Showing posts with label Worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Worship. Show all posts

Monday, February 11, 2013

Ash Wednesday




Join us for Ash Wednesday at Sure Foundation!
Únanse a nosotros para el Miércoles de Ceniza

Our Schedule:
5pm – Worship / Misa
6pm – Supper / Cena
7pm – Worship / Misa

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the Christian’s 40 day journey with the Lord to the cross and tomb, preparing for the proclaimation of Easter. The 40 days are reminiscent of several biblical events: Jesus’ 40 day fast at the beginning of his ministry, Moses’ stay on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law, and Elijah’s fast on his way to the mountain of God.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Christian’s journey with a reminder of our mortality and a call to repentance. The ancient practice of imposing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful gives Ash Wednesday its name. The church father Tertullian writes of the practice as a public expression of repentance and our human frailty that stands in need of Christ. The ashes remind us forcefully of our need for redeeming grace as they recall the words from the rite for Christian burial: “...earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” words that will someday be spoken over us. The imposition of ashes has never been exclusively a Roman Catholic practice and today is observed widely by many Christian traditions.

Miércoles de Ceniza marca el inicio de la Cuaresma, el viaje cristiano de 40 dias hacia la cruz y sepulcro de Jesus en preparacion para la pascua. Los 40 días son una reminiscencia de varios eventos bíblicos: los 40 días de ayuno de Jesus durante su ministerio, los 40 dias de Moisés en el monte Sinaí, y tambien el ayuno de Elías en su camino a la montaña de Dios.
Miércoles de Ceniza marca el comienzo del viaje cristiano con un recordatorio de nuestra mortalidad y una llamada al arrepentimiento. La antigua práctica de la imposición de ceniza en la frente de los fieles el Miércoles de Ceniza ha dado al dia su nombre. Tertuliano escribe acerca de la práctica como una expresión pública de arrepentimiento y nuestra flaqueza humana, que tiene la necesidad de Cristo. Las cenizas nos recuerdan de nuestra necesidad de la gracia redentora y la palabras nos recuerden del rito de la sepultura cristiana: "... polvo al polvo, ceniza a ceniza ..." palabras que algún día se hablaran sobre nosotros. La imposición de la ceniza no ha sido exclusivamente una práctica católica romana y hoy en día se observa ampliamente por muchas tradiciones cristianas.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Connecting with God: A Lutheran Sermon Series on the Means of Grace




New Summer Sermon Series: 
Connecting with God
People are yearning to connect with God in meaningful and deep ways.  Some people make pilgrimages as if God were far away.  Others try to connect with God through fasting or extreme meditation as if God exists on some other plane of reality.  God is not far away and he doesn’t exist only in some other plane of reality.  Connecting with God is as simple as reading the Bible, being baptized, and participating in the Lord’s Supper.  We connect with God through his means of grace.

June 17:            Inspiration of God’s Word
June 24:            Its effect in our hearts
July 1:                Its effect in our lives
July 15:              Baptism’s Immediate Effect
July 22:              Baptism’s Daily Effect
August 5:          Lord’s Supper: Sacramental Union
August 12:        Lord’s Supper: Communion with God
August 19:        Lord’s Supper: Communion with Each Other

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Easter Effect: Easter 2012

"He is risen, just like he said!" God's people came in droves to rejoice in this message that changes lives for eternity. On Easter Sunday, Sure Foundation set attendance records for both English and Spanish services.

Visitors far outnumbered our members for the day. We had good response from our community canvass, our English class students, our prospect mailing, our telephone calling and members invited their friends. We praise God for the response to our efforts to bring Jesus' victory to all. Now our prayer is that we may continue to serve these visitors with the gospel.

We thank Martin Luther College for partnering with us in our evangelism efforts. Through a special program at Martin Luther College called Daylight, Sure Foundation each year hosts students who partner with us in ministry. This year, Megan, Rachel, Jennifer, and Edili joined us. (Pictured below are Jennifer, Rachel, and Edili.)


Easter Highlights:

  • As part of the celebration, the members made a video answering the question, WHAT DOES EASTER MEAN TO ME. (Below).

