2010 May

DINNER IN THE PARK THIS WED NIGHT
This summer we will be doing some great things on Wednesday Nights to build community and serve our city. This week we will be meeting at Sevier Park to eat dinner, play games, and simply get to know one another better. It will be a great night that you won’t want to miss.

when: Wed, June 2nd / 6:30 pm – stay as long as you’d like
where: Sevier Park (1000 Clayton Ave, Nashville 37204). This is the park on 12th South near Las Paletas. *what to bring?:* $5 for your food (the sign up sheet got lost on Sunday Night), your friends, and anything you might want to play with in the park (frisbee, softball, etc). Feel free to get there early or come late, but we will be eating around 6:30 pm.

ETHOS NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT
Thanks for being so flexible with the venue change last night. We will be back in the Cannery next week at our normal times 5PM and 7PM. We will be starting a new series so bring a Bible, and your friends. See you next week.

EPHESIANS THURS NIGHT SMALL GROUP
Another part of this summer’s Mid Week Schedule will be an intense study through the Book of Ephesians. This will be a great opportunity to go deeper in the Word in an intimate setting. Space is limited to 20 people and only 10 spots are left. If you are interested email Chad Harrington (robertchadharrington@gmail.com). This group begins Thurs June 10th and lasts 6 weeks.

On Sunday Night, May 23rd, our church family spent the evening simply listening to and reflecting on the Word of God regarding the Cross of Jesus Christ. Several of you wanted a list of the scriptures that were shared during that time … so here you go. The audio version should be up on iTunes sometime Tuesday afternoon. You can find that here. I pray these scriptures will continue to shape your thoughts as you go about your week. Love you guys – Dave

The Guards Mock Jesus
(63) The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. (64) They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” (65) And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
(66) At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. (67) “If you are the Christ,^[d^]” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, (68) and if I asked you, you would not answer. (69) But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” (70) They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”  He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” (71) Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

Luke 23
(1) Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. (2) And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ,^[a^] a king.” (3) So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  ”Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. (4) Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” (5) But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea^[b^]by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” (6) On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. (7) When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

(8) When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. (9) He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. (10) The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. (11) Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. (12) That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

(13) Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, (14) and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. (15) Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. (16) Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”^[c^{] (18) With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (19) (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) (20) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. (21) But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (22) For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” (23) But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. (24) So Pilate decided to grant their demand. (25) He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.}

The Crucifixion
(26) As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. (27) A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. (28) Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. (29) For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ (30) Then ” ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”  and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘^[d^] (31) For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (32) Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. (33) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. (34) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[e^] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (35) The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (36) The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar (37) and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” (38) There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (39) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (40) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? (41) We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[f^]“ (43) Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus’ Death
(44) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, (45) for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (46) Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (47) The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” (48) When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. (49) But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Other Passages
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Cor 1:18

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. – Gal 6:14

By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. – Ephesians 2:15-17

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! – Phil 2:8

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. – Phil 3:18

And through Jesus to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. – Col 1:20

Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. – Col 2:14 – 15

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— Romans 3:25

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. – Romans 4:7

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” – Romans 4:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. – Romans 5:19

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. — For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.– The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. –In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. – Romans 6:5-11

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Cor 5:18-21

This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. – Acts 2:23

FLOOD RELIEF OPPORTUNITY THIS SATURDAY
This Saturday, WAY-FM is organizing a day of work in the devastated Bellevue Community. Just meet at the old Circuit City building in Bellevue at 9am, prepared to work. We’ll do all we can until 4pm that day to make things better for our neighbors struggling to get through these unbelievable times. Just wear work clothes, bring gloves and if you have them, any light tools. We’ve seen the people of Nashville pull together like never before, and this is another way for you to make a difference. For information, call 615-298-4422, or visit www.WAYFM.COM.

ETHOS KIDS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
In case you have not noticed, we recently began Ethos Kids, a ministry dedicated to serving families with children ages (0-9 years old). Ethos Kids meets during the 5 PM Worship Gathering every Sunday Night. Currently, we are in need of more volunteers to serve in this wonderful ministry. All volunteers will be required to get a background check through Ethos Church before serving in this capacity. If you are interested in ministering to Kids and their families, simply shoot us an email at questions@ethoslove.com. Thanks.

For information about how to help in this time of great need, check the Ethos Flood Relief Page.

If you have helpful information that can be posted on that page, we invite you to send it to floodrelief@ethoslove.com.

If you know of needs, or you have a need yourself, we ask you to send the request to floodrelief@ethoslove.com.

We have many people who are ready and willing to serve our communities and neighborhoods as soon as we can point them in the right direction.

We also are strongly encouraging people who want to help to sign up with Hands on Nashville as a registered volunteer. Most volunteer opportunities are being funneled through that organization. You can sign up here.