NEW YEARS EVE / LORD'S SUPPER

Good morning, church family and little ones.

Happy New Years eve!

We are here! The last day of 2023! 2024 here we come!

When I think back over the past year, I think about:

God’s abounding and steadfast mercy and goodness that has followed us every day

Relationships - new friendships and members. And those who have left to serve at Mt Pleasant and Columbia

A year talking about the Godhead. The heart of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

I think about “Do all that you can do to think about God! Add disciplines to help. Remove hindrance and distractions that hurt.”

But one of the most predominate things that I have been thinking about is the unity that exist in this young church body.

In a world of division, strife, and disunity, the Lord has done something unique and beautiful here.

This is a unified church body. Specifically with how much change has happened this year and the topics that we have covered this year.

We have to give God the glory for maintaining the unity of the Spirit in our congregation!

We are currently experiencing a period of strife and turmoil in our country. In the wake of recent years, lines have been drawn and tensions have mounted. Right now, we can look out and see a people deeply wounded, deeply angry and deeply divided. Perhaps now more than ever, we need this reminder, this memorial, this meal.

The world we live in is broken. Not just now; rather it has been broken for a very long time. Broken from the moment mankind embraced the enticing deception of sin, in rebellion against their creator. This is who we are- a fallen people in a fallen world. A world in need of justice, righteousness and peace. A world in need of Light.

Look around our society, at the division, the anger and yelling, the distrust. It is our natural tendency to draw lines, form groups and see the world as “Us” vs. “Them”. But there was One who came to erase those lines, and shine the light back to the way the world is supposed to function. And I believe that this family here that God has created, we can shine that light to this broken world. Here we come together, men and women from different backgrounds, difference races, different socioeconomic classes, different states. In this meal, we come together as family, in rebellion to the division of this world.

Some 2,000 years ago, a young Jewish rabbi went to his death on a cross, accused of rebellion and blasphemy. The life of this rabbi should have been lost to history. His town was a name of derision, he had a meager following and he stood at odds with the ruling class of the day. He was not the first man to make Messianic claims, nor would he be the last. He was not the first to die because of these claims. Nor would he be the last. Yet it was only this man’s death that would make what we are doing right here, right now, possible. If the story of Jesus’ life had simply ended with his death, as did all the other would be messiahs of his day, the majority of us would not know each other. I would have little chance of knowing even a single person gathered here today, much less share this supper with you as family. It is only through Jesus that we can cut down those lines that divide us, to build bonds that are foreign to the world, and become a family that is not based on blood, class or race. But a family under One Head, Jesus. This is possible because the story of Jesus’ did not end in death, but rather in life, in resurrection. And through his death and resurrection, he was vindicated by God and established his people, his kingdom, who share this meal together as brothers and sisters, awaiting the return of our King. Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection brought a people together from all languages and tribes to be one body, his body. The Lord’s supper should remind us of all of these truths about Christ and should remind us of the unity that we can find in being the body of Christ. The Lord’s Supper should distinctly proclaim our unity. 1 Corinthians 10:14–17 “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” Paul tells the church at Corinth that when they share this meal together, they are participants in the body and blood of Christ, in his sacrifice for us. But he doesn’t stop there. We are also participants with one another. The bread symbolizes the body of Christ, but not just the physical sacrifice, but also the body of unified believers that his sacrifice made possible. When we gather around this table and share this meal together as the family of God, in a very real sense we proclaim the death of our Lord until He comes. We proclaim that Jesus’ death and resurrection had a true, life changing effect on history. When people from many different walks of life, different cultures, levels of education, races, social classes, ages and means come together as one, both here and around the world, a statement is made to the world.

What we are doing here is not natural. It goes against human nature. What we do here today, proclaiming our unity in Jesus, shines a light to a broken world. And what this world really needs right now is the light of Jesus. As we share this supper together, let us remember the sacrifice that made it possible, let us discern or recognize the unified body of Christ, and thereby let us proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.

And let us pray for continued unity in 2024 at Connection Church at Richland.

Pray

Thanking for Jesus, His life, sacrifice, and blood.

Salvation in Jesus

Redemption in Jesus

United with Jesus in His righteousness.

United with Jesus in dead to self.

United with the body of Christ.

Pray for continued protection in unity in our church

May that unity be a light into our community. A warm welcoming beacon to those who need you.

We give you praise, the honor and the glory.

We practice open communion. You do not have to be a member of CCR to take communion. But you should belong to the body of Christ. If you have no recieved Christ as your Lord and Savior, this table does not have meaning for you. I pray that you would open your heart to join us but first in receiving Christ.

Colton is to play for a few minutes. I would ask that you take a minute to pray in gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and what it means to you life. I would ask that you thank God for the unity at CCR. And ask for His continued protection and guidance in that unity.

