The Message of Jesus Christ Blog

Welcome Confirmation Class!

“Through the Sacrament of Baptism we are initiated into Christ’s holy church. We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price.” (United Methodist Hymnal, pg. 33)

United Methodists believe that baptism is the sacrament that claims us as God’s own. Confirmation does not complete baptism. Baptism is God’s act; it is complete in itself.

Then what is confirmation? It is an act of the Holy Spirit, working in and through the church. The Spirit leads each person to make a profession of faith and empowers them to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Confirmation means to make firm the vows of baptism.

Confirmation is the first significant moment in which our sons and daughters stand before the congregation and state on their own their faith in Jesus Christ. God claims us, but we are invited to say yes to God’s claim. Professing one’s faith in front of the congregation is a time to say yes to God and to claim the name of Christian for oneself.You are invited to join us at the 10:45 a.m. worship service this Sunday, May 2nd to welcome the following youth into the community of faith:

Lucas Hodge ~ Daniel Adams ~ Mason Downing

Anna Bliss Dean ~ Blake Russell ~ Emily Jernigan

Noah Holt ~ Evyn Smith ~ Lewis Custer

Madeline Rabalais ~ Samantha Shaw

We have a beautiful service of Confirmation and Holy Communion planned with special music by the Quapaw Brass Quartet. A short reception in Gibson Hall will follow the worship service.

Thank you to Leann Floyd for her leadership in organizing and teaching the Confirmation Class and thank you to all who have helped these young people in this important journey.

May the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ surround them,

Rev. Cindy Henry Russell

Does the Wind Blow?

The Spirit moves like the wind. In Creation, it is the “wind of God” that “swept over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus about new life he says, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) A hymn says: “O Wind of God, come, bend us, break us, till humbly we confess our need. Then in your tenderness remake us; revive, restore, for this we plead.”

Right now, we need to know the Wind. We are discerning where the Wind is blowing. And, we will be making critical decisions. Here are some of the things that are happening:

• The All Chairs Team is taking a deep breath and forming our Vision for the future.
• The Expand the Light Task Force is holding Focus Groups this Sunday to listen for the Spirit as people from all across the church and community respond to questions about our ministry.
• There will be a Survey handed out at each worship service for the next two weeks. You can also respond to the Survey beginning Monday, April 19 on our website: expandingthelight.org. Your response is critical to helping us discern the wind of the Spirit! Please take a few moments to respond to 10 questions!
• We are re-evaluating our Sunday morning schedule for fall. Watch for news. Share your ideas in the Survey! We will potentially be expanding the light in some new format.
• We are looking forward to welcoming Rev. Andrea Allen as our new Associate Pastor. Andrea brings a fresh and creative expression of the Gospel. We are excited that Andrea will be helping us move in some new directions.

The Spirit brings change. God does not leave us alone! God moves across the face of the deep and creates the universe. God moves across our dead lives and brings new life. God moves across the church to call us to the future that God wills. (Why else would we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven!”)

You can help by doing two things:

1. Pray for discernment. Where is the Spirit leading Lakewood UMC right now? We need everybody to pray! All members, leaders, guests, friends: Where is the Spirit calling us to go next? Pray and listen.

2. Take a moment to answer the survey. After prayer, answer 10 questions from the depths of the most faithful part of your heart.

Jesus told Nicodemus to discern the Spirit. The Wind blows. We do not cause it to blow, but we can sense where the Spirit leads.

I sense the Spirit moving in our midst.

Rev. Richard Lancaster

Easter’s Over…Now What?

      I’m feeling a bit like one of the early disciples on this week after Easter.  In fact, all of the staff are dragging a little.  We have just completed the journey through Lent that culminated with the hope, excitement, and celebrations of Easter Sunday and now what?  There is such a big build-up to Easter that the tendency is to let down…like we’re “done”.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth!  In fact, our work as disciples has only just begun!  After Easter, Jesus appeared to lots of people at various places in the forty days before his ascension into heaven.  The resurrection accounts list as many as twelve different appearances of Christ, starting with Mary Magdalene and ending with the apostle Paul.   

      The most telling evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the lives of those early disciples.  Surely they did not want to go on…but they did.  They certainly didn’t do it for the prestige, money, power, or glory.  Most of them were beaten, stoned to death, tortured or crucified.  Yet they laid down their lives as the ultimate proof of their faith in Jesus Christ and the message of Kingdom of God.  Our work as disciples goes on as well.  We are the voice, the actions, the message of Jesus Christ in the year 2010 in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  As Richard reminds us every Sunday…we are God’s people in this time and this place.   

      Jesus appeared to his disciples and followers to provide bandaging, strengthening, encouraging…a booster shot of resurrection faith.  And if you will let him, Jesus will appear to strengthen you for discipleship as well.  So, what’s next?  We’ve got homeless people to feed, lay pastors to train, worship and faith development groups to organize, youth to be confirmed, and lives to be changed.  We are called as a church to seek, serve, and share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.  The message doesn’t end on Easter Sunday…in fact, that is when it actually begins!   

                              So rest up disciples!  We’ve got some work to do!

                              

            Rev. Cindy Henry Russell