by Pastor Raphael

An anchor for our hope

As we reflected on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I couldn't help but rejoice in the fact that as believers we have a hope that is both tangible and concrete. Jesus, our risen Lord, is our living our hope. I found myself pleading with God to bring this bright hope to many in our Church that desire to see his power displayed in their situations.

A Gospel-centered culture

I'm grateful for our commitment to the gospel at City church. We are blessed to point everyone towards our victorious Christ every single week. I pray that we will boast his resurrecting work not only on Easter but every time. I have been thinking of this quote by Dr. Diane Langberg "The resurrection work of Jesus is done in us, step by step, choice by choice, thought by thought and word by word." While there are some things God changes on the spot, there are some he does slowly in community.

I am thankful for those who serve

I looked around Sunday all hands were on deck. I am so grateful for people that serve and make Sunday’s possible. Sadly in the church, we also suffer from the quarterback syndrome. People make it look like the pastor is doing everything but Sunday I was overwhelmed by gratefulness that God has blessed me with co-laborers and together we will not rest until Williamsport is permeated by his glory. Thank you to all who serve.

Our Humble Beginnings

I confess that for pastors Easter time can be hard for pastors. We are often plagued by the desire for people who have given Jesus another shot to hear the gospel, know Jesus, guests to feel welcome and so on. After it's all done, we are also bombarded by what we did not do becoming the worst critic of our selves. This Easter I was filled with thanksgiving when I stumbled on to a picture from our first easter in 2015. There were sixteen of us gathered in the sanctuary and as looked this Sunday we had more than a hundred people worshipping Jesus. In the beginning, we had two children (mine), and this Sunday we had close to 50. I realized we were not just singing about the resurrection; City Church itself as a body tells a resurrection story. We indeed have a reason to sing and rejoice.

Baptism

One of the sure ways of seeing lives that have been changed by Jesus is water baptism. It is an outward demonstration of an inward change. It was also a joy to hear of a couple of people that want to obey the Lord in water baptism on the 5th of May.