May 2023 newsletter

House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church                                 May 2023

Christ Died To Save Us From Our Selfishness  - Harvey Yoder

Christians agree that Christ's death saves the repentant from the consequences of their sin and gives them an undeserved pass to Paradise. However, they haven't all agreed on just what that means, or on how that happens. 

One of the church's oldest theories of atonement was that of Christ's death and resurrection demonstrating God’s victory over the effects of sin and death, a victory and deliverance we can claim and celebrate by faith. Some, including St. Augustine in the fourth century, believed that Jesus's life of complete obedience to God, even to the point of death, was meant to influence us to repent of our sinning and to live that same kind of life   by the grace and power of God.   

Some later theologians believed Christ's death represented a kind of ransom paid, either to the devil or to God, one that paid the debt we owed and the guilt we incurred because of our transgressions, and which granted us our full pardon and deliverance. Or according to other scholars, Jesus became our substitute, taking the just  punishment we deserved, suffering and dying on our behalf, so we wouldn't need to bear the eternal consequence of out sins.

I'm inclined toward a view of Christ's life and death that doesn't have him saving us from a wrathful God, but that the same God who "so loved the world" entered a hostile, God-hating world in order to save us from ourselves and from the consequences of the world's self-centered way of life--and to enable us to live and love in the way Jesus did and the way God does. 

As an example, here is one of my favorite passages: 

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,

    he did not think of equality with God

    as something to cling to.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

    he took the humble position of a slave

    and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

    he humbled himself in obedience to God

    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.         

Notes, Prayers and Praises

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS TO Margie Vlasits, 5/1, and Alma Jean Yoder 5/15!

OUR NEXT IN-PERSON SERVICE is planned for May 21at Heritage Haven.

WE WILL HAVE OUR ANNUAL RECOVENANTING SERVICE on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, where we spend some time discerning future direction for Family of Hope as we had agreed to do at our business meeting in January.

LOIS RIVERA-WENGER is planning a move to Kentucky to live with her daughter Lorna and family. She anticipates continuing to be a part of our Zoom church meetings and being in touch by phone.

May Study Themes

7   Fifth Sunday of Easter Romans 1:1-17 Gospel as power of God for salvation to all, both Jews and Greeks (Matt 9:10-13)

14   Sixth Sunday of Easter Romans 3:28-30 5:1-11 God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit; Christ died for the ungodly (Matt 11:28-30)

21 Seventh Sunday of Easter Romans 6:1-14 We were buried with him by baptism into death, so that we might walk in newness of life.  (Matt 6:24)

28 Pentecost Acts 2:1-4 Romans 8:14-39 The groaning of creation, Spirit helps us in our weakness, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Matt 28:16-20)

May Services, 3:30-5:00 pm  

7  Location: online 
Worship and sharing: Elly Nelson
Bible Study: Roy Hange, District Overseer
14 Location: online
Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study: Dick Dumas

21 Location: Heritage Haven Conference Room
Worship and Sharing: Guy Vlasits
Bible Study: Kent Palmer
28 Location: online (Pentecost Sunday)
Worship and Sharing, Bible Study and Recovenanting: 

c/o Harvey Yoder