Proclamations of the Resurrection - April 2024

New Apostolic Church USA

Proclamations of the Resurrection - April 2024

Lent gave us the opportunity to prepare our hearts for Holy Week, to walk the path to the cross with Christ. April leads us into the joyous season of Eastertide - the longest liturgical celebration in the Christian calendar. It also gives us the time to truly celebrate the Risen One; an event as astounding as the resurrection could not be contained in just one day.

Christ's victory over sin and death, prompt our April sermon theme: Proclamations of the Resurrection - truths that we will unearth as we, along with the disciples, encounter the Risen Christ:

•April Midweek: I live with Christ! - now and in the future

•April 7th: The tomb is empty! - the women's testimony

•April 14th: I believe! - Thomas' move from doubt to faith

•April 21st: Enlightened in wisdom, Rooted in love - a prayer for the church

•April 28th: He is perfect! - the people recognize their Messiah

From our Meditations of Lent resource: He who this day rose from the clods of earth, we expect one day from the clouds of heaven: to raise our bodies, to perform His promises, to finish our faith, to perfect our glory and to draw us unto Himself. Let us celebrate the Risen Christ!

He is Here!

In December we anticipated the coming of Jesus Christ. Now, in January, we can proclaim that He is here! Each sermon this month will dwell on aspects of the presence of Christ in our lives. Our New Year will begin with the Chief Apostle's 2025 theme for year: It's time to do good! The second sermon will illustrate how God is revealed through Jesus Christ. The third sermon of January will focus our attention on knowing Christ through His teaching. The last Sunday sermon will walk us through the presence of Christ in the sacraments, and how we can respond to them. The midweek sermon will illuminate how the light of Christ permeates our lives.

He is coming!

Advent - a time of waiting and anticipation: "In Advent... it's the waiting that's hard, the in-between of divine promise and its fulfillment. Most of us find ourselves dangling in this hiatus, which in the interval may seem a waste of time... But the longer we wait... the more joyful our expectancy. With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God is indeed with us, and at work within us, as He was with Mary as the Child within her grew." From "God is in the Manger" In this month of waiting, we will celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ - the King, the Son of God, the Giver of Mercy, the long awaited Messiah, the Immanuel, or "God with us," and the Christ, who will return to establish His kingdom. May you feel in your preparations, the wonder of Jesus' coming and lead your congregation into experiencing the presence of "God with us" on Christmas Day.

Thank God

This prayer of David continues to inspire our Season of Thanksgiving: Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and glory, the victory and majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:11-13). In the month of October, we contemplated the works of God in the past, present, and immediate future: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Now, in November, we turn our eyes to the events of our eternal future and express our thanksgiving to God for what He will do, as we continue awaiting Christ's return. Thank God: for His salvation for both the living and the dead, for His promised return as we continue readying ourselves, for His mercy as the kind Judge, for His care revealed in the continuing rhythms of this creation and His promise of the new creation, and for His time, a gift that we receive from His hand.