Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church

In our culture we often associate the word “glory” with the fame or success of athletes. In a previous generation, military success or even sacrifice came with glory. But what is glory? In the Bible glory is commonly associated with crowns, white robes, thrones and splendor, ideas that remind us of royalty of days past. C.S. Lewis suggests that glory means approval or appreciation, the satisfaction of pleasing the one we were created to please, namely God. This Sunday, May 13,  Pastor Moran, speaking from 2 Corinthians 2:12-18, will endeavor to show that all of our conceptions of glory are actually inadequate attempts to explain the ultimate experience of human significance which is found in the infinite accolade of God’s approval, delight and acceptance as welcomes us into the heart of all things (Weight of Glory, pp. 39-41). 

The typical picture of heaven depicts disembodied spirits navigating a nebulous world of angels and mystery. In fact, the Bible teaches that the eventual bodily return of Christ to earth will usher in a new world not unlike the one we enjoy now, only perfect physically and spiritually. In his parable in Matthew 25, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that everything we do in this physical world matters. Our faithfulness to invest responsibly in family, work and service to our neighbor will determine the extent to which He will trust us in eternity with the important governance of the new heavens and new earth. In his sermon Sunday, March 6, Pastor Moran will give powerful motivation for energetic service now in light of how it will prepare us for forever.

Please consider two final opportunities to support the Overtown children’s program Touching Miami With Love before the summer break.

Volunteers are urged to participate in Water Day on the Bay on Wednesday, May 16, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. School children from Overtown not only will enjoy inflatable water slides and various games on the church property but also will receive hands-on instruction about sea life. Please consider joining in the fun and helping with refreshments.

Also pencil in Sunday, May 20, from 3-7 p.m. for A Touch of Art at Fairchild Tropical Gardens. The 4th-annual benefit art show will feature professional art for sale, a silent auction, be-your-own-artist sessions, live music, crafts for kids and more. Admission is free.

Please join the Tweeners’ Service Club in collecting new or used books (in good condition) for “Books Bound for Home,” a project of Touching Miami with Love to create home libraries, complete with bookshelves, throughout Overtown. Please bring your book donations to the church by May 6.

Sometimes the Christian’s hope of heaven is communicated in such a way as to invite the following criticism:  “You Christians think that faith in Christ gives you a free ticket to heaven and the license to live any way you wish.”  This Sunday, April 29, Pastor Moran will use 1 John 3:1-3 to show that Christians are energized and equipped to live lives pleasing to God through the knowledge they have of Jesus. The Gospel is clear: even though one does not get to heaven by good works, he certainly will not get to heaven without them.

Most of us are painfully aware of our sins against our friends, family and God. We know when we hurt the people we love, and how challenging it can be to make amends.

But the damage we inflict on the creation God asked us to safeguard can be much more difficult to perceive and fix.

We don’t think of littering, failing to recycle, or blasting the air conditioning as sinful acts — we often don’t think of them at all— yet those are ways in which we disregard God’s mandate to care for his creation. And the consequences are dire.

Beginning this Sunday, April 29, join Margaret Miller, a researcher in marine ecology, during the adult education hour to learn about climate change as a manifestation of creation’s impairment, or groaning — and what we can do about it.

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Volunteers of all ages are needed for an afternoon of fun, games and service Wednesday, April 18. Please come to the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church breezeway from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. to entertain and provide snacks for school children from Overtown, who will be enjoying a field day arranged through “Touching Miami With Love.” Donations of three watermelons, $5 each for 11 pizzas, and 12 packages of cookies are needed. Photographs of the event would also be appreciated, so if you are an aspiring photographer, please bring your camera.

Some think Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on Easter is nothing more than a fairy tale or interesting legend. Popular imaginative scholarship describes the  “resurrection” as a psychological construct designed to keep hope alive in a community devastated by its leader’s unjust execution. Other skeptics allege the resurrection accounts in the Gospels were written centuries after Jesus’ life with the goal of bringing political clout to the Christian Roman government.