The Libcov Blog
Devotions, information, and news for the LCC family
This year we will be hosting a special Easter event for families called Journey to the Cross. Journey to the Cross consists of five hands-on stations that help families understand, interact with, and experience the story of Easter in a meaningful way. This event is designed for families with kids ages preschool through jr. high.
When: Journey to the Cross will take place on Wednesday, April 20th.
How will it work: Each family will journey separately through the five stations. Each station will include directions/explanation for activities to be completed.
How long will it take: It will take about 20 minutes for a family to complete the Journey to the Cross.
What about dinner?: In place of our regular Wednesday evening dinner we will be serving a special banquet meal for all participants to enjoy immediately upon completion of their journey to the cross. Our goal is to make this a special night for families to enjoy together as they prepare for the miracle of Easter. A vegetarian option will be served, please let us know if there are any other special dietary needs.
Childcare: The nursery will be available for infants and toddlers throughout the evening.
Cost: $5 per family for dinner
How to Sign-Up: Please follow this link below to sign-up for a start time. Since each family will journey through the activity stations separately a staggered arrival will help avoid wait times longer than a few minutes. Keep in mind that you will be eating dinner about twenty minutes after your arrival time. We will have appetizers available before you begin.
Welcome to the journey of Lent. Lent is a gift in the form of an opportunity that the church is given to prepare for the celebration of
history’s turning point. . .the resurrection. Lent is a journey that invites followers of Christ to walk towards the cross and in the process find renewal, healing and the wellspring of eternal life. The journey metaphor is important because Lent is not meant to be a sprint or a mad dash to Easter. Just as a journey is taken one step at a time, Lent is meant to be a methodical and intentional walk of reflection, confession, and community. We oftentimes view Lent as a personal or individual experience while its original intention was to be a season where the church could journey together towards the cross. As such we have focused our journey experience this year through the lens of our relationships with God and with each other. Our hope and prayer is that by joining us on this journey that you would be refreshed by God’s Word, filled with His Spirit and prepared in powerful ways for Easter and the Resurrections of Jesus Christ.
The Journey Consists of three experiences:
1. Read (One Devotional to introduce the theme and three passages each week)
2. Reflect (sets of age appropriate questions on a given text, pictures, video, music and interactive experiences)
3. Respond (opportunity to capture and express what was learned or experience at the end of each week)
The Journey Begins on March 7th! Paper Copies of the journey will be available Sunday morning as well!
Lent is not a spring but a journey to the cross. We want you to begin this experience with a bit of encouragement! There may be days that you are worn out, busy or overwhelemed by all the world is throwing at you. In those times remember these wise words…..”Don’t Stop believing!” (see appropriate version for your generation!)
The Journey, formerly known as the Bible Reading Challenge, is a 6-week experience that invites the entire body of Christ into the Bible in meaningful and life-giving ways.
The Journey is for everyone. It was created for use in families of all ages, or for use as individual adults.
The Journey begins as the church enters Lent. Get ready to reflect, to read, and to respond.
Jesus Saves Us to Live with hope
by Steve Pointer
Some people are born optimists. They seem to have been born sunny-side up. They whistle at seven in the morning, aggravating everyone at the family breakfast table
They smile pleasantly while waiting in the dentist’s office. They are naturally upbeat. Their motto, someone has said, is “Don’t worry! It may not happen.”
Fair enough. But let’s not confuse optimism with biblical hope. Optimism says, “Don’t worry! It may not happen.” Hope says, “It may happen, But God will keep us.” Optimism says, “Things will become better.” Hope says, “By God’s grace we will become better, and better able to deal with trouble.” Optimism says, “Cheer up.” Hope says, “Look up. Your redemption is drawing near.”
Christian hope comes to us as a gift in the wilderness. It is “faith on tiptoe,” straining toward an unknown future but confident as to who holds the future—”the God of Jacob” says the Psalmist. Isaac Watts captures this psalm nicely in his hymn adaptation, as he puts it:
“Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel’s God: he made the sky,
And earth, and seas, with all their train;
His truth for ever stands secure,
He saves the oppressed, he feeds the poor,
And none shall find his promise vain.”
And the Apostle Paul reminds us that all of the promises of this God of Jacob find their emphatic Yes! In Christ Jesus.
Why is hope necessary for those who follow Christ?
What makes hope difficult?
Where do you need hope and the reassurance of God’s ability to “keep us” in your life?
