Dear Valley Church family,
On Tuesday Valorie and I were at a live gathering of some of our elders, pastors and spouses. It was so good to be together again for our “Fifth Tuesday” fellowship, since we had missed several due to the shelter in place regulations. With outdoor gatherings of up to 60 approved by the county, we had a nice time with a little cornhole game, picnic lunches, and lots of catching up.
Most of us are pretty tuned in to the danger of infection, but some of us to different levels than others. Take a trip down the supermarket aisle and observe what happens when there isn’t a six foot clearance between you and the person coming your way. Just how close to the canned foods do you need to get for them to feel comfortable going past you? Have you ever been anxious about someone sneezing in your direction in the snack food aisle? Or a cough among the coffee beans?
In Matthew 9:9-13 Jesus uses the analogy of a doctor coming to heal sick people to reinforce his teaching about his identity. Unlike the other encounters of Jesus that we’ve studied so far, no miracle or spectacular event happens — just one tax collector gets transformed from the inside out. But what Jesus shows us about his love and care for sinners like Levi (as well as you and me) is nothing less than mind boggling. Compared to the proud and popular Pharisees who avoided being contaminated by the “hoi polloi”, Jesus joyfully hob nobs with sinners — the dregs, the downcast, and the despised. Wherever you are on the sensitivity scale for “infection”, Jesus wants us to be like him: careful, but caring, involved and aware.
Join us this weekend at valleychurch.org and click on the colorful “Join us online” banner. Or you can come for our THREE Church on the Grass services this Sunday morning. (Notice the new times!) Don’t forget to bring your own blanket or lawn chairs!
For 8:30 AM TRADITIONAL click HERE
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For 9:45 AM CONTEMPORARY click HERE
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For 11:00 AM CONTEMPORARY click HERE
So please RSVP ASAP. We can have up to 60 people at each of these services. Choose which event you wish to register for by using one of the links above. REMEMBER: There’s plenty of room so don’t hold back. If one service is full, try another. If all are full, please register to be waitlisted by completing this WAITLIST FORM.
Also, Bev Carter’s memorial service will be this Saturday at 10:30 am at Valley Church. If you are interested in attending, please email info@valleychurch.org.
Blessings,
Kurt