3) Paul wrote to the Colossians that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” (Col 1:15) Jesus himself said to his disciple Philip “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) As we gather this Easter, we not only remember what Jesus has done, but we see who he is. On the cross and in his resurrection, Jesus certainly did accomplished things for us: taking our place under God’s wrath, defeating sin and evil and death, and so much more. But even more profoundly, on the cross and in his resurrection, Jesus revealed himself to us: lovingly just, powerfully gracious, unwaveringly faithful, and so much more. And as the image of the invisible God and the radiance of God’s glory, when we meet Jesus, we meet the God who is personally interested in each one of us and every one of our neighbours. What a wonderful reason to invite people to Meet Jesus, and pray that God would show himself to them!
See you on the weekend,
Simon
Upcoming Dates:
April 12-14 – Summit Camp. https://events.humanitix.com/summit-youth-camp-2024
Sunday April 14 – BCA Connect with the Hurleys from Broken Hill. 12:00-2pm, Trinity Colonel Light Gardens
Saturday May 11 – Adelaide Men’s Convention. https://www.adelaidemensconvention.org
Saturday May 25 – Grace Conference for Women. http://www.graceconference.org.au