Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19-20).

Let me read you some other texts to help us remember Christ…

He is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t; the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory. 

He showed his love for us by sending his Son into the world, so that we might have life through him and be adopted as his very own children

He has rescued us out of the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who bought our freedom with his blood and forgave us all our sins.

He always had the nature of God,

    but he did not think that by force he should try to remain[b] equal with God.

Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had,

    and took the nature of a servant.

He became like a human being

    and appeared in human likeness.

He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—

    dying a criminal’s death on the cross.

It was through what his Son did that God cleared a path for everything to come to him—all things in heaven and on earth—for Christ’s death on the cross has made peace with God for all by his blood. This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies and hated him and were separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through the death on the cross of his own human body, and now as a result Christ has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are standing there before him with nothing left against you—nothing left that he could even chide you for… 

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.

Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.  Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8 which he gave to us in such large measure!

You are invited to join the women of NHC at a baby shower for Jess at 3 PM on Sunday,  November 12 at the Markham’s home.

For registry and address details… email Barbara@newhopechapel.org

Response to Mass Shooting – June 2016

God is bigger than any circumstances we could possibly face in this life, so live courageously. The world is not as it should be. This incident is another proof of that. Sin is rampant. Evil is real. Yet God is sovereign. Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world but we should not become a people of fear. “Take courage,” he said, “for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Knowing God’s power and wisdom are in play, we must choose not to be a people of fear, but a people of faith.

Every person is valuable to God and therefore should be valuable to us, so live compassionately. Paul tells us in Romans 12 to “Weep with those who weep.” In 1 Tim. 2 he tells us to “pray for those in authority.” Rather than joining the barrage of conversation on social media, I ask that you take an hour and pray for all involved–weep over the loss of life, grieve with those who lost loves ones, mourn over the sinfulness of our world and pray for wisdom for our leaders.

God designed the church to shine in crisis, so live intentionally. In Matthew 5, Jesus describes the church as a “city on a hill” and tells us “let your light shine in such a way that people see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” Don’t give in to cynicism or fear, do something. Pray. Give blood. Speak words of comfort. Reach across the divide of sexual orientation and religion with the grace and mercy of Christ. Become a part of the solution. Be the church.

Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, so live hopefully. What the world needs more than anything in this moment is not more politics, posturing or pledges. What the world needs is more Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John.14:6). Remind yourself and others of his love, power, comfort, strength, wisdom, mercy and peace, and let other see these qualities of Christ in you. In doing so, your witness will be the remedy this world needs. Together, God will help us leverage this tragic moment to advance his purposes and greatness in this world.

I ask you to pray with me for the comfort of those who lost loved ones, the healing of the wounded, the wisdom of the authorities to uncover the facts and the discernment of local leadership to lead well. Pray God will provide peace and unity and many would come to him. Most of all, pray the church displays unity, compassion and hope of God to all the people of the Orlando community, throughout our country and around the world.

Sunday, February 13th, at 12:30pm, the Mission’s Board is hosting a Valentine’s Lunch to raise support for our missionaries. Plan on staying for a tasty lasagna meal, while learning about the global community of Christ and our role in spreading the Gospel. All are welcome and donations are appreciated.

[sermons]

Reminiscent of Iron Chef, the Cook Off is a fun way of getting to know each other over food and competition.  Read more “Iron Chef Cookoff – September 19th”

In an attempt to accommodate our growing nursery, we are splitting the nursery into two rooms:
Read more “Nursery Volunteers”