Church of the Messiah Celebrates the Ascension of Our Lord this Wednesday

Coptic Ascension IconThis Wednesday night, beginning at 7 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven.  More commonly and simply known just as The Ascension, this day commemorates how, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead, Our Lord went out to a mountain with His disciples and was taken up into Heaven.  This is an incredibly important feast in the life of the Church, yet it is often overlooked because of its time in between Easter and Pentecost.

This Wednesday night, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension as part of our regular mid-week worship service.  The worship service will begin at 7 o’clock and will be preceded by our soup supper from 6:00-6:45.  The service is a Eucharistic service complete with praise & worship, intercessory prayers, and Holy Communion.  Childcare is provided during the service time and the service ends by 8:30 to accommodate those needing to prepare for school or work the next day.  The Feast of the Ascension is one of the most important feasts in the Church year.  Join us this Wednesday night and celebrate the incredible occasion with us.

“Preparing for Pentecost” Continues Tonight

Preparing for Pentecost BannerChurch of the Messiah’s Easter teaching series continues tonight, Wednesday, April 20th.  In previous weeks Fr. Looker addressed what the Jews expected from the Feast of Pentecost and the overall structure of I Corinthians 12-14 as St. Paul addressed “spiritual matters.”  Tonight Fr. Looker will address I Corinthians 12 in detail, focusing on what it meant to the Corinthian church as well as what it means for us today.

“Preparing for Pentecost” is part of Church of the Messiah’s mid-week worship service.  The service begins at seven o’clock and includes praise and worship, prayer time, as well as the Holy Eucharist. The service is preceded by a soup supper from 6:00 to 6:45.  Childcare is provided for the service and the service ends by 8:30 in order to accommodate the needs of those who have work or school the following morning.  Everyone is welcome.  Join us this Wednesday night as we learn about our spiritual heritage and what Pentecost means today.

Holy Week at Church of the Messiah

Holy Week is the most incredible time of the year for churches throughout the world and Church of the Messiah is no exception.  We have amazings thing planned as we relive the events of Christ’s betrayal, death, and, ultimately, Resurrection!  We want you to join us for all of these remarkable services.

footwashing2Maundy Thursday: Join with us as we commemorate Jesus celebrating the Last Supper with His Disciples on the night He was betrayed.  This deeply moving service includes the once-a-year foot washing service as well as the solemn stripping of the altar in remembrance of Christ’s betrayal.  Prior to the service we will have our regular mid-week soup supper from 6-6:45.  The Maundy Thursday service itself begins at 7 o’clock.

GoodFriday1Good Friday:  Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the church year is Church of the Messiah’s annual Good Friday service.  From noon til three o’clock we reflect on the Passion of our Lord taking inspiration from seven different meditations each coupled with solemn prayers and contemplative songs and dance offerings.  The service also includes the reading of the Passion Gospel and the Veneration of the Holy Cross.  While the service is three-hours long, it is structured in such a way as to accommodate those who are only able to attend a portion of the service.  Come for the whole service, come for thirty minutes.  For whatever amount you can attend, you will be blessed.

HeIsRisenEaster Sunday: Celebrate with us the most glorious and triumphant of Feasts, the Feast which makes all other feasts possible, the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord!  Death has been defeated and the grave has been overthrown!  The celebration begins early.  Starting at 9 o’clock we will be serving hot cross buns, coffee and tea in the church foyer.  Also during that time, be sure to bring spring flower for the annual “flowering of the cross.”  Help beautify our Easter cross by bring your own flowers to help decorate.  The service itself begins at 10 o’clock and, as always, we pull out all the stops for the most glorious day of the year.  Immediately following the service we will have an Easter egg hunt in the courtyard outside the church.

Everyone is welcome to attend all of our services and childcare is provided at all events.  To help facilitate inviting others to join us, we have created Facebook events for each of these services.  To find these events, simply go to Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page and click on the “events” tab or click on the each event’s bold name.

Mid-Week Soup Supper Focuses on Prayer this Week

Renewed BannerWednesday night, March 2nd, Church of the Messiah will continue its Mid-Week services which began Ash Wednesday.  Throughout the season of Lent, Fr. Scott Looker will be hosting a series titled “Renewed” and taking its title from the words of St. Paul in Roman 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  The series focus on transforming how we see our spiritual life and renewing our walk with the Lord.  This week we will the teaching will focus on prayer and changing the way we look at our prayer life.  The service itself begins every Wednesday night at seven o’clock and is preceded by a soup supper from 6-6:45.  Everyone is welcome to attend and childcare is provided.  In order to ensure that everyone is able to attend, we are committed to ending by 8:30 in order to accommodate everyone who needs to have children home and prepare for work and school the next morning.

