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Dear friends in Christ, It was good to begin our new series last weekend on the Gospel of John. The theme of our series is called "WITH." I mentioned my belief that witness is just WITHNESS with a silent 'h.' The prologue in John 1:1-18 is mostly a poem (with a few insertions of prose) about the incarnation of God. God became flesh and dwelt among us. God pitched his tent in our camp. God above us became God with us. He came down from up, in from out, and here from there. Our ecclesiology (understanding of the church) comes out of our Christology (understanding of Jesus Christ). As God has sent His Son into the world to love and save us, the Church too is sent by Christ into the world to connect us to God. In one of our services last week, I gave a benediction that was given to me by Shannon Garrett. Several people asked me to share it with the whole church. It's a quote from a disciple named Steve Charleston: "Give all that you can and gladly. Give your time to those for whom even a few minutes of companionship is a joy, give your kindness to those who may need a little grace in their lives, give patience to the one who is not easy to be around. Give to elders, give to children, give to the poor, give to the affluent. Give mercy, give love. Let these gifts of compassion come from you as freely as you can. Don't hold back. Let your love flow out like a small river finding its forest, like a stream rushing to look around the corner. There are few blessings in life greater than a generous spirit. It is the gift we give to ourselves when we give to others." Come join WITH us in worship this Sunday as we continue our journey through John's Gospel.
Finally, it was good to welcome new members Janice Nelson, Ernest and Mary Felts, Shayla Beebe, Bryan Scott, John and Jenny Myhr, Steven Lambert, Michael Webb, Jeff, Rachel, Ronan and Ella Alexander and Layla Bennett at our Brentwood campus. Welcome to our church community. The peace of Christ be with you!
Davis Chappell Sr. Pastor