This year our church is offering these daily devotionals for the season of Lent. You can purchase them for $12 from the church office.

Lent for Everyone: Mark, Year B provides readers with a gentle guide through the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through the week after Easter. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation, brief reflection, and a prayer for each of the days of the season, helping the reader ponder how the text is relevant to their own life today.

Suitable for both personal and group reflection, Wright’s guide through Lent will make the Bible–and the season–come alive in inspiring new ways.

As multi-layered as an onion, Professor N T Wright‘s new book on Mark draws you in at once with its matter-of-fact, chatty, deceptively simple prose.  Each ‘chapter’ covers one day between Ash Wednesday and Easter Saturday. Using the prescribed lectionary for the day, Professor Wright focuses on a few verses and offers us his translation, and his exegesis. If, like me, you prefer a more traditional version of the bible, I suggest you begin by reading the passage in that version before plunging into the Wright text. Like all the best teachers, he makes some of the expected points about each passage, so that you are to some extent lulled into thinking you are keeping up well (if not actually ahead of him), but he then slips in an explanation, a twist or a new perspective, which sends you back to the beginning of the chapter to start again. I do not mean to suggest that the text is difficult, far from it, but there is a good deal more meat on the bones that you might anticipate at first glance. From The Lay Anglican review.

Jesus is Still Astounding Healing Conference

Go to http://churchoftheword.net/healing_j_sheffield.html  for up to the minute details

Friday, February 24th: 7:30-9:30 p.m. (No Friday registration required)
Saturday, February 25th: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (see below for Saturday registration)
Location: Church of the Word, 7500 Logos Way, Gainesville, VA 20155 

Leader: The Rev. Dr. Jack Sheffield

Co-sponsored by the Order of St. Luke http://orderofstluke.org/

CONFERENCE LEADER

The Rev. Dr. Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield both experienced a life-changing rebirth into Christ Jesus and His kingdom, and the in-filling of the Holy Spirit in 1973. Together, they have served in ministry for over 30 years, and continue to witness many healings and miracles of God’s grace and power in a variety of forms and manifestations.

Deep River Ministries flows!
In 2001, Jack and Anna Marie felt the call from God to begin an evangelistic ministry with the purpose of spreading the Good News that Jesus is still in the business of healing His people: spirit, soul, and body. They minister in all denominational and non-denominational churches both nationally and internationally. They are available for conferences, weekends of renewal, revivals, healing missions, retreats; wherever God calls.

Christ Healing Center established 2004
In 2004, seeing the need for a safe place that would provide more in depth prayer ministry, Jack and Anna Marie helped to establish two healing centers. One is in their hometown of San Antonio, Texas, and is called Christ Healing Center. The other is known as Bethsaida House and is located in Columbus, Georgia. Wonderful volunteer staff have prayed for hundreds and seen awesome miracles and precious inner healings and deliverance from demonic oppression.

Christ Healing Center from William Michael on Vimeo.

Read more about Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield and Deep River Ministries at http://www.deepriverministries.com/.
SATURDAY  REGISTRATION

Please send an email message to Admin@ChurchOfTheWord.net to give us a head count and to hold your place at the Saturday teaching conference. Please include names, address, and phone number. Then mail a check to confirm your registration. Make the check out to “Church of the Word” and annotate that it is for the Jesus is Still Astounding Healing Conference or simply designate “Astounding”.

Cost: $25 per person or $45 per couple
Address:     Church of the Word, 7500 Logos Way, Gainesville, VA 20155

Please call the church office for more information 703-754-9673
You will be blessed!!

Due to the ongoing VDOT construction in the Gainesville area,
access to our facility has recently changed.
Click HERE for directions on how to find us.

Come join us next Sunday!

Sharing Jesus Christ is the mission indeed the passion of our community. We believe that Jesus is the word of God, ‘in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made through Him’

We also know that Jesus is the hope of the world for ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself’. Jesus said of himself, ‘I am the bread of life’.

Advent is the season of hope as we think about the ‘advent’ or arrival of Jesus in the three biblical senses of the incarnation 2000 years ago, the receiving of Jesus into a persons life today at conversion and the imminent return of Jesus Christ to be the judge of the living and the dead. Advent is not just about getting ready for Christmas but ready for Christ in each of these three senses.

Therefore Church of the Word in Gainesville, is establishing an extension campus in nearby Manassas to help further our mission. read on…

AFiM is an extension campus of Church of the Word, Gainesville. It is another worship site for that congregation and most ministry is available through our programs there. We are not currently a part on the Anglican Church in North America, though as soon as this option becomes available to us we will be delighted to return home. Meanwhile we are anglican in style and substance, but more importantly simply Christian, as N.T. Wright might say.

