He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to

Transcription

1 He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquies Psalm 103:10 The first me I was in church and heard someone talk about Lent, I honestly thought I needed to check my pockets for those fuzzy cloth crumbs that make their home in the farthest corner of my Sunday-best trouser pockets. Growing up in a small, rural Bapst church, I didn t know about Lent, the season in the church year from Ash Wednesday to Easter, a season of fasng and repentance during which we follow the journey of Jesus to the cross. It wasn t unl my college days (go Wolfpack!) at Forest Hills Bapst Church in Raleigh that I discovered Lent. While at Forest Hills, my introducon to Lent began when a college friend asked: Rendell, what are you giving up for Lent? I had no idea how to respond, because, again, I didn t know what Lent was. Some of my friends who grew up in downtown Bapst churches (First Bapst Raleigh in parcular) annually observed Lent by fasng something or other: sweets were always at the top of their list. I think that year I gave up French Fries. Don t laugh; I had to start somewhere! The season of Lent offers a dedicated me in which we prepare heart, mind, and spirit to consider the sacrifice of Jesus. Lent offers a call to prayer, fasng, and repentance. Lent can be a me in our own lives and in the life of our church in which we focus on the selfsacrificial nature of God; on the brokenness of humanity, ourselves included; on the reality of sin and its ripple effects; on the need for a change of direcon in our own lives and in the systems that surround us; on the forgiveness that God offers through the cross of Christ; on the redempon that begins in this life and is consummated in the coming Kingdom of God. We need Lent. It is during the season of Lent, as we look to the cross of Christ and God s self-sacrificing nature, that we o@en read scriptures like Psalm 103:10. Something we may not readily consider is that this Psalm was wriaen hundreds of years before Christ died on the cross, and yet it conveys the meless essence of the God of the cross who has always been a forgiving God. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquies Psalm 103:10 As we journey toward Good Friday and the cross of Christ, we should be reminded that Jesus did not die so that God would forgive us of our sins, because God has always been a forgiving God, as Psalm 103 says. The last book of our Bible confirms this: broken humanity is redeemed by the Lamb that was slain from the creaon of the world. (Revelaon 3:18) Jesus didn t come SO that God would forgive. Rather, Jesus came to show us the agonizing extent to which God goes to prove that He IS a forgiving God and to invite us into His forgiveness. Lent reminds us that God went to a cross to demonstrate that He would rather take our sins/iniquies upon Himself than to treat us as our sins deserve. God would rather bear His own wrath in Christ than to pour out His holy wrath upon His beloved ones. Do we need to recognize and repent of our sin? Absolutely! Do we need to seek God s Spirit to guide us toward Christ-like living? Absolutely! Do we need to be awe-filled and thankful for the sacrifice God-in-Christ made on our behalf on the cross? Absolutely! And in doing so, we become more fully aware of and yielded to the forgiving God who created us, redeems us, and sustains us! Thanks be to God that He does not treat us as our sins deserve! Thanks be to God that he does not repay us according to our iniquies! Thanks be to God that we, like the Psalmist, can say: as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12). And with that Good News, maybe in this season of Lent, we can treat one another in the same way that God has treated us. That would certainly take us to Easter! Rev. Rendell Hipps, Acng Senior Pastor/Minister of Discipleship

2 Lad Division Race 1. Josh Herring 2. Hank Dyson 3. Henry Johnson Lad Best Design 1. Jack Oxford Crusaders Division Race 1. Ethan Johnson 2. Cole Summerlin 3. Will Buchanan Crusader Best Design 1. Cole Summerlin GAs race 1. Amelia Herring 2. Bailey Watson 3. Callie Bumgarner GA Best Design 1. Callie Bumgarner Adult 1. John Plymale SUNDAY, MARCH 18 11:45am - Fellowship Hall Are you new to FBC and wondering what your next steps are to connect? Check out DiscoveryONE, a luncheon for newcomers to FBC. This luncheon will be a great opportunity for recent guests and new members to learn a liale more about FBC. Sign up for DiscoveryONE on our website at NextSteps by Thursday, March 15. Make plans now to aaend both. SUNDAY, APRIL 8 3:30-5:30pm - Room 164 Six Aspects of Our Faith that Leave Us Scratching Our Heads and Trus%ng God s Heart A six-week look at some major and o@en controversial topics that can confound our faith and that stretch our imaginaon beyond belief. Led by Rev. Rendell Hipps, Wednesday nights, 6:15 7:00 pm beginning April 11, Fellowship Hall. Childcare is provided. 1) The Past: Creaon and Genesis 2) The Future: End-mes and Revelaon 3) The Enemy: Satan, Evil, and the First Death 4) The Fourth Dimension: Time, Eternity, and the Cross 5) The Desny: Heaven, Hell, and the Second Death 6) The Choice: Free-will, Predesnaon, and the Sovereignty of God PRIME TIMERS LUNCH AND LEARN WITH LARRY Mondays in Spring: March 19, April 16, & May 14. Join Dr. Larry Phillips for a series of luncheon presentaons Plain Talk About Aging: A Conversaon - Theological, Psychological and Physical Aspects of Aging. Beginning in room 164 at 11:30am followed by lunch in the fellowship hall. All Prime Timers are invited to enjoy the first luncheon free. A suggested donaon of $8 will be accepted for the final two events. Please sign up by calling the church office by the prior Thursday. UPCOMING DATES FOR SPRING & SUMMER Music and Missions Finale Wednesday, May 23, 6pm, Sanctuary Church-wide Garage Sale Saturday, June 2, 7am-noon Beach Camp 2.0 June VBS June 24-28, 6pm-8:15pm FBCitykids Camp July CMT Mission Trip July 21-28