  • For the first time, our children's hand bell choir performed. (Pictured below)



Monday, April 2, 2012

Brief Explanation of Holy Week

Join us for all the Holy Week services at Sure Foundation:
  • Maundy Thursday - 7pm
  • Good Friday - 5pm and 7pm
  • Easter Sunday - 9:30am
Holy Week came into existence as an intense period of preparation (prayer and fasting) for Easter. It begins with Palm Sunday, where in the fourth century Jerusalem the distinctive feature was the palm procession from the Mount of Olives back into the city. The 1969 Roman calendar changed the title of the first day of Holy Week from Palm to Passion Sunday, a changes that has been accepted by the calendars of a number of hymnals. Christian Worship (our hymnal at Sure Foundation) retains the emphasis on the events of Palm Sunday.
Maundy Thursday (from the Latin mandatum, “command,” John 13:34) recalls Christ’s institution of Holy Communion at the Last Supper on the night in which he was betrayed. During the Passover meal, Jesus gave the disciples his body and blood together with the bread and the wine. Each time we celebrate this sacrament we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

The Last Supper Altarpiece in Wittenberg Church,
by Lucas Cranch the Younger


Good Friday is the solemn celebration of the Lord’s suffering and death on the cross. Some congregations will remember the three hours of darkness from noon till three o’clock with a tenebrae (darkness) service. Augustine called the three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter “the most holy triduum (three days) of the crucified, buried and risen Lord.”

From the Cross,
by James Tissot





Easter Sunday
Among the Sunday of the year, Easter Sunday has the place of prominence. On this day, the church celebrates the resurrection of Christ from death and the restoration of life to those dead in trespasses and sins. All who have been buried with Christ through baptism are united with him in his resurrection and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-5). . . . By the second century the feast of Easter had developed as an annual commemoration. The festival day was soon preceded by a time of fasting in preparation for the celebration followed by a fifty-day season rejoicing concluded by Pentecost. The date for Easter differs from year to year because it is established by the phases of the moon (as was the Jewish festival of Passover). The Festival of the Resurrection is celebrated annually on the first Sunday after the first full moon (14th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar) after the vernal equinox. Preparations for the celebration of the festival itself began already on Saturday night with the Easter vigil. One early Christian writing says: “Watch all night in prayers, supplications, the reading of the prophets, of the Gospel and of psalms in fear and trembling and continual supplication until three in the morning.” The church father Augustine (d. 430) called this “the mother of all vigils” and no fewer than twenty-three of his sermons for the occasion have survived. From Hippolytus (d. ca 235) we learn how during the Easter vigil those persons who had completed a period of study for membership in the church were baptized.
(Christian Worship: Manual p. 370, 372)

Isenheim Altarpiece,
by Matthias Grunewald





Una Explicacion de la Semana Santa

El Horario de Misas para la Semana Santa en Sure Foundation:
  • Jueves Santo - 7pm
  • Viernes Santo - 7pm
  • La Pascua - 11:30am
La Semana Santa
Es la última semana de la Cuaresma, inmediatamente anterior al domingo de Pascua. Se observa en muchas iglesias cristianas como ocasión para conmemorar, agradecer y proclamar el sufrimiento (pasión) y muerte de Jesús, el Salvador prometido, para la salvación del mundo. La congregación repasa la última semana de la vida terrenal de Jesús: su entrada a Jerusalén el Domingo de Ramos; la última cena, su angustia y su oración el Jueves Santo; y su muerte en la cruz el Viernes Santo. La observación de la semana Santa tiene un sólido fundamento bíblico, invita a la iglesia a poner la esperanza en la obra redentora de Cristo, en su resurrección.

Domingo de Ramos, o Domingo de Pasión, o Palmarum

Este domingo recuerda la entrada triunfal de Jesús en Jerusalén; las multitudes que estaban en la ciudad para celebrar la Pascua lo recibieron con ramas de palma y lo aclamaron como el rey mesiánico. Los evangelios dicen que Jesús entró a la ciudad en un asno, cumpliendo la profecía de Zacarías 9:9. Los entusiastas que aclamaron al Salvador ese domingo, el viernes siguiente pidieron su crucifixión con un clamor equivalente. Lo habían aclamado como el nuevo rey que venía a sentarse en el trono de David, según narra Marcos 11:10, pero lo repudiaron cuando vieron que no era el rey terrenal y político que en su falsa sabiduría esperaban. En este sentido, el Domingo de Ramos es una buena ocasión para considerar la tendencia humana a hacer a Dios a su imagen y semejanza.

