My goodness – we packed a truckload of incredible stuff into the program this week! It was no ordinary Sunday – it was very, very special. We had amazing worship, communion, a phenomenal message, baptisms, the debut appearance of the newest little addition to the family, and the last community barbeque of the year.
It was definitely a service full of activity, and even fuller of inspiration.
Ps E.’s message was about how the lost get found, and saved. He spoke about being born again.
I remember hearing the phrase ‘born again’ tossed around when I was young, and at the time I didn’t understand it. Was it some kind of denomination? Did you get a certificate for it?
It wasn’t until I had the story of Nicodemus read to me, and schoolteachers explained the concept, that I understood, and it was the same passage, John 3, that was highlighted during the sermon on Sunday.
To hear it explained far better than I ever could in writing, since it comes directly from the Bible, click here for the download of the service.
As a practical illustration of this concept, and as a reaffirmation of commitment to God, we had three baptisms: the highlight of the entire service.
Each testimony had its own beauty, and I was on the verge of crying with joy to see one of my close friends take this step. To somebody unfamiliar with this practice, a preacher in a wetsuit stands in a wooden box filled with water and helps someone lean back into it. However, to the eyes of everyone around, it was a public declaration of love, commitment, and sacrifice to God. The water was shallow, but the meaning wasn’t!
As if this wasn’t fulfilling and joy-bringing enough, we then had our last community barbeque of 2015. It was, as always, fantastic. Thank you, again, immensely, to all those who sacrificed time and effort into putting in place everything that made this initiative possible.
Next week won’t disappoint! Hope to see you there!
God bless,
Emma W.