Wednesday night, at the Ascension service, Fr. Scott Looker called every member of Church of the Messiah to pray daily for the next ten days between the Ascension and Pentecost. Hear his words from the sermon (<2 min.) by clicking below.
More information will be available in written form on Thursday. Thank you all for answering the call to prayer!
This Wednesday night, beginning at 7 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven. More commonly and simply known just as The Ascension, this day commemorates how, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead, Our Lord went out to a mountain with His disciples and was taken up into Heaven. This is an incredibly important feast in the life of the Church, yet it is often overlooked because of its time in between Easter and Pentecost.
This Wednesday night, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension as part of our regular mid-week worship service. The worship service will begin at 7 o’clock and will be preceded by our soup supper from 6:00-6:45. The service is a Eucharistic service complete with praise & worship, intercessory prayers, and Holy Communion. Childcare is provided during the service time and the service ends by 8:30 to accommodate those needing to prepare for school or work the next day. The Feast of the Ascension is one of the most important feasts in the Church year. Join us this Wednesday night and celebrate the incredible occasion with us.
Church of the Messiah’s Easter teaching series continues tonight, Wednesday, April 20th. In previous weeks Fr. Looker addressed what the Jews expected from the Feast of Pentecost and the overall structure of I Corinthians 12-14 as St. Paul addressed “spiritual matters.” Tonight Fr. Looker will address I Corinthians 12 in detail, focusing on what it meant to the Corinthian church as well as what it means for us today.
“Preparing for Pentecost” is part of Church of the Messiah’s mid-week worship service. The service begins at seven o’clock and includes praise and worship, prayer time, as well as the Holy Eucharist. The service is preceded by a soup supper from 6:00 to 6:45. Childcare is provided for the service and the service ends by 8:30 in order to accommodate the needs of those who have work or school the following morning. Everyone is welcome. Join us this Wednesday night as we learn about our spiritual heritage and what Pentecost means today.
This Wednesday night, April 6th, Church of the Messiah will begin their new mid-week teaching series entitled “Preparing for Pentecost.” As part of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, we believe in the power of Pentecost, but it has been a long time since we participated in a thorough study of the things of the Spirit. This study help everyone to understand what the outpouring of the Holy Spirit means and how it empowers us today.
“Preparing for Pentecost” is part of Church of the Messiah’s mid-week services and is included in the context of praise & worship, prayer, and Holy Communion. Prior to the service, from 6:00-6:45 there is a free soup supper for any who wish to attend the service. Childcare is provided during the service and we are committed to ending the service by 8:30 so that those who have to prepare for work and school the next day may do so.
Join Church of the Messiah Wednesday nights in April and May as we begin “Preparing for Pentecost,” so that, when the great day comes, we are fully ready to receive the power from on high which Our Lord promised.
Maundy Thursday: Join with us as we commemorate Jesus celebrating the Last Supper with His Disciples on the night He was betrayed. This deeply moving service includes the once-a-year foot washing service as well as the solemn stripping of the altar in remembrance of Christ’s betrayal. Prior to the service we will have our regular mid-week soup supper from 6-6:45. The Maundy Thursday service itself begins at 7 o’clock.
Good Friday: Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the church year is Church of the Messiah’s annual Good Friday service. From noon til three o’clock we reflect on the Passion of our Lord taking inspiration from seven different meditations each coupled with solemn prayers and contemplative songs and dance offerings. The service also includes the reading of the Passion Gospel and the Veneration of the Holy Cross. While the service is three-hours long, it is structured in such a way as to accommodate those who are only able to attend a portion of the service. Come for the whole service, come for thirty minutes. For whatever amount you can attend, you will be blessed.
Easter Sunday: Celebrate with us the most glorious and triumphant of Feasts, the Feast which makes all other feasts possible, the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord! Death has been defeated and the grave has been overthrown! The celebration begins early. Starting at 9 o’clock we will be serving hot cross buns, coffee and tea in the church foyer. Also during that time, be sure to bring spring flower for the annual “flowering of the cross.” Help beautify our Easter cross by bring your own flowers to help decorate. The service itself begins at 10 o’clock and, as always, we pull out all the stops for the most glorious day of the year. Immediately following the service we will have an Easter egg hunt in the courtyard outside the church.
Everyone is welcome to attend all of our services and childcare is provided at all events. To help facilitate inviting others to join us, we have created Facebook events for each of these services. To find these events, simply go to Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page and click on the “events” tab or click on the each event’s bold name.