Jueves Santo

Conmemora la última cena, la cena de Pascua que celebró Jesús con sus discípulos la noche antes de ser traicionado. Hay varios eventos agrupados en este último día antes de que Jesús fuera arrestado, que se conmemoran de varias maneras en los cultos: la institución de la Santa Cena, la traición de Judas, la oración de Jesús en Getsemaní mientras los discípulos dormían, el lavamiento de los pies por Jesús. La última cena fue una cena de Pascua, como había sido ordenado por Dios, para recordar el éxodo de los israelitas de Egipto, cuando la muerte “pasó” sobre las casas de los judíos en la décima plaga que envió Dios sobre los egipcios. Juan cuenta del lavamiento de los pies de los discípulos por Jesús como señal de servicio. Durante esta cena, el Señor Jesucristo instituyó la Pascua cristiana. Muchas liturgias se centran en la cena y en la comunión para conmemorar este día; es una ocasión para renovar la enseñanza y el aprecio por la Cena del Señor, en la que Jesús llama a la iglesia a celebrar el nuevo acto de liberación que él vino a realizar. La noche del Jueves Santo, después de celebrada la cena, Jesús y sus discípulos fueron al jardín de Getsemaní, donde Jesús oró, con gran angustia, sin ser acompañado por los discípulos en su oración. Después, Jesús fue arrestado y llevado a la casa de Caifás, el sumo sacerdote, sometido a un juicio y condenado.

The Last Supper Altarpiece in Wittenberg Church,
by Lucas Cranch the Younger







Viernes Santo

Es el día en que la iglesia conmemora el arresto de Jesús, la traición, crucifixión y sufrimiento, muerte y sepultura. Los servicios de ese día se centran en la muerte de Jesús. Hay variedad de cultos para el Viernes Santo, todos con el propósito de comunicar a los fieles la magnitud del sacrificio del Salvador a favor del mundo. Es una oportunidad para reflexionar sobre el pecado y sus consecuencias y sobre la salvación que Cristo ganó para todos cuando asumió la naturaleza humana para vivir , como sustituto de cada persona, la vida perfecta que la ley exige y sufrir el castigo que cada persona mereció por el pecado.

From the Cross,
by James Tissot


























El Domingo de Pascua de Resurrección

La fiesta de la Pascua fue la primera gran fiesta de la iglesia cristiana, es la proclamación de la victoria de Cristo sobre la muerte, celebra la misericordiosa obra salvadora de Dios. Es el día y la estación para que la iglesia y cada uno de los creyentes alabe a Dios, le dé gracias y manifieste su regocijo por la obra mediante la cual Cristo liberó al mundo de la esclavitud del pecado y de la muerte. San Pablo expresa claramente el significado de la Pascua en 1 Corintios 15:14-19: si Cristo no hubiera resucitado, la fe y la predicación serían inútiles, no habría perdón de los pecados, y toda doctrina cristiana sería una falsedad. La iglesia siempre ha considerado esta festividad como la mayor.


Isenheim Altarpiece,
by Matthias Grunewald





Sunday, April 1, 2012

April 8, 2012 - The Easter Effect

Finances. War. Cancer. Crime. Being alone. Failure. Death. What is it for you? What keeps you up at night? All of these have a negative effect on our lives.

That is why we need Easter AND its Effect.

Jesus came into our world and faced our biggest fears and in his resurrection he conquered them all.


Join us for the Festival of the Resurrection
APRIL 8, 2012

  • Festival Worship – 9:30am
  • Easter Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt – 10:30am

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Lenten Sermon Series: For Me

The account of Jesus’ passion, the pain, the suffering, the physical, emotional and spiritual torture he endured in those final days and hours of his life—it’s an unbelievable narrative love and sacrifice. What makes the whole thing even more astounding is that Jesus did all this…FOR ME!

Throughout this Lenten season as we review the steps of our Savior’s passion, it’s our prayer that you will see more clearly and feel more passionately the depth of Jesus’ love for you.


