Family Church: Learning about Forgiveness

This is going to be a fabulous Sabbath! Family church is this week! It is one of my favorite ways to experience worship and learning because it is so hands on. I hope it will be a favorite for you as well.

You may ask, “What is family church?” Family Church is an exciting and interactive time of learning. This time Pastor Sherilyn O'Ffill the Potomac Conference Pathfinder and Adventurer Director is joining us. She invites you to join her in making indoor snow as we learn about forgiveness in Isaiah 1:18. Embark on this adventure Sabbath morning at 11:30am. Please dress casual. We will be moving and doing experiments, and I want you to be comfortable. So please choose jeans over suits.

To this service bring with you your creativity and sense of adventure. Molly is practicing her snowflake making skills in preparation for our prayer time. And Owen is putting on his scientist hat to help with that snow experiment. So invite your family of all ages to join my family in this learning experience.

The multi-purpose space is set up with tables and chairs, the snowflake making ingredients are in their kits, and the snow making experiment is ready to go! All it needs is you and your spirit of adventure for learning about forgiveness. Each family church teaches me something new as I watch my church family experience the learning exercises together and I want each of you to be a part of it.

Invitation to Communion

Let these words ring inside your mind and bring back memories. Focus on the familiar words of this scripture for a few minutes. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

The words that I read over and over is the phrase, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.” I need that reassurance and reminder that even when I falter and sin, there is still hope.

In the communion service we remember what it took for Jesus to extend this hope to us. For this hope to be given it took His death. Christ’s body was broken, His blood was spilled. And each time that we gather to partake of communion together we remember Him.

I invite you to prepare your heart to partake of the emblems of this service. To spend time talking to God about where you need his forgiveness, and where you have received forgiveness and hope. Prepare to take the bread and the grape juice as reminders of a Savior who died. Then in turn recommit your life to serving Him and Him alone.