Communion Service
1 Peter 2:1-2 - Communion Sunday - December 31, 2023
December 31, 2023 • Pastor Steve Feden • 1 Peter 2:1–2
"A Growth Year?" - 1 Peter 2:1-2 I wonder how many of you still live in the house where you raised your kids. If you do, it's likely that somewhere on a wall or door jamb there is a series of pencil marks with names and dates. Or maybe you painted over such a thing when you had to prep your house to sell. True? Why do we track our children's growth? Is it for us, or for them, or both? They grow up so fast, and in some stages it almost defies the laws of nature! A newborn baby's weight doubles in the first 6 months! Living things grow, and growth is, by definition, change. If you are afraid of change, you will never grow. You will become well acquainted with stagnation. Dead things don't grow. What if you had a place in your bedroom where you could mark your spiritual growth like you marked your children's physical growth? Uh oh.....would you need to see the spiritual pediatrician? Have you been experiencing a failure to thrive? In the context of Communion, we will get a brief but valuable lesson from Peter -- and a little help from newborn babies -- about growing......spiritually. How are the marks on your spiritual growth wall? Would anyone who knows you say, "Wow, you have really grown since the last time I saw you!" Would you like 2024 to be a period of spiritual growth? I want to grow. I need to grow. But I don't know how!!! What's missing? Why have I been stagnant? The Apostle Peter wants to help you, but you have to... ...VIEW and SEE Steve
Prayer, Worship, and Communion Night Oct. 11, 2023
October 11, 2023 • Pastor Steve Feden
Prayer, Worship, and Communion Night Oct. 11, 2023 After our nearly two years in the Psalms, and tracking with the emotional ups and downs of them all, and experiencing the deep theology of them, let's spend a night praising the Lord! The night will include the opportunity for singing, celebrating, remembering, praying, and giving God glory for His mercy and kindness that changed our lives! Maybe you have felt down, discouraged, overwhelmed, or underappreciated. Maybe the marriage has been edgy, the kids challenging, or life mundane. I think you might benefit from a night of worship, even if you don't usually come on Wed night! If you are celebrating life, enjoying salvation, excited about the family of God, then come and express that in the fellowship! We can rejoice with you. There is much to pray about and much to celebrate. Let's get our minds focused on things above.....together! .....VIEW AND SEE! Steve
Come to the Table
August 20, 2023 • Pastor Steve Feden • Luke 22:14–23
Come to the Table - Luke 22:14-23 We take a break from our verse-by-verse study so we can break bread together. Break bread? Receive communion? Share an agape meal? The Eucharist? Celebrate the Lord's Supper? Are these all the same thing? What, exactly, will we be doing? One of the things I thoroughly enjoy about our church is the wonderful, and occasionally challenging, variety. There are a variety of ages, economic situations, and most definitely religious backgrounds. Worshipping together are people from Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Brethren, and even Mormon backgrounds. And some have no church background at all! What unifies us is not our personal religious history and traditions, but the Word of God. I recognize that many of you may have a familiar tradition, firm conviction, or preconceived notion connected to this thing I will call "communion". It is easy to take the simple matters of worship and make them areas of division and contention and strife. How often should we do this? What is the right procedure? Is it joyful or sorrowful? What should I be feeling? I am praying that tomorrow -- as we participate in a 2000 year old church practice that has roots thousands of years before that -- we can capture the heart of the experience and not get lost in the details of the ritual or tradition. In the end, we are remembering why we do what we do, and at the center of everything is the son of God who loved me and gave his life for me. He is our Passover Lamb! I also want to extend a special invitation to the Live Stream community. If you are able, please consider coming in person to break bread with us. And to everyone....I invite you to... ...COME TO THE TABLE! Steve
"Where are you?" - COMMUNION SUNDAY
October 31, 2021 • Pastor Steve Feden
"Where are you?" - COMMUNION SUNDAY We will take a break from our normal routine to linger over the Lord's Supper. The service will be markedly different, with music, prayer, testimony, and teaching all culminating in "the broken body and shed blood" of Jesus. I am praying for the Spirit of God to do something special in our hearts and families. Nothing new or miraculous happens during the Communion, but we are reminded of the ultimate in fellowship -- Christ IN ME! You don't get any closer than that! Miraculous things DO happen when the truths of God grip our hearts! With it being Halloween, on Sunday, it is fitting to discuss communion. Why is that? If you don't know much about church history, it might be interesting to find out how and where the early church had their communion services! At the end of the day, it is possible to go through the ritual and miss the reality. In our individualistic and self-centered culture, Communion has to be re-claimed without being over-spiritualized and overcomplicated! Tomorrow I will ask some probing questions and I believe we will have a wonderful communion together. IF YOU HAVE BEEN LIVE STREAMING because you have serious health concerns, please consider setting yourself up at home for communion while you Live Stream. IF YOU HAVE BEEN LIVE STREAMING because you have gotten lazy, then you should be at church for communion. Come to the table with us, and re-affirm your belonging in the body of Christ. View and http://see.....or better yet, Come and Participate! Steve
Communion - "Peace on earth and start with me"
December 22, 2021 • Guest: Kim and John Slye
Maybe you remember the Cleaver family - that iconic family whose TV lives were opened to a viewing audience from 1957 - 1963. Personally, I didn't watch the show (I was busy with Gilligan's island), but it seems they became synonymous with an "idyllic" family life. How idyllic, or Christ centered, is your family life? How do the pictures on your social media compare to the reality in your home? Is your home a peaceful place where people want to be? Or is it a stressful place where people want to hide? If it is stressful, tense, and the people walk on eggshells, then please, please, please show up or tune in tonight! John and Kim will walk us through the story of how John's anger almost destroyed their marriage just after it began. How did Christ intervene? How did Kim hang on? Maybe anger is not a thing for you, but maybe you know someone who does have anger management problems. Let 'em know what we are doing tonight! Encourage them to tune this live stream. http://....view AND SEE! Steve