Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Beauty from Brokenness

Sunday is Coming Again!

When our family was at the beach a few weeks ago, my wife, Jennifer, quietly began arranging broken seashells into what gradually became an ongoing art project that she shared with our family—

Jen shared her own reflections about this impermanent artwork—

“I am reminded that art can happen anywhere and with anything. What started out as welcomed boredom by piecing together broken seashells while sitting on the seashore listening to the waves, soon turned into a fun little mosaic that the girls helped add on to. Often when I'm at the beach, I look for the whole shells, but this time I was looking for the broken shells which weren't hard to find--the shells left along the seashore. It reminded me that beauty can come out of brokenness. It was neat to examine all the colors in each unique shell and arrange them however they fit knowing that art can be whatever the moment brings.

I am also reminded that God sees the brokenness of this world and can somehow redeem it.”

–Jen

Today we continue to reflect on the wonderful truth that out of brokenness, and even out of death, new beauty and new life are possible because of the Mystery of the Cross of Christ!

Last week we began studying Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, and we considered how all things are being put together under the authority of Jesus, through His victorious resurrection and his compassionate love. Paul explains in Ephesians 1:9, “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.”

The New Testament tells us that the biggest mystery of life has already been “solved” through Jesus, and this can help us make sense of all of the other mysteries that we face in life. Like a beautiful mosaic, or a breath-taking work of art, God is bringing people together to fulfill His plan. This Sunday we will continue reading about these themes of new life and peace in Ephesians 2.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

--Ephesians 2:8-10

Let us each personally take hold of the truth that salvation is a gift from God, and each one of us is a “masterpiece” of God—we are God’s workmanship that He personal created and set apart for a good purpose. And like the many bits of a mosaic put together to make a beautiful work of art, God’s desire is to bring about peace and unity through Jesus—creating beautiful things out of brokenness.

Notice the context in which these inspiring words are found—this chapter begins with the topic of sin and death, and the powers of the devil in the unseen world.

We must seriously contend with the spiritual truth that our world is broken. There are forces at work that go against “God’s Good Plan.”

Yes, there are many things in this world that are not as they should be—hatred and war fill our headlines every week. It seems like division is the default setting of our culture. But Paul Goes on to reveal more of God’s Good Plan:

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us… Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

--Ephesians 2:14, 20-22

Let us hold on to this vision of peace and unity, as God’s handiwork, as God’s temple, as a work of art, or a mosaic, in which all of us in our brokenness are being joined together—along with those who have gone before us—through the Spirit of God.

This Mystery that has been Revealed has the power to change our lives and to heal our broken world! Read Ephesians 2 yourself and come join us Sunday prepared to reflect on these truths together!

This Sunday

8:25 Traditional Worship

We will share our welcome and announcements at 8:25, followed by a musical prelude for a time of quiet reflection.

Child Dedication

God of Grace and God of Glory #435

Grace Greater than Our Sin #344

Wonderful Grace of Jesus #338

Amazing Grace #343

9:45 Sunday School for all ages.

Check out our Care Groups & Sunday School Classes on our website, or visit the welcome desk to learn more.

11:00 Contemporary Worship

Contemporary Spotify Playlist

Indescribable

Beautiful Things

Gratitude

House Of The Lord

*While we love and encourage good conversation and fellowship in the Gathering Place, please remember to quietly respect the worship services as you are entering or exiting near the beginning or ending of the services. Thank You!

ERC Conference

Next week is the annual gathering for our Eastern Regional Conference of our Churches of God denomination. Pastors, ministry leaders, and delegates from around the conference will gather at Camp YoliJwa this Sunday evening through Tuesday for worship, strategy, prayer, and connections. Please keep all participants in your prayers.

Also note that staff availability will be different next week due to conference.

Spring Congregational Meeting

The Shippensburg First Church of God will hold our annual Spring Congregational Meeting on May 3^rd. You will find the dockets in your church mailboxes this weekend, or you may pick one up in the gathering place and find them posted around the building. This meeting is a time of information & celebration, and you will hear some updates from the council about some things we are working on and looking forward to as a church family.

Foundations Class

A new Elective Sunday School class, Foundations, began last week and will continuing for a limited number of weeks. It is held in room 205, behind the balcony. Anyone is welcome to participate. The topics for the class will be the foundations of the Christian faith - The Bible, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and more. Please join us to gain a better understanding of what Christians believe and why we believe it. Sam Byers is teaching, and Bev Shumway and Matthew Hower are supporting Sam.