La historia de la pasión de Jesús, el dolor, el sufrimiento, la tortura física, emocional y espiritual que tuvo que soportar en los últimos días y horas de su vida-es un relato de amor y sacrificio. Lo que es más sorprendente es que Jesús hizo todo esto ... para mí!

A lo largo de este tiempo de Cuaresma mientras revisamos los pasos de la pasión de nuestro Salvador, es nuestra oración que usted vea con mayor claridad y se sienta con más pasión la profundidad del amor de Jesús para ti.

_________________________
  • February 26: Overwhelmed For Me
  • March 4: Betrayed For Me
  • March 11: Disowned For Me
  • March 18: Unjustly Tried For Me
  • March 25: Crucified For Me
  • April 1: He Walked the Walk For Me


Monday, October 31, 2011

Sharing our Reformation Heritage in Tongues



On October 30, 2011, Sure Foundation celebrated the Festival of the Lutheran Reformation, but this was no ordinary Festival of the Lutheran Reformation. We sang "A mighty Fortress" in English and Spanish. The first lesson was read in Mandarin, the second lesson in Spanish, and the gospel lesson in Urdu. Even the sermon was preached in two languages at once. (Listen to it now!)

Here are some more Reformation highlights:
  • Nine new people were accepted into membership at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church.
  • Two Mandarin speakers (Daniel and Miriam) and two Spanish speakers (Gisela from Peru and Jenny from Ecuador) were confirmed in their Christian faith for the first time (pictured below).
  • A group of Urdu speakers led by Pastor Manzoor Alam also joined us for the day (pictured below). This group of Urdu speakers is currently studying what the Bible and Lutherans teach. They are looking to join Sure Foundation in the future. Pastor Manzoor Alam has also begun his studies at our PSI program.
We are well on our way to reaching the world with the gospel in their heart-language. Do you know what languages have the most native speakers in the world? You guessed it! The answer is Mandarin, Spanish, English and Urdu in that order. We have members at Sure Foundation who speak all of these languages and want to share the gospel with their friends. With just these languages, we can reach billions of people with the gospel.

May God keep us faithful to his Word and faithful in Gospel proclamation to all nations!

















Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Reformation Day Festival


At 10:30am on October 30, 2011, Sure Foundation will thank God for the Lutheran Reformation in a multilingual festival service. There will be special music and several adults will be confirmed in their faith.

At 6pm on the same day, Sure Foundation will celebrate the Reformation in a prayer service format called Taize. More on Taize worship.

***The 9:30am service and 11:30am service will not take place. However, the 6pm evening service will take place.***

Friday, September 23, 2011

A New "Ceil"ing

As part of Sure Foundation’s ongoing pursuit to create beautiful spaces in joyful praise to God, the Leadership Team is happy to announce that our sanctuary will be getting a mural on the ceiling to enhance our worship experience. The "Ceil" mural, which will appear as though the sanctuary opens to the sky, is a component of the original design for the sanctuary. ("El Cielo" is the Spanish word for sky.)

During the initial planning for Sure Foundation's spaces in Queens, members commented about how they wanted to feel "refreshed" and "inspired" when they came to worship. The mural will enliven the intimate space and make it feel more open. One of our members, artist Charis Carmichael Braun, will be creating the mural in Fall 2011. Please invite your friends to see this exciting project come to life!

Conceptual representation of what the sanctuary will look like when the mural
is finished (bottom) and during initial construction in September 2009(top).

Thursday, September 22, 2011

New Sunday Night Worship Opportunity!

Starting Sunday, October 2nd, Sure Foundation Lutheran Church will offer a second worship opportunity every Sunday in English at 6:00pm.
Last October, we celebrated Sure Foundation's 10th Anniversary
and unveiled our special "Fellowship Mosaic." Guest preacher
Aaron Robinson led the service - with a packed house!
For the past 5 months Sure Foundation has been blessed to be averaging around 50 worshippers for the 9:30am Sunday worship service. With only 55 chairs that can be quite congested. We also pray that this additional time will provide another opportunity for those to attend whose schedules don’t always permit Sunday morning attendance. Our hope also is that this worship time will be more “inviter” friendly. 9:30am on a Sunday can simply be too early for some people. Please invite your friends, tell your neighbors and join us on Sundays either at 9:30am or 6:00pm starting on October 2nd.