Celebrate Ash Wednesday this Wednesday Night

Ash Wednesday BannerThis Wednesday, February 10th, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the beginning of Lent with our traditional observation of Ash Wednesday.  Lent is the season which precedes Easter and commemorates Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness and Israel’s wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  Christians throughout the ages have prepared to celebrate Easter by observing Lent with prayer and fasting.  Ash Wednesday, as the beginning of Lent, is a special service which includes the Invitation to a Holy Lent, the Imposition of Ashes, and the Litany of Penitence.  This incredibly special and unique service will begin at 7 o’clock.

In order make it easier for everyone to be a part of this service, Church of the Messiah will be serving a soup supper dinner beforehand in the parish kitchen.  Dinner will be served from six o’clock to 6:45.  Everyone is welcome to attend the service and soup supper.  Childcare is provided during the service.  The service will be over by 8:30 in order to ensure that everyone may be home in time to get children ready for school the next morning and prepare themselves for work the next day.  We want everyone to join us for the beginning of the season of Lent and Ash Wednesday, February 10th.

Christmas Card with Service Times Available

ChristmasCardFrontIf you attended either the Men’s Breakfast or the Women’s Christmas Luncheon this month, you saw the Christmas cards we handed out to our neighbors as we went Christmas Caroling this past Sunday.  Now, if you would like to hand those same cards out to your own friends, neighbors, or co-workers, we are making the cards available on the web-site.  Simply click on the Christmas Service Invitation to download the file and print up as many copies as you like.  Fold them appropriately and hand them out to invite anyone to whom you feel led to join us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Church of the Messiah Goes Christmas Caroling Today

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Today,  Sunday December 20th, immediately after our 10 o’clock service, we will be heading out in groups into the neighborhood for Christmas Caroling.  We will not only use this as an opportunity to spread Christmas cheer and make merry but also to invite people to join us for our Christmas services this coming week by handing out the Christmas cards we have been preparing all month.  Lunch will be provided so skip your favorite eatery this afternoon and let’s go sing about the coming Messiah and invite our neighbors to hear more about Him on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Fusion Is This Saturday Night!

FusionFusion is Church of the Messiah’s ministry and outreach to young adults.  It is a monthly worship service directed at those who are between the ages of 18 and 35.  We begin each night with appetizers and light refreshments at 6:30 before the service starts at 7 o’clock.  The service consists of contemporary worship, a powerful teaching testimony, and a time of ministry before the Holy Eucharist.  Everyone is welcome and childcare is provided for those who require it.  This month, Casey Harlow will be speaking to those present on overcoming self-doubts and seeing ourselves as God sees us based on Genesis 1:27.  It will be, as it always is, an incredible night of worship and ministry.  Fusion, the ministry, has its own Facebook page which you can find HERE and this month’s Fusion service has its own Facebook event page which you can find HERE.  Be sure to invite those you know who should be attending.

Church of the Messiah Hosts Messiah This Monday Night

Women Alive LogWomen Alive is a monthly gathering of women from all over the city of Jacksonville and surrounding areas. Its meetings are a safe place to encounter Jesus through extended worship, teaching, and prophetic ministry. Every woman is invited to join in and pursue more of Jesus and discover more of who He is. Monday night, December 7th, Church of the Messiah is blessed to host Women Alive.  Participants will be blessed by Nicole Norris, the worship leader from New Life Christian Fellowship of Lake City, leading worship and Sharon Williams, the executive director of Acts 4 the Nations, speaking on “What Do You Have? A little oil in the Lord’s hands, a little bread and fish lifted up to Jesus produces much.”  The service begins at 7pm and childcare will be provided.  For more information and regular updates, a Facebook Event Page has been created HERE.  Everyone is welcome.  Invite your friends.

Women Alive
EVERY WOMAN.
EVERY AGE.
EVERY CHURCH.

Men’s Breakfast This Saturday Morning

Men's BreakfastThis Saturday morning, December 5th, starting at 8 o’clock, Church of the Messiah’s Men’s Ministry will host a Men’s Breakfast.  There will be amazing, fresh-cooked food, fellowship with men of God, and a time of discussion.  After we have had our meal, we will stuff Christmas Cards in preparation for our Christmas Caroling event on December 13th.  Donations to cover the cost are welcome but not required.  Any leftover money will go to future Men’s Ministry events.  Join us this Saturday morning at Church of the Messiah’s Men’s Ministry Breakfast!