A Word from Art

Sermon Title: Living Free We Sacrifice

Scripture: 2 Samuel 24:18-25

When I think about the sacrifices in the Old Testament, I think about the story of David in

2 Samuel 24. In David's pride he sinned against God by instituting a census to see how vast his kingdom was. Displeased by this, God sent a plague on the people of Israel.

David witnesses this happening and even has a vision of an angel with a sword in his hand. In that moment David prayed, and God relented. David offers to buy the land where the angel stood, but the owner was willing to give David the land free of charge. However David says in 2 Samuel 24:24, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Offering a sacrifice can be costly, but it can also be rewarding and worthwhile. This Sunday we will focus on how in our freedom, we are given the opportunity each and every day to offer up ourselves as a Living Sacrifice unto the Lord. A sacrifice that can be costly, but also worth every penny. Join us this Sunday and invite a friend to come along as we unpack what it means to be a Living Sacrifice.

New Bible-discussion group to begin meeting Sunday mornings at the church

Starting this Sunday at 9:30 a.m., Anita Carver and Keri Duncan will lead a discussion group about weekly Bible readings.

Sign up for The Bible Recap reading plan on YouVersion at bit.ly/MC3TBR2024.

Are you ready to walk one step closer to Jesus — and get a free lunch, too?

We’re super excited to launch a new Bible study and outreach effort called The Great Eight Café starting Friday, Jan. 19, at 11:30 a.m.

The Great Eight Café will give all of us an opportunity to invite friends, coworkers and maybe even that one person we’re praying for who needs Jesus to explore life and faith in a casual, comfortable setting—with a free lunch in the bargain.

The Great Eight Café will be open for eight consecutive Fridays—from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The eight-week series will kick off with an in-depth look at the life of Joseph and the hardships he endured on the way to a life of great achievement.

We will have flyers promoting the event that you can use to invite people, as well as promotions on social media.



“This is a great opportunity for us to dig even deeper into the Bible and to reach out to those around us who are searching for meaningful relationships and Godly insight,” Art said. “I hope our church family will get excited about this effort and use it as an opportunity to invite others to walk one step closer to Jesus in their daily lives.”

Men ... Join us this Saturday

Missions Updates

• Mission trip scheduled for Feb. 15-18 to Ability Ministry in Tennessee - Serve the residents of Ability Ministry outside Knoxville, Tenn. We will do light hands-on work around the campus and some VBS-type activity on Saturday. The deadline for registration is Feb. 4. Contact Keri Duncan @ kerid@soarministries.org with questions. Information and Registration Link

• Sugar / Flour and Coffee Drive for Emory Bread Coffeehouse - We've designated January to support our mission partner by providing staples for their ministry. Our goal is to collect 150 pounds of sugar, 300 pounds of flour, and 1,100 ounces of coffee this month.