March 16, 2023

Dear Central Church, 

 In one of the later installments of Indiana Jones, one of the supporting characters in the story says to an aging Indiana, “I’m at the point where life seems to take away more than it gives.” I think what I’ve discovered is that it doesn’t take long to get to that point. The Bible is absolutely correct in describing life as a “vapor.” Our time here is so short compared to eternity. 

 And yet, the days can seem so long, especially when you are going through something that takes away your song. In Psalm 126, Israelite exiles are returning from Babylon and reflecting on this new experience in the land of their ancestors. The realities of living in exile had taken away their joy, but in this hymn they proclaim, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126:3) 

 You don’t have to go through life without a song. For those who have lost their song, the Lord wants to give you a new song and fill you with the joy of his presence. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday at 8:30 and 11am as we hear the soundtrack of our salvation! I know there is a song there for you.

Give me Five 

By the way, are you ready for Easter? People ask us all the time if we’re ready for Christmas, but we should be equally prepared to celebrate the resurrected Christ! As a church committed to sharing this good news with our community, we need to be intentional about inviting people to church and Easter Sunday is the perfect time to do this. 

 Who do you know that you could invite to Easter services at Central? 

 Next week, we’ll be providing you with invite cards that have all our Easter details on them. Begin praying now about your family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers that you can invite to church. I’m challenging everyone to invite 5 people. 

 Let this sink in: If everyone at Central invited 5 people and only 5% of those actually accepted the invitation, that would be 175 people who would hear the Gospel on Easter sunday! 

 This good news is TOO good to keep to ourselves. Let’s be intentional about sharing with others what God has done for us. 

 Until He’s Finished, 

Pastor Mark