A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34

Read John 13

Jesus is on His way home to His loving Father. He’s almost completed the work the Father had given Him to do. But not yet. So on this night before the cross, Jesus intentionally models three lessons hard-lived and never to be forgotten.

First, Jesus will be betrayed by a close friend. Jesus was troubled by this treachery from Judas, one of His own. But Jesus knew Judas was just the pawn of the enemy. Satan had waited for the opportune way to hurt Jesus and he found it in Judas Iscariot.¹ Three times the text says Judas betrays Jesus, fulfilling a prophecy that had been written centuries before in Psalm 41:9.

What kind of Savior actually chooses a betrayer to be one of His own?! Answer: Jesus’ journey to the cross included suffering of all kinds, as prophesied, yet now He sympathizes with our pain in every way.

Next, Jesus does the unimaginable during supper. He washes the feet of His startled disciples. In every culture the “lesser” always serves the “greater”—servants serve masters.

What king would wash his subject’s feet? Answer: Jesus, the humble servant, on His way to the cross.

In the final moments of their last evening together, Jesus delivers another shocker: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Hidden in that moment, Jesus loves another faulting disciple, Peter. When Peter protests Jesus’ announcement that He’s departing, Peter brashly proclaims, “I will lay down my life for you.” (Peter often overpromised and under-delivered.) Imagine here Jesus’ tone of voice when He responds, “Peter, you will deny me three times before the rooster crows.”

Who would love someone who can’t keep his word? Answer: Jesus, going to the cross to pay for Peter’s sin and ours.

All of this happened on His last night with His disciples. Jesus would be hanging on the cross by 9 a.m. the next morning.

¹John 13:2,11,18-30 and Luke 4:13 ²John 13:34 ³John 13:37

Consider your response: Can you see the faces of people on Sunday morning…children running around… friends…new people…and even the homeless? Jesus says, “…Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” How will you intentionally live out this command?

-Written by Richard Nelson

On Sunday morning, we heard an introduction to our Easter Devotional – The Way Home. We imagined John sitting down in his old age to write his account and what he so earnestly wanted to tell his readers.

In preparation for our celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are encouraging the body to read through one chapter of John each day (March 27 – April 17). In an effort to help us focus on a specific element of each chapter of John, a brief devotion has been written for each of the 21 days by 16 different people from The Town Church.

Would you like to join us on this journey? CLICK HERE and enter your email address. You will receive one devotion a day for each of these 21 days.

We look forward to reading through John with you and as we follow Jesus along the way as he leads us home.

In September we made some changes to our Township model in an effort to more intentionally carry out our vision and mission. We believe this change is a good and right change for who we are as church in Fort Collins in 2016.

Below is a video testimony of a very similar model to what we are seeking to accomplish with our Townships. Please take time to watch this video to see some of the specific ways a model like this can impact a community.

In 2008, John Piper published a poem retelling the story of JOB. Earlier this year the poem was released as an independently produced full-length (45 minutes) motion graphics animated movie. This film brings the arts and the Bible together in a moving, creative retelling of the story of JOB.

On November 15th at 7PM we will be doing a showing of this film. This is the same week we will be finishing our sermon series in JOB. We would like to invite you to join us for a viewing of the film followed by a discussion. If you are interested in joining us, please RSVP to this event at this site. We have limited space available and will open it up to the first 30 people who respond.    **Child care will not be provided.

We love supporting Alpha Center, a local faith-based nonprofit that works to serve men and women facing an unplanned pregnancy, women who need support after an abortion decision, and young adults in need of STD screening. They are on the front lines in dealing with issues of the life of the unborn, our highly sexualized culture, relationships, and Jesus. They interact with young adults who have never gone through the doors of a church or campus ministry.

This Sunday we are kicking off an easy fundraising campaign to financially support them.

Just pick up a baby bottle at the front door, fill it with a check, cash, or coins and return it to the church building by November 27. Checks can be made out to Alpha Center.

All funds raised go directly to support Alpha Center’s work.

Many of you know that we set aside the last Wednesday of every month to gather for prayer at the building at 7:30PM. As elders we would like to add the element of fasting with prayer for your consideration.

