“…if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
2nd Timothy 2:13
Quite regularly, in most great stories, there are certain characters who stand out from the rest as being particularly interesting. For myself, the apostle Peter has always been this kind of figure. And it’s easy to understand why. After all, this Galilean fisherman was a man of great initiative, faith, boldness, and determination! Most likely, it was these very traits that led Jesus to call Peter to be one of His first disciples.
And yet, despite his personal strengths, Peter was also a deeply flawed man who made many mistakes throughout his life and ministry. The most notable, of course, being his infamous decision to deny Jesus on the night that Christ was arrested and condemned (it’s pretty hard to live something like that down).
And yet it’s remarkable on the other side of His resurrection that Jesus doesn’t give up on Peter, nor does He permanently condemn or exclude this failed disciple of His. Instead, the Risen Jesus reaches out to Peter to restore him to be once again the disciple and leader that Jesus knew He could be.
And friends, I find that a refreshing reminder of what the gospel is all about!
Like Peter, we often find our own creative ways of failing Christ and denying the one who has called us to follow Him. And yet, when we are faithless, Jesus remains faithful to us! And instead of abandoning us to our failure, our Risen Savior seeks us to restore us to be who God has created and called us to be. Good news indeed!
Peace,
Pastor Chris
International Cuisine Night:
The popular culinary event is coming back after a long hiatus! In the spirit of celebrating our diverse church family and the season of Pentecost, we are inviting you to sign up to prepare and serve samples of a dish honoring the country of your heritage or any country of your choosing.
As an international “chef”, you will prepare enough of your recipe for about 50 sample-sized servings to allow for everyone to try it. Guests will have a unique and delicious dining experience in addition to enjoying our warm hospitality.
As in all previous years, there is no charge for this event but we will advertise a free will donation. All profits will benefit Ukraine refugees. Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 4th from 5 – 7 p.m. and fill out the sign-up sheet in the back of the sanctuary. Help us bring back this event back with gusto!
Faith in Action: Local Church Partnership
On May 15th, four churches in Flemington are coming together for a fellowship luncheon and then will all go out in the community to do several service projects. During that day, we will meet on the Flemington Presbyterian lawn at 12:30 for a luncheon. Afterward, at 1:15, everyone will break up into different service groups. Some will be held at the Presbyterian Church, and others will be off-site.
You can click on this link to see what service projects there will be: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4cafac29aa8-faith. All participants are asked to sign up (you can sign up by clicking on the above link and selecting which project to do).
To honor the birth of Pastor Chris’ daughter, our church will be focusing on gathering diapers and hygiene kits for families with newborns who need some extra assistance.
There will be a box in the back of the sanctuary where you can drop off size 4,5,6, or pull-up diapers. We also ask for baby shampoo, baby bath wash, brushes, combs, toothbrushes, paste, baby lotion, or baby nail clippers.
Coffee Hour Starting Back-Up: May 22
On Sunday, May 22nd, our church will be starting coffee hour in the Fellowship Hall. For the time being, and throughout the summer, we will only be serving coffee, but the plan is for us to resume serving food after Labor Day weekend. If you are interested in helping serve in this ministry, please connect with Grace Espeut.
Why the Resurrection Matters