Sisters and brothers,
Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we met together to adore our great and loving God who gave His Son to sacrifice His life for our salvation. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many. He offered Himself in our place as truly the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. We sang about this wonderful, merciful Savior that made us his own. We then thought from Matthew 20 about whether we were truly tuned into God and truly listening to Him. Are we truly listening to Jesus today as He tells us the first would be last and the last first? Are we listening to Jesus today as He tells us that greatness in the Kingdom does not involve prominence, power, or visibility, but serving even the least of these? True greatness in the kingdom of God reveals itself in Christ Jesus in His sacrificial death. True greatness in the Kingdom of God comes not by status but by service. True greatness in the Kingdom of God serves those others count as the least of society. We don’t want to miss these truths like James, John, their mother and the other ten apostles seemed to miss them in Matthew 20. We truly need to understand that the first will be last and the last first. We truly need to see Jesus teaching this to us: Christ Jesus sacrifices Himself willingly for us and expects His children to follow His example of serving and sacrifice. This is the life God’s children are called to live.
I want to thank all those who volunteer to work with children during our Bible Study time and worship services. As you love children and teach them the Word of God, you serve Jesus. As you provide support for parents of young children so these parents can worship and hear God’s Word proclaimed, you serve Jesus. This is truly an example of serving Jesus to all of us! We are truly grateful for all of you who serve Jesus in this way.
We will have our annual East Madison Baptist Church Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday evening, November 17 at 6:00 PM. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer listing the things we need for the dinner. Invite a friend to be your guest at this meal.
We are going to have some baptisms on Sunday, November 24. If you might be interested in being baptized on that Sunday, contact me and let’s talk about this.
Love being your pastor!
Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church