Celebrate Easter with FBJ
Maundy Thursday Service
April 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Chapel
Through music, Scripture reading, and communion, you’re invited to gather and reflect on Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross.
Run for the Son
Saturday, April 4 | 8:00 a.m. | President Street
Lace up your running shoes and start preparing for Run for the Son! The event will feature a 5K Run, 5K Walk, and Joy Run for kids, all on a new race course this year. The cost for the 5K Run or Walk is $25, and the Joy Run is only $10. All proceeds go to support mission opportunities both locally and abroad. Register today at fbcj.org/rfs.
Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 4 | 9:15 a.m. | President Street
FBJ is excited to host this community Easter Egg Hunt following the Run for the Son 5K on April 4. Invite your friends and join us for all of the fun on the State Capitol grounds! In the case of rain, the Easter Egg Hunt will move indoors to the CLC Gym.
Easter Sunday Worship
Sunday, April 5
Worship Service | 8:15 a.m. | Fellowship Hall East
Sunday School at 9:15 a.m.
Worship Service | 10:30 a.m. | Sanctuary
Gather as we celebrate our Risen Savior with a special message from Pastor Chip Stevens and powerful worship led by our choir and orchestra.
Friday, April 3
It Is Finished
Drew Warford | Worship Pastor
“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:30
Thursday, April 2
Remembering
Tom Washburn | Associate Pastor/Adults with Seniority
“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.’ After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'” Luke 22:14–20
Wednesday, April 1
Judas’s Betrayal
Caroline Lindsey | Children’s Minister
“Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.” Luke 22:3–6
Tuesday, March 31
The Greatest Commandment
Russ Daniels | Student Pastor/Director of Communications
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37–40
Monday, March 30
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Steven Smith | Associate Pastor, College & Young Adults
“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.” Mark 11:15–17
The Power of the Cross
-Mary Ann Cope
“…let us run with endurance that race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1,2
This is one of our family’s favorite verses, picturing life as a race focused on Jesus and the cross. This leads us to our celebration of Easter with an empty cross, an empty tomb, and our risen Christ! The picture above with the cross is from our church’s Run for the Son race last year.
We invite you to join us this year on Saturday, April 4, the day before Easter. Come “run the race” and support our GO Fund, which allows us to send others to share the message of Easter!
My husband loved to make wooden crosses, all sizes and shapes! Many can be found today in the homes and yards of family and friends. But ,indeed, his most cherished was the one placed in front of our church each year. His desire was to lead our family by the message of the cross and to walk by faith with Jesus. We are each called to share the Easter message of salvation through faith in the resurrected Christ who died for our sins on that old rugged cross. Because of Easter, we have that SURE HOPE of life everlasting with Jesus!
“For the Word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God!” I Corinthians 1:18
The Power of Easter
-Rhyser Guynes (student ministry intern)
Easter, as a follower of Christ, stands as a celebration of one of—if not the most crucial—parts of our faith and belief in who Jesus is and what He has done for us. It is the celebration and remembrance of His resurrection, the most miraculous and powerful display of His authority over sin and death. Through this victory, we are freed from the weight of sin and the grip of death because Christ has gone before us. He has paid the debt we owed and defeated death so that we might share in that same victory.
As I have grown deeper in my relationship with the Lord, Easter has become a day that is incredibly beautiful to me. Yes, because of the wonderful time of year and the opportunity for families to gather together, but even more because it serves as a reminder of something that should radiate from our lives every single day. I love being able to go to church and gather with like-minded believers, intentionally placing our focus on the truth that all of this is possible because of what Christ has done for us. It is awe-inspiring and stirs emotions in my heart that come from a deep appreciation for the Lord and the goodness and mercy He has shown me.
Personally, I don’t think there is a better Sunday to invite someone to church—whether it is their first time ever or their first time in a long while. In the same way that Easter is crucial to us as believers, it is also incredibly captivating to those who may not yet know or believe. The idea that someone conquered the one thing this world guarantees—death—and proved that there is something more to live for is powerful. Beginning a journey of faith with the story of who Christ is and the most miraculous event in history is a pretty incredible starting point.
All this to say, Easter is a day that means so much to me. It is a renewal, a reminder, and a breath of fresh air. Yet it is also something that may seem elementary to many of us who have grown up hearing the story. For someone else, however, it could be the very beginning of their walk with the Lord. We must never lose the wonder of what Easter means, and we should never underestimate the power the story of Christ’s life has to transform hearts—or the power of our God to use both that story and us for His will and His kingdom.