Below you have the full Sunday morning schedule for Sundays starting in October:
  • 9:30am English Worship
  • 10:30am English Bible Study/Sunday School
  • 11:30am Spanish Worship
  • 12:30pm Spanish Bible Study/Youth Confirmation Class
  • 6:00pm English Worship

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A SERVICE OF REMEMBERANCE ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

September 11, 2001 changed the world. But how? Did September 11, 2001 change the world into a place of hate, fear, and revenge? Did the day so overcome us with anger that we hate simply because of skin color, creed, or nationality? Is this the true legacy of September 11, 2001? It cannot be.

It is true that September 11, 2001 forever changed the world that we live in. But let’s not allow other people to decide how September 11, 2001 changed the world. Let’s decide again today that September 11, 2001 was a day that taught us about true sacrifice and service. Let’s decide today that September 11, 2001 was a day that taught us about true greatness.

On the 10th Anniversary of the attacks, Sure Foundation reflected on Jesus’ words in Mark 10:42-45 in a service of remembrance. There Jesus teaches us about true sacrifice, true service, and true greatness. We see those same values in the men and women who responded to the attacks on 9/11. These are the same values we want to instill in ourselves and in our children.

There were two moments of silence during the service. The moments of silence took place 10 years to the minute of when each of the World Trade Center Towers fell. We used those moments to reflect on both the true sacrifice and the true greatness that we see in Jesus, in the heroes of 9/11, and how we want to reflect that in our own lives.

Over 50 visitors attended the emotional worship service and commemoration. The commemoration included a worship service, a presentation of an art piece entitled “The Hand that Rescues” from local Artist Geoff Lupo to FDNY’s Jason Alonte, and a Question and Answer session with Jason Alonte about life in New York City’s Fire Department.

See 9/11 Memorial Service Pictures

Coming down the Mountain

This year’s Labor Day Retreat was another chance for us to enjoy nature and even more importantly renew our spirit in God’s Word and Christian fellowship. Antonia Rodriguez shares her experience. There is a translation below.

“El Pastor Tim me pregunto si podía escribir acerca de mi experiencia durante el pasado fin de semana en el retiro espiritual a las montañas de Massachusetts; pues les diré que este fue mi segundo viaje al retiro y doy gracias a Dios porque pude realizar una inolvidable caminata a la montaña compartiendo salmos, alabanzas y el sermón a cargo del Pastor Gary Kluball, a unos 1640 pies de altura; recordando la grandeza de nuestro Dios el cual nos proporciona todo lo necesario para nuestra existencia aquí en la tierra.

En estos últimos años mi vida ha dado un giro de 190*. Mientras, solo he pedido a Dios me dé la fortaleza y sabiduría para adaptarme a los cambios y convertir los obstáculos en oportunidades; y podría decir con toda certeza, que me he mantenido de pie gracias a su soporte; por lo que me sentí muy honrada al tener la oportunidad de ofrecer un Estudio Bíblico para mujeres sobre el Estrés: Éramos 29 personas, un grupo multicultural y muy participativo, ellas pudieron evaluar su nivel de estrés para luego conocer la procedencia y la cura de este; a través de la Biblia, cuan maravilloso es Dios y sus enseñanzas.”

Pastor Tim asked me if I would write about my experience this past weekend at the Labor Day Retreat in the mountains of Massachusetts. Well, I will tell you that this was my second trip to the retreat and I give thanks to God because I went on an unforgettable walk in the mountains singing psalms, hymns, and listening to a sermon by Pastor Gary Kluball at 1640 feet, remembering the greatness of our God who gave us all that we need for our time in the earth.

In these last years my life has turned around 180 degrees. Through it all, I have asked God to give me strength and wisdom to change myself and let the obstacles become opportunities. I can say with all certainty that I have kept going with God’s help. I also felt very honored to give a Bible study for women about stress. There were 29 people, a very multicultural group that was willing to participate. The women were able to evaluate their level of stress, discuss where it comes from, and also find the cure to the stress through the Bible. God’s teachings are truly marvelous.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Celebrate Unity in Diversity

I now know a little bit better what heaven will be like.

