Sunday, August 22, 2021 - Habits for Life - the Habits of Jesus: Prayer

Theme: Habits for Life - the Habits of Jesus: Prayer

Hymn     Every Time I Feel the Spirit      (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer for God’s Presence

Luke 3:21-22                                 Common English Bible Translation

When everyone was being baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit came down on him in bodily form like a dove. And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.” (Question: Have you ever been surprised by something during prayer?)

Mark 1:32-38

That evening, at sunset, people brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. The whole town gathered near the door. He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons. But he didn’t let the demons speak, because they recognized him. Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. Simon and those with him tracked him down. When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you!” He replied, “Let’s head in the other direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too. (Question: How does prayer give you strength?) 

Matthew 19:13-15

Some people brought children to Jesus so that he would place his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded them. “Allow the children to come to me,” Jesus said. “Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children.” Then he blessed the children and went away from there. (Question: How often do you take time to pray for others?)

Luke 9:18-23, 28-29

Once when Jesus was praying by himself, the disciples joined him, and he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others that one of the ancient prophets has come back to life.” He asked them, “An what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ sent from God.” Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected – by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts – and be killed and be raised on the third day.” Jesus said to everyone, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me. About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. (Question: How has prayer impacted your identity?)

Mark 14:32-41

Jesus and his disciples came to a place called Gethsemane. Jesus said to them, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John along with him. He began to feel despair and was anxious. He said to them, “I’m very said. It’s as if I’m dying. Stay here and keep alert.” Then he went a short distance father and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if possible, he might be spared the time of suffering. He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible. Take this cup of suffering away from me. However – not what I want but what you want.” He came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you stay alert for one hour? Stay alert and pray so that you won’t give in to temptation. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak.” Again, he left them and prayed, repeating the same words. And, again, when he came back, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open, and they didn’t know how to respond to him. He came a third time and said to them, “Will you sleep and rest all night? That’s enough! The time has come for the Human One to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. (Question: How does prayer change you?)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon an excerpt from the Brief Statement of Faith.

In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of people long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Hymn    I Need Thee Every Hour    (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn  I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me  (In Person Only)

Hymn List

66 Every Time I Feel the Spirit

469  Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying

700 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me

735 I Need Thee Every Hour 

New Sermon Series August 22nd – September 12th

Theme: Habits for Life - the Habits of Jesus

August 29th – Creating Joy

September 5th – Gathering

September 12th - Serving

Sunday, August 15, 2021 - Get Up and Eat

Theme: Get Up and Eat

Hymn     Praise, Praise the Lord!      (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer for God’s Presence

1 Kings 19:4-8                                     New Revised Standard Version

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die. “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went on the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

John 6:24-35

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us quietly reflect upon an excerpt from the Brief Statement of Faith.

We trust in God the Holy Spirit everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.

Hymn    Open My Eyes, That I May See    (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn  Will You Come and Follow Me   (In Person Only)

Hymn List

390  Praise, Praise, Praise the Lord!

451 Open My Eyes, That I May See

726Will You Come and Follow Me

Sunday, August 8, 2021 - Our Potential with God

Theme: Our Potential with God

Luke 19:11-28

Sunday, August 1, 2021 - Trial - Error & Better Living: in our realities

Theme: Trial - Error & Better Living: in our realities

Hymn  Open Your Ears, O Faithful People     (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer for God’s Presence

2 Samuel 7:1-3                              Common English Bible Translation

When the king was settled in his palace, and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Look! I’m living in a cedar palace, but God’s chest is housed in a tent!” Nathan said to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you are thinking, because the Lord is with you.” (Question: What are the things that you get excited about planning? Why?)

2 Samuel 7