Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: SFCOG Year in Review and updates for 1/07

The First Sunday of 2024 is Coming! (and maybe Snow?)

Over Christmas break, my family went hiking on a foggy day. As we ascended up a hill into the mist, we felt like we would eventually catch up to the cloud, but it was always just a little farther away. It gave me a good visual representation of something we will consider in our scripture for Sunday--

In Ecclesiastes 1:14 Wise King Solomon says,

“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Sometimes in life, it feels like we are chasing after the wind, lost in a fog, or wandering through the mist, grasping at things we can’t quite hold on to, like fleeting happiness or contentment. Especially after the Holidays, it may feel like we go into a long dark, ‘foggy’ season with less to celebrate… joy may feel just out of reach at times.

I recognize these are not exactly the uplifting and encouraging words you may be looking for from Scripture if you are finding yourself battling the post-holiday blues…

…and yet, there are many times where I find something very comforting about the fact that these words of Solomon are including in our Bible.

It’s incredibly relatable!

But what do we do when we feel this way?

The short answer is we hold onto hope, and TRUST that “God has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We can keep “eternity in our hearts” as we Follow God in the seemingly ‘meaningless’ routines of our day to day lives, remembering that through Jesus, God himself joins us in our daily lives “under the sun” and HE brings meaning to the mundane.

Consider this: while were chasing after the wind, the very person of God Himself chased after us, entering into our ordinary world as Immanuel—God With US—stepping down from heaven and joining us ‘under the sun,’ making the ordinary extra-ordinary!

One of the most beautiful demonstrations of this can be found in the symbolism of the Lord’s Table, which we will observe together this weekend.

The Passover was already a very special and sacred observance, but at the Last Supper, Jesus revealed a deeper significance to this ancient practice. God in the flesh took common, ordinary, routine, mundane items—Bread and Wine, and gave them New Meaning.

Jesus can do that in all areas of our life, if we open our eyes to His Spirit within us and around us, and as we look forward to the days foretold in Revelation 21:5—

‘He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”’

**Special Weather Statement**

With the chance of inclement weather in the forecast, our church leadership will do our best to make a wise decision regarding Sunday morning worship and communicate that to you all in a timely manner. If needed, a cancellation announcement will be made Saturday evening or early Sunday morning in the following ways:

this email list
our Church Website
our Facebook Page
shared on ABC 27

Celebrate What God Has Done in 2024

Last weekend we shared a photo recap from many different events that took place within our church during the past year. You can now view this slideshow on our website:

Shippensburg First Church of God | 2023 Year in Review (shipfcog.org)

Upcoming Events

This Sunday (January 7), weather permitting, we will observe Communion as a part of both worship services. Join us as we begin the year at the Lord’s Table. We will also collect a special offering for our Beneficent Fund at the end of our Worship Services.

Community Night will resume this Wednesday, January 10^th. Community Night is from 6:30-8:00 and features activities for all ages.

Beginning on January 19th, we will be offering a Financial Peace University class. This could be a great way to work towards your financial goals in 2024. The class will meet on Friday evenings at 6:30 until the end of March. You can learn more and register online at this link: https://www.fpu.com/3442B7
On January 21, at 9:45, we will be offering our New Member’s Class. This is a chance to learn more about Shippensburg First Church of God and our CGGC denomination, and consider if God may be calling you to make a greater commitment to our church by becoming a Member. You can sign up in the Gathering Place to be sure to receive future communications about the class.

“A Weekend to Remember” is coming to Hershey on February 9-11. This is a wonderful time to strengthen your marriage and experience a weekend away. Now through January 9, Family Life Today is offering a $100 discount. You can register at this link: Weekend To Remember Marriage Retreat - FamilyLife® --When registering, we ask that you use the following code: ShippensburgFirstChurchofGod (no spaces). By using this code, the church receives a free couple registration for every five couples registered.

I am praying that you all stay safe and cozy this weekend, and that we will be able to worship together again soon!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org