 Jesus encounters a man who has been ill for 38 years and asks him what seems to be a rhetorical question: Do you want to be made well?
So often in our lives we have goals we want to achieve – and we even know how to achieve them – but we create barriers to our own success. The same is true for this sick man in John’s gospel. But Jesus breaks through those barriers – even those we erect ourselves – to bring us healing and wholeness. Based on Psalm 67 and John 5:1-9.  How do people know if you and I are truly Christian? Is it by the crosses we might wear around our necks? Is it because they see us exiting the church on Sunday morning? Or is it something more? Come find out this Sunday. Based on Psalm 148 and John 13:31-35.
 We are thrilled to be the headquarters for the annual Indiana Landmarks Mid-Century Modern Home Tour on May 18th!
Take a look into the beautiful, unique homes in Columbus that were designed with the same innovation and artistic imagination as our building. This year, you can even tour the Hamilton House garden by Dan Kiley, who designed our landscape at North Christian. Check it out on their website: www.indianalandmarks.org/event/midcenturytour2019 The Republic wrote a moving article, articulating the meaningfulness of yesterday's memorial. Take a look— 
 This coming Sunday, April 28, we will gather for an interfaith memorial for the hundreds of people killed or injured by the terrorist attack in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this gathering is to bring the community together to honor the victims and their families, and to stand up with groups targeted by terrorism, which are so often minority religious groups. (Christians are a minority in Sri Lanka.) Please, join us— Columbus First United Methodist Church, David Carlson author, Fairlawn Presbyterian Church, HSSI Columbus, Islamic Society of Columbus Indiana (ISCI), North Christian Church, Sha'arei Shalom - Reform Jewish Congregation of Columbus, Indiana, St Bartholomew Catholic Parish, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, IN.  For decades, tens of thousands of Earth Day Sunday celebrations have enriched Christian communities.
Earth Day began in 1970, after Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson witnessed a horrifying oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif., and realized environmental protection was not on the national political agenda. Sen. Nelson announced a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media, recruited California Republican Sen. Pete McCloskey to co-chair the effort, and recruited a coordinator to put together and promote 85 environmental education events across the United States on April 22. That day, 20 million people engaged in public demonstrations in support of a healthy environment. Groups that may not have communicated before found common cause, as gatherings helped groups such as clean water advocates to connect with others such as wildlife enthusiasts and toxic dump protestors. It was a moment of rare political alignment. Since then, Earth Day celebrations have spread to 184 countries and been observed by millions of people. Soon, Earth Day events became part of the fabric of our nation’s community life: churches began taking the Sunday service before or after Earth Day to pray, learn, and take action for God’s creation. As one 2006 Fox News article about Earth Day Sunday put it, “The environment has historically taken a back seat to common faith initiatives like the fight against poverty or hunger ... But now, congregations increasingly see a connection between care for God's creation and social issues.” Over the years, Creation Justice Ministries, of which the Christian Church (DoC) is a part, has offered Christian education materials to equip faith communities to protect, restore, and more rightly share God's creation. Each year, a different theme is chosen for Earth Day, based on what issues the leadership of the member communions and denominations believe is most pressing. The 2019 theme is "Next Generation Rising" and focuses on children and youth leading the way for creation justice. Among people of faith, a countercultural ethic is emerging that is rooted in the generational outlook of the Bible. This outlook has enormous consequences for how we think about God’s creation and particularly time-sensitive moral challenges which are difficult to remedy as they worsen—such as species extinction, loss of safe accessible water, and climate change. Notably, in his encyclical on ecology, Pope Francis declared “[i]ntergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.” Monumental change in the way we live takes energy and fresh ideas. As we look to new ways of using our earth’s resources and living our daily lives in radically different ways, we will need energetic leaders with fresh ideas… We will need new young leaders who are able to take on the big job of entering a new world of harmony with nature and make this new world sustainable for everyone. Reflect: What part are you playing to help care for creation? How are we empowering the next generation to share their creativity, energy, and vision Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! The holiest day of the year, for Christians, is Easter Sunday when we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. Join in the celebration on Sunday, as we Resurrect Joy, and share resurrection experiences we have each had in our lives!  |
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