We will be reflecting on the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us, just as it was given to the disciples and apostles in Acts 2. We will also be taking communion together so don’t forget to grab the elements (bread or crackers, juice or wine) and we will see you on Sunday. We are praying joy and peace and hope over you this weekend.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus said these words to Peter in Matthew 16. Jesus’ ministry is in full gear at this point. With the death of John the Baptist, Jesus and his disciples have been busy. Jesus has healed many and fed thousands miraculously. It would have been easy to sit back and watch Jesus do His thing and ride in His wake. Having just rebuked the Pharisee’s and Sadducee’s for their demands for a sign, Jesus looks at his followers and makes this astonishing statement in response to Peter’s confession. Jesus was and is today building his church. And Jesus was and is today doing so by working in and through people who make the same simple yet profound confession as Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”If you are reading this today, my prayer is to encourage you that Jesus is building his church. But let’s reflect on this for a moment: His church is one that sparks by the power of the Holy Spirit first in you, revolutionizing and recreating the dead places in you and bringing them new life. Often times simultaneously he is then taking you and that work he is doing inside of you and he brings it out for the world to see. This is what he was inviting Peter and all of the disciples into. He wanted to see faith expressed in bold confession and proclamation. I imagine the other disciples hearing Peter’s confession that day were either greatly encouraged or cautiously optimistic. But if we think Peter’s boldness in this moment was easy I think we’ve missed it. Peter took all of his experience and belief in Jesus and allowed that to break out into proclamation and confession whether anyone else was ready for it or not. In light of this, I leave you with this question: How can you, the church, surrender to that inner work of the Spirit today so that out of it comes the beautiful confession that “Jesus is the Christ!” to the witnessing world?
~Chris Nikkel
Blueprint Ministries Volunteering
Blueprint Ministries, one of our Missional Partners, is in need of volunteers to help serve homeowners during these difficult times. They are in need of people to write a card or place an encouragement call to a homeowner, help box up food for delivery containers, help deliver food boxes to families, deliver a blessing basket to a family, or do exterior work on a home (no experience needed). To help, you can click here to volunteer.
Family Ministries Zoom Meet Ups
We are enjoying our weekly Zoom meet ups with your kiddos! These fun, engaging video calls give us all a time to see friends and hear bible stories and play games! Click here to get meet up times and weekly curriculum.
Covid-19 Needs and Assistance
The Park is still gathering the needs of our community. We have created a way for you to request assistance. If you have a need you can click here.
If you are able to offer assistance to others you can click here.
Stay in Contact
If we can pray for you, please contact your parish pastor directly or send us an email at prayer@theparksa.org.
If you are experiencing any hardships during this time, we want to be there to support you. If you have questions or needs we can help with, email us at info@theparksa.org