In Saint John's Revelation, he is a bit repetitive about it, but for good reason. He liked to describe the people in heaven in this way, "...there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language...(Rev. 7:9).

That is why I say that now I know a little bit better what heaven will be like. On Sunday, as one Christian family at Sure Foundation, we worshipped the Lamb. We worshipped him in English, Spanish, Creole, Chinese, and Urdu. There were worshippers there from China, India, Pakistan, the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Argentina. Yes, it was a little slice of heaven.

Praise be to God for unifying us in Christ and to his Holy Spirit for giving us gifts of diversity.


Celebra la Unidad en la Diversidad

Ahora entiendo un poquito mejor como será el cielo.

El Apocalipsis de San Juan es un poco repetitivo en este respecto, él siempre celebra la diversidad del cielo. Le gustaba describir a la gente de esta manera, "...apareció una multitud tomada de todas las naciones, tribus, pueblos y lenguas..."

Por eso suelo decir que ahora entiendo un poco mejor lo que será el cielo. El domingo pasado, la familia cristiana de Sure Foundation alabó al Cordero de Dios. Le adoraba en inglés, español, criollo, chino, y urdu. Había personas de China, India, Pakistán, Estados Unidos, México, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, República Dominicana, Puerto Rico, Trinidad y Tobago, Haití, y Argentina. Sí, ahora entiendo un poco mejor como será el cielo.


May 29, 2011 Bilingual and Pentecost Sunday

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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

El Domingo de Pentecostés

En el primer domingo de Pentecostés, la gente que se había reunido en Jerusalén exclamó: "...todos por igual los oímos proclamar en nuestra propia lengua las maravillas de Dios."¨ Ahora, unos 2.000 años más tarde, Sure Foundation volverá a celebrar la venida del Espíritu Santo a su iglesia hablando en lenguas. Los miembros de Sure Foundation van a leer en su "idioma del corazón" las lecturas de la Escritura en un servicio que se llevará a cabo en inglés, español, criollo, y urdo.

En el domingo de
Pentecostés celebramos la unidad que tenemos en Cristo y los dones de la diversidad que Cristo nos ha dado. En ese mismo Espíritu, varias personas de diferentes partes del mundo van a confesar su fe común con nosotros. Ven, únete y lleve tu plato de comida favorito para compartir.

Sure Foundation va a celebrar el Domingo de Pentecostés el 29 de mayo a las 10:30am.

Pentecost Sunday

On the very first Pentecost Sunday, the people gathered in Jerusalem exclaimed, “...we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Now, some 2,000 years later, Sure Foundation will again celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to his church with some tongue speaking of our own. Members of Sure Foundation will read in their own “heart languages” readings from the Scripture in a service that will be done in English, Spanish, Creole, and Urdo.

On Pentecost Sunday, we will celebrate the unity that we have in Christ and also the gifts of diversity that Christ has given us. In that spirit, several people from different parts of the world will confess their common faith with us. Come, join us and bring your favorite food dish to share.

Sure Foundation will celebrate Pentecost Sunday on May 29 at 10:30am.

Monday, April 25, 2011

What Our White Board Says at Easter

There was no plan to write anything on the white board in our Bible study room that we like to call the Fellowship room.

As we were cleaning on Saturday in preparation for our Easter celebration, someone wrote Happy Easter on it with an exclamation point. A snowball started rolling down the hill. One of our Chinese members decided to write Happy Easter in Mandarin for all our of the Chinese speakers coming for Easter. Not to be out done, one of members grabbed a marker and wrote in French for all the French speakers who who would attend the next day. Then, one of our Honduran members grabbed a marker and wrote in Spanish (with his very best handwriting).

On Easter morning, people continued to share their joy. One member wrote Happy Easter in Japanese. Then, a new family shared their Easter joy in Tagalog, a language from the Philippines right after their baby boy was baptized.

When I saw what had happened on our white board, I had to smile. People had expressed their joy in Jesus' victory over sin, death, and the devil in a spontaneous, diverse, and personal way. They wanted people of their own language to read and hear the message.

Did you ever think that a white board could say all that at Easter?


Good Friday, 2011

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