Top Ten - March 28
1. Easter Week Services – We are excited to celebrate Easter with you here at Northgate. We celebrate our risen Savior and all that that means for us as followers of Jesus. Join us for one of the following services this week!
2. Centered Next Wednesday – Next Wednesday evening at 6pm we will hold our monthly “Centered” service starting at 6pm. This is a time of praise music, prayer and fellowship and everyone is invited. We gather in the sanctuary at North.
3. Thank You for Providing Easter Baskets to Migrant Families – This Easter weekend 30 migrant families in our area will be enjoying a wonderful Easter meal thanks to your generosity. This is just one of the ways we let people in our community know that we are aware of them, and that Jesus loves them. Thank you for helping to make that happen!
4. Costa Rica Breakfast – On April 13 from 9:00-10:30 our Costa Rica mission trip participants will be hosting a traditional Costa Rican Breakfast of Gallo Pinto, along with pancakes and some of the world's best Costa Rican coffee. Ample seating will be available in our gym at the South Campus for you to relax and savor breakfast while learning more about this trip. For those with limited time, we'll provide to-go containers.
To ensure we prepare enough food, we kindly request that you RSVP at https://northgatefmc.churchcenter.com/registrations/events. While breakfast is complimentary, we will be accepting donations to support this Costa Rica Missions trip.
5. Sight and Sound Trip to See “Daniel” – The details are set for the next Sight and Sound trip which is planned for Tuesday, July 9th through Thursday, July 11th. Angelique has arranged everything from bus to hotel reservations, show tickets and food. Last year’s group had a wonderful time and we look forward to seeing a terrific show and enjoying one another’s company again this year. If you’d like to be a part of it contact Angelique at angelique@northgatefmc.com. She’d like to have deposits for this trip in by April 7.
6. Do You Have Young Children’s Clothing You No Longer Need? – If you have some that would be appropriate for children from 18 months of age to 3T, Courtney Mead, our Toddler Room Coordinator is looking to have some on hand in case a change of clothes is necessary. You can connect with Courtney at Courtney@northgatefmc.com.
7. New Caregivers Group – Warren and Nancy Savage will be leading a new session of the Caregivers group on the first Tuesday night of the month at North. The group will meet at 6:30pm. If you would like more information about it, please contact Angelique at angelique@northgatefmc.com.
8. Flower City Work Camp – Meals – Northgate is responsible for providing lunch and snacks on 3 of the days of next week’s camp, to one of the worksites. Sherrie will be taking care of the lunches, but would greatly appreciate any help with donations of the following:
9. Thank you for Supporting the Work of the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter – You are such a generous church and never fail to outdo expectations, and that is true in the way that you contributed to the needs of the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter. Because of your generosity, women and children who find themselves in the tragic situation of needing a safe place to be, will be a little more comfortable when they make use of the shelter. Along with our giving, let’s remember to pray for the safety and well-being of all people who are at risk of being mistreated or abused, and let’s pray for an end to violence in all its forms.
10. Gather to Pray – Here are some opportunities to pray together at Northgate…
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You Can Count on This – Hebrews 10:14, 18 – For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy… And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. (Read Hebrews 10:1-39)
These verses come from Hebrews 10, the portion of scripture that we come to in this week’s Top Ten. They are so appropriate to read again, as we approach Easter this weekend, where we move quickly from recognizing the death of Jesus on Good Friday to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Sunday morning. I love to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. But the resurrection has the meaning it does because Jesus, with full awareness of what He was going to experience, and in a fully voluntary manner, endured death on the cross in order to pay the penalty for our sins. He made one excruciating sacrifice on our behalf, and in so doing makes perfect all who place their faith and trust in Him. Notice that we are called “perfect” even though we are in the process of “being made holy.” Through Christ, we are considered perfect.
Secondly, notice that He has made us perfect “forever.” When we have given ourselves to Christ we may still struggle with sin. By God’s grace and our cooperation with the Holy Spirit, that should be true less and less as we walk faithfully with Jesus. But if we do sin, that doesn’t mean that we lose our relationship with Jesus. We’re not “made perfect” until we sin again. Even if we sin, we remain in relationship with Jesus, and we continue to be seen by God as “perfect”, complete, whole, as He makes us all of that. Of course, sinful behavior does damage relationships, which is why we are told to confess our sins and repent of them. But we don’t lose that relationship.
