The Church of the Messiah

It’s a very busy week at Church of the Messiah.  On Tuesday night, March 8th, we will host the Ultreya for Northeast Florida.  An Ultreya is a reunion event for anyone who has attended Tres Arroyos or another three-day retreat along the same lines (Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, etc…).  We will begin the evening at 6:30 with a potluck dinner, continue with grouping and conclude with Holy Eucharist.  For more information, please contact Greg Looker.

Wednesday night, March 9th, we continue with our Lenten series “Renewed.”  Fr. Looker is teaching on revitalizing your daily Christian walk by changing the way we look at our lives and walk with the Lord.  The soup supper runs from 6-6:45 before the service, which begins at seven o’clock.  The service ends by 8:30 to accommodate those who have work or school the next day and childcare is provided.  These services have been especially powerful lately.

Our Women’s Ministry’s Lenten Bible study continues every Thursday morning throughout Lent starting at 11 o’clock.  We are studying The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer.  Materials are free of charge for anyone interested in attending.  Contact Diane Looker, who hosts the study, for more information.

On Saturday, March 12th, we have two events!  First, at eight o’clock in the morning, we will have a Men’s Ministry breakfast and work day.  This will be done in order to help make the church look as glorious as possible for Holy Week and Easter over the next two weeks.  Come one; come all.  Many hands make light work!  Contact  John Cunningham for more information.

Later that same evening, we will host Fusion, our ministry to Young Adults as well.  The doors open with light appetizers at 6:30 and the service begins at 7 o’clock.  If you know someone between the ages of 18 and 35, be sure to invite them to our monthly young adults Fusion service.  Our special speaker this month will be Brandon Cribbs.  Contact Tim Bromley for more information.

After all that is said and done, don’t forget that we lose an hour of sleep as we “Spring Forward” with Daylight Savings Time Saturday night/Sunday morning this weekend as well.  Don’t worry though.  Next week is much more laid back.  It’s the calm before the storm until we get to Holy Week, March 20-27!

Wednesday night, March 2nd, Church of the Messiah will continue its Mid-Week services which began Ash Wednesday.  Throughout the season of Lent, Fr. Scott Looker will be hosting a series titled “Renewed” and taking its title from the words of St. Paul in Roman 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  The series focus on transforming how we see our spiritual life and renewing our walk with the Lord.  This week we will the teaching will focus on prayer and changing the way we look at our prayer life.  The service itself begins every Wednesday night at seven o’clock and is preceded by a soup supper from 6-6:45.  Everyone is welcome to attend and childcare is provided.  In order to ensure that everyone is able to attend, we are committed to ending by 8:30 in order to accommodate everyone who needs to have children home and prepare for work and school the next morning.

Wednesday night, February 24th, Church of the Messiah will continue its Mid-Week services which began Ash Wednesday.  Throughout the season of Lent, Fr. Scott Looker will be hosting a series titled “Renewed” and taking its title from the words of St. Paul in Roman 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  The series focus on transforming how we see our spiritual life and renewing our walk with the Lord.  The service itself begins every Wednesday night at seven o’clock and is preceded by a soup supper from 6-6:45.  Everyone is welcome to attend and childcare is provided.  In order to ensure that everyone is able to attend, we are committed to ending by 8:30 in order to accommodate everyone who needs to have children home and prepare for work and school the next morning.

This Wednesday, February 10th, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the beginning of Lent with our traditional observation of Ash Wednesday.  Lent is the season which precedes Easter and commemorates Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness and Israel’s wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  Christians throughout the ages have prepared to celebrate Easter by observing Lent with prayer and fasting.  Ash Wednesday, as the beginning of Lent, is a special service which includes the Invitation to a Holy Lent, the Imposition of Ashes, and the Litany of Penitence.  This incredibly special and unique service will begin at 7 o’clock.

