20 18
JA N UA RY
FIR ST BA PTIST CHURCH / JEF F ERSON CITY, MO
Happy New Year! It’s my prayer that each of you will be blessed in the coming year. As 2018 unfolds, it’s also my prayer that FBC JC can live more deeply into God’s dream for us. I am particularly excited about the sermon plans for the coming twelve months. All year long, our theme will be “Come See What Love Can Do.” Every sermon series will be aimed at two goals: First, that we experience God’s lavish, no-exceptions-compassion. Second, that this radical love of God would begin to make us uncomfortable with our pick-andchoose, shallow caring which often substitutes for genuine agape. What would it look like if we changed our behavior, habits, biases, language, thought patterns, worship and service in order to become people who practice love?
The sermon series which will launch this year of compassion will focus on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, though the story is about much more than one son. During this series, we will have on display a couple of prints of Rembrandt’s famous “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” Art sometimes helps us experience the inexpressible. Is this story from Luke 15 relevant today? Let’s see. It deals with self-satisfied church members, family tension, youthful rebellion, jealousy, pride, self-righteousness, judgmentalism, guilt, shame, repentance, unconditional love, forgiveness and starting over again. On top of all that, the story reminds us that there are few sounds in our ears more powerful than the word “home.” Come see what love can do! Grace,
Doyle
UPCOMING January 3
Most activities resume
January 6
Upward Games Begin
January 7 Youth choir resumes
January 15
Church Building closed
January 31
Special Business Meeting @ 5:45