The author of Hebrews wants us to understand very clearly that this was a one-time act of sacrificial giving on the part of Jesus. He will never again go to a cross to pay for sin. There is no more sacrifice needed or possible which can atone for sin. The sacrifice Jesus made was a one-time for all-time for all-people sacrifice. We can make no sacrifice of our own to pay for sin. It’s finished. Atonement has been made; sins forgiven. All on account of what Jesus has done. The only question each of us have to answer is this: Will we accept for ourselves what Jesus has done for us, or will we cling to the false belief that we don’t need Jesus, we’ll pay for our own sins. Just how will we do that? By being “good enough”? God requires that we be perfect. If we can’t achieve perfection on our own, then we can be made perfect through faith in Christ.
As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let’s not jump too quickly from Friday to Sunday. Take some time to read the accounts of Jesus’ death on the cross, and to consider all that He went through for us. And consider this… if there had been any other way for sin to be paid for, wouldn’t God have done it that way? Wouldn’t He have spared His Son the agony and pain He went through? There was no other way, and Jesus accepted that. Praise God He only had to do it once, and praise God that in doing it once He has made it possible for all of us to avoid God’s holy judgment on our sinfulness. We do not need to fear God’s judgment, because Jesus made the one sacrifice.
When you’re not sure what you can count on in the world around you, know this: You can count on God keeping his word. So read what God has to say in scripture! And count on it.
- Arbor House will have a time of reflection tonight, Maundy Thursday, from 6-8pm where you can explore the stations of the cross at your own pace.
- Arbor House will also be holding a Good Friday service at 7pm on Friday the 29th.
- Join us at North for one of our Easter weekend services! Saturday at 6pm, our Easter sunrise service in the pavilion at 6:45am, or either our 9:30 or 11am service.
- Arbor House will also be having a service at 10am on Easter Sunday. Invite your friends, invite your family and celebrate with us.
2. Centered Next Wednesday – Next Wednesday evening at 6pm we will hold our monthly “Centered” service starting at 6pm. This is a time of praise music, prayer and fellowship and everyone is invited. We gather in the sanctuary at North.
3. Thank You for Providing Easter Baskets to Migrant Families – This Easter weekend 30 migrant families in our area will be enjoying a wonderful Easter meal thanks to your generosity. This is just one of the ways we let people in our community know that we are aware of them, and that Jesus loves them. Thank you for helping to make that happen!
4. Costa Rica Breakfast – On April 13 from 9:00-10:30 our Costa Rica mission trip participants will be hosting a traditional Costa Rican Breakfast of Gallo Pinto, along with pancakes and some of the world's best Costa Rican coffee. Ample seating will be available in our gym at the South Campus for you to relax and savor breakfast while learning more about this trip. For those with limited time, we'll provide to-go containers.
To ensure we prepare enough food, we kindly request that you RSVP at https://northgatefmc.churchcenter.com/registrations/events. While breakfast is complimentary, we will be accepting donations to support this Costa Rica Missions trip.
5. Sight and Sound Trip to See “Daniel” – The details are set for the next Sight and Sound trip which is planned for Tuesday, July 9th through Thursday, July 11th. Angelique has arranged everything from bus to hotel reservations, show tickets and food. Last year’s group had a wonderful time and we look forward to seeing a terrific show and enjoying one another’s company again this year. If you’d like to be a part of it contact Angelique at angelique@northgatefmc.com. She’d like to have deposits for this trip in by April 7.
6. Do You Have Young Children’s Clothing You No Longer Need? – If you have some that would be appropriate for children from 18 months of age to 3T, Courtney Mead, our Toddler Room Coordinator is looking to have some on hand in case a change of clothes is necessary. You can connect with Courtney at Courtney@northgatefmc.com.
7. New Caregivers Group – Warren and Nancy Savage will be leading a new session of the Caregivers group on the first Tuesday night of the month at North. The group will meet at 6:30pm. If you would like more information about it, please contact Angelique at angelique@northgatefmc.com.
