CHAOS THEORY Acts 2:42-47
Posted on January 30, 2010
Filed Under Pastor's Blog, Sermons
‘Communitas’ is a society on then edge of chaos. Christianity has its share of descriptions to describe itself; church, community, family, body. All have their rightful place. In time though the old terms can lose their identity. Or perhaps it is not the terms losing their identity but Christianity itself that loses its way. At the end of Acts 2 there is a brief pause. Luke summarizes the life and experience of the early church. It is a community or communitas on the edge of chaos.
The danger here us to extract the text from its context, take the four aspects of early church life (doctrine, fellowship, sacraments and prayer) and create a sterile environment. As if to suggest these four elements make a church. Granted, you may have created a club, but there is not guarantee it is a church. This summary text is sandwiched between the pentecostal event and healing of a lame man. These are action-oriented and gospel-proclaiming events. The church engaging the world at large. It is the church being “in the world.” Which is exactly where she belongs.
Our great weakness is to marginalize ourselves so much that we become of no earthly value. So isolated from the rest of the world that we are beyond reach perhaps even thought. When in reality you want the world to think about church. She needs to wonder what God is doing in there. If the world needs Christ. Then the world needs the church for she is God’s tool to make disciples.
God wants the church to be communitas on the edge of chaos. That is for us to be a community that engages the world in its neediness and lost condition. To isolate ourselves is to forsake our mission. I dare say the church is emboldened by the chaos. Someone once said, “what doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger.” The church that isolates itself inevitably becomes weak and feeds upon itself. Ironically the pool from which the church grows is chaos. For it is out of the chaos that God converts and transforms. Pulling people out of darkness and bringing them to light. -WHB
Protected: Prayer Requests – January 27, 2010
Posted on January 28, 2010
Filed Under Prayer Requests
Weekly Bulletin – January 31, 2010
Posted on January 28, 2010
Filed Under Weekly Bulletin
The Lord’s Day
January 31, 2010
Prepare Your Hearts
Lord of all, may we strongly sense your presence now. May each of us realize our calling from you and respond joyfully.
Sing Praise
- I Could Sing of Your Love Forever
- How Deep the Father’s Love
- And Can It Be (hymnal p. 134)
- Grace Flows Down
- Exalted
Our Offering / Special Music
- “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
Children ages 4 -7 may be dismissed for Jr. Church
A Word From God
- Today’s Sermon: CHAOS THEORY, Acts 2:42-47
A Song in Our Hearts
- Just As I Am (hymnal p. 319)
PLEASE STAY FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT!
TODAY: Ladies Book Club will be meeting in the chapel right after Sunday school. New members are welcome!
THIS WEEK :
- Wed – Kidz Club, 6:30 PM / Fellowship Center
- Wed. Night Live (Teens), 6:30 PM / Chapel
- Wed. Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, 7:00 PM
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Feb 07 – Nominating Committee Meeting right after Sunday school.
- Feb 07 – Institute of Biblical Studies, 6:00 PM in the Chapel. Please join us as we study the book of Samuel.
- Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day – Remember our shut-ins with a card or phone call. Ruth Getman, Gladys Jackson & Beverly Bronson. Addresses & phone numbers are in the directory.
- Feb 21 – Institute of Biblical Studies, 6:00 PM in the Chapel.
VARIOUS NOTES
- Cell Phones for Soldiers – there is one recycling envelope left on the bulletin board for cell phones, MP3 Players & iPods. The proceeds from these are used to purchase prepaid calling cards for American troops. For more info. go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com
- Full Baby Bottles can be placed in the green box on the cabinet in the foyer. Thank you for your generosity.
Thanks for attending FIRST CHRISTIAN, please come again!
Sunday Jan 24, 2010: What Jesus?