Fasting is voluntarily going without food — or any other regularly enjoyed, good gift from God — for the sake of some spiritual purpose, in this case prayer. We would like to invite you to join us to choose at least one meal on Wednesday, October 26th to fast and pray. During that meal  set aside time to pray for some or all of the following items:

• Elders (Eric, Jay, Nick, Sergei, Vince, Wes)
• Deacons (Bobby, Major, Patrick J., Danielle, Patrick R., Andrew, Virginia)
• Staff (Vince, Emily, Melanie, Jr, Cassy, Eric, Sergei)
• Missionaries we support
• Church plants we support
• Salvation of the lost (people you know – people you meet on Sunday)
• Deeper understanding of the gospel (for you and others you interact with regularly)
• Wisdom for us as a church in how to reach this city with the gospel of Jesus

This will be a good start for prayer recommendations for one meal of fasting.

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In addition, on Wednesday evening we will gather to pray together at 7:30PM. We would invite you to join us. As I mentioned on Sunday, we will spend the first 20 minutes talking through and answering questions about suffering. We realize that this series on Job may be causing more questions than it is answering. We want to be available to discuss/answer questions with you. We will spend the last half hour praying together for those who are struggling/suffering/facing hardship.

Consider fasting and praying through one meal and then join us Wednesday, October 26th at 7:30PM!

Here is a helpful blog post on the discipline of fasting.

Greetings friends and family of The Town Church

On Saturday, June 18th we will be celebrating the work of God in and through The Town Church over the last 6 years of existence. God has been good. Deep friendships have formed. Individuals have become one in marriage. We have experienced birth (lots of births). We have witnessed new birth in the salvation of souls.  We have mourned the deep loss that death brings. We have seen the effects of sin and we’ve experienced the never-ending, never-changing grace, love and forgiveness of our Savior. We have walked through painful situations together. We have rejoiced together. God is over it all!  It is His church and there is nothing that will tear it down because He has purchased it with the precious blood of His one and only Son – Jesus!

On June 18th, we are inviting everyone to join us at Library Park at 4PM for our 6th Birthday Celebration.

• We will have cupcakes (brought to you by our very own Danielle)
• We will have donuts (brought to you by our very own Andrew)
• Umami Mobile Eatery (a food truck) will be at the park ready to serve us. Check out their menu at their website and begin salivating.
• Kona Ice will also be at the park – ready to serve you the best snow cone this side of the Spring Creek.
• Bring chairs, blankets and lawn games for everyone to enjoy.
• Invite friends, neighbors and family members. Do it.

We’re looking forward to being with you and celebrating God’s work over the last 6 years!

We gather every Sunday at 9AM and 10:45AM to worship Jesus through reading Scripture, prayer, hearing the Word taught and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. For the Christian, the worship of Jesus is not isolated to Sunday morning, but happens throughout the week. In an effort to help you prepare for the gathering of the saints this Sunday morning, please take time to read, listen and pray.

CALL TO WORSHIP

We will begin our service praising God for his greatness. This week we will read from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers.  You may purchase this book here. Read the prayer below in preparation for our time of praying corporately.

Creator and redeemer God, author of all existence, source of all blessedness, I adore you for making me capable of knowing you, for giving me reason and conscience, for leading me to desire you.

I praise you for the revelation of yourself in the gospel, for your heart as a dwelling place of pity, for your thoughts of peace towards me, for your patience and your graciousness, for the vastness of your mercy.

You have moved my conscience to know how the guilty can be pardoned, the unholy sanctified, the poor enriched. May I always be amongst those who not only hear but know you, who walk with and rejoice in you, who take you at your word and there find life.

Keep me always longing for a present salvation with comfort and rejoicing, spiritual graces and blessings, and for help to value my duties as well as my privileges, all through your Holy Spirit. May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character.

Help me to be truly sincere before you as in physical appearance I plainly stand before men, to do your will before I profess religion, to leave behind the worldly as I am a part of your church, to set my affections on things above, to shun forbidden follies and vanities, to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace, to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.

O God, make me worthy of this calling, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him.

Rejoice

CONFESSION OF SIN

After welcoming one another, we will then confess our sins and remember that we have forgiveness through Jesus’ work on the cross.

Man of Sorrows

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

We will then remind one another that our ultimate hope is found in Jesus.

God is Good

PROCLAMATION

This Sunday, we continue our series on the book of Acts. This week we will study Acts 16:11-40. Read along with us.

RESPONSE

We will then participate together in the Lord’s Supper, remembering the finished work of  the cross, and rejoicing in the grace and mercy shown to us in and through Jesus.

The Lord’s Prayer

Made Alive