Church Family,
This past Sunday we considered the Monday of Passion Week as portrayed in Matthew 21:12-22. Here we saw Jesus make repeated use of the Old Testament to commend those who were rightly praising Him as Lord, as well as to demonstrate the evil of false worship. We saw Jesus teach not to be like the fig tree that makes a display of its large green leaves but, upon closer investigation, bears no actual fruit. As we reflect back on the sermon, it would be worthwhile to consider which of our habits of Christian living are sincere acts of worship to God and which are performative acts intended to impress those around us or even simply to impress ourselves.
Following the pattern of our extended lead-up to Easter, we will spend this upcoming Sunday looking at the Tuesday of passion week. Matthew has quite a lot to say about this day in particular, and while the sermon will only cover select passages from chapters 22 and 25, the goal is to really get to the heart of what Jesus taught across that entire day and we encourage you to read the entirety of Matthew 21:19-25:46 over the next few days.
Members’ Meeting
We will have our next members’ meeting this upcoming Sunday, March 3rd at 4:00 p.m. Besides giving general updates about what is happening here at Light in the Desert, we will also be welcoming in new members and hearing their testimonies. Not only is this practice of sharing testimonies a joyous opportunity to hear how the Lord has worked in the lives of our members, it is also a chance to get to know one another better so that we might better care for one another as we are called to do as a church family. If you are a member here at Light in the Desert, we would strongly encourage you to make time in your schedule to participate in this vital aspect of the life of the church.
Sunday Studies: Who am I?
Sunday Studies is our weekly 9:00 a.m. class in which we take up a particular question, subject, or idea and examine it closely over the course of several weeks. We at Light in the Desert find this class of particular value both because it allows for a focused approach to learning and growing, and also because the conversational and discussion-oriented nature of the course gives us a wonderful opportunity to engage with and encourage one another.
We’ll be starting a new Sunday Studies series this week in which we seek to answer the question Who am I? It is a simple question composed of three simple words, yet it is something that many of us fret over and do not feel we have answered satisfactorily. We may try to ground our identities in our possessions, our occupations, or our personal histories, but these things prove too fleeting or utterly defeating to be the foundation of who we are. We encourage you to join us as we look to uncover a biblical understanding of who we are and find out why such an identity is joyous and rich with God-honoring purpose.
Grace be with you,
Logan Murphy
Pastoral Intern