In order make it easier for everyone to be a part of this service, Church of the Messiah will be serving a soup supper dinner beforehand in the parish kitchen.  Dinner will be served from six o’clock to 6:45.  Everyone is welcome to attend the service and soup supper.  Childcare is provided during the service.  The service will be over by 8:30 in order to ensure that everyone may be home in time to get children ready for school the next morning and prepare themselves for work the next day.  We want everyone to join us for the beginning of the season of Lent and Ash Wednesday, February 10th.

Church of the Messiah will celebrate and commemorate the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the River Jordan this Sunday morning, January 10th, beginning at 10 o’clock.  On this day, we remember how God revealed Himself through the Baptism both by submitting to John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descending and resting upon Jesus, and the Divine Voice from Heaven.  We will take the opportunity to renew our own Baptismal vows, not because they have worn off, but rather because we need to be reminded of and reaffirm the call on our lives.  Please join us this Sunday as we celebrate this incredible event in the life of Christ, renew our own Baptismal vows, and pray for those who are about to receive the Sacrament of Baptism throughout the Church.

Church of the Messiah will be celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany this Wednesday night, January 6th.  The Epiphany is the annual celebration which concludes the Twelve Days of Christmas and commemorates the Magi from East coming to adore the child Jesus.  This year, just as the Magi brought gifts for the child Jesus, we will be bringing diapers to support Emergency Pregnancy Services, our local pro-life crisis pregnancy center.  They are in need of diapers of all sizes, but especially sizes 4 and 5.  There will also be a special offertory to celebrate the feast.

There will be a soup-supper beginning at 6:15 and the service itself will begin at 7 o’clock.  There is no charge for the meal.  As school has resumed, we will conclude by 8:30 so that everyone can have plenty of time to prepare for school and work the next morning.  Childcare is provided during this service.  Please join us as we celebrate this incredible event in the life of Christ and the Church.

If you attended either the Men’s Breakfast or the Women’s Christmas Luncheon this month, you saw the Christmas cards we handed out to our neighbors as we went Christmas Caroling this past Sunday.  Now, if you would like to hand those same cards out to your own friends, neighbors, or co-workers, we are making the cards available on the web-site.  Simply click on the Christmas Service Invitation to download the file and print up as many copies as you like.  Fold them appropriately and hand them out to invite anyone to whom you feel led to join us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Church of the Messiah cordially invites you to join us as we celebrate Christmas, the birth of the Messiah, the Feast of the Incarnation, this Thursday night, Christmas Eve, beginning at 7 o’clock.  Our Christmas Eve service is our family service and there will be a special presentation from our children, a children’s sermons, and Christmas Carols by candlelight after the Holy Eucharist.

Then, on Christmas Day, we continue the celebration at 10 o’clock in the morning.  It has been a tradition at Church of the Messiah for over ten years now to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on Christmas morning.  Everyone is welcome to join with us in this brief but celebratory said Mass on Christmas Day.

Then don’t forget that Christmas is a season that last twelve days long, so we will be celebrating Christmas on December 27th and January 3rd at our 10 o’clock services as well.  Merry Christmas from Church of the Messiah!

Today,  Sunday December 20th, immediately after our 10 o’clock service, we will be heading out in groups into the neighborhood for Christmas Caroling.  We will not only use this as an opportunity to spread Christmas cheer and make merry but also to invite people to join us for our Christmas services this coming week by handing out the Christmas cards we have been preparing all month.  Lunch will be provided so skip your favorite eatery this afternoon and let’s go sing about the coming Messiah and invite our neighbors to hear more about Him on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

On December 13th, Mildred Marshall, the mother of Mary Hughes and grandmother of Meredith Harlow, went home to be with the Lord.  The funeral service for Mildred will be held at Church of the Messiah on Saturday, December 19th, at 10 o’clock.  A reception will follow at the home of Michael and Mary Hughes.  If you would like to provide food for the reception or Hughes family, please contact Dru Pardee.  Mildred’s obituary may be found on-line HERE.

Rest eternal grant to Mildred, O Lord:
And let light perpetual shine upon her.

May her soul, and the souls of the the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.