Love Has Risen!

Dear Middletown Reformed Church Family and Friends,

Eastertide blessings to you!

Come to worship this last Sunday in the season of Easter at 10:30 AM to celebrate the resurrection of our friend and Savior, Jesus the Christ. The New Jericho Choir will bring us the Message for all ages singing “Honor Your Father and Mother.” Tom will lead us in our hymns and will sing the Anthem “Reason I Sing.” I am preaching from 1 Corinthians 15.1-26, 51-58 — Jesus’ bodily resurrection as explained by the Apostle Paul — and my sermon title is Love Has Risen. Because our Scripture text is quite dense and complicated (It’s rather like, “Huh, Paul?”) I have chosen to use Eugene Peterson’s version of the Scripture from The Message. It is attached to this email for you to read and review. Please feel free to print it out and bring it to worship or follow along on your phone in worship. As this is the second Sunday of the month, we will receive our
Deacons’ fund offering to help those in need in our church and community.

In addition, I am hoping to do something different for a Sermon Series this summer, starting in July and continuing into early September. At the welcome table, you will see a basket and some slips of paper. I invite you to write down a topic you would like to hear preached. And then, each Monday I will draw from the basket and preach the following Sunday on whatever topic I have chosen from the basket. I’m looking forward to seeing what you will offer!

Lastly, please join me in wishing our former pastoral intern, Grace Modla, a hearty congratulations on receiving her Master of Divinity today from Drew Theological School. Oh, the places she’ll go! May the blessings of the Holy Spirit abound for her.

See you Sunday!

In gratitude for the privilege of being your pastor and the holy call of loving you,

Pastor Trish