8. Flower City Work Camp – Meals – Northgate is responsible for providing lunch and snacks on 3 of the days of next week’s camp, to one of the worksites. Sherrie will be taking care of the lunches, but would greatly appreciate any help with donations of the following:
- Paper products (we will need 45 each of plates, bowls, napkins and sets of silverware)
- Snacks (granola bars, chips, Krispy treats, fruit snacks)
- Sandwich rolls (needed on 2 days, 20 each day)
- Home baked cookies or brownies (2 dozen each day)
- Ice cream sundae toppings (hot fudge, caramel, sprinkles, whipped cream; **NO NUTS**)
9. Thank you for Supporting the Work of the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter – You are such a generous church and never fail to outdo expectations, and that is true in the way that you contributed to the needs of the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter. Because of your generosity, women and children who find themselves in the tragic situation of needing a safe place to be, will be a little more comfortable when they make use of the shelter. Along with our giving, let’s remember to pray for the safety and well-being of all people who are at risk of being mistreated or abused, and let’s pray for an end to violence in all its forms.
10. Gather to Pray – Here are some opportunities to pray together at Northgate…
- Prayer meeting Wednesday at 1pm at North in Room #1
- Centered: the first Wednesday of the month at North at 6pm (Sanctuary)
- Sunday mornings at 9:30 at North in Room #4
- Prayer rail: Before and after services on Saturday/Sunday and also while we are singing/praying during services
- Anytime the church is open people are welcome to come and pray in any available room or in the sanctuary. The church is generally open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 to 4pm, Saturday from 4 to 7:30pm and Sunday from 8am to 1pm. Arrangements can be made to be open at other times too, if needed.
***********************************************************************************************
You Can Count on This – Hebrews 10:14, 18 – For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy… And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. (Read Hebrews 10:1-39)
These verses come from Hebrews 10, the portion of scripture that we come to in this week’s Top Ten. They are so appropriate to read again, as we approach Easter this weekend, where we move quickly from recognizing the death of Jesus on Good Friday to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Sunday morning. I love to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. But the resurrection has the meaning it does because Jesus, with full awareness of what He was going to experience, and in a fully voluntary manner, endured death on the cross in order to pay the penalty for our sins. He made one excruciating sacrifice on our behalf, and in so doing makes perfect all who place their faith and trust in Him. Notice that we are called “perfect” even though we are in the process of “being made holy.” Through Christ, we are considered perfect.
Secondly, notice that He has made us perfect “forever.” When we have given ourselves to Christ we may still struggle with sin. By God’s grace and our cooperation with the Holy Spirit, that should be true less and less as we walk faithfully with Jesus. But if we do sin, that doesn’t mean that we lose our relationship with Jesus. We’re not “made perfect” until we sin again. Even if we sin, we remain in relationship with Jesus, and we continue to be seen by God as “perfect”, complete, whole, as He makes us all of that. Of course, sinful behavior does damage relationships, which is why we are told to confess our sins and repent of them. But we don’t lose that relationship.
The author of Hebrews wants us to understand very clearly that this was a one-time act of sacrificial giving on the part of Jesus. He will never again go to a cross to pay for sin. There is no more sacrifice needed or possible which can atone for sin. The sacrifice Jesus made was a one-time for all-time for all-people sacrifice. We can make no sacrifice of our own to pay for sin. It’s finished. Atonement has been made; sins forgiven. All on account of what Jesus has done. The only question each of us have to answer is this: Will we accept for ourselves what Jesus has done for us, or will we cling to the false belief that we don’t need Jesus, we’ll pay for our own sins. Just how will we do that? By being “good enough”? God requires that we be perfect. If we can’t achieve perfection on our own, then we can be made perfect through faith in Christ.
As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let’s not jump too quickly from Friday to Sunday. Take some time to read the accounts of Jesus’ death on the cross, and to consider all that He went through for us. And consider this… if there had been any other way for sin to be paid for, wouldn’t God have done it that way? Wouldn’t He have spared His Son the agony and pain He went through? There was no other way, and Jesus accepted that. Praise God He only had to do it once, and praise God that in doing it once He has made it possible for all of us to avoid God’s holy judgment on our sinfulness. We do not need to fear God’s judgment, because Jesus made the one sacrifice.
When you’re not sure what you can count on in the world around you, know this: You can count on God keeping his word. So read what God has to say in scripture! And count on it.
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