April 14: A Time for Solitude and A Time for Community
Psalm 62 (In God Alone)
Matthew 14:13-23
What is the Fourth Commandment? Keep the Sabbath. The first three commandments are all about how to love God. The final six commandments are all about how to love neighbor. The Fourth Commandment, therefore, serves as a sort of centerpoint–an essential practice to keep if we want to love God and love neighbor.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus strikes a balance between public teaching and private prayer (time for neighbor and time for God). No passage demonstrates this balance better than Matthew 14:13-23. After Jesus receives news of his cousin John’s death, he needs some time alone with God. The next day, he teaches all day and feeds the masses. At the end of the day, he retreats again alone into solitude before another day of healing.
Those of us who are introverts crave solitude. And those who are extroverts crave company. But regardless of how you identify, all of us need a balance.
We seek solitude to renew our relationship with God. And we seek to gather in community to renew our relationships with our neighbors.
How do we know when it’s time to be alone and when it’s time to be in community?
We invite you to join us at Fairmount for Sunday Worship at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. every Sunday.
We also live-steam our 11:00 a.m. worship service to connect with our online community.
You can find Fairmount's live-stream worship at https://fpccle.org/online-worship/, on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.
April 14: A Time for Solitude and A Time for Community
Psalm 62 (In God Alone)
Matthew 14:13-23
What is the Fourth Commandment? Keep the Sabbath. The first three commandments are all about how to love God. The final six commandments are all about how to love neighbor. The Fourth Commandment, therefore, serves as a sort of centerpoint–an essential practice to keep if we want to love God and love neighbor.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus strikes a balance between public teaching and private prayer (time for neighbor and time for God). No passage demonstrates this balance better than Matthew 14:13-23. After Jesus receives news of his cousin John’s death, he needs some time alone with God. The next day, he teaches all day and feeds the masses. At the end of the day, he retreats again alone into solitude before another day of healing.
Those of us who are introverts crave solitude. And those who are extroverts crave company. But regardless of how you identify, all of us need a balance.
We seek solitude to renew our relationship with God. And we seek to gather in community to renew our relationships with our neighbors.
How do we know when it’s time to be alone and when it’s time to be in community?
We invite you to join us at Fairmount for Sunday Worship at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. every Sunday.
We also live-steam our 11:00 a.m. worship service to connect with our online community.
You can find Fairmount's live-stream worship at https://fpccle.org/online-worship/, on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.