The flowers this Sabbath are in honor of Judy and Larry Schalk's 60th anniversary.
The Galilean
The Galilean: Part 2
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonDwight Nelson served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University from 1983 to 2023. During his time at Pioneer he spoke on the “New Perceptions” telecast, taught at the theological seminary and has written books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
Offering
More In This Series
“The Galilean”—2
□ His Vulnerability
- John 6:66, 67
- William Shakespeare, Julius Caeser: “Et tu, Brute?”
- Oswald Chambers: “Jesus Christ’s life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God’s.” (My Utmost for His Highest 218)
- Ellen White: “As the world’s Redeemer, Christ was constantly confronted with failure.” (Desire of Ages 678)
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Isaiah: “He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.’ But I said,
‘I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the
LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God." (Isaiah 49:3-4)
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Anne Lamott: “My fear of failure has been lifelong and deep. If you are what you do—and I think
my parents may have accidentally given me this idea—and you do poorly, what then? It’s over; you’re wiped out. All those prophecies you heard in the dark have come true, and people can see the real you, see what a schmendrick you are, what a fraud.” (Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith 142)
“The review in the newspaper the next day was not very good. But by then I’d figured out the gift of failure, which is that it breaks through all that held breath and isometric tension about needing to look good: it’s the gift of feeling floppier. One of the things I’ve been most afraid of had finally happened, with a whole lot of people watching, and it had indeed been a nightmare. But sitting with all that vulnerability, I discovered I could ride it.” (Ibid 143)
□ My Vulnerability
- What if the Galilean’s kind of vulnerability became ours?
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#1—You and I would be a lot more vulnerable with God.
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Ellen White: “Never can the cost of our redemption be realized until the redeemed shall stand with the Redeemer before the throne of God. Then as the glories of the eternal home burst upon our enraptured
senses we shall remember that Jesus left all this for us, that He not only became an exile from the heavenly courts, but for us took the risk of failure and eternal loss.” (Desire of Ages 131) - Philip Yancey: “Unless I level with God—about bitterness over an unanswered prayer, grief over loss, guilt over an unforgiving spirit, a baffling sense of God’s absence—that relationship, too, will go nowhere. I may continue going to church, singing hymns and praise choruses, even addressing God politely in formal prayers, but I will never break through the intimacy barrier. ‘We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us,’ wrote C. S. Lewis. To put it another way, we must trust God with what God already knows.” (Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? 42)
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Ellen White: “Never can the cost of our redemption be realized until the redeemed shall stand with the Redeemer before the throne of God. Then as the glories of the eternal home burst upon our enraptured
- #2—You and I would be a lot more vulnerable with faith.
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#3—You and I would be a lot more vulnerable with each other.
- Brene Brown: “We love seeing raw truth and openness in other people, but we’re afraid to let them see it in us.” (Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead 41)
- “Vulnerability is based on mutuality and requires boundaries and trust. It’s not oversharing, it’s not purging, it’s not indiscriminate disclosure, and it’s not celebrity-style social media information dumps. Vulnerability is about sharing our feelings and our experiences with people who have earned the right to hear them. Being vulnerable and open is mutual and an integral part of the trust-building process.” (Ibid 44, 45)
- GROW Groups
□ His Vulnerability
- Naked
- “Be ye therefore vulnerable as your Savior in heaven is vulnerable.”
“Lord, to whom else shall we go?”
The Elders have finished! After many months of prayerful and concerted work, the draft of Pioneer's potential new mission and strategy statements are ready for your review.
Please join us at any of the identical Town Hall/Q & A sessions listed below to hear Pastor Shane and our elders present the drafts for your feedback. Our goal is to take your input, modify the drafts as needed, sent them back to the church board for final review, and begin implementation in the Fall.
Please join us for any of these important and impactful meetings that will help guide Pioneer's witness for years to come!
May 13, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00 PM
May 18, Sunday, 9:00-11:00 AM
May 22, Thursday, 7:00-9:00 PM (Zoom only)
Join us for a special Evangelistic Series presented by the Jr. High Students of Ruth Murdoch Elementary School. We hope you can join us in big white tent near Griggs Hall at 7pm starting Friday May 9 through May 18. There will be no meeting on Tuesday. Come and be inspired as our students share messages of hope, love, and the good news of Jesus. Your presence will encourage them, and more importantly, you can help bring someone closer to Christ. Bring a friend or family member and experience God's message together!
Sunday, May 25, 3-5 PM Pioneer Youth Chapel What do we do when our life is shaken by illness, a great loss, or some other devastation? How do we find God when it feels like He isn’t there? Women of all ages are invited to hear Emily Gibbs share her testimony, and explore ways that we can have resilience in the midst of difficult experiences. Register by texting TRIALS to 269-281-2345. Questions? Email women@pmchurch.org.
Your faithfulness is very much appreciated. To ensure that your donations are properly credited to your account, when contributing through Adventist Giving, please log in under your name, instead of contributing as a "Guest."
Seniors 55 and up are invited to the Adventist Seniors of Michiana program to be held in the PMC Commons May 18. Bring a dish and enjoy the potluck starting at 1 PM followed by a program featuring Ken Denslow, recently retired Lake Union Conference President. His topic will be Project Amigo and Other Missions. For any questions call Cheryl Doss at 269-277-0767
Would you like to make a difference in our community? God's Hands 4 Kids has ways you can do that. GH4K loves the "True religion way to love the least of these" James 1:27. The Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner is being held on May 16 in a church in our community. We are working with the Berrien County Department of Health and Human Services to put this on. We are looking for childcare help. Also seeking gift baskets, gifts or gift cards. For more information contact Carol Jordan at Godshands4kids@gmail.com There is a presentation this Friday evening from Unaccompanied Refugee Minors. Ask for more info if interested.
The Institute of Young Musicians for Christ is excited to be having a music camp at Pioneer Memorial Church! At our music camps young people ages 6-17 are offered an immersive, week-long musical experience. Our quality musical training—combined with fun, friends, and faith-building encounters— provides a truly incredible opportunity. The camp offers tracks for children 6-12 with or without musical experience and a track for teenagers with significant musical experience. To learn more and register, visit iymcsda.org/michigan. We hope to see you there!
From May 11–June 8, 2025, Maranatha Volunteers International will be working at Andrews University to update the Lamson Hall residential rooms and suite bathrooms. Please consider volunteering and letting your family and friends know of this opportunity. All individuals (including local) should sign up at the Maranatha website: https://maranatha.org/volunteer-opportunities/.