Dear Covenant Family:
We had a wonderful service Sunday with 31 folks in attendance. For prayer requests, Frances Bush is still at Oak Hammock Rehab recovering from a leg injury and will likely be there a few more weeks. Michelle Miller’s granddaughter Sophia is still waiting on surgery to remove a lesion, but the treatment plan has now been agreed on by her medical team. Mack Vlacos asked for prayers for 2 of his brothers-in-law and a brother. Finally, Larry Noegel had a praise request for his 102 year old uncle who just died, who lived a relatively healthy life and died of old age. He is a military veteran and will be buried in a military cemetery in Tallahassee.
Attached is the church bulletin for today, please note the two funny stories provided by Tina.
Pastor Don’s sermon today could be titled Different Perspectives, and focused on this single verse of scripture.
1 Peter 4:8 – Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Pastor Don made the point that God’s Word does not change. Man changes over time and his opinions change, but not God’s Word. Don said this in relation to the Supreme Court ruling this week on Roe vs Wade. Man’s feelings and emotions change over time, but it is critical that we keep fervent in our love for one another. We all sin, but it is critical that we can forgive and love others even when we don’t agree, or have a similar perspective as others on some topics. Don then went to 1 Corinthians chapter 13, which is all about the greatest gift which is love. I have highlighted the specific verses that he spoke of, but give the entire chapter because it pretty much has all the answers we would be looking for.
1 Corinthians 13 – If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we know in part and prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Verse 1 – Without love, you are just making noise no matter what you say.
Verse 2 – No matter how much I may seem to have in my life, without love I am nothing.
Verse 4 – Love is not about you. It is about building up others, especially those in need of love.
Don then returned to 1 Peter 4:11 – Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
His message here is that we all need to cover up our multitude of sins with love and compassion. We all have sin in our lives and the blood of Jesus covers our sin.
1 John 1:7 – but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Finally, Cindy and I will miss church next Sunday so I will not be able to send out an update next Sunday. Also, we will be with very dear friends celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary so I will also be unable to send out a TGIF message this week. But I will provide it again next week.
May all of you have a very blessed week this week.
Ron