SHAPE Seminar

SHAPE is returning! This four-week study will help you explore how your Spiritual gifts, Heartfelt passions, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences make you uniquely designed and equipped by God to serve in His Kingdom. It will begin on May 6^th at 6:30 in the Annex, and meet every Wednesday evening in May. To help with planning and preparations, please sign up at the gathering place or in your Sunday School classroom.

Community Night

This is the final month of Wednesday Night ministry before our summer break. It’s not too late to come check out Kinetics, Ladies in Step, Fresh Start, or our Children, Youth, & Young Adult classes for a mid-week Bible Study boost! They all meet every Wednesday at 6:30 until the end of April. Learn more at this link:

Shippensburg First Church of God | Wednesday Community Night

Youth Group will continue in May at the regular time with some special activities.

Our Children’s AWANA program will have a closing ceremony for kids and their families in the children’s ministry area on April 29^th.

Quiz Retreat

Last weekend, members of our Quiz Team traveled to Camp Otyokwah in Ohio to spend a weekend with other CGGC quiz teams in friendly “fun quiz” competition. This event is in preparation for the National Finals which take place over the summer time. While the Finals encourages a high level of competition, this retreat is designed to foster good relationships for quizzers beyond the annual summer event in a more relaxed way. Over 80 quizzers spanning several states come together, showing renewed growth in the conference Bible quizzing program. Let’s praise the Lord together for these young people who have committed to studying God’s Word!

Shippensburg University Music & Arts Events

On Monday, we had the privilege of hosting the Spring Concert for the Shippensburg University Choir and Madrigal Singers. This year, our own choir joined with the students for a special number: In 2013, our church commissioned Joseph Martin, a well-known Christian composer, to write a choir anthem in memory of Vincent Eschenmann, our former choir director and in honor of Pat Frey, our present director. Mr. Eschenmann was the father of Leslie Shuman, our organist & pianist, and the SU Madrigal Singers’ accompanist. This anthem entitled “No Greater Alleluia” was first sung by our choir in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the installation of our church’s pipe organ. Andrew Carnegie donated $1,000 for the original organ and the church paid the remaining balance of $1,000. About half the pipes in the present organ are from the original organ. Our church choir was thrilled to have the opportunity to lift their voices with the beautiful voices of the SU Concert Choir in praise of our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The SU choir also thanked Leslie for her faithful service over the years.

Later this month we will also be participating in a Stained-Glass Walking Tour being offered by the Shippensburg University Art Department on April 30, at 3:30pm. It is being offered to art students for extra credit, but is also open to community members who would like to participate. Meet Art and Design Faculty, Sara Swacina, by the large, red “SHIP” letters near Old Main to begin an afternoon of exploring nearby churches' stained-glass windows.

Church Center

We have been gradually rolling out a new database tool called “Church Center.” It will be utilized for scheduling, record-keeping, giving, and many other ministry functions. You will be hearing more about it in the coming months as we implement new aspects of this resource, such as a directory feature and upcoming changes to our Children’s Ministry check-in system. You can begin learning more and start exploring it by visiting this page on our website to create your own log-in:

Shippensburg First Church of God | Church Center

Communications Updates

Bulletins and newsletters are available for you as you enter for worship—you can find them right outside the main doorways into the sanctuary on a table or stand for easy access. Some are usually available at our welcome desk also, but we encourage you to keep access to our welcome desk (and our handicapped accessible seating) open and available for those who may need it.

*Be sure to check out our Activities Calendar and the Events page on our website to learn about more upcoming opportunities!

*If you or your small groups, committees, etc., are planning special events involving the facilities, please be sure to communicate with the church office so we can best accommodate your needs and coordinate planning details between various ministries—Thank You!

The latest monthly edition of our “FYI” Newsletter is available in the Gathering Place or as you enter into the Sanctuary. The FYI contains information about upcoming events, care group opportunities, giving and attendance information, and more.

If you have events or information you would like to communicate, communication request forms are available from the church office, in the Gathering Place, or online.

Let us continue to celebrate our Risen Savior together in the Sanctuary or Online this Sunday!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org