Church Family,
This past Sunday, as we continued in Acts, we walked through three little vignettes regarding the mission work of Paul and Silas. As we reflect on these passages I want to take a second to draw attention to an interesting detail in the story of Paul and Silas’s imprisonment. The earthquake is reported to have opened all the doors of the prison such that any prisoner could have escaped. But when Paul and Silas cried out to the jailer it was not merely to report that the two of them had remained, or even that some number of the prisoners had remained; Paul’s report to the jailer was that “we are all here” (Acts 16:28). This surprising detail may well be explained back in verse 25 where we are told that as Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns, the other prisoners are listening to them. The transformative work of the Holy Spirit bringing the Gospel to bear on our lives is so powerful that it not only shows up as a clear focus in the stories of Acts 16, it saturates the little background details. Church, this is the very Spirit that is doing a good work in us and will see that work to its completion. May we be encouraged and respond in resounding praise.
Church Game Night
We are having a church game night on the evening of Friday, January 31st, from 6:00 to 8:00. Feel free to bring your favorite board games or just show up to play everyone else brings. We have done a few of these game nights now and they are always a fantastic time. Thanks to these game nights, I have personally had the opportunity to throw a plush burrito at Pastor Bryan, and I think that’s an opportunity that everyone at Light in the Desert ought to have. Even if you don’t normally think of yourself as a board game kind of person, you may be surprised to learn a new game you really like and at the very least it’s an invaluable opportunity to spend time together as a church family.
Grace be with you,
Logan Murphy
Pastoral Intern