Hello Emmanuel,
Someone took my wife's coat. I'm sure it was accidental. Kim hung her coat on the rack in the lobby of the church. After worship she discovered it was gone. It's a dark, navy blue coat. A similar coat was hanging on the rack after worship. Therefore we deduced that somone took the wrong coat by accident. The coat that was left, however, disappeared later that evening. Hmmmm.....
For that person who, I'm sure, accidentally took the coat, no ransom amount would be paid. True, there are gloves in the pocket, but we don't negotiate with accidental coat-takers. Simply put the coat back on the rack and all will be well. You could even do so anonymously. The only eye that might catch you is the hidden camera in the lobby (we use it to catch people mocking the pastor by talking with their hands).
On the other hand, if you needed a coat and the coat keeps you warm, then keep it. That's what Jesus would say. Indeed, Emmanuel is so passionate about missions that, I'm sure, the church would agree. Which leads me to my point for this week's MMP:
This is a time of year that Emmanuel really can shine Christ's light. It isn't just about giving away coats. This is a time of year that we do enourmous ministries that set the stage for the whole year. But it will take you to make it as enormous as it can be.
The community Easter Egg hunt is March 30th at Batavia Township. Our goal is to get 10,000 plastic easter eggs filled and turned in to the church before then. We will be gathering them around the altar. How can you help? We are asking you to buy as many plastic easter eggs as you would like, from wherever you would like. Fill them with candy and bring them to the church and place them at the altar. If we can get 100 people to fill 100 eggs each, then that would be 10,000. If you want to do more, then do more. If you want to do less than do less.
Why 10,000? We are preparing for as many as 1,400 people to attend the Hunt (we had 750 last year, doubled from the year before). Maybe we only get 1,000. Depending on the weather, we may get even fewer. However, we don't want to be surprised by what God may do. If 1,400 come, then we want to be prepared to help them feel welcomed--- to show them we are glad they came. There will be food and other games as well. It is a prime time to let them know that Emmanuel wants to be relevant in their community. We will take the opportunity to invite them to worship. It is a grand time for Radical Hospitality. We invite them to 'keep the coat'.
Secondly, the Chocolate Easter Eggs are on sale. We want your help to get orders in. Last year the women did very good with the eggs, but not as good as hoped for. Sales have been down and we want them to go up. Why? Because every dollar profited for the eggs goes toward missions. If you want to help gather orders, there are forms in the lobby. We want to help others. We want to 'give away the coat'.
Thirdly, there is also a time for people who are already a part of Emmanuel to be nurtured. A new long-term Men's group is under construction. Pastor Shawn will be sending out his newsletter next Monday and may have something to say about it. There will also be a short-term women's study coming up, starting in March. It will be on Monday nights and run for several weeks. We want to learn how to be inspired to 'give away the coat'.
So if you are the one who accidentally took Kim's coat, it really isn't a big deal. It's sort of how we roll. In fact, if you need a coat to stay warm, then take any coat from that rack that you would want......
.... just leave the Cincinnati Bengals coat alone!
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
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