Posted on January 24, 2010
Filed Under Podcasts
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Speaker: Pastor William Berkheiser
First Christian Church, Kirkwood, NY
WHAT JESUS Acts 2:14-39
Posted on January 23, 2010
Filed Under Pastor's Blog, Sermons
“We may be embarrassed about Christianity but we do not have to be embarrassed about Jesus.” -Dan Kimball
Will the real Jesus please stand up. Our culture is inundated with Jesus’. He’s a household name. Most religions respect him. You’ve never heard a politician criticize him. Everybody seems to like him. But do we actually know him? And if we did would we still prefer him?
In Acts 2 Peter preaches his landmark sermon following Pentecost. It is his response to the question as to the pentecostal event. Ironically from a theological perspective we generally say Pentecost is about the church (its birth). Peter on the other hand tells us it is about Christ. Christ of course is just another word for messiah. Peter’s proclamation is that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah spoken of by the OT prophets. He has climatically stepped into human history and the world will never be the same. Life and eternity literally turn upon him. We turn upon him. For Peter this one of his most profound theological statements as to the person and nature of Jesus. It stands as Peter’s statement of faith in regards to Christ.
So what did Peter believe? That Jesus was a human being sent into the world by God the Father for a specific purpose. This Jesus we crucified and God raised him from the dead (see v.22-24). He was anticipated by David and is currently exalted sitting at the Father’s right hand in heaven. Jesus is Lord (see v.34-36). He is the Lord who alone can save us from our sins.
To understand the flow of the text you need to catch Peter’s use of Joel. He ends with the prophetic promise that “all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (v.21). Three times in Peter’ sermon he references “this Jesus” (v.23,32,36). The final reference to “this Jesus” is that he has been exalted and is now Lord. That is he is the Lord of the prophet Joel. The Lord who saves those who call upon him.
Ironically, Peter’s audience was steeped in religion. You would have thought they of all people would have got it. But they crucified him. I fear the church takes far too much for granted. We think we know Jesus. But is it “this Jesus?” Is it the Jesus Peter preached? How many of us who are sitting in church on Sunday need to repent, call upon the name of the Lord and be saved? Who is your Savior? The Lord Jesus or your “personal Jesus”? -WHB
Weekly Bulletin – January 24, 2009
Posted on January 21, 2010
Filed Under Weekly Bulletin
Welcome to FCC this 24th day of January 2010
A wonderful hymn begins: “I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together!” Welcome, church!
Prepare your hearts
Heavenly Creator, as we remember how Christ prayed for His followers to be one, give us the desire to be unified with all who follow Him “that the world may believe” in You. John 17:21
Sing Praise
The Worship Team will lead us in song this morning.
Our Offering / Special Music
“Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
Children ages 4 -7 may be dismissed for Jr. Church
A word from God
- Welcome back Pastor Bill.
- His sermon title today is: What Jesus?
- Today’s text: Acts 2:14-39
- The Theme: Repentance
- The Big Idea: God wants to save Christians too.
Express your love for God’s Word
PLEASE STAY FOR A SHORT BUSINESS MEETING & THEN SUNDAY SCHOOL.
TODAY: Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
Please note the candles that are lit today. The big candle represents Christ, the small candles represent babies & the ones that are blown out represent aborted babies. Today we are also starting our Change for Life campaign. Please pick up a baby bottle from the cabinet in the foyer. Fill it with change, bills or checks & return it here by Feb. 28. The money will be used by Life Choice Ctr. to help women & men before & after an unplanned pregnancy. The Center is located at 93 Oak St. in Binghamton.
TONIGHT: Institute of Biblical Learning, 6:00 PM / Chapel We will be studying the books of Samuel.
THIS WEEK :
- Wed – Kidz Club, 6:30 PM / Fellowship Center
- Wed. Night Live (Teens), 6:30 PM / Chapel
- Wed. Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, 7:00 PM
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Jan 31 – Ladies Book Club Meeting, right after Sunday School in the Chapel. We will have a small luncheon & discuss our recent book, Great Women in American History, by Rebecca Price Janney. If you would like to be a part of our club, you’re more than welcome to join us today. Our next book will be Outrageous Grace which you can see highlighted under VARIOUS NOTES.
