COVID-19 UPDATES  —  

For details regarding prevention measures in place and the COVID-19 Pioneer response click here.

 
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 - 17:48
All Sermons

Chasing Hope

From an Empty Tomb

Resources

DVDs

To purchase a DVD of this sermon please visit our online shopping cart. Proceeds go to support the New Perceptions media ministry.
Buy DVD Online Buy series

Speaker

Dwight K. Nelson

Since 1983, Dwight Nelson has served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. He preaches on the “New Perceptions” telecast, teaches at the theological seminary and has written some books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.

Offering

Part 1 of this 4-part series.
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Program: 
As We Begin
That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright • Sharon Rogers
Praise
Christ Is Alive • Mighty to Save • How Deep the Father's Love for Us • Because He Lives
Prayer
Ben Martin
Children's Story
That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright • David Johnson
Processional of Hope
Dwight & Karen Nelson / Christ the Lord Is Risen Today • 166
Sermon
“Chasing Hope: From An Empty Tomb” • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card, Tithes & Offerings
Hymn
He Lives • 251
As We Depart
Alleluia • Théodore Dubois

More In This Series

04/23/2016
For an Empty Dream
Part 4 of this 4-part series.
04/16/2016
With an Empty Bank
Part 3 of this 4-part series.
04/09/2016
To an Empty World
Part 2 of this 4-part series.
All Sermons
Print Download

“Chasing Hope: From an Empty Tomb”

www.newperceptions.tv

 

  •  “The Instinct of Hope”

Is there another world for this frail dust
To warm with life and be itself again?
Something about me daily speaks there must,
And why should instinct nourish hopes in vain?
'Tis nature's prophesy that such will be,
And everything seems struggling to explain
The close sealed volume of its mystery.
Time wandering onward keeps its usual pace
As seeming anxious of eternity,
To meet that calm and find a resting place.
E'en the small violet feels a future power
And waits each year renewing blooms to bring,
And surely man is no inferior flower
To die unworthy of a second spring?

                              —John Clare (1793-1864)

  • The Narrative of Hope
    • Matthew 28:1-10
    • Desire of Ages: “The earth trembles at his approach, the hosts of darkness flee, and as he rolls away the stone, heaven seems to come down to the earth. The soldiers see him removing the stone as he would a pebble, and hear him cry, Son of God, come forth; Thy Father calls Thee. They see Jesus come forth from the grave, and hear Him proclaim over the rent sepulcher, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life.’ As He comes forth in majesty and glory, the angel host bow low in adoration before the Redeemer, and welcome Him with songs of praise.” (780)
  • The Promise of Hope
    • 1 Peter 1:1-3
    • 1 Corinthians 15:13-19
    • Earnest Becker: “The soberest conclusion that we could make about what has been taking place on the planet for about three billion years is that it is being turned into a vast pit of fertilizer.” (The Denial of Death 283/in Lewis Smede’s How Can It Be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong? 132)
    • 1 Peter 1:3-5 The Message: “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.”
    • Lewis Smedes: “We may as well be very candid: Christian hope is fixed on the last square of our date book. Hope bets that the last square is not that closed closet commonly called a coffin, but a front door into a new world where everything is right, right in all its dimensions. There will be an intermission, of course, between my arrival at my own private last square and the arrival of the new world. But I will not feel as if I need to wait for it to come. In fact, when I find myself in the new earth, I will feel as if I got there at the moment I left the last square of my calendar. It may be light years away, but in the new dimension it will seem like tomorrow.” (How Can It Be All Right, When Everything Is All Wrong? 124)
    • Rubem A. Alves: “Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it.”

 

“And the future starts now!”

 

(Flyer, TV, Google search, name of person who invited you, etc.)
Pioneer Fellowship Dinner Returns in September

Pioneer Fellowship Dinners Return this September. This time, there's an exciting new twist. Every meal will be an opportunity for fellowship among members and visitors.

Appetizer! Pioneer's large congregation will meet each week in groups of about 135 persons, so that over a year, each group can participate twice. This means more opportunities for fellowship among members and visitors alike.

The scoop! The dinners will be like a traditional potluck. Fellowship Dinner Ministry Team will provide the main course each Sabbath, and members who attend will be asked to bring side dishes. Members who are invited for that week will receive an email or text message listing the menu and suggesting what side dishes are needed. Single members are encouraged, where possible, to bring one side dish to serve at least 12-15 persons; families are encouraged, where possible, to bring 2 dishes—each to serve at least 12-15 persons. A form will be provided to RSVP.

