Sin as Suicide
Dear Mosaic Family,
Why are we so drawn to self-destructive behavior? We know it's bad for us, and we still do it, willingly. "I'm going to regret this in the morning," we say, right before we excitedly do it. Overspending, overeating, overdrinking, overdosing. When a celebrity or politician gets caught doing some explanation-defying self-destructive act, we all wonder, "what were they thinking? Didn't they realize this would lead to their ruin?"
Edgar Allan Poe, one of America's greatest writers, knew about self-destruction intimately. He coined the phenomenon of willful self-destruction as "perverseness." In one of his works, "The Imp of the Perverse," Poe contends that just knowing something is wrong is "the one unconquerable force" that makes us do it. We all have an "overwhelming tendency to do wrong for wrong's sake." We're all tempted by the forbidden fruit. Often, it's not the fruit itself that irresistibly draws us, but the fact that it's forbidden. "Don't do this" is sometimes the only reason we're tempted to do. The forbidden is a powerful magnet pulling on our sinful hearts. Why? Because deep inside, if we're honest, we absolutely despise someone telling us what to do, even if it is God.
Join us tomorrow as we celebrate the start of Holy Week by remembering Palm Sunday, when our Lord and Savior entered Jerusalem as a humble king (beginning of Matthew 21). However, we'll focus our time on the end of Matthew 21, where Jesus tells the Parable of the Tenants. He reveals our innate suicidal enmity toward God, and graciously offers to save us from ourselves. He allows His-destruction to save us from our self-destruction, thus providing the only means for our enmity toward God to be replaced with love.
Praying for you!
Pastor Jan
This Week's Announcements
Join us for Good Friday
Friday, April 19, 7 p.m.
Join us for a Good Friday service at the Temple as we remember the life and death of Jesus Christ in preparation for Easter Sunday. Childcare is available, though children are welcome to join the service.
Child Dedication Service
Sunday, May 12, 9:30 a.m.
We will be holding our next child dedication service on Mother's Day. If you are a member and interested in having your infant or young child dedicated, contact Raquel@MosaicBoston.com for an application. Applications are due by April 28th.
Serve with Mini Mosaic!
Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 11:15 a.m.
We are looking for more volunteers for our Mini Mosaic program that takes place during the morning services. If you're interested in serving our children in this way, email Raquel@MosaicBoston.com, or fill out the "Serve" form on our app.
Volunteer for Kids Summer Nights
Weeknights, July 22-26, 6-8 p.m.
We are already starting to recruit for our VBS program, Kids Summer Nights! If you are interested in serving on one of our teams this summer, please contact Raquel: Raquel@MosaicBoston.com.
Songs for Sunday
If you would like to know what we'll be singing on Sunday, you can find the playlist here.