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SERMON NOTES:PRAYERREQUESTSAPRIL 10, 2011

Y People from Chain ofLakes bring new guests to worshipthis Sunday.

Y

Virginia Schober, AmyMoores Aunt, who is recoveringfrom a broken vertebrae andneeds to wear a halo until mid-June.

Y Carole Lloyd as sherecovers at home after successfulsurgery.

Y Nicholas LaMay,Angelicas nephew, who is livingwith his father in Oregon and isstruggling to finish high school

because of anger and bi-polardisorder. (on going)

Y Pray for Angelica VanIperens friends, Paul and Ruben,and they struggle with infertilityand limited resources to treat it.

Y May all the activities weare doing bring more people toChrist and the church.

Y For Kevin Amundsen andfamily who grieve the passing of

Wally Amundsen, Kevins dad. Hepassed away on Friday, April 1.

Y For Bill Fink and familywho grieve the passing of Billsfather.

Y Pray for Jonathan andJudiths family as they deal withwork, childcare, and day to dayliving.

Y Jacob Mielke a 19 year oldman who is struggling with cancer.He is getting chemo at the Mayo

Clinic.Y Peter Ralston, Faith

Ralstons son who is strugglingwith addiction.

Y Donna Mc Cullen, Ken McCullen's wife as she goes throughmore intense chemotherapytreatment.

Y The Pastor NominatingCommittee of Community

Presbyterian Church in Plainviewas they discern who God is callingto be their new pastor.

Y Gary Wassam as he looksfor a job.

Y Bill Fink as he looks for ajob.

Y Pray for continuedcourage on Dwight Zvoraksrecovery from alcoholism.

DEVOTIONThis week we enter the mostimportant week of the year for ourfaithHoly Week. The events of thisweek will be celebrated all acrossthe world. Billions of people willremember what happened inJerusalem almost 2,000 years ago.

We might know the stories well, butthey are worth reading again. This

week were looking at portions fromMatthews gospel. If you would liketo read all of the Holy Week storiesin Matthew, read chapters 21-28.

As you read these stories may yourheart be ablaze with the power ofwhat happened during Holy Week!

Comments about the devotion canbe E-mailed to pastor@colpres.org

Monday, April 18

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2 3 4Read Matthew 21:1-11When Jesus came into Jerusalem,many people in the crowd werethinking that Jesus was going tooverthrow the Romans. The peopleput down their cloaks in anticipation

that a new king was coming. Thisputting down of cloaks hadhappened in the Old Testamentwhen the people welcomed Jehu asking, 2 Kings 9:13.

The crowds were wrong. Jesusdidnt come to overthrow theRomans. He came to do somethingmore powerfully. He started aspiritual revolution that continues to

this day.

One of the reasons the crowd turnedon Jesus is they misunderstood him.They became disappointed anddisenchanted with Jesus and thuswere susceptible to beingmanipulated by the religiousleaders.

Can you think of a time in your life

when you misunderstood Godsintent? Was there a time when youwere wrong about something withGod?

Today as you pray, pray that youand the community at Chain ofLakes Church will always be clear inour understanding of who God is tous

Tuesday, April 19Read Matthew 22:34-40

This is one of the central stories ofJesus life, and one of myPastorPaulsfavorite stories in the Bible.Jesus shared that the mostimportant law is to love God with allof our heart, soul, and mind, and to

love our neighbor as we loveourselves. This teaching is astrainer through which the laws inthe Old Testament can beunderstood.

This teaching of Jesus is soimportant that its always worthasking ourselves the followingquestions: What are some ways thatyou are doing well at loving God?

What are some ways that you coulddo better at loving God? What aresome ways you are doing well inloving your neighbor as you loveyourself? What are some ways thatyou could do better?

As you pray today, talk to God aboutthese questions. Pray that we atChain of Lakes Church can keepthese questions before us.

Wednesday, April 20Read Matthew 26:1-16One of the questions that wasshared this past Sunday is why Judasbetrayed Jesus. His motivation wasmoney. He had becomedisillusioned with Jesus and thetemptation of receiving thirty piecesof silver was too much to overcome.

The church has traditionally beenvery critical of Judas. But before wego too far in condemning him, lets

put ourselves in his shoes. Whatwould we have done if Jesus haddisappointed us and we couldreceive money to betray him?

Perhaps we might not have betrayed

Jesus like Judas didor perhaps wewould havebut all of us arecapable of being tempted like Judaswas. What tempts you right now?With what do you struggle? Thegood news is that God understandsour temptation and is willing to helpus.

Jesus never condemned Judas for hisact. We never read a place in the

Scriptures where Jesus judged Judas.Jesus was disappointed with Judas,but still loved him. This attitude ofJesus is the same one that wereceive when we sin.

Instead of being afraid of God, todaythrow yourself onto God and ask forhelp with your temptations.

Thursday, April 21

Read Matthew 26:17-30Tonight we at Chain of Lakes willremember this story when we gatherfor worship at 7:00 p.m. at theSenior Center. Please come and joinus!

Friday, April 22Read Matthew 27:24-56The thirty-two verses share the most

sobering story in the history of theworld. To think that Jesus could be

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2 3 4executed by humans is difficult toponder.

The murder of Jesus is the worstevent that has ever happened in thehistory of the world. What could beworse than the intentional murder ofGod?

Today as you pray, please sharewith God your sorrow on behalf ofhumanity for what happened toJesus.

Saturday, April 23Read Matthew 28:1-10The story didnt end on Friday. God

did not give on humanity despite theintentional murder of Jesus. Godtook Jesus from death. The worstevent in the world was transformedinto a celebration that billions ofpeople will enjoy on Easter Sunday!

The world changed because of theresurrection. Tomorrow, IPastorPaulwill share a sermon entitled,The Earthquake That Has Never

Stopped. The earthquake thatMatthew wrote about in this storywas more than an event that couldbe described by what happened tothe ground. Because of theresurrection of Jesus a force enteredinto the world that still shakes theworld today.

As you pray today, give thanks forthe resurrection! Pray for the

church world-wide as theresurrection is celebrated. Pray thatwe at Chain of Lakesalong with the

communitywill be touched inworship tomorrow!