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 4/4/2026
Good morning church family,
GIVING THANKS & PRAISE:
Thanks to Eyoko for organizing the benevolent work for the Umbrella House for Domestic Abuse. There were great contributions towards this cause and thanks for all of your support!
Thanks to all who helped with the Pot Luck last week! We had a great turn-out and great food as well!
Mary Lou and Ronnie Ralph had good news this week. Ronnie Ralph finished his radiation treatments and got to ring the bell at Yale this past week! Mary Lou also gives thanks that her Neurologist gave her a good report and she doesn't need to be on any medications. They both give thanks & praise to God! Thanks to all for your prayers!
Dorothea Cooper's son David will be discharged from rehab Lord willing on April 10th. Thanks to all for your prayers for him.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Nadine asked for prayers for her sister Claudette and her grand-children.
Randy Springer has had multiple surgeries over the past few days. Our prayers will cover Randy and Karen as they wait on God.
Many events are happening over the next few months…all LORD WILLING and with Praise and Glory to God:
Easter Egg Hunt & devotional for the children will be held TODAY Saturday April 4th at 2pm. Pizza and refreshments will be provided. Please see Derin or Kristen Wilson to let them know if you can come!
April 10th at 7:00 p.m. – Tori Saracino's Senior Recital is coming up on Friday, at the Chapel at Sacred Heart at Sacred Heart University. It will be about 45 minutes long and she wanted to extend the invitation to her church family. There is no admission fee & is free.
Saturday April 11th – 10:00 at the church building – Ladies Saturday bible class. The lesson will be “The Fragrance of the Feast” lead by Debbie Froehlich.
Tuesday Ladies ' bible classes via zoom at 9:30 – April 14th & 28th The next class will be “Help for the hurting”.
Saturday April 18th 5:00 – New England Bible Institute Fund Raising Dinner – Meriden Church of Christ. Fliers on the table in the auditorium
We invite you to join us for a memorable evening featuring a delicious meal, an update on the graduates, and congregations being served through NEBI. By reserving your seat, you are also contributing to the ongoing work of God’s Kingdom in theNortheast. Your involvement helps strengthen our mission and expand the Institute's impact within the community.
See Jay Repecko if you have questions.
Cost: $50.00 per adult / $100.00 per couple / $150 for a family of 3 to 5
YOUNG ADULTS will have a teen movie night at the Carey's house – 116 Princeton Drive, Shelton, CT – Friday, April 24th at 6:30 p.m. Please see Zach or Kevon for more details.
Saturday May 9th – 10:00 a.m. – Ladies bible study taught by JoAnne Discala on the “Fragrance of Mercy.”
Tuesday May 12th – 9:30 Ladies bible zoom study
May 31st – POT LUCK right after worship
KENT MEN'S RETREAT – June 12th & 13th. Note: A generous offer has been made to anyone who would like to attend and needs the admission fee covered. See Bruce if you'd like to take advantage of this offer. (Funds are Limited)
http://cocmensretreat.com/
Mark your calendars for our VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL which is slated for Saturday July 25th! The theme this year is “With JESUS I'm a Superhero”
With Jesus, I'm a Superhero
A sign up sheet is posted on the auditorium doors for anyone who is able to help that day. Teachers, face painters, bounce house volunteers, food table, those who can set up, and clean up, etc.
Thanks to Derin & Kristen Wilson who head this up every year and will be providing more details soon! Another great opportunity to invite friends and family for a fun day of learning about JESUS!
TIDAL RIVER CHRISTIAN CAMP
Information regarding TRCC is now available. The weeks for camp are:
 
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1
The Lion is known as the King of the Jungle because of its muscular body, and keen hunting abilities. Adult males weigh anywhere between 370-500 lbs. They are apex predators & possess powerful forelegs, sharp retractable claws and teeth designed for killing prey. They are nocturnal hunters that rely on teamwork. Their roar is extremely loud, audible up to 5 miles away. Predators are animals which hunt, kill and consume other animals (prey for energy). they have forward-facing eyes, sharp claws and speed.
 Lambs are young domestic sheep typically under one year of age. They are precocial which means they can walk within minutes of their birth, but they remain dependent on their mother's milk for nutrition and immunity for the first 4 to 6 months. They have playful energy, and strong social bonds with their mothers and peers. Young lambs have soft fluffy wool that is finer and more delicate than the chaser shaggier fleece of adult sheep. They are smart and can recognize up to 50 individual faces (both sheep and human) and remember them for over two years. They use various vocalizations or bleats, to express emotions like fear, hunger, or happiness. A mother ewe and her lamb can identify each other specifically by the sound of their calls. A lamb would be easy pray to a Lion who is the predator.
Prey are animals hunted for food, and they have side-facing eyes for a wide field of view.
