Dear Church Family,
Live not by lies. This was the departing message shared by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian author of Gulag Archipelago who exposed the ruthlessness of Soviet totalitarianism and was subsequently exiled by the Soviet Union to the West. In his final essay, “Live not by lies!” he challenged the claim that totalitarianism is so powerful that ordinary people can’t change it. Nonsense, he believed. The foundation of totalitarianism is an ideology made of lies. The system depends on keeping people afraid of challenging the lies. Solzhenitsyn said, “Our way must be: Never knowingly support lies!”
How are we doing as a society on following that advice? It seems to me that everywhere you look we are confronted with lies—outright lies, half-truths, subtle twisting of the facts. If something agrees with our views, we push it out there. Or, we knowingly accept a measure of deception because we think we need to be bold to grab people’s attention in a world drowning in information. I read an article predicting the next big government scandal could easily be generated by AI—especially with how so few people seem to care about verifying the facts.
Yet this has all actually been going on for a very long time. Jesus said that since the beginning the devil has been a liar and is thus the father of lies (see John 8:44). We’ll see it in our passion history reading from the Bible this Sunday from Luke 23:1-12. Oh the hypocrisy of the Sanhedrin to accuse Jesus of starting a riot and then starting one themselves! Incredible how two powerful politicians, Pilate and Herod, were enemies until they agreed to use Jesus as a pawn in their own political game! All these people knowingly supported lies to advance their own agendas.
Join me this Sunday as we who live in a world full of lies go to God’s Word, our source of revealed truth, and learn from Jesus as he tells a story (Luke 15:11b-32) to a diverse audience of people on all sides about the scandal of our sin…and of God’s amazing response…grace…and how this has the power to change people’s hearts!
ICYMI – Watch Pastor Caleb’s sermon from last Sunday, part 3 of our Scandal series.
Lent Devotion #2 – “Do Not Fear the Valley.” Here is a link this week’s devotion based on Psalm 23:4. Thank you to Pastor Kevin from our Sienna campus and their music team!
ENGAGE – Sunday Morning Bible Study Opportunities: There are two Bible Class opportunities after church from 11:00 am – 11:45 am on Sunday mornings. Sign up through the DSC app or fill out this quick form to register.
An Easter Event for your whole family! – Come and experience the excitement of the first Easter morning at Rise Up with Jesus on Saturday, March 25! Discover the joy of Jesus’ resurrection as you travel together through interactive stations, ending with a special butterfly release. The event is free and check-in is at 8:45 am. It is designed for families with children ages 3 through 5th grade. Please click here to reserve your tickets! Check out this video invite!
Serving opportunity at Rise Up with Jesus Event – This event is part of our DSC Harvest Strategy and we need your help! It’s a wonderful way to introduce DSC to our community as we share the joy of Easter. We want more people to be part of our family in Christ. Are you willing/able to serve? There are many opportunities. For questions or more details, please contact Janette Schultz.
Easter Sunday – We hope you and your family will join us for a special Easter worship service on Sunday, April 9 at 9:30 am to celebrate the victory that Jesus won for us! Following the service we would like to share some time together outside and enjoy refreshments together. Stay tuned for a needs request in what you can bring to share or ways you can serve to help make that happen!
Building Project Progress Updates – Just click “connect” at the bottom menu of our DSC app and you will see an option for “Worship and Ministry Center”. Find photos, videos, and up-to-date construction updates.
DSC on YouTube: Watch past messages and worship services on-demand on our church YouTube channel.
Download Our Church App – Use it to worship online, watch archived messages, and register for events and classes that are coming up. Our app is the communication hub for everything DSC! Search “Divine Savior Church” in your app store. Select “Doral” as your campus.
Weekly Offerings to Budget:
Needed for Current FY 2022-2023: $10,002 / wk | Current Weekly Average: $10,136/ wk
Projected Amount Needed for FY 2023-2024: $12,600 / wk
Giving: To give simply follow this link to go to our secure giving page, or click Give at the bottom of the church app. You can make one-time special gifts or set up recurring gifts as well. Thank you for keeping in mind that setting up your regular giving via ACH vs credit card saves our church over 2% in additional fees. Please note also that the opportunity to pledge and give toward “$2,035 for 3 Years” is for offerings over and above regular giving.
Sunday Playlist: I Run to Christ CWH #833 | O Dearest Jesus CWH #432 | There Is One Gospel
Upcoming special days:
- Saturday, March 25 Rise Up with Jesus family event 8:45 am
- Sunday, April 2 Palm Sunday worship service 9:30 am (High School Choir singing)
- Thursday, April 6 Holy Thursday bilingual worship service with Holy Communion 7:00 pm
- Friday, April 7 Good Friday bilingual worship services 5:00 pm or 7:00 pm
- Sunday, April 9 Easter worship service and celebration 9:30 am
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
