NCC Weekly Newsletter

Meet & Greet Cookout THIS SATURDAY! - Join us in welcoming Rachel Starr, a candidate for our Next Generation Minister, at our Meet & Greet Cookout this Saturday! We are excited to have her with us and would love for all of our Church Family to attend. The event will be held from 5-7 PM at the building, where we'll be serving hamburgers, sides, and desserts. Please bring a chair and join the fun! Don't forget to sign up at the kiosk so we can prepare accordingly. For those interested in reviewing the position description just click the link here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N-BhkjqLzksx6DPIhEeKcoehFkpRazXd/view?usp=drive_link

APRIL

April 10th - To be announced

April 17th - To be announced

April 24rd - To be announced

$5 per person, $15 max per family

(Gluten Free Weekly Option: Chicken Breast, Kids Weekly Option: Chicken Nuggets)

LAST SUNDAY 03/31/24

ATTENDANCE: 156

GIVING: $4255

THIS SUNDAY 04/07/24

SERMON: Morgan Gravley - Better Than - Context Matters. Exploring the Book of Hebrews

GREETERS: Tom & Susan Martin

COMMUNION: TBD

NEXT SUNDAY 04/14/24

GREETERS: Tom & Susan Martin

COMMUNION: TBD

As a bit of a “prologue” to the new series exploring the book of Hebrews, I wanted to take a moment to invite you into my process. I don’t want to spend too much time on this during the sermon, but I know some of you would be interested. I am approaching my preparation for this series in a new way using a method I have never used before. So, if you aren’t interested in me nerding out of the Bible, proceed to the last paragraph. :)

We have discussed Bible translations many times over the years. I have been open about my preparation process, which is foremost based on the conviction that all of scripture is God-breathed, and because of that the words contained matter. I use a variety of translations from different backgrounds as well as Interlinear tools built into my Bible software. I am fully aware that I do not read or speak the original Biblical languages. I have learned to accept that I am not wired in such a way as to actually become proficient in them. Praise God for excellent language tools, faithful translators, and a plethora of study resources! A mentor from years past echoes in my soul, “You aren’t a scholar - just let them do their job and you do yours”.

As I have prepared for this series in Hebrews, I have come to appreciate this text in a new way. Most scholars agree from a literary perspective, that this is the crowning jewel of the New Testament. There are over 100 words in these chapters that don’t occur anywhere else in the Bible. Furthermore, the literary and grammatical structures, poetic turns of phrases, and even “hook words” used in various places point to some serious literary talent. All of this has helped me realize I need to approach my study differently.

For the entirety of this series, I will be switching to the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB). The LSB is based on the New American Standard Bible (NASB), having undergone minor updates in 2020. For a chart showing various versions CLICK HERE. You will notice that the LSB is not here, as it is a fairly recent version, but it falls with the NASB. What this means practically is that word order and translation methods are different than the versions I have previously used, which are the NRSV, ESV, NIV, and NKJV. I will still be referring to these as well, but I will be preaching from and referencing the LSB extensively. Furthermore, my CORE Group will be nestling into the text of Hebrews for a while in order to really get some exposure to the text and dive into some study, addressing issues that simply can’t be addressed on Sunday mornings. One resource we will be using is a Hebrews Study Notebook Bible - CLICK HERE to see the resource. What gets me excited about this resource is that it gives you space and encourages your own interaction with the text, as well as providing notes to be taken during your own reading and study time. I would highly encourage you to use this or something similar to study with.

No study resource is perfect, especially regarding Hebrews. Many scholars disagree on the date, authorship, and even purpose of this writing. It has been said that where there are 4 scholars there will be 4 differing views on Hebrews. In summary, for those who care, I am approaching this from the perspective that it was NOT written by Paul, but by Apollos, or at least someone who had direct second-hand knowledge of Christ from one of the disciples. I believe it was written VERY early, likely between 60-80, likely after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. I am approaching this as a sermon, similar to Romans, with “letter-y type things” added. I believe these things make the most sense of the available evidence, contextual facts we have, and content in the writing.

I want to take a moment to encourage you to know WHY you are reading the Bible version you are reading. Many over the years have used Bible translations as yet another reason to argue. I find this, putting it frankly, appalling. However, I do think you should know WHY you are reading a version. Don’t take my word or anyone else's for it. Do your research, learn your WHY, and most of all READ or LISTEN and let the Lord shape you. As a side note, a great summary of the context of Hebrews can be found HERE (again, not perfect, but it's a start). Set aside some space, time, and effort to read and live in Hebrews and I am confident you will reap spiritual fruit.

James M Gravley!

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