This Sunday, April 9 is Palm Sunday. We begin our Holy Week emphasis we are calling “ALL”: Palm Sunday—He Gave It All; Good Friday—He Paid It All; and Easter Sunday—He Conquered It All! This Sunday, Palm Sunday, Janie and I have a gift for our JIBC family and friends. We purchased and want to give each of you a copy of Lee Strobel’s book, A Case For Easter. You will be touched by the historic detail given here about the death and resurrection of Christ. I hope you will enjoy the read. It is a faith builder. Here is my prayer: I hope you will read this great little book and then pass it on to someone you know. Let it be a double blessing. Janie and I are praying for you to have a wonderful and inspirational Holy Week.
Then, there is the Good Friday service. This is often one of the most moving services of the year. It is reflective and more reserved and not so much the celebration, upbeat worship we experience every Sunday. The focus, as you know, is on the suffering of our Lord Jesus and the great sacrifice of our Heavenly Father. We will observe Lord’s Supper together in remembrance of Him. May it draw you ever closer to Him.
Then there is Resurrection Sunday: He is risen, He is risen indeed! Hallelujah, what a Savior. We will have the flowering of the cross…even if it is mostly green this year! Look around closely and bring your flowers for the cross on Easter Sunday. What a reminder that God can work all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose in Christ Jesus. For those scheduled to be baptized Easter Sunday, what a day that will be!
A sincere word of thanks: JIBC has been the recipient of another unbelievable gift. A family has donated a 14 passenger bus to our church mission and ministry. There are so many times and places that the full 40 seat bus is a little too much. The big bus still drives great and we are addressing the one major issue that it has with a soft spot in the floor. We still drive it every week. The 14 passenger bus gives us amazing flexibility. Now here is the surprise. Some may mistakenly think that because a CDL is not required for a 14 passenger bus, anyone can drive it. Not really. Our insurance still has requirements like you must be between 25 and 65; you must have a CDL physical and you still must do a full pre-trip inspection before each trip. Our insurance does not allow us to loan the bus out for liability reasons. We can use it for missions and ministry with one of our drivers behind the wheel. The only difference is you don’t have to have a Commercial Drives License( CDL). So, we are asking for volunteers that might be willing to get their CDL to help drive the bus. Currently we only have 3 drivers: Tom and Janie Brown and Randi Benton. We could use 3 more right away. At any rate, what a tremendous blessing and resource. Joining me in saying a prayer of thanks for the generosity of this family. May the bus be used for His glory.
Pastor Tom
