Does it blow your mind to think, “The Creative Force behind and within the entire universe loves me and wants to connect with me?” This Sunday we will talk about this mind-blowing reality and its impact on our everyday living.

Jesus told us to “love our neighbors as ourselves;” he was quoting from his own Jewish faith when he said that. Still as we are trying to network and build relationships in the world, we find it difficult to know how to do that. And when we think about networking in the business or personal sense, it is all about navigating making relationships/connections/networks with others. This week we move beyond the self and begin tackling what it means to network with others in a way that honors ourselves and God and the persons with whom we are connecting.

John 20:19-31. The Sunday following Easter is often called “low Sunday” by churchy insiders, mainly because after the big surge of folks on Easter, there is usually a “lull” on the following Sunday. Personally, I don’t think it is low at all. We get to keep talking about the power of life, of living, of Resurrection in our midst! This weekend we will talk about Jesus appearing to his disciples as we seek to build the bridge to our next sermon series entitled Making Connections All Around. Join us for the Jesus Appearance this Sunday

This is a great weekend to rejoice in our Christian faith:

Good Friday Worship. We begin the weekend with Good Friday Worship on Friday evening at 7:30PM in our worship center. We cannot get to the new life of Easter without traveling through the death that Friday brings. Join us as we ponder the meaning of Jesus’ death.

Easter Sunrise Worship. Just as the women did on the first day of the week after Jesus had died, we will gather to worship on the Saint James campus grounds at 6:30AM as the sun rises marking the new day, Easter! It is a simple worship with a few songs, message about new life, and communion. We’ll stand together outside (or you can bring your lawn chair if you would like to sit down). Start your morning/week/year/year with a renewal of your commitment to Life, the same commitment God made obvious in the resurrection.

Easter Celebration Worship. Every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection by gathering for worship at 11:00AM. This week we celebrate the day that began it all- including the inspiration for the early Jesus-followers to focus worship on Sunday, not Saturday.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

This Sunday we will celebrate the Risen One, Jesus the Christ! In a statement on the other side of his death at the hands of the Romans, we see that God is doing something new and different in bringing new life out of death! With other Jesus-followers all around the world, we announce, “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!”

This year we will gather to celebrate the Resurrection at sunrise on Easter morning at 6:30AM on the grounds of new Saint James. If you would like to sit for worship, you’ll need to break out your lawn chair and bring it along. If you are okay with standing, just bring yourself! Gathering will begin before worship so we can begin right on time.

Good Friday has always seemed a misnomer to me. It is the day we celebrate the death of Jesus. The explanation I always received could be summarized as “good for us, bad for Jesus.” I find such an oversimplification unsatisfactory. However, we will celebrate Good Friday worship on April 14 at 7:30PM in the worship center. We will reflect together on the impact of Jesus’ death on us and seek meaning in the midst of this day that has a rather despairing theme. Can we grab for the hope and inspiration in Jesus’ willingness to die? Join us on Good Friday for thoughts regarding the crucifixion and who we are because of it.

Luke 19:29-44. This Sunday we celebrate the big entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It begins the week leading up to Easter, a week that is jam-packed with lots of Jesus teaching and healing. Come and begin your week with us as we begin Holy Week!

Some of you may recognize “Let’s Get Together” as the name of a song sung by the Hayley Mills “twins” in The Parent Trap (original 1961 Disney version). The movie (remade in 1998 with a young Lindsay Lohan in the leading role) revolves around twins separated nearly at birth by their divorcing parents, each of whom takes one of the girls. The twins meet quite by accident at the same summer camp and hatch a plot to bring the divorced parents back together.

It seems to me there are some key lessons about church to be gleaned from the theme of “getting together,” more often cited as “building community.” Is there anything to be said for “community” that can help us connect with our personal and gathered identities at Saint James? We will turn to the Bible and the wisdom of the “twins” to draw some lessons for personal growth and connection today.

In the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, it takes a “candlestick,” Lumiere, to remind the entire staff that their first concern is for the needs of their guest, Belle. Hospitality is a word we don’t use all that much anymore though it is a core of what makes us people of faith: making room for others, even strangers. This Sunday we’ll explore hospitality to others as well as a hospitality for ourselves.