Covenant Update
Dear Covenant Family:
We had an excellent turnout of 36 folks for today’s service. It was good to have Frances Bush back in church after a stay in rehab the past few weeks. Michelle Miller’s granddaughter Sophia is recovering well from her surgery to resolve the infection on her face. She still has a ways to go for a full recovery but she is expected to have a complete recovery, please keep Sophia and her family in your prayers. Missy Mauldin also asked for prayers for her missionary friends in Madrid Spain as they have encountered some setbacks recently and are currently planning some new summer programs for their followers. We have a busy birthday week as we have Missy Mauldin (July 11), Cindy Marks (July 12), and Joann Mason (July 13) with birthdays on consecutive days this week. We also recognized Tina Pinkoson for her 28th anniversary of leading the Covenant choir. Thank you Tina for your long dedicated service to Covenant Church!!
Attached is the bulletin from today’s service. Please note the poem titled Surprise! in the bulletin, it gives interesting food for thought.
Pastor Don’s sermon came from Jeremiah chapter 1 and could be titled Consequences. I would suggest you consider reading this chapter of Jeremiah as Don references much of it in his message. Jeremiah is considered the weeping prophet for his references to his weeping (see verses 9:1, 13:17, and 14:17). Jeremiah is believed to have served the longest as a prophet, for 40 years.
Verse 5 describes God’s calling to Jeremiah to serve Him as a prophet. In verse 6, Jeremiah tries to decline God’s request because of his youth and inability to speak well. God responds again in verses 7 through 10 that youth is not an excuse and God has appointed Jeremiah and will take care of him. Pastor Don then said they can always be consequences when you ignore someone who is speaking to you. The Bible provides many examples of God speaking to people throughout history. God also speaks to each of us and He has a clear purpose for us if we listen to Him. Our purpose is to share God and God’s Word with others. Further, God doesn’t ask us to do anything that we are not prepared for. We can’t tell Him when is the right time for us to share with others, we need to just do it when God provides us the opportunity.
Verses 11 and 12 describe how God will care for us when we share Him, as the rod mentioned is what shepherds use to keep enemies away from their sheep. In similar fashion, God will also protect us from our enemies. Verses 13 to 16 describe the importance of speaking God’s Word before judgment comes and it is then too late. Finally, verses 17-19 tell us to prepare, listen to Him, go speak, and don’t have fear. You are never too young or too old to make a difference in someone’s life.
Have a very blessed week!
Ron
