“A week later, his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it on my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:26-28
One of the unfortunate facets of modern life is the prevalence of scammers. In fact, it feels like every other day, I’m getting emails, phone calls, and Facebook friend requests from people pretending to be someone their not. And while such events are primarily annoying, they’re also quite unnerving because they remind us of how hard it can be in today’s modern world to know who people truly are, especially when we interact with them over a computer screen or phone.
As I consider this issue of how to truly know or confirm someone’s identity, it makes me ponder my own Christian faith. You see, from my perspective, being a Christian means being a person who makes certain claims about Jesus’ identity. In particular, as a Christian, I believe that someone can only properly understand who Jesus is through titles such as Son of God, Lord, Messiah, and Savior.
Yet, in a world in which people aren’t always who they appear to be or who we wish they were, we face the unavoidable and inevitable question:
How do we know that Jesus really is who we claim Him to be as Christians?
This Sunday at church, we’re going to discover that the early church had an answer to this challenging question. And that answer was Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And as we’ll learn together, Jesus’ rising from the dead was God’s unique and special way of declaring to the entire world that Jesus is indeed God’s Beloved Son and Lord over all things. Or to put it in modern lingo: Jesus’ resurrection proves that He’s the real deal.
Looking forward to seeing you at church this Sunday!
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 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 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 we plan to resume serving food after Labor Day weekend. If you are interested in helping serve in this ministry, please connect with Grace Espeut.
Next Leadership Council Meeting
Our next Leadership Council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 17th at 6:30 pm in the A-Wing basement. All are welcome to join!
The Faithfulness of the Risen One