And when you are ready, come and get your bread and juice, sit back down, and we will take them together.

Read Luke passage

End in prayer

I would like to take a minute to share something with you as we look back over 2023 and look forward to 2024.

Turn with me to Jeremiah 29

This is a letter written from the prophet Jeremiah to the exiles that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the city of Jerusalem. You might recognize the name from the book of Daniel. Daniel is one of these exiles. The Lord is writing a letter to those who were moved from their homeland to a city that was not their own. A place that they were exiles.

Need I remind you that you and I are exiles on this Earth. This is not our home. This is just a temporary home.

The Lord is giving instructions to those who are exiled in a pagan land. A land that is set up to honor and worship the king.

And here is what the Lord says.

Jeremiah 29:4–7 ESV

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Jeremiah 29:11–13 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Let me first address something about this passage. Some say that we not should quote this passage as a promise for you and me today. That this was a promise to the Israelites in this place and for this time.

While that is true. It is also true that these are not temporary promises of God that He withdraws. These promises of what He will do are not simply for some and not others because these promises of God are actually reflections of who God is and God does not change.

Does God have a plan for you? Yes!

Is God’s plan evil? No!

Is His plan for you welfare? All things work for the good of those who love God and are called to His purpose.

Does God listen when we pray? Absolutely

Does God hid from those who seek Him? Absolutely not!

So, because these promises are a reflection of who God is for all people and all places because our God does not change, then we can look at these passages as signs of hope and challenge to us.

God is calling His people who are exiles in Jerusalem to do some things and He is calling us to do the same in 2024.

He is calling them to create a life there.

He tells them to get married, build houses, plant gardens, have grandchildren. Grow a family and dig in roots in the community. Be a part of the life and activities of the community you are in.

The Lord is telling us in 2024 to continue to live our lives in our community! Invest in it. Be apart of the activities and events of our community. Walk through life with our community. Invest in it! Share with your neighbors. Be apart of their lives. Let your kids play with theirs. Share food with them. Love on them! Be apart of the community that you are exiled in.

2. To seek the welfare of the city

Yes, seek the welfare of the pagan city they were exiled in! Yes, invest and do things to seek the welfare of the city. It was instruction to all them, not just their leaders. Have babies and seek the welfare of the city.

That word in Hebrew is shalom, or peace.

This year in 2024, CCR is going to seek the welfare of the city of Lynnville and surrounding areas like never before.

Let me tell you a few ways that we are going to do that.

We are partnering with CB Outreach in Pulaski to provide a free meal to the city of Lynnville twice this year. Once in February and again in August.

These are going to be all hands of deck events.

We are going to advertise and knock on doors to invite people.

We are going to share the load of cooking! We need a lot of food.

We are going to offer people to come eat with us or we can deliver to those who can’t get out.

We are partnering with CB Outreach but we are also going to seek to partner with other local churches to help seek the welfare of the city.

We are also looking to partner with the city of Lynnville with events like Easter, 4th of July, the Blackberry festival, farmers market, trunk or treat, Christmas parade and events like these.

We are also pray for someone to step up and lead the charge to expand and organize RFD home deliveries once a month to families in North Giles County.

We will be a church that seek the welfare of our city and it is going to take all of us to do this!

The Lord also tells the Israelites to

3. Pray for the welfare of the city.

We are also going to take this instruction seriously.

Starting in a couple of weeks, we will begin a series of lessons on prayer on Sunday mornings and in our connect groups.

This will prepare us to put that prayer in action.

Church wide, we will enter into 40 days of prayer and fasting from February 15th up to Easter.

I’m going to ask you to pray about something to fast for those 40 days and intentionally pray for the welfare of our community.

I’m going to ask you to take prayer more seriously in your personally life, in your small groups, in your families, in our church and in our community.

Sunday mornings might look different.

We might schedule some prayer meetings.

We might prayer walk the community.

We might have prayer on the square.

We will be providing plans and resources to help you and unite us in our prayer efforts.

And personally, I will challenge you to ask the Lord how He wants you personally to seek the welfare of our city.

We can trust in the plans of the Lord for us! He tells us to seek the welfare of the city because He has a plan for our welfare. He has a future for you and for this family. And we can put out hope in that!

Would you join us in 2024 to follow these instructions from the Lord but more that anything, to seek the Lord with all of our hearts, because He promises that we will find Him.

Let’s pray

Jesus is the head of this church.

This is your plan.

Lord, keep us united with you as the head and united on mission for you.

How will people know, unless someone tells them.

We thank you for all that you have done in 2023 and ask that you bless the plans that you have given to us for 2024.

For you glory and advancement of your kingdom.