Fountain Park Church

Today we worshiped at Fountain Park Church, 8533 Peters Road, Cranberry Township, PA 16066, 724.3779.2003, www.fountainparkchurch.com, R. Mark Plumb, Pastor.

Scripture –

John 19:28-29 (NCV) –

After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, “I am thirsty.” There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth.

Philippians 2:7-8 (NCV) –

But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross.

John 19:28 (NIV) –

So that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

Psalm 69:21b (TEV) –

When I was thirsty they offered me vinegar.

Exodus 12:22 (NCV) –

Take a branch of the hyssop plant, dip it into the bowl filled with blood, and then wipe the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. No one may leave that house until morning.

Romans 5:8 (ESV) –

God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Amos 8:11-13 (NLT) –

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word.”

Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT) –

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

Matthew 10:42 (NLT) –

If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

Proverbs 25:21 (NLT) –

If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.

Psalm 63:1 (TEV) –

O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.

Matthew 5:6 (NIV) –

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NCV) –

But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us. We saw his suffering and thought God was punishing him. But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds.

Hebrews 4:15 (NLT) –

Our High Priest understand our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.

Jeremiah 2:13 (NCV) –

My people have done two evils. They have turned away from me, the spring of living water and they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water.

John 7:37-38 (NLT) –

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

John 4:13-14 (NLT) –

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Bob’s thoughts:

We had heard this church was on the verge of closing and were grieving the loss of a good Christian church where we could be enriched by God’s word. The church is closing but I am proud of their faithfulness to Christ.

I have always appreciated the wooden cross to one side of the chancel and today the drapes on the rear wall were open, which I do not remember seeing on prior visits. The view is only a few pine trees but it was a spiritual connection for me.

The message was part five of the series “Love Like Jesus” and dealt with the powerful symbolism of Christ’s words from the cross, “I am thirsty.” These words have probably been undervalued by most of us yet are very powerful when read in the context of the Old Testament prophesies. I came away with a greater understanding of the “God-shaped hole in my life.”

I recently overheard my 4-year-old granddaughter from the back seat of my truck complaining about something she thought was all wrong, then her twin brother asked, “Is there something I can do to help?” This is a question maybe we all need to ask more. In our service to others maybe we will experience the privilege of serving Christ a drink.

I have some who think they are my enemy; I’ve asked Christ to show me how I can serve them. We have all thirsted and not been satisfied with what we drank. Only Christ can quench that thirst.

Jan’s thoughts:

After hearing this week that Fountain Park would be closing its doors the week after Easter, we wanted to say goodbye to the church and our friends who were still here.

I had the sense the congregation was drinking deeply of their time together even in the midst of dismantling the trappings of ownership, and I felt privileged to be among them today.

The praise band, the projectionists, and all those who served in other vital functions were there and performing all their usual duties. The voices of the three female lead singers blended perfectly and the acoustic guitar and bongo drums were excellent accompaniments.

As is so often the case, the children’s message spoke to adults as much if not more so. Today’s lesson was about discernment in advertising and contained a humorous reminder that the ads for soft drinks, for example, are often cheesy and don’t come through with their promises (“My neighbor’s name is on my Coke bottle but I still don’t want to love him”), but that God’s promises are real and He is in all that is part of Communion. It was a terrific message.

The pastor’s message was part five of a series entitled “Love Like Jesus” and today’s part focused on Jesus’ humanity as expressed in one of His final cries from the cross: “I am thirsty.” The pastor examined through Scripture The Thirst of Jesus, The Thirst of Others, and our own thirst.

He presented how Jesus’ thirst showed He was truly human (Philippians 2:7-8), that He was the promised Savior (John 19:28; Psalm 69:21b; Exodus 12:22), and how much He loved each person (Romans 5:8).

He focused on the thirst of others by reflecting on the world’s thirst for what most cannot even put into words. He said we serve Jesus by serving others (Matthew 25:37-40), that Jesus notices even the smallest service (Matthew 10:42), and the most Christ-like service is to our enemies (Proverbs 25:21).

In addressing the question of how we get our own thirst satisfied, he pointed out we need to realize what we’re really thirsty for (Psalm 63:1; Matthew 5:6), that Jesus feels our pain (Isaiah 53:4-5; Hebrews 4:15), and we must stop looking for fulfillment elsewhere and turn to Jesus (Jeremiah 2:13; John 7:37-38; John 4:13-14).

He said we must stop digging our own wells, i.e., trying to fulfill needs that God alone can satisfy. If we are feeling unfulfilled, bored, frustrated, buried over our heads, like there is more to life than this and we are ready to throw in the towel, we need only turn toward Jesus to find the Source of fulfillment of all our needs.

It was a joy to participate in Communion, served verbally by intinction. I was truly blessed to be there today.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, as You send this congregation out into the world, we pray they go empowered by Christ to share confidently what they have learned here. May they celebrate the chance to serve You and may You be glorified. Amen.