We meet at 4pm at the Crossway Fellowship Church location on Plantation Lane near Prince William Hospital, in their side chapel which has easy access from the front parking lot.

For directions and a map

Music: So far we have decided to use ‘Renew’ hymnal, described like this, ‘Born in the worship renewal, this songbook brings together the best from traditional and contemporary worship. Following the biblical and historic fourfold pattern of worship Gathering, The Word, Offering Thanksgiving (Eucharist) and Dismissal.’

Liturgy: Our liturgical worship booklet is drawn from the 2004 Irish Book of Common Prayer because it is the most modern of Anglican Liturgies but yet keeps the integrity of the classical principles of our tradition. We have the service printed on a booklet for easy use. Even if you are not experienced in liturgy you will find this approach helpful in bringing you closer to God in worship.

Participation: Your participation and ideas are welcome. This fellowship is being shaped by those who are becoming involved. Later we will have a more formal launch of the service. We will become more visible in Manassas with local mission projects and fellowship opportunities. look within this website for upcoming events, or suggest one yourself!

We appreciate the invitation from our brothers and sisters in Christ at Crossway fellowship to meet at their excellent facility.

Please feel free to e-mail me Pastor Robin with your questions

To see how ancient christian songs can be given new life check out Glory to God on you-tube a modern setting of the ‘Gloria’ written by our Gainesville team ‘Braeded Chord‘!

To start you thinking an Anglican Archbishop once gave this definition.

Worship is..

the submission of all our nature to God.

It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness;
the nourishment of mind with His truth;
the purifying of the imagination by His beauty;
the opening of the heart to His love;
the surrender of will to His purpose -

and all of this gathered up in adoration,
the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable,
and therefore the chief remedy
of that self-centeredness
which is our original sin
and the source of all actual sin.

William Temple, 1881 – 1944

i us Sunday April 18th for our next service!

Church of the Word is offering the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University 13 week course starting Sunday Jan 22nd @ 5pm in Gainesville. A preview will be offered on Sunday Jan 8th at 5pm.

general overview of FPU

Class Begins: Jan 22, 2011
Class Meets: Sunday at 5:00 PM
Preview: Jan 8th at 5:00 PM

Coordinator: Donna Adams, for contact info, directions and how to register online go to

http://churchoftheword.net/fpu2.html

For testimonies from ordinary people struggling with your issues see http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/testimonies/

The constituting Convocation was attended by nearly 1,000 members and visitors from across North America.  A number of other church bodies sent leaders to greet the Convocation, including the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, and the Anglican Church in North America.  Bishop Benson Bagonza of the Karagwe Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, preached at the closing worship and along with retired Bishop Ken Sauer, installed the Rev. Paull E. Spring as the first Bishop of the NALC.  

The North American Lutheran Church (NALC)  http://thenalc.org has been blessed with extraordinarily rapid growth.  At the time of the constituting Convocation in August 2010, seventeen congregations had voted to join the NALC.  One year later, that number had grown to more than 250 congregations.  Of those, roughly 35 were mission congregations, reflecting the priority placed on missions and evangelism by the NALC.  We give thanks to God for all that has been accomplished, and seek His guidance as we move into the future with excitement.

This movement among Lutherans is simular to the reform taking place among Anglicans today in North America. As the two movements are very simular in doctrine and worship look for lots of co-operation at the local level.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all mercy and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows so that we can comfort others in their sorrows with the consolation we ourselves have received from God. Amen.

On this somber day, we trust in the expectation of the resurrection to eternal life, as we remember this day those who died on the Eleventh of September, 2001 and the 10 years of conflict which have followed, and who now rest from their labors, especially those colleagues and acquaintances who remember the event with anguish still. Amen.

Keep us in union with all your saints, and bring us with them to the joyous feast of heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.  

Protect our nation and those who stand to defend it at home and overseas. Amen.

Give wisdom to our leaders and all leaders around the world as we seek to make the world a safer and saner home for all God’s people. Amen.

‘Wednesday at the Word’ is one of the programs we offer at Church of the Word in Gainesville. It is a mid week program with something for everyone in the family. It has four essential elements.

A simple but home cooked meal offered from 6:00pm until 6:45pm. The cost is only $1 per person, but you must sign up ahead of time! You can do this by calling the office at 703-754-9673 or pastor@churchoftheword.net. Usually about 40+ people sign up for this and about as many again join us later for the programs.

