Covenant Update

Dear Covenant Family:

Today was a great day at Covenant.  We had 31 members and friends in attendance today.  Attached is today’s bulletin, please check out all the Covenant news and the interesting Think About It! statements that Tina included for your easy reading.  Please remember and plan to attend next Sunday at 5 PM our Annual Covenant Thanksgiving Dinner!  Covenant will provide the turkey, ham, dressing, and drinks, and we are asking our attendees to bring their favorite vegetable, salad, or dessert to share with others.  We always have a lot more than can be eaten, and it is always a great social event, so we hope you will all attend.

We had a number of prayer requests today.  Pastor Don reported that Mack Vlacos is in the hospital again because he has had another serious fall.  Shaw Grigsby asked for continued prayers for his friend Steve who is in his final week of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for throat cancer.  Nancy Parke asked for prayers for a friend who has had a serious unknown condition, but at least is now out of the hospital.  Frank Dolwick asked for prayers for Francis Bush who had a medical procedure this week, but is now doing fine.  Finally, Becky Alexander asked for prayers for her husband Craig and his mother Robertha who has been hospitalized for the past two weeks, has now been moved into ICU, and is now expected to require dialysis.  Please keep all these families in your prayers this week. 

Pastor Don’s sermon today dealt with our need to be willing to follow God when we are called, regardless of the direction we are asked to go.  The following scripture contrasts two scenarios that Jesus became involved in and led to his two requests to the people impacted by God’s Word.  The scripture describes the paralyzed man who He healed and told to go home, and the person who became one of his key apostles going forward to follow Him!

Mark 2:1-14 – The Paralyzed Man Healed

When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. ³ And some people came, bringing to Him a man who was paralyzed, carried by four men. ⁴ And when they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying. ⁵ And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” ⁸ Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts?

⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.” ¹² And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

¹³ And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

Levi (Matthew) Called

¹⁴ As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

If you would like to listen to Pastor Don’s sermon, all recorded sermons can be accessed at https://gainesvillecovenantchurch.org/ and then choose Sermons on the home page, and then choose the sermon you want to hear. 

Cindy and I will be spending Thanksgiving in DC with our children and grandchildren, so we will miss two Sunday services (but will be here for the Thanksgiving dinner next Sunday), and I will not be able to send out these updates while out of town.

May you all have a most blessed week and Thanksgiving!           

Ron