April 17th, 2017

Happy Easter!

May the comfort, joy, and hope of Easter surround you today and every day!

​May the love of Christ dwell within you and renew your faith and life!

​Blessings on the journey,
​Jim

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Sunday's Sermon: Empty

John 20:1-18, Philippians 2:1-11: Empty is not a good word. An empty tank, an empty bank account, an empty pot of coffee, running on empty - empty points to barrenness, lacking goodness, and stress. Yet it is the emptiness of the tomb that brings such good news to us on Easter. To fully appreciate the good news, we first need to understand the emptiness that Mary Magdalene felt on her way to the tomb. Her teacher had been killed, and she went to honor his lifeless body. When she found the tomb empty, she was greatly distressed. It was only in hearing Jesus say her name that she understood that the emptiness of the tomb meant that her world was again full. That is the lesson of the tomb: one thing being empty means that other things can be full. That is also lesson of Jesus' life. Paul tells us in Philippians to have the same attitude as Jesus who emptied himself, even to the point of death on a cross, for our sake. Jesus emptied himself so that we might be full. Paul tells us that God, however, exalted Jesus and lifted him up above all others. Although Jesus emptied himself, God filled him back up. That is the lesson of the cross and Resurrection: we cannot empty ourselves as quickly as God can fill us back up. We are called to join Jesus in emptying ourselves for others - passing on the grace, blessings, and love that has been given to us. We can do this because empty actually is a very good word. We can do this because the tomb is empty, the world is full, and the one who emptied himself for our sake lives!

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Living in Community

Thanks to everyone who helped to make our Holy Week and Easter services so special! A special thanks to Curt for preparing the park, Keith and Chris for their special roles in our Good Friday prayer walk, Zach, Davida, Linda, Chris, and Meg for serving communion, all those who bought lilies to brighten our sanctuary, Lee for ordering the flowers, Peggy for decorating the altar, and our praise band for the awesome music! It takes many folks to make our worship happen, and we are thankful for you all!

This Week at Port Church

Tuesday, April 18
​9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
​7 pm - Administrative Council

Thursday, April 20
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
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Sunday, April 23
9:30 am - Worship - Youth Sunday
​This is a service you won't want to miss!
11:00 am - Sunday School

Looking Ahead

April 29 - Grottoes UMC Fundraiser for Peggy Counts
​​April 30 - Deadline for Camp Overlook Registrations
May 7 - VBS Training Session
​June 4 - Graduation Sunday
​June 26-30 - Vacation Bible School