Three programs run from 6:45 – 8:15pm

1. AWANA for children age 4 to 12. Cynthia DuBusc children@churchoftheword.net heads up this ministry. Find out about AWANA here.
2. Youth group for teenagers including both Junior and senior high groups. Liz McCaslin youth@churchoftheword.net heads up this ministry.
3. Adult Forum led by Pastor Robin pastor@churchoftheword.net. The format varies but always encourages debate and sharing. Sometimes it is an interactive bible study, sometimes we hear about a local or foreign ministry from a guest speaker.

If you can’t make the meal at 6pm do please come along later to one of the other events, no need to register ahead of time. In case of inclement weather please call the church ahead of time or check with one of the leaders.

read about a great anglican evangelical leader

Philip Yancey

Google the words atonement and emergent church together, and your computer screen will soon heat up a few degrees. A lively (and not always civilized) debate has broken out among those who defend classical theories of the Atonement and those who see them as some variation of the caricature Dorothy Sayers drew 60 years ago:

God wanted to damn everybody, but his vindictive sadism was sated by the crucifixion of his own Son, who was quite innocent, and, therefore, a particularly attractive victim. He now only damns people who don’t follow Christ or who have never heard of him.

Since Jesus’ death nearly 2,000 years ago, theologians such as Origen, Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard, and John Calvin have proposed ways of understanding it: as a Ransom paid to Satan, a Satisfaction required by God, a Moral Influence for humanity, a Penal Substitution for the punishment due to humankind. Some of these theories, referencing animal sacrifices and God’s wrath, can make for a hard sell for many in modern times.

The Cross is the central image of Christianity, and gives us vivid proof that, in novelist Flannery O’Connor’s words, the world “has, for all its horror, been found by God to be worth dying for.” Yet theologians must somehow explain how Jesus’ death differs in essence from the death of any great leader. What made it necessary, and exactly how did it affect our relationship with God?

During Holy Week last year, I found myself reflecting not so much on the theoretical rationale for the Atonement as on its practical outworking. Three insights from that week:

(1) The Cross made possible a new intimacy with God. Three of the Gospels mention that at the moment of Jesus’ death, a thick curtain inside the temple tore from top to bottom, exposing the Most Holy Place. Traditionally, only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), could the high priest enter the fearsome Most Holy Place. Preparations involved ritual baths, special clothes, and five separate animal sacrifices, and still the priest entered with apprehension about committing an offense. He wore bells on his robe and a rope around his ankle so that if the bells fell silent, other priests could retrieve his body.

The Book of Hebrews draws a vivid contrast: the author says believers can now “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (4:16). No image could be more shocking for devout Jews than charging boldly into the Most Holy Place. Therefore, concludes the author of Hebrews, “let us draw near to God” (10:22). Because of Jesus, we need no protective curtain; God has provided a sufficient Mediator for all time.

While visiting the United States in 1962, theologian Karl Barth faced a questioner intent on pinning down exactly when he had been saved. Barth replied, “It happened one afternoon in A.D. 34 when Jesus died on the cross.” Love finds a way to overcome all obstacles to uniting with the beloved, no matter the cost.

(2) The Cross reveals the limits of human achievement. Paul wrote, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:15). Pontius Pilate had Jesus’ “crime”—King of the Jews—posted in three languages, in ironic tribute to the travesty of justice. A public spectacle it was indeed when the most refined religious authorities of the time ganged up on an innocent man, and the most renowned justice system carried out the sentence.

Writer Thomas Merton points out that “no one saw the Resurrection. Everyone saw the Crucifixion. Everyone does see the Crucifixion. The Cross is everywhere.” It should give us pause, this sign of contradiction, when we are tempted to look to politics or science to solve the deepest problems of humanity. Christ exposed as false gods the very powers in which men and women take most pride and invest most hope.

(3) The Cross brings to light an unexpected quality of the Godhead: humility. As Paul expressed in Philippians 2: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing … he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (v. 5-8). The poor and disadvantaged respond by instinct to this personal identification: witness the sermons in Appalachia or the base communities in Latin America that center on the Cross. Novelists know it too: Graham Greene, Georges Bernanos, and Ignazio Silone all made the sacrament commemorating Jesus’ death the centerpiece of their finest works.

Whatever else we may say about it, the Atonement fulfills the Jewish principle that only one who has been hurt can forgive. At Calvary, God chose to be hurt.

“This article first appeared in (insert date) issue of Christianity Today. Used by permission of Christianity Today International, Carol Stream, IL 60188.”