We received word this morning that Kim Pittman, the sister of Cathie Shimp, has gone to be with the Lord. She died peacefully in her sleep after a prolonged battle with cancer. Services for Kim will be Friday, March 11th, at All Souls Anglican Church (click HERE for a map) beginning at 2 o’clock. We will publicize more information as it becomes available. Please continue to pray for Cathie and the entire Shimp and Pittman families in their time of loss.
Rest eternal grant to Kim, O Lord:
And let light perpetual shine upon her.
May her soul, and the souls of the the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
It’s a very busy week at Church of the Messiah. On Tuesday night, March 8th, we will host the Ultreya for Northeast Florida. An Ultreya is a reunion event for anyone who has attended Tres Arroyos or another three-day retreat along the same lines (Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, etc…). We will begin the evening at 6:30 with a potluck dinner, continue with grouping and conclude with Holy Eucharist. For more information, please contact Greg Looker.
Wednesday night, March 9th, we continue with our Lenten series “Renewed.” Fr. Looker is teaching on revitalizing your daily Christian walk by changing the way we look at our lives and walk with the Lord. The soup supper runs from 6-6:45 before the service, which begins at seven o’clock. The service ends by 8:30 to accommodate those who have work or school the next day and childcare is provided. These services have been especially powerful lately.
Our Women’s Ministry’s Lenten Bible study continues every Thursday morning throughout Lent starting at 11 o’clock. We are studying The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer. Materials are free of charge for anyone interested in attending. Contact Diane Looker, who hosts the study, for more information.
On Saturday, March 12th, we have two events! First, at eight o’clock in the morning, we will have a Men’s Ministry breakfast and work day. This will be done in order to help make the church look as glorious as possible for Holy Week and Easter over the next two weeks. Come one; come all. Many hands make light work! Contact John Cunningham for more information.
Later that same evening, we will host Fusion, our ministry to Young Adults as well. The doors open with light appetizers at 6:30 and the service begins at 7 o’clock. If you know someone between the ages of 18 and 35, be sure to invite them to our monthly young adults Fusion service. Our special speaker this month will be Brandon Cribbs. Contact Tim Bromley for more information.
After all that is said and done, don’t forget that we lose an hour of sleep as we “Spring Forward” with Daylight Savings Time Saturday night/Sunday morning this weekend as well. Don’t worry though. Next week is much more laid back. It’s the calm before the storm until we get to Holy Week, March 20-27!
Wednesday night, March 2nd, Church of the Messiah will continue its Mid-Week services which began Ash Wednesday. Throughout the season of Lent, Fr. Scott Looker will be hosting a series titled “Renewed” and taking its title from the words of St. Paul in Roman 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The series focus on transforming how we see our spiritual life and renewing our walk with the Lord. This week we will the teaching will focus on prayer and changing the way we look at our prayer life. The service itself begins every Wednesday night at seven o’clock and is preceded by a soup supper from 6-6:45. Everyone is welcome to attend and childcare is provided. In order to ensure that everyone is able to attend, we are committed to ending by 8:30 in order to accommodate everyone who needs to have children home and prepare for work and school the next morning.
Wednesday night, February 24th, Church of the Messiah will continue its Mid-Week services which began Ash Wednesday. Throughout the season of Lent, Fr. Scott Looker will be hosting a series titled “Renewed” and taking its title from the words of St. Paul in Roman 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The series focus on transforming how we see our spiritual life and renewing our walk with the Lord. The service itself begins every Wednesday night at seven o’clock and is preceded by a soup supper from 6-6:45. Everyone is welcome to attend and childcare is provided. In order to ensure that everyone is able to attend, we are committed to ending by 8:30 in order to accommodate everyone who needs to have children home and prepare for work and school the next morning.
This Wednesday, February 10th, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the beginning of Lent with our traditional observation of Ash Wednesday. Lent is the season which precedes Easter and commemorates Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness and Israel’s wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Christians throughout the ages have prepared to celebrate Easter by observing Lent with prayer and fasting. Ash Wednesday, as the beginning of Lent, is a special service which includes the Invitation to a Holy Lent, the Imposition of Ashes, and the Litany of Penitence. This incredibly special and unique service will begin at 7 o’clock.
In order make it easier for everyone to be a part of this service, Church of the Messiah will be serving a soup supper dinner beforehand in the parish kitchen. Dinner will be served from six o’clock to 6:45. Everyone is welcome to attend the service and soup supper. Childcare is provided during the service. The service will be over by 8:30 in order to ensure that everyone may be home in time to get children ready for school the next morning and prepare themselves for work the next day. We want everyone to join us for the beginning of the season of Lent and Ash Wednesday, February 10th.