Join us tonight (March 28) at 6:30 pm.
The Thursday before Easter, called Maundy Thursday, is a day the church has historically gathered for a worship service to recognize the gathering of Jesus with his disciples for their final hours together, the giving of the command to love, the betrayal, and the march to the cross.
We’ll gather at 6:30pm on Maundy Thursday to hear the story again, to walk with Jesus through those hours, and to leave longing for Sunday.
It is great to get an update to our sign that further emphasizes to the community CIL’s name change in 2019. I am so grateful for Beth Allison‘s design—she is such a talent! Also, Aubrey, Grady, and Jett McGowan worked so hard to install the sign, overcoming obstacles and getting it done! What would we do without the McGowan family?
As Hendersonville grows, may they continually see that Christ Is Love!
I shared this quote at the end of my sermon on March 10, 2024. For some who deal with doubts, be assured you are not alone. This theologian from three hundred years ago realized the complexity of faith. Still, in the end, we have the Lord because Jesus is enough for salvation.
“There is a knowledge and enjoyment of God which must be waited for in another world when we shall see him as he is. In the meantime, let us adore the height of what we do know of God, and the depth of what we do not.” – Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
If you feel stuck intellectually, read something—anything—interesting to you. Do not pick a book to impress someone else – instead, select something that piques your curiosity. It can be quirky, light, dense, or humorous. Just read.
Once your brain starts firing off again, you are on your way to creativity, fresh ideas, and perspectives that will benefit your entire person.
I have talked a lot about Daylight Savings with friends over the last couple of years as Congress debates on changes that would stop all the back-and-forth from the spring to the fall. Most people agree we need to pick a time and stick with it, but there is not as much agreement on whether it should remain Standard Time or if Daylight Savings should be permanent. Well, the discussion continues, and we find ourselves another year of losing an hour of sleep.
Maybe someday we will not have to lose an hour each year.
As I settle for the night, I am singing the new hymn that most of us know and that reminds us…
Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end
How great is our God!
I finally visited the Red River Meeting House in Kentucky, the location of one of the origins of the Second Great Awakening in 1800. It’s a place of simplicity, ruggedness, and beauty. It felt like sacred ground for me, though my theology prevents me from emphasizing it to a level of enshrinement. I look forward to future visits. I felt God’s peace.
(Note: the actual meeting house is a replica, built in 1994)
On Tuesday, we finished our wave of prayer at CIL Church. We’ve had nine prayer meetings with live worship since January 7, 2024. It has been a joy. It has been hard but ALWAYS worth it! I am so thankful for dozens of partners participating in multiple prayer times.
Building a culture of prayer takes time, and though our church has a great heritage of prayer, we must renew the call to prayer for each generation.
We’ve been praying this Scripture over our church this year, so if you are a believer in Jesus, pray this Scripture over our congregation:
“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.” – Acts 4:31 (CSB)
CIL Church believes the confluence of three streams of Christian expression – Sacrament, Scripture, and Spirit – brings full Biblical expression to our worship.
The Sacrament stream means we participate in regular communion, prepared prayers, reciting the creeds, and acknowledging the historic church calendar.
The Scripture stream speaks to our high value of the Bible teaching, evangelism, conversion, and water baptism by immersion.
The Spirit stream indicates our belief that the Holy Spirit’s manifestation gifts continue from the first church to today, allowing every believer to participate in the Spirit-filled life.
Today is the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
I still cannot believe a world that mostly cooperated to survive a pandemic reverted to an unjust war so quickly. While we may not all agree on America’s role in this conflict, we can all cry for detracted humanity.
May Russians, Ukrainians, and Americans seek peace in the cities.
May the lands rest from war.
On what we call Presidents Day, our country celebrates George Washington, the father of our country. His wisdom guided the American experiment to a new world of individual liberties, in which billions have benefited.
“In Europe, all Americans knew, people bowed to kings. On his journey, Washington continually bowed to people as his way of acknowledging tributes and cheers. It endeared him to them.” — The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789 by Edward J. Larson
Aaron's Angle 