Pastoral Call in Response to Recent Shootings / Communion Meditation

In the face of a week of fear, hatred and violence, the words of Jesus speak words of both comfort and responsibility to us. Larry reflects on some of Jesus' statements in the Sermon on the Mount and the need to examine ourselves and repent (Matthew 7:1-5), to pray for those who persecute us (5:43-48), and to act as salt and light, agents of the love of Christ (5:13-16), in the circle of influence into which He has placed each one of us. Followed by a meditation surrounding communion led by Walter Edwards.

Shepherding for the Kingdom of God

Matthew 10:11-18

Jason Isbell, the Children and Student Minister at the Manhattan Church of Christ, brings a message exploring the connection between fatherhood and Jesus’ self-identification as a shepherd in John 10:11-18. The sermon looks beyond a simple calling to be a “Good Father” and challenges the church body to be people, in the words of Jesus to Peter, that “feed my sheep.” This sermon was delivered on the Sunday immediately after the horrific attack on the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.