Dear Northway,
Hopefully you are aware of all that is happening on our campus this weekend as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Following is a brief overview of what will be taking place. I hope you’ll participate in as much as your schedule allows.
Good Friday Worship
April 15, 7:00PM
This worship gathering will last just under 90 minutes. We will spend time worshipping together, and then look at the events of Good Friday through the eyes of Simon of Cyrene. This will be the first time in my ministry that I’ve focused a message on this individual; however, that’s certainly been an oversight on my part. Simon not only played a significant role on the day that Jesus was crucified, but I’m also convinced that he later became a follower of Christ. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include a brief mention of Simon as a way to say to their readers, “If you don’t believe what I’ve written, go ask Simon of Cyrene. He was there. He saw Jesus die.” Mark even names the sons of Simon, likely because they were in the church as well. I look forward to examining both Simon’s unique perceptive on the events of that day and what it means for us to take up our cross and follow Christ. I hope you’ll be able to join me in worship on Good Friday.
Easter Jam
April 16, 10:00AM
Easter Jam is an event packed with enough truth and fun for the entire family. The event will begin in our main Worship Center with music, games, and a strong communication of what Easter is all about! Our team has worked hard to make sure families are equipped with talking points, so each kid walks away with a clear understanding of why we celebrate Easter. After our time in the Worship Center, families will move outside for snacks, inflatables, and age-appropriate egg hunts. It is always our Next Gen teams’ goal to partner with families in equipping the next generation for Christ, and through this event, we pray that each family will better know the meaning of Easter and also build healthy relationships within the home and the church.
Saturday Evening Easter Worship
April 16, 6:00PM
Saturday evening will kick off our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Although sometimes it feels a little odd celebrating on Saturday (when on Sunday we are truly able to say, “He is risen!”), this time of worship is important for a couple of reasons. First, many of our members and regular attenders will attend on Saturday night in order to free up space for those attending on Sunday. Secondly, a number of our volunteers will come to worship on Saturday and volunteer during both hours on Sunday. Both of these actions allow us to better meet the needs of visitors and infrequent attenders when they come on Easter Sunday to worship.
Sunday Morning Easter Worship
April 17, 9:00AM and 10:30AM
This Easter’s message is entitled, “Almost,” and will focus on the actions of Pontius Pilate on the day that Jesus was crucified. As I mentioned in the Northway News last week, Pilate is an interesting study. When you read the events of that Friday, it’s clear that Pilate desperately wanted to get out of ordering the crucifixion of Jesus. When you look at the conversations he had with Jesus and the decisions he wanted to make, it’s clear that he wasn’t against Jesus at all. In fact, he was somewhat for Jesus, just not quite enough. He was almost there, almost saved, and almost found eternal life. Almost.
How many people in our culture almost know Jesus? How many almost find salvation and eternal life? How many are almost new creations? Yet, we know that almost isn’t enough, which is exactly what we see in the story of Pilate.
As a reminder, if you’re able to attend on Saturday evening, please do so. This will allow for more room on Sunday as we welcome and expect many who are not regular worshippers at Northway to attend.
I’m looking forward to the events of Easter weekend and the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with my church family.
Your Pastor,
Kevin