Pastor Michael
For All the Marbles
What a feast last night! The tortellini and ravioli were equally amazing, and the golden kiwi - so delicious! Thank you to Paula and and Kathy and Hannah for preparing it all for us! It was only fitting as our Bible study was on "The Last Supper" where Jesus and His disciples shared a last meal together before Jesus crucifixion. Jesus said it was the last meal that He would share before we eat together in His coming kingdom.
Before we studied, however, we had to be challenged. Buckets of water, tons of ice, and lots of marbles. Three teams dared the frigid waters to dig their toes in and pull out as many marbles as possible for 30 seconds each. (The video is posted in the "Gallery" section of this website.) Quinn and Madelyn proved ready to take the prize and conquered the field! Thank you to everyone for being great sports. Just being brave enough to try was a huge accomplishment!
Back to the study: This week we celebrate the communion service together at the Medford SDA Church. Will we avoid this service along with foot-washing as if we were being asked to dunk our feet in frigid cold ice-water? 1 Corinthians 11 asks us to examine ourselves and not do it unless we are willing to celebrate it in a worthy manner. But the message is clear from Paul - we absolutely should dig our toes in! Jesus really looked forward to that meal. He wanted His followers to remember Him and all that He would do for us to save us from our sins. He wants to live in us, and there is no better time to rededicate our lives to Him again than at this special service. It's like a mini-baptism where we ask Jesus for renewed cleansing and acceptance, personal relationship, and pledge to serve our neighbor for His sake.
Last night we closed with an appeal. We bowed our heads and asked for Jesus to forgive us and live in us. There's no better moment in life than when young people are connecting to the King! And how amazing will it be to share that first feast soon to come in Heaven?! It will be worth braving all the frigid waters of this world. With Jesus we win all the marbles of eternity!
