meets at the Farm Centre, 420 University Ave.

Charlottetown, PE Sunday mornings 10:00 am - 12:00 PM

APRIL 7, 2013

Easter and My Struggle with the Brutality of Gods Plan

by Wayne Jacobsen
Something about the story made me cringe every time I heard it, and since I grew up a Baptist, I heard it a lot: To satisfy His need for justice and His demand for holiness, God sentenced His own Son to death in the brutal agony of a crucifixion as punishment for the failures and excesses of humanity. Dont get me wrong. I want as much mercy as I can get. If someone else wants to take a punishment I deserve and I get off scot free, Im fine with that. But what does this narrative force us to conclude about the nature of God? As we approach Easter, the crucifixion story most often told paints God as an angry, bloodthirsty deity whose appetite for vengeance can only be satisfied by the death of an innocent the most compassionate and gracious human that ever lived. Am I the only one who struggles with that? The case could be made that it makes God not much different from Molech, Baal or any of the other false deities that required human sacrifice to sate their uncontrollable rage. We wouldnt think this story an act of love from anyone else. If you offend me, and the only way I can forgive you is to satisfy my need for justice by directing the full force of my anger for you onto my own son by beating him to death, you probably wouldnt think me worth knowing. You certainly wouldnt think of me as loving. And this solution ostensibly comes from the God who asks us as mere humans to forgive others without seeking vengeance. Is He demanding that we be more gracious than He is? Many of the Old Testament writers did look forward to the cross as a sacrifice that would satisfy God, and they used the language of punishment to explain it. But the New Testament writers looking back through the redemption of the cross saw it very differently. They didnt see it as the act of an angry God seeking restitution, but the self-giving of a loving God to rescue broken humanity. Their picture of the cross does not present God as a brutalizing tyrant expending His anger on an innocent victim, but as a loving Father who took the devastation of our failures and held it in the consuming power of His love until sin was destroyed and a portal opened for us to re-engage a trusting relationship with the God of the universe. The New Testament writers saw the cross not as a sacrifice God needed in order to love us, but one we needed to be reconciled to Him. One of my best friends died of melanoma almost two years ago. Doctors tried to destroy the cancer with the most aggressive chemotherapy they could pour into his body. In the end, it wasnt enough. The dose needed to kill his melanoma would have killed him first. That was

Serving This Sunday

Greeters Karen Gallant & Karen Parr Worship Team TBA Communion Preparation Bernice Gallant OFFERING COLLECTION Russ, Tom & Jill S. Speaker Tom Zawacki Sound Bram Hamming Media Willy Hamming Toddler Ministry Marsha McAndrew & Olivia Wigmore CHILDRENs Ministry Laurie MacPhee & TBA Prayer Ministry Teams TBA Clean Up - TEAM A John & Lori MacDonald, Blair & Chantale MacEwen, Nathan & Lindsay Metzger, Tom & Jill Shultz and Joel Hamming.

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PRAYER
requests
Charlottetown Community Church & Surrounding Community The Presence of God That we Live Loved That we Live Love That we Live Supernaturally Laurie MacPhees nephew & sister Recovery & support for him and his family. Jane Watts niece Healing, prompt medical care & comforting peace. Trevena MacLeods mother Healing, freedom from pain, lifted spirits & support for her and her family. Melanie Taylors daughter Jessica Healing and lifted spirits. Jack McAskill A healthy new liver, a speedy transplant, healing & recovery, lifted spirits & support. Donna MacDonald Healing, freedom from pain, lifted spirits & support for her and her family. Lori Nelsons father Healing from surgery, radiation, and chemo, lifted spirits & support for him and his family. Lori McDonalds friend Jen Healing from cancer, lifted spirits & support for her and her family. Karen Gallants grandson Oliver Healing and support for him and his family.

Easter and My Struggle with the Brutality of Gods Plan

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Gods dilemma in wanting to rescue us. The passion He had to cure our sin would overwhelm us before the work was done. Only God Himself could endure the regimen of healing our brokenness demanded. So He took our place. He embraced our disease by becoming sin itself, and then drank the antidote that would consume sin in His own body. This is substitutionary atonement. He took our place because He was the only one that could endure the cure for our sin. Gods purpose in the cross was not to defend His holiness by punishing Jesus instead of us, but to destroy sin in the only vessel that could hold it untilin Gods passionsin was destroyed. Perhaps we need to rethink the crucifixion in line with those early believers. God was not there brutalizing His Son as retribution for our failures; He was loving us through the Son in a way that would set us free to know Him and transform us to be like Him. Now thats a God worth knowing.

