MESSAGE NOTES
Shoulder to Shoulder
Luke 24:13-27
Dr. Jeffrey Clark
The Big Idea: The risen Jesus pursues pilgrims who leave the company of faith.
Context, v. 11
Life’s Journey, v. 13-24
Jesus’ presence, v. 25-26
Applications
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Quick Review: Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you?
My Story: What reasons do you hear (or use yourself) for disconnecting from the company of faith?
Digging Deeper:
1) It appears that division among followers of Christ (v. 11) becomes an occasion for these two pilgrims (v. 13) to leave. In your opinion, what divisions have an effect upon those who connect? How should these differences be approached?
2) These pilgrims are commended for not being alone; further, they welcome a third party without (yet) knowing His true identity. They were conversational and invitational. Who has God placed in your path and what steps can nurture these relationships?
3) It appears these two individuals had their facts correct about Jesus. They did not need more knowledge. Instead, Jesus challenged them in verse 25, to what end?
4) Some students of this passage believe it teaches the idea that a person comes to God with “faith seeking understanding.” In what way is that idea needful and helpful?
Taking it Home: As you pray for friends and neighbors, ask God to lead you to someone disenfranchised from the company of faith. Extend an invitation to join the Aspen Ridge Church Mops Hop (Saturday at 10:00 AM) or a weekend Easter service.
NEWCOMERS RECEPTION
We would love to meet you at our Welcome Center in the lobby and share a gift and available opportunities. Our Pastoral team would also love to meet you and will linger in the front after the services to this end. You may let us know you were here by using a Communication Card found in our worship folder. We receive these in containers placed on tables in the Celebration Center.
FAMILY SERVICE WEEKEND
This weekend Aspen Ridge Church will host a “family service,” meaning children are intentionally included in the adult gatherings in the Celebration Center. Nursery care will remain available. Our children are presenting special Palm Sunday music, and the services are modified with smaller attention spans in mind. Next week we rotate back to our regular classes for children.
WEEKEND FELLOWSHIP
Please plan to join us this Saturday for Soup’er Saturday immediately following the evening service and Sunday in-between our morning worship services for our Food Truck Fellowship. We look forward to great food and fellowship!
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (VBS)
Sign-up for volunteers for VBS continues this weekend! Come join us as we teach children about Jesus, June 13-17, 9:00 AM – noon. Participation is reliant on adult to child ratio, so this is an incredible opportunity to serve! Volunteer training will be held after service on Sunday, June 5 with a free lunch provided. Please sign up in the lobby and contact Debbie with any questions.
NEWCOMER’S EAT & GREET
Are you interested in getting to know more about Aspen Ridge Church? Pastor Jeff and Mary will host this informal gathering at their home on Sunday, April 24 at 2:00 PM. The address is 7183 Pinewood Drive in Evergreen. We would love to connect with you and hear more about your interests/desires. Please contact the church office to RSVP.
EASTER WEEKEND
Next weekend Aspen Ridge Church will celebrate the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ in our weekend services at our regular times. Further, we will be presenting 12 faith stories and 10 baptisms! We expect our services to be full so please allow a few extra minutes for parking and arranging children and students in their respective classes. Invite a friend to our “Shoulder to Shoulder” Easter series!
DECORATIONS
Aspen Ridge Church would like to thank Dena Lucci and her crew for providing beautiful Palm Sunday and Easter decorations in our Celebration Center. Thank you, Dena!
MAIN OFFICE SCHEDULE
Please note, our main church office will be closed on Friday, April 15. Our regular office hours are Monday – closed, Tuesday through Thursday – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday – 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
MOPS HOP 2022
Aspen Ridge MOPS is proud to host our “returned-to-full-participation” annual MOPS Hop on Saturday, April 16! This family-friendly event will feature an Easter egg hunt, brunch with the bunny and fun activities for all. The fun begins at 10:00 AM – we hope you can join us and invite your neighbors.
RELATIONSHIPS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
After Easter, Aspen Ridge Church will present a series entitled “Relationships Under Construction.” We will give special attention to building constructive relationships between/among the sexes. It will be a comprehensive look at different types of relationships: husbands/wives, friendships among singles, spiritually diverse marriages and people who aspire to marriage. Wise counsel will be found in 1 Corinthians 7.
ELDER BOARD SERVICE PROJECT
Our elder team would like to announce a relief effort/service project toward our sister churches and their neighbors in Ukraine. Visit this Converge link; https://www.converge.org/missions/world-relief for more information. Our Missions team is ready to receive gifts that would be forwarded to this purpose, please mark those gifts accordingly.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNER
Please join us on Wednesday, April 13 for spaghetti, zoodles, salad rolls and dessert. The cost is $3/person or $10/family. We would love to meet you there!
GIVING SUMMARY AS OF APRIL 3, 2022
GENERAL FUND LAST WEEK THIS MONTH FISCAL YTD
Actual $ 15,660 $ 15,660 $ 528,831
Budget $ 14,000 $ 14,000 $ 517,500
Difference $ 1,660 $ 1,660 $ 11,331