PEWSLETTER
WEEKLY
First Presbyterian Church
Lincolnton NC
2nd Sunday of Easter
Caravaggio's Doubting Thomas
Join us for worship at any time through the following links to the music recorded from home by Becky Beatty, a sermon preached by Pastor Kathryn, (prelude and sermon links above) a hymn and a postlude, with links below. The hymn text is printed for you to sing along with Becky and her daughter, Laura.


For children of all ages from Illustrated Ministry resources copy and paste the following in your browser or click on: https://illstrtdm.in/EasterWeek2
 When Thomas Heard from Jesus
AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D ("The Church's One Foundation”)
 
When Thomas heard from Jesus, "Now come and follow me,"
He surely went with gladness, for there was much to see.
He witnessed Jesus' teaching and saw his healing touch;
He found a faith to guide him, a friend he loved so much.
 
When Jesus spoke of heaven, bold Thomas dared to say,
"We don't know where you're going! How can we know the way?"
He wanted understanding of what he could not see.
Then Jesus reassured him, "The way is here — through me.”
 
When crowds began to murmur and leaders raised their cry,
Brave Thomas spoke out firmly, "Let's go with him and die."
He ate at Jesus' table, partaking wine and bread;
Yet later with the others, he saw the cross and fled.
 
What joy on Easter evening when many saw the Lord!
Yet Thomas was not with them and would not trust their word.
When Christ appeared before him, his doubts were quickly gone;
He gladly knew that evening the joy of Easter dawn.
 
That man of faith saw Jesus at breakfast by the sea;
At Pentecost he witnessed so others would believe.
O Lord, may we — like Thomas — keep growing day by day;
Increase our faith and guide us, for Lord, you are the Way.
 
Biblical References: Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16; John 11:11-16; John 14:1-7; John 20:19-29; John 21:1-7; Acts 1:12-14
Tune: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864
Text: Copyright © 2012 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
In your prayers please include Barbara Crumley who was admitted to the hospital on Thursday. Prayers for Chip and all family members who are prevented from visits during the virus restrictions; and thanks for hospital staff who care for all patients.
Rumors and Signs of Resurrection
Easter day began a season of Easter, a whole seven weeks worth! We continue with John's Gospel as our guide, interspersed with some Luke/Acts. John organizes his Gospel around seven 'signs' that reveal who Jesus is and what is his mission. Yet Jesus also warns about seeing too much in signs and not looking to where they point us toward true faith.

Jesus invites us to "believe without seeing" and be blessed in our believing.
"Have you believed because you have seen me?" Jesus asks his disciples? We, like the readers of John's Gospel, did not "see" first hand. But then Jusus gives us Holy Spirit presence to believe because we have heard what he said/says and commissions us to do what we testify to in our confessions of faith:

We trust in Jesus Christ,
Fully human, fully God.
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
preaching good news to the poor
and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed
and blessing the children,
healing the sick
and binding up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts,
forgiving sinners,
and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
(From A Brief Statement of Faith, PCUSA)

The sermon link I gave you for today comes from a sermon I preached last year on this Second Sunday of Easter. That week we read the same texts from John and from Luke that we read today. That week we also remembered the anniversary of Earth Day and you will hear testimony to God's continuing presence in creation,through one artist's recreating from the waste of single use plastic straws. That artist, Von Wong, created an art installation in Vietnam in 2019 called # Strawpocalypse - The Parting of the Plastic Sea. Local people gathered, sorted and prepared the more than 168,000 straws used for the art piece.

In the past year, our family worked on reducing our plastic consumption, eliminating straws, among other things. Now, because of COVID-19, we can't bring our cloth shopping bags to the grocery, but we do choose paper bags over plastic. We each make small gestures to reduce, reuse, recycle as a testimony to our stewardship of God's good earth. All of our small actions together add up.

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd. What ways might Holy Spirit presence guide us to keep faith with God's creation care? What are we learning in our living of these days that will renew us for the days to come?
More music notes from Becky Beatty, Music Director and Organist
Choir rehearsals are all on hold till we know for certain when this time of "social distancing" has passed. 

In the meantime, I will be offering hymns for each Sunday of Easter and finding ways to help you sing along.

I miss seeing everyone and pray all are well! Keep singing!  Becky

"Next to the word of God, music deserves the highest praise"
Martin Luther said. What hymn would we sing if we could gather for worship this Sunday? Find a version of that and listen.
Church Finances – March 2020
As the chart below indicates, we have cut our expenses considerably, but this month's offerings have dropped by almost the same amount. Thank you for your continued support of our church with your offerings, even as we wait to meet in person. Session meets April 21 (virtual meeting) and will give updates later next week.
  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey the Lord.
Acts 5:32
REACH TEACH FEED LOVE
Church Staff
Rev. Dr. Kathryn J. Cameron, Bridge Supply Pastor -
pastor@fpclincolnton.org - (828)-450-7182
Rebecca Beatty, Director of Music, Organist - becbea50@gmail.com
Jill Goins, Administrative Assistant - admin@fpclincolnton.org
Kristen Willis,  Preschool Director - preschool@fpclincolnton.org
Nancy Rudisill, Sexton  -   admin@fpclincolnton.org
Office Hours
Suspended until further notice

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