Sisters and brothers,
Happy Monday to all! What a day we had yesterday in worshipping together and witnessing Alicia confessing her faith in Jesus through believers’ baptism. In the message from Mark 11, we saw the dangers of trusting in religious ceremonies and rituals that do not lead to heart and life change. Religion sometimes can be empty, meaningless, and even violent and dangerous. Religion that causes us to hate people and not love them is not from the true and living God. Jesus was showing that believing and trusting in Him changed how you related to God and how you treated others. Jesus was warning them against trusting in religious rituals that left life unchanged. Jesus in the acted-out sermons of Mark 11 was pointing to Himself as the hope of the world and the way to eternal life. Do you see that today? Jesus makes life beautiful and meaningful. Jesus empowers us to love, bless, and pray for those who curse us and do not love us. Jesus empowers us to forgive those who wrong us because we are subjects of His abundant forgiveness. Do not look to some religious ritual or religious place. Look to the Jesus today, the One who died for you and rose again from the grave. Jesus is the Way of salvation and life.
We will be having a “Trunk or Treat” for our community on Saturday, October 28. We will need to collect a lot of candy for this event so you might be planning for that in the days ahead. We need someone to pick up the Block Party trailer in Sun Prairie and bring it here and then take it back. If you can do that, let me know.
East Madison Thanksgiving celebration will be November 12 at 5:30 PM. There is a sign- up list for the foods we will need on the table in the foyer.
Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.
Love being your pastor!
Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church