CCC Gainesville | Blog
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Jn. 14:27
For he himself (Jesus) is our peace. Eph. 2:14
Dear Lord Jesus, it’s the day on our calendars that earned its own dark branding, “9/11.” Other days, in history, stand out as graphic reminders of the pervasive brokenness of the world; but in my lifetime, no day underscores that reality more clearly than September 11, 2001.
I’ll never forget how it felt watching the twin towers of theWorldTradeCentercrumble to the earth. It was chilling, frightful, and surreal. But as I remember that day of terror and trauma, I choose, even more so, to remember you, and to fix my gaze on you, Lord Jesus.
You are the Prince of Peace—the archetypal, quintessential, irrepressible Peacemaker. You’re the one who’s come to make all things new and put all things right; to restore broken things and broken people; to bring new creation delight from old creation decay; to lift the curse on creation and pour out your love into our hearts.
Your death on the cross, to use the image in the James passage, was the ultimate “sowing of peace”. As you died, taking the judgment we deserve, you were planted as the very seed which has secured an eternal harvest of righteousness. Your death was the death of death itself; and the promise, and provision, of eternal life.
Because of you, terror is terrified. Indeed, because of you, one Day there will be no terror or tears; no more brokenness or barrenness; no more heartaches or heartburn; no more human trafficking or even human tooth decay; no more war or aggravation; no more evil or envy; no more poverty or pouting; and no more “not yet,” “not enough,” or “not now.”
Our labors in you, Lord Jesus, are not in vain. Because of you we can, and must, live as peacemakers—sowing the peace of the gospel, with the hope of a guaranteed harvest.
We praise you that your name is Redeemer, Reconciler, and Restorer. We cry loudly, “Maranatha!” Come, Lord Jesus, come! Until that Day, give us all the mercy, grace, and peace we need for this day. So very Amen we pray, with joy and hope.
–from Scotty Smith
The Tuesday Evening Women’s Bible Study will be starting up again on September 10th from 6:30-8:30 PM. We will be meeting every other Tuesday through November 19th in various homes. There will be light snacks at each session. The first session will be at Laura Smoot’s home. Please email her at lauracsmootATgmailDOTcom or call 706-566-4147 for directions.
We will be studying through the book titled “Joy! A Bible Study on Philippians for Women” to continue the church wide study from this summer on this wonderful book of the Bible. The study book will not be needed for the first session.
More detailed information can be found on the CCC website. Please join us if you are able, even if you can only attend some of the sessions.
Hey errbody, Sunday we begin our study of Ecclesiastes. Give a go at reading the first two chapters before Sunday.
“Ecclesiastes captures the futility and frustration of a fallen world.” –Phil Ryken
“In Ecclesiastes, God reveals to us what life is when God doesn’t reveal to us what life is.” –Tullian Tchividjian
“Ecclesiastes teaches a biblical worldview and the goodness of creation.” –Phil Ryken
9:00 & 10:30 with a lunch for students at 11:45
Surely this is a joke; a class at church on eating? A recent sermon series at Christ Community on “the mundane” included the daily practices of eating, sleeping and working. In this class, we return to the routine to find deeper meaning in the mundane.
In the richness of the Christian story, not only has God created all things, but also he has inaugurated the restoration of all things in Christ. This “all things” includes our rhythmic, daily activities. In light of this, we do well to reflect upon the mundane in light of God’s redemptive work in the world. Eating, like other things we do multiple times a day, can become almost mindless. Our bodies are designed for nutritional and caloric input, so we insert and process foods to satisfy this need. But as we will discover, what seems like a very simple act is a very personal one (and interpersonal) – and one that carries with it lots of implications and consequences. More importantly, Scripture is full of references to eating, both literal and metaphorical. And let’s not forget, eating can be extremely pleasurable. How do we make sense of such an activity? How can theological reflection help us understand eating as an act unto God and for the benefit of ourselves and others?
In this seven week class, Todd Best will facilitate a discussion of the book Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology and Ecology at Duke Divinity School. Wirzba has offered us at least one framework for considering the theological significance of eating in his book (more details here). Please join this Opus Project reading class on Wirzba’s book at the 10:30 adult education class at Christ Community. The class starts on Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 27.
Please order your book now through the book-seller of your choice. And for of Wirzba’s perspective, see this excerpt from an interview about the book.
Finally, please note that Norman Wirzba will be a guest at the Christian Study Center on Sept. 19. See the Study Center website for details and to hear an interview with Wirzba.
