On Returning to Worship
Website Editor • May 02, 2020
Dear Crosspoint family,
These past seven weeks have presented unprecedented challenges for all of us. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement you’ve offered our leaders and staff as they’ve adapted our services to an online format.
It has been encouraging to see the ways you’ve continued to engage our community - through online services, community group zoom calls, etc. On top of this, many of you have stepped up and found creative ways to serve our community and to be a light during this dark time. It has been so encouraging to see all of this happening in spite of the challenges we’ve all faced.
As businesses are beginning to reopen, many of you have been asking when we will resume our Sunday morning services. There are several elements we are forced to consider in this decision.
Primarily, we have a number of members that fall into the high-risk category and we want to be mindful of their needs. We also have members that are somewhat apprehensive of immediately returning to “normal.”
As we’ve weighed your responses to our survey, we’ve come to three conclusions:
1 . We will need to continue providing an online version of our Sunday service to accommodate those who are unable to attend or who may be apprehensive to return. This likely will cause some significant adjustments to the behind-the-scenes work of our media team.
2. As you would expect, many new safety and security procedures will need to be implemented as we resume gathering such as providing hand sanitizer, spacing families and rows, providing masks for those who wish to use them, designating a stationary offering basket, and utilizing prepackaged elements for the Lord’s Supper.
3. We feel like the best way to move forward is with patience and an abundance of caution. We miss getting to see each other and we miss our corporate worship gatherings immensely. Even so, we do not want to make the mistake of rushing too quickly without adequately preparing to do so in a way that will allow us all to be comfortable.
These conclusions and the challenges obviously present a new set of challenges to our staff, leaders, and volunteers. In order to give us all adequate time to prepare, we will continue our online services for at least the next two weeks (May 3 & 10). At that point, we hope to announce a more clear plan to resume our Sunday morning services.
During this time, we ask you to continue being the faithful people of Crosspoint that you are. Please continue to pray for and encourage your leaders. Please continue to seek out ways to connect with each other. And please keep in mind that there truly is no one right way to approach this unprecedented situation. Let’s love one another, bear with one another, and be patient with one another while we work towards returning to a new normal for us all.
Sincerely,
Ryan Lewis, Lance Shumake and Ky Martin
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, May 12, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:12-21 Adam ruined it for everyone —sin came into the world through Adam —death came into the world through sin —death spread to all men because all sinned “God has always dealt with mankind through a head and representative. The whole story of the human race can be summed up in terms of what has happened because of Adam, and what has happened and will yet happen because of Christ.” —Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Jesus is the true and better Adam “Cranfield explains, ‘That one single misdeed should be answered by judgment, this is perfectly understandable: that the accumulated sins and guilt of all the ages should be answered by God’s free gift, this is the miracle of miracles, utterly beyond human comprehension.’ The final word from God could have been “Condemned, on the basis of many trespasses.” Instead, it is “Justified, through the gift of Jesus’ righteousness.” That is why Paul declares that the gift is “much more” or “much better” than the result of Adam’s trespass.” —Daniel M. Doriani, Romans Through Jesus grace abounds and grace reigns Discipleship Questions: What are some reasons we might not like the idea that we all sinned when Adam sinned? What can help us embrace the idea that we all sinned when Adam sinned? How does that idea set us up for the good news about Jesus and what He accomplished? How does the truth from this passage build our assurance of our salvation? In what ways is what Jesus did much more powerful and better than what Adam brought us? How have you experienced the reign of grace in your life despite the reign of sin and death in the world? How can we experience the reign of grace through Jesus in everyday life?
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:6-11 God has already done the work needed to save us He took the initiative “God has addressed the cause of the offense… Although he is the offended party, God has removed the offense. God has extended “the olive branch.” -Jay Smith He justified us He reconciled us Reconciliation is an objective event that God accomplished by removing the barrier of sin that separated himself from humanity. This result is independent of humanity’s response although it formed the basis for an individual’s subjective appropriation.” Jay Smith Appropriate: “To set apart for or assign to a particular recipient.” Christians need not fear judgment day 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:1-5 We find joy in the blessings brought by justification —peace with God —access to God’s grace Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —hope of the glory of God “Christian hope is not uncertain, like our ordinary everyday hopes about the weather or our health; it is a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God, as we saw in the case of Abraham. And the object of our hope is the glory of God (2), namely his radiant splendor which will in the end be fully displayed. —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans We can even find joy in our sufferings “Various kinds of sufferings will come to us, but we can rejoice in them when we recognize that they serve a purpose: to develop our Christian character. In verses 3b–4 Paul shows how a godly response to suffering can initiate a series of virtues, culminating, strikingly, in hope. Note, however, that Paul is not saying that we should rejoice because of suffering. Evil things are still just that—evil—and we never should be happy about them. But by looking beyond the suffering to its divinely intended end, we still can rejoice in the midst of them.” —Douglas J. Moo, Encountering the Book of Romans —suffering produces endurance “ We know this, especially from the experience of God’s people in every generation. Suffering produces perseverance ( hypomonē , endurance). We could not learn endurance without suffering, because without suffering there would be nothing to endure.” —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans —endurance builds character —character gives us confident hope Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?
Join us!
Saturday afternoons at 5:00 and
Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11 at Heritage Christian Academy in Rockwall
1408 S. Goliad St.
Rockwall, TX
Please send mail to:
PO Box 1015 | Rockwall, TX 75087
Subscribe to our weekly updates:
