valley vine
Valley Presbyterian Church April 2018 Volume sixty-three, Number three Dear friends,
Much of what counts for renewal happens on the outside. Contracts are signed and players enter a new stage on their teams. Leases get extended so occupants can continue to reside in their apartments. Cityscapes change as old buildings are refurbished or knocked down to make way for new structures. All of this is exterior renewal. The NT tells us of a different kind of process. It is initially less visible. Through faith in Christ, you and I can be renewed from the inside. We can become, in him, new creations. Even though, on the outside, age is breaking down our bodies with the unstoppable forces of decay, something else is happening on the inside. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though the outer person wastes away, the inner person is being made new day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) We do not lose heart because we believe, and we experience the gift of new hearts—Easter Hearts. The Resurrection of Jesus, and the gift of his spirit initiated this process of internal recreation. One of the joys of life in the church is to see this reality in our older members. They laugh like children, they cry with an honest freedom, their eyes twinkle, and they embody the gifts of faith, hope, and love which never end. Our April sermon series looks at the Resurrection appearances of Jesus in John’s gospel where we can see the changes of heart that the Lord brought to Mary, Thomas, Peter, and to the gathered disciples. As we prepare to renew our campus and to celebrate the generous commitments of our members on May 6, it is exciting to consider the gift God wants to share with his children through us—hearts that do not falter and constrict with age, and souls that do not dim, but rather inner lives that deepen and grow and shine with the light of eternity. There is no external renewal that matches that—at least until Jesus returns to renew his creation. Yours faithfully,
Lenten Sermon Series 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253-5342 Phone: 480-991-6424 Fax: 480-991-6427 Email: church@vpc.church Website: vpc.church