S'More! If your name is not included in the alphabetical list for a particular Sabbath, but you would like to join the meal, that is not a problem—just bring a dish to share and join the fellowship.

Please plan to join us!

District 9 Family Camp

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner and with it comes the District 9 Family Camp. Reserve your spot online or obtain application materials from the church office. The deadline for reservations is Noon on Sunday, August 22. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ric Streelman at 269-208-7172. You will be physically refreshed and spiritually blessed!

September 3–6, 2021
Camp Au Sable

Memorial Service for Ellen Council-Croak

July 31, 2021, 4:00 PM
Pioneer Youth Chapel

ASM Sweet Corn Feed

IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN! Adventist Seniors of Michiana (60 and up) will hold its annual sweet corn feed at Wolf's Prairie Park, Berrien Springs, by Lake Chapin. (Take Cass Street to the end, and you'll be in the park.) It's a potluck, so fix one of your specialties. We'll provide the sweet corn. This will be the resumption of our regular ASM meetings. Thank you for waiting patiently as we've been apart. Feel free to bring a friend and we'll see you on the 15th.

August 15, 2021, Noon - 2:00 PM
Wolfs Prairie Park, Berrien Springs

Happy 97th Birthday, Esther!

Happy birthday, to Esther Tarangle who turns 97 on July 28! Her family is blessed to have her. To send wishes, please bring them to the Pioneer front office.

Offering for July 31, 2021

Pioneer Operating Budget

A blessing is on the man who puts his faith in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he will be like a tree planted by the waters, pushing out its roots by the stream; he will have no fear when the heat comes, but his leaf will be green; in a dry year he will have no care, and will go on giving fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7, 8 - Bible in Basic English)

One of the fun activities available at Camp AuSable is High Adventure. You can climb a rock wall, glide down the zip line, ride the swing, or leap of faith. If you choose the leap of faith you will climb a pole 26 feet high, stand on the top, and then jump off into the air.

Of course, you are strapped into a harness, and that is where the faith comes in. Someone is on the ground controlling your fall with ropes that are attached to the harness. You are trusting them to bring you smoothly and safely to the ground.

Sometimes it may seem like a great leap of faith to return to God His tithe and our offerings. But God has proven that He is Someone we can have faith in. When we are faithful with tithe and offering we can be confident that God will keep His Word, and our needs will be provided for.

Today, take a leap of faith. Give a faithful offering to the Local Church Budget and trust God to provide for your needs.

—North American Division Stewardship Ministries

New College Students Welcome Reception

A reception will take place on the lawn in front of Pioneer (Campus Mall) immediately following the 11:45 AM service on August 28. We are looking for volunteers to help furnish 3 dozen cookies for the event. We will serve cookies and lemonade to welcome the new students. To help, please call the church at 269-471-3131 or confirm online. Instructions will be sent to volunteers furnishing cookies. We hope you'll join us in welcoming the new students!

I Will Help

Support SDA Church Members in Madagascar

Andrews University is helping to support the SDA church members in southwest Madagascar who are currently experiencing severe drought and famine in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, you can provide food to those in desperate need.

We have been told that some members eat mud, roots, and leaves to try and remove hunger cramps. As a member of the Adventist family, you can feed a family of four for one month for $50, providing vital rice, beans, oil, and other essential food. The neediness of these families is serious. There are eleven churches scattered around the affected area with 494 families and over 1,691 individuals. Even though some food aid was collected and distributed in November 2020, the drought has continued, and that food is now used up.
 
Give online or write a check to Andrews University with the memo “CIDP-Famine Relief” and send it to:
 
Office of Development
8903 US Hwy 31
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI 49104-0660
 
More Info: cidpprojects@andrews.edu

Something In Common Sabbath School

Something in Common Sabbath School is meeting again! For the summer we are temporarily meeting in the Pioneer Commons. We are watching portions of Gary Smalley's classic "Keys to Loving Relationships" and discussing how to apply these principles to our families. Come and join us!

Saturdays, 10:30-11:30 AM
Location: Pioneer Commons

Financial Peace University

It's time to stop worrying about money! In Financial Peace University, you'll learn the biblical truths to help you keep a budget, beat debt, and build wealth! Class begins Tuesday, June 8, 2021 (6:30—7:30 PM).

Register Online

Pages