Sunday we’re celebrating one of my favorite times in the church year – Children’s Sunday. Over the last 40 years in ministry I’ve come to realize that not everyone shares my enthusiasm, but I think Jesus did and because of that I believe we should as well. I trust we all remember the story of Jesus rebuking the disciples when they tried to keep the children from Him. In the Gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus was indignant, offended and annoyed and said that great line, “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” But Jesus did more than just take time for the children, He used the kids to teach us all valuable lessons. I’m preaching on three of those lessons – lessons for all of us -- this Sunday and I hope you will join us.
The Sunday teenage LifeGroup
But there is another very practical reason that Children’s Sunday is important, it teaches families that we love kids and that they are an important part of our church family. In June of 2013, Kirsten Gondolfo first came to St. Matthews with Luca, Michael and Lyla in tow. She had driven past the church for years and didn’t know what to expect but decided it was time to find out. It just happened to be Children’s Sunday. Kristen recently told me that was the deciding factor for making St. Matthews their church home. She said that it was obvious that St. Matthews was the kind of church that cares about kids and she wanted her children to experience that. This is one of those special Sundays that it would be great to invite young families so they can experience the love of Christ with us.
This Sunday we will also be baptizing Maggie and Samuel Harrington. In preparation for baptism, two week's ago after the morning service, they knelt with their parents and older sister Moira at the altar and asked Jesus into their lives. It was one of those exciting moments which I was privileged to be a part. Ministry just doesn’t get any better than that! As we talked about what baptism and asking Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of their lives means, I was impressed with the innocence of youth yet the conviction that they really understood the importance of this commitment. Welcome to the family!
Plus we have a special surprise at the end of the service. Lisa Post, our leader of children’s ministries at St. Matts, has arranged to have a visit from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream bringing with them their most popular favors for all of us – young and old. Sunday promises to be an exciting day. Just saying!
Blessing of the Bikes
The annual blessing of the motorcycles will take place this Saturday at St. Matts. It will begin with a continental breakfast chaired by Ed & Sherry Lucia followed by a brief ceremony as we pray over the bikers before they leave for their annual ride. At noon the bikes return and we will then share a barbecue hosted by Chris Tammany and his crew. We will supply hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks but we could use some help from the congregating to supply salads and desserts. If you can help, please email Jen Johnston. We could also use some assistance setting up at 7:30 a.m. and breakdown at 1 p.m. Come out and join us and have fun.
See you Sunday.
In Christ’s love,