CHURCH NEWS & GROUPS

CHURCH FINANCES Four Week Average Giving: $1,964.56 Four Week Average Needed: $2,000.00 Lets keep praying for God to supply all we need! Free Clothing Giveaway Saturday, May 18th at the Farm Centre Drop off gently used clothes at the Farm Centre on Friday, May 17th from 5:00-7:00 PM Volunteers needed: Set up, organize, clean up, trucks to transport leftover clothes to a thrift store. See Lindsey Perry for more information Sign up today! Atlantic Vineyard Regional Gathering May 3-4, 2013 Location: Saint John Vineyard Guest Speaker: David Ruis Online Registration at www.saintjohnvineyard.ca VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! NEED TEACHERS & HELPERS! The Sunday morning service requires a See Laurie MacPhee large number of volunteers. If you can help, or Carolyn Read put a note on the Facebook page, sign one of the sheets in the lobby, or mention it to Church Kidz If you are interested in volunteering in Childrens one of the leaders. Positions we are often looking to have help with are: OFFERING Ministry, contact Laurie MacPhee. If you COLLECTION, GREETERS, WORSHIP TEAMS, are interested in working with the Toddler CLEAN-UP TEAMS, KIDZ CHURCH & Ministry, contact Marsha McAndrew. TODDLER MINISTRY, PRAYER MINISTRY
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PRE-SERVICE PRAYER
Sundays 9:15 - 9:45 a.m. in the Farm Centre boardroom (second floor to the right at the top of the stairs). Anyone interested is welcome to join.

WORSHIP TEAMS If you have been thinking that you would like to take part in or lead worship on Sundays please contact John McDonald on Facebook, by email at johnperogie@gmail.com, or call or text at (902) 213-0504.

CHURCH NEWS & GROUPS

There is lots going on, be free, go where the life is, family first. Church website is now updated with all activities.
Mens GROUP 6:00 PM, Wednesday, April 17th Location - Tom Zawackis Movie Night Braveheart See Tom Zawacki for more information YOUTH GROUP 7:00 PM, Friday evenings Location - Carl & Sheryl Friedrichs This group is for teenaged youth. For information, contact Carl or Sheryl Friedrich. MOMS & TOTS GROUP
MOMS & TOTS

Spiritual Gifts Workshop WITH TOM ZAWACKI

** FREE!! INVITE YOUR FRIENDS! ALL WELCOME.

10:00 AM, Wednesday mornings Contact Michelle Barton for location OPEN TABLE This is the last week. For information, contact Shelagh Campbell or Natalie Simmons.

7:00 PM, Thursdays Beginning April 11 Location: Room 107 at the Farm Centre The workshop will include: Introduction to Spiritual Gifts ** Bring a Dream Basics notebook Dream Elements and a Bible. Common Dreams Metaphoric Thinking Introduction to Visions Strange Biblical Events How to Give a Prophetic Word PracticalExercises LADIES BOOK CLUB 7:00 PM Wednesdays at Linda MacFarlanes Home 51 Candlelight Park in North River He Loves Me by Wayne Jacobsen This week theyll be discussing Chapter 12.

A Charlottetown Community Church Group

IN OUR AREA

Habitat for Humanity PEI looking for volunteers Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers to help with the construction of homes, in the ReStores, on their committees and in the affiliate offices as well. If you are interested in becoming part of their volunteer team, or would like more information, please contact Emily at (902) 367-3041 or volunteer@habitatpei.ca

CAN SUNDAY DONATIONS FOR THE FOOD BANK Weekly, a box is placed in the lobby to collect donations for the Food Bank or for families that we recognize are in need. Any non-perishable items are greatly appreciated.
Pastor Tom Zawacki (902) 892-5001 communitychurch@pei.aibn.com www.charlottetowncommunitychurch.com

Charlottetown Community Church

Part of the Vineyard Network in Canada P.O. Box 1081 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7M4

If you would like to get something in the newsletter (prayer request, FACEBOOK announcement, etc.), please email it to cccnews2012@gmail.com by Joining the Charlottetown Community Church Facebook group is the fastest way to get up to the minute news, prayer Wednesday of each week. requests and get in on discussions. Check it out today!
Our desire is to be a community of grace that presents Jesus in a relevant way reaching our city and beyond with the love of God.

Our Mission is Possible:

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