¹⁴ When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. ¹⁶ He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; ¹⁸ and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” ¹⁹ He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” ²³ Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” ²⁶ After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. ²⁸ When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.”

Words of Life by Adam Hamilton (Yolanda Toney)

Agape meets at 9:30 am via Zoom.

Contact Yolanda Toney (yvctoney@gmail.com) for invite.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (Dick Carruth)

Alpha meets at 10:30 am via Zoom.

Contact Bill Nation (bnation@prodigy.net) for invite.

Seven Words – Listening to Christ From the Cross (Mike Goforth)

Apostles meets at 10:00 via Zoom.

Contact Mike Goforth (mgoforth@dsginc.net) for invite.

Religion and the Civil War with Dr. Michael Turner (Bill McLaughlin)

Asbury meets at 11:00 am in Room 136 and via Zoom.

Contact Bill McLaughlin (Mclaughlinwilliam@comcast.net) for invite.

The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel (Carolyn Crawford)

Celebration meets at 10:15 am via Zoom.

Contact Bryan Barger (bwbarger55@yahoo.com) for invite.

Emmanuel meets at 10:00 am via Zoom.

Contact Scott Davis (Scott.M.Davis@Truist.com) for invite.

Hymnal Quiz (Todd Wilson)

Emmaus Class meets at 10:00 am in the OLEC Gym

Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado (Pat Gill)

Fellowship Forum meets at 10:00 am in Room 339.

The Minor Prophets (Jim Borden)

Fiser Covenant meets at 10:00 am in Room 233, Chapel Building.

Foundations meets at 10:00 am in OLEC Oasis

TBA (Doug Carpenter)

Gilbert meets at 10:00 am in Room 232

The Bread, The Wine, The Meal (Donna Haley)

Horizon meets at 10:00 am in Room 2, AEB and via Zoom

Contact Linda Colebank (lindac40@juno.com) for invite.

Salty Language: A Discussion of Salt in Luke 14:34-35 (Jesse Adkinson)

Lamplighters meets at 10:00 am in the OLEC Dance Room

Sweet Dreams (Maureen Drummond)

Seekers meets at 10:00 am in the Chapel.

Devotional and Conversation (Jay McKinney)

Trinity meets at 9:45 am in McVay Gardens Pavilion

The Gospels (Ross Hamilton)

Wesley 2.0 meets at 10:00 am in the Fellowship Hall

Last week, our hymn had numerous questions right from the mouth of Jesus. This week the hymn speaks with clarity, no question at all. Christ is the sure foundation, chosen by God to bind us into one. Questions are helpful, so too are affirmative statements like this. We affirm our faith with “I believe” statements and participate in our communion liturgy that states facts of our faith, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”

A bit of interest for me is the opening of the second stanza. “To this temple, where we call thee,” I immediately think of church structures when singing this. This temple could be any church home. This line of text is paired with the hymn tune name WESTMINSTER ABBEY. Perhaps John Mason Neale, while translating a 7th-century text, was thinking of the grand Abbey when writing. Of course, we can be less concrete and consider that this temple might be us. Our body and soul where we call Christ to come. From questions to security. Enjoy.