Genesis 3:7-13 –
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
We were warmly welcomed by the usher and people we met finding the restrooms, so it was somewhat a surprise to be ignored in the sanctuary before the service. A number of people said hello during the greeting time and after the service.
There is larger wooden cross and the lower ceiling gives the sanctuary a nice modern look beyond the HVAC and lighting savings. I thought it simply looked good. It does limit the visibility of the projection screen somewhat.
The first song was “As the Deer Pants,” our late son’s favorite hymn, but was followed by “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?”, so it was hard to remain sad with such an upbeat song. The music filled the first half hour and lasted longer than my legs, but with my voice it undoubtedly improved the sound of the congregation when I sat down. I appreciated being able to hear the female lead as I enjoyed her voice.
When the time came for prayer requests a number of children asked for prayers. The corporate prayer was led with a strong clear voice, making it easy for people to read along together. The same with the Scripture readings…there was feeling and inflection.
There were two cell phone calls and the pastor easily handled the interruptions. (I wondered how he would have handled mine, the Hallelujah Chorus. It once went off in a church meeting and of course I could not resist saying that I really had to take this call.)
I thought the assessment of gender differences was well done and I hope it makes the men and women think and appreciate their differences.
It was nice to find a Marine presence there and to hear Chuck Swindoll quoted. I was encouraged to see the church’s involvement with the Pittsburgh Project mission endeavor.
The building looks like a converted house, and is well kept inside and out. The lower interior ceiling allows for air conditioning, which was truly appreciated today. The chairs were wide and comfortable, the sanctuary was decorated with some stunning banners, and a rough wooden cross adorned the chancel. This last would not be remarkable except that there was red paint on the cross where Jesus’ hands and feet would have been. I’ve never seen this before, and it made for a vivid reminder.
From the moment we entered we were greeted warmly with handshakes and even a hug.
During the Prayers of Intercession members of the congregation raised their hands to make a verbal prayer request. It spoke volumes (as well as bringing back fond memories) when several children in the congregation raised their hands and made requests.
The music was excellent, and for some reason I was surprised that it was contemporary instead of traditional.
The only downside to the lower ceiling is the lower projection screen, but only a small portion of the screen was affected from the far back where we sat and all the projected words were easily viewable.
During the Offertory a woman translated the words in American Sign Language as she stood next to the projection screen displaying the words. I thought this was helpful and effective.
The sermon, “The Problem Between Men & Women,” is part of the series called “Building a Healthy Marriage.”
It focused first on the four things Adam and Eve did when their sin was brought to light:
1 – they attempted to cover up their sin;
2 – they attempted to hide from God;
3 – they played the blame game; and
4 – their eyes were opened
He enumerated some of the major differences in the ways men and women are wired in their thinking and their approach to life, such as for women, things are connected, and for men they are compartmentalized and focused; women are concerned about the here and now, whereas men look at the long haul; women are physically weaker while men are physically stronger, and women lean more toward the emotional while men are more logical. Women’s brains operate holistically and have superior verbal abilities whereas men’s operate specifically and enjoy greater abstract reasoning. Women are relationship oriented while men enjoy being separate; she wants security, he is a risk-taker; she is trusting while he is suspicious.
He went on to affirm that these differences are designed by God, and we must recognize this, appreciate the differences, and use them to benefit the marriage, while making the daily choice to love unconditionally and sacrificially.
I liked the statement, “It’s not what I get but what I give, and it’s always my turn to give.” Come to think of it, I think that translates well into the rest of life also.
Heavenly Father, We pray for Your continued blessings on this church. We ask that You draw them out in love that they might bring their neighbors in to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.