3 ON-LINE Why not give on-line giving a try! Set up automa c dra@ from your bank account or credit card. If you already give on-line, remember to renew your giving in the new year by going on-line and upda ng your giving informa on. Brochures are available around the church with details about on-line giving. FBC COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS Applica ons are available in the church office. Members and grandchildren of members qualify to apply. Please note applica ons are due by April 1. Contribu ons above and beyond your regular thes are tax deduc ble and can be made to FBC for the FBC Scholarship Funds handled by the NC Bap st Founda on. WORLD COMMUNITY DAY NEW MEMBERS Please welcome these new members to the FBC church family. Gary & Regina Crump who joined January 28, Blayne and Ava Robinson who were bap zed on February 25, and (not pictured) Jessica and Steven Garner who joined on February 18. Mark your calendar for the annual World Community Day ecumenical worship service at Corinth Reformed Church on Friday March 2 at 7:00pm. This service is prepared by over 12 area churches. Childcare will be provided. Refreshments will be served following service. For more informa on, ask Nellie PruiA or call Carole Marmorato at FBC Goal $3,500

4 March 4-10:30am Trus'ng God s Provision March 11-10:30am Encountering Our Redeemer March 18-10:30am Bought With a Price March 25-10:30am Son of Promise FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 339 Second Avenue, Northwest Hickory, North Carolina Volume 18, Issue 3 Published Monthly by First Bap%st Church, Hickory, NC Return Service Requested Phone: (828) Fax: (828) info@mc.cc Website: MaA Hearn, Extended Pulpit Supply Preacher Rendell Hipps, Minister of Discipleship, Acng Senior Pastor David Wachter, Interim Minister to Students Steve Clarke, Minister of Music & Worship Cindi Morrison, Director of Children's Ministry Bert Schmid, Church Administrator Andris Rozukalns, organist Staff (last name)@mc.cc Bible Study at 6:15pm the Fellowship Hall. Dr. Larry Phillips Immigra'on, The Bible, and the Church: Ministry to People on the Move " Meeng the Biblical Challenge of American Immigraon" BLOOD DRIVE We will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Sunday, March 4 in the fellowship hall beginning at 12:30 5:00pm. Saturday, March 31 10am-Noon Experience the Easter Story in Fresh, Exciting and Creative ways Fun Activities, Snacks & Egg Hunt Children through 6th grade

5 MINISTER ON CALL March 3 Pat Pearce on call ( ) March 10 Larry Phillips on call ( ) March 17 Ma7 Hearn on call ( ) March 24 Rendell Hipps on call ( ) March 30 David Wachter on call ( ) DEACONS OF THE WEEK DGHIJKL MJN OPG WGGQ JM MHNIP 3-9 Terry Johnson, Coordinator Dwight Hasngs Jim Meade Ron Miller DGHIJKL MJN OPG WGGQ JM MHNIP Cody Wingler, Coordinator Steve Palmer Jim ToAy Sheree Watson DGHIJKL MJN OPG WGGQ MHNIP Jack Pressly, Coordinator Gary Woods Jim Woolf KiAy Yount DGHIJKL MJN OPG WGGQ JM MHNIP Tom Guthrie, Coordinator Alan BenneA Kelly Clark Brenda Bost SECURITY TEAM March 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 Gary Woods John Carreira Bernie Whitmer Thomas Hand We are now offering Chicken Salad!!! If you would like a Chicken Salad Sandwich on Croissant or on LeAuce with Crackers as your Entrée or would like to buy a Container of Chicken Salad please call the front office by 4pm. A 16oz container is 7.50 and a 32oz container is 14. Did you know that the with Grilled Chicken Strips is available as an Entrée Choice every week? Just tell the server as you come through line that you want the Entrée we will give you a plate for your salad along with the evenings sides, bread & dessert. We will prepare your chicken strips as you fix your salad and bring it to you at your table. March 7 Chicken Pot Pie Cooked Apples Biscuits & Dessert March 14 St. Patrick s Reuben Bake Parsley New Potatoes Shamrock Fruit Salad Pistachio Pudding & Pineapple Fluff March 21 Pork Loin with Mushroom Sauce Roasted Carrots Warm Cherry Fruit Salad Roll & Dessert March 28 Orange Glazed Ham Roasted Asparagus Corn Pudding Roll & Dessert

6 Glimpses of the Refuge Students at Winterfest at Liberty University March 4 9am - Kara Wi7enberg 10:15am - Kara Wi7enberg Preschool Worship Care Infants Walkers & Two s Debby Cook & Phillip Bumgarner Three s & Four s Jewell Mabery & Jerry Long Coordinator: Ruth Ann Carreira Children s Church: Children in Worship March 11 9am - Ashley Dyson 10:15am - Gail Ford Preschool Worship Care Infants Walkers & Two s Aaron Bliss & Becky Icard Three s & Four s Christy Greene & Danielle Paulsen Coordinator: Sandra Foster Children s Church: Beth Watson & Adair Bowman March 18 9am - Kris'n Herring 10:15am Preschool Worship Care Infants Walkers & Two s Traci Palmer & April Teague Three s & Four s Tiffany Hightower & Ruth Has ngs Coordinator: Mechele McCormack Children s Church: Fran Balengee & Caroline Trado March 25 9am - 10:15am - Dana Woods Preschool Worship Care Infants Eric Johnson & Linda Wike Walkers & Two s Ashley Dyson Three s & Four s MaA Dyson & Jeanne Davis Coordinator: Children s Church: Sally Johnson