Typically, when someone is thinking of the “lion and the lamb” Isaiah 11:6 is in mind, but it is often being mis-quoted…
“And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together.”
Revelation 5:5-6
“Then one of the elders said to me,
“Do not weep!
See, the
Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David,
has triumphed.
He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.“
Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God. John the Baptist in the Gospel of John pronounced in John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
The Lion and the Lamb both refer to Jesus Christ.
He is both the conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb who was slain.
The Lion and the Lamb are descriptions of two aspects of the nature of Jesus Christ.
As the Lion of Judah, He fulfills the prophecy of Genesis 49:9-10 & Revelation 5:5
“You are a lion's cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness – who dares to rouse him?”
As the Lamb of God, He is the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin.
Isaiah 53:10; Romans 8:3 ; Hebrews 10.
Exodus 12:11-13
Jeremiah 11:19
“I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;
I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
Let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
Isaiah 53:7
“He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.”
Jesus is the conquering KING who will slay the enemies of God at His return, yet He is also the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the reproach of sin from His people, so that they may share in His ultimate victory.
“He has risen, just as He said”
Matthew 28 – The Resurrection
“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the LORD descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.
Come, see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” “And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Jesus predicted His death several times in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and John.
Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Additional accounts in Mark 8:31-32 and also in Luke 9:21-22
As He fed the multitudes, He said that “the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and tribes; be killed, and be raised again. ” Mark 8:31
Peter began to rebuke Jesus, and Christ responded “Get behind me Satan!” Matthew 16:23 & Mark 8:33. Jesus knew His death must happen. It was necessary in God's plan to save the world.
Shortly after the Transfiguration when Peter, James and John saw Christ in His heavenly glory, He predicted His death again.
Matthew 17:22-23 “When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men“. Also in Mark 9:30-32 & Luke 9:43-45.
Then He spoke again predicting His death, when He spoke to His disciples as they headed to Jerusalem for Passover. He told them how He would be mocked, scourged, crucified, and then rise again.
Matthew 20:17-19 (also in Mark 10:32-34 & Luke 18:31-34)
“Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,
“We are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be betrayed
to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.
They will condemn him to death
and will turn him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and flogged and crucified.
On the third day he will be raised to life!”
Jesus hinted that His time was short as He told the disciples “Where I am going, you cannot come”. John 13;33
Finally in John 14:25 Jesus talked about giving the Holy Spirit in His absence, which hinted at His death as well as the future of the church. “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.“
Praise GOD We get to share the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST!
THE GREAT COMMISSION in Matthew 28:16-20
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus Christ is the only One WORTHY to open the scroll because “He has conquered” sin and death at the cross. Revelation 19
Because JESUS secured the ultimate victory at Calvary, He is WORTHY to receive and open the scroll which contains the righteous judgment of God.
“ JUST AS HE SAID!”THE VICTORY HAS BEEN WON!!
WE HAVE INCREDIBLE HOPE OF HIS RETURN ONE DAY, SO KEEP SINGING:
I believe in the One they call Jesus
I believe in the One they call Jesus
I believe He stilled the storm Galilee;
I believe that He walked on the water,
And I believe that He's the answer for me.
I believe in the One they called Jesus,
I believe He died on Mount Calvary;
I believe that the tomb was found empty
And I believe that He's the answer for me.
I believe in the words of the Bible,
How He made the poor blind man to see;
I believe that the deaf ears were opened,
And I believe He's made a difference in me.
Yes I believe in the One they called Jesus,
I believe He died on Mount Calvary
I believe that the tomb was found empty
And I believe that He's the answer for me.
I believe that He spoke to dead Lazarus,
And He said, “Unbind and set free”,
I believe that He reigns up in heaven,
And I believe that He is coming again.
Yes I believe in the One they called Jesus,
I believe He died on Mount Calvary;
I believe that the tomb was found empty,
And I believe that He's the answer for me.
I GAVE MY LIFE FOR THEE
I gave My life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou might's ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou given for Me?
I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou given for me?
My Father's house of light,
My glory circled throne,
I left for earthly night,
For wanderings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for Me?
I left, I left it all for thee,
Has thou left aught for Me?
I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;
I've borne, I've borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?
I've borne, I've borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?
And I have bro't to thee,
Down from My home above,
Salvation full and free,
My pardon and My love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee;
What hast thou bro't for Me?
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee;
What hast thou bro't for Me?
1 Peter 1:18-21
“For you know that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold
that you were redeemed from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ,
a lamb without blemish or defect.
He was chosen before the creation of the world,
but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Through him you believe in God,
who raised him from the dead and glorified him,
and so your faith and hope are in God.”
To GOD be the glory, great things HE has done!
In Him,
Bruce & Paula
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