VARIOUS NOTES
- We have a new book in the Church Library that you may want to check out. It is called Outrageous Grace, a story of tragedy and forgiveness, by Grace Fabian. This memoir tells the story of Grace & her four children wrestling with grief & disorientation. It speaks of their quest for spiritual answers & of the difficulty of meshing two different worlds… the culture of the Nabak people of the island nation of Papua New Guinea & of her Christian heritage from the US.
- Cell Phones for Soldiers – there is one recycling envelope left on the bulletin board for cell phones, MP3 Players, & iPods. The proceeds from these are used to purchase prepaid calling cards for American troops. For more info. go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com
Thanks for attending FIRST CHRISTIAN, please come again!
Protected: Prayer Requests – January 20, 2010
Posted on January 20, 2010
Filed Under Prayer Requests
Sunday Jan 17, 2010: Guest Speaker Dr. George Snyder
Posted on January 17, 2010
Filed Under Podcasts
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Speaker: Dr. George Snyder (Davis College)
First Christian Church, Kirkwood, NY
Weekly Bulletin – January 17, 2010
Posted on January 14, 2010
Filed Under Weekly Bulletin
THE LORD’S DAY
January 17, 2010
Welcome to our Church!
PREPARE TO WORSHIP
Stir us up to live intentionally spiritual lives, dear Lord. Only then can we fulfill Your plans for us.
WORDS OF WELCOME
We welcome each of you today. We are gathered as Christ’s disciples to worship our Lord.
PRAISING GOD WITH SONG
- Forever
- Wonderful, Merciful, Savior
- Glorify Thy Name
- Jesus, Lord of Heaven
GIVING TO GOD Offering / SPECIAL MUSIC
(Children ages 4 -7 may be dismissed for Jr. Church)
HEARING FROM GOD
- Welcome our Guest Speaker – Dr. Snyder from Davis College
WORSHIPING GOD IN SONG
- Lead Me to the Cross
PLEASE STAY FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT!
TODAY! Your Ministry Budget Letter needs to be done & on Pastor’s desk for the planning meeting tomorrow night!
THIS WEEK :
- Mon – Deacon’s Budget Planning Meeting
- Wed – Kidz Club, 6:30 PM / Fellowship Center
- Wed. Night Live (Teens), 6:30 PM / Chapel
- Wed. Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, 7:00 PM
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Jan 24 – Short Business Mtg. between Worship Service & Sunday School to nominate someone to be on the nominating committee.
- Jan 24 Evening - Institute of Biblical Studies will begin @ 6:00 PM in the chapel.
- Jan 31 – Ladies Book Club Meeting, right after Sunday School in the Chapel. We will have a small luncheon & discuss our recent book, Great Women in American History, by Rebecca Price Janney. If you would like to be a part of our club, you’re more than welcome to join us today. Our next book will be Outrageous Grace which you can see highlighted under VARIOUS NOTES.
VARIOUS NOTES
- Offering envelopes are still available on the shelf under the bulletin board.
- If you are missing a Bible, check the shelf on the coat rack.
- We have a new book in the Church Library that you may want to check out. It is called Outrageous Grace, a story of tragedy and forgiveness, by Grace Fabian. This memoir tells the story of Grace & her four children wrestling with grief & disorientation. It speaks of their quest for spiritual answers & of the difficulty of meshing two different worlds… the culture of the Nabak people of the island nation of Papua New Guinea & of her Christian heritage from the US.
- Cell Phones for Soldiers – there are a couple of recycling envelopes on the bulletin board for cell phones, MP3 Players, & iPods. The proceeds from these are used to purchase prepaid calling cards for American troops. For more info. go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com
Thanks for attending FIRST CHRISTIAN, please come again!
Sunday’s Comin’
Posted on January 13, 2010
Filed Under Announcements
Just a brief note. I am in Columbia SC this week taking a class. Things are going well. This Sunday Dr. Snyder will be in the pulpit. I’m sure God will speak thru him in a mighty. So, I hope to see you there. I will be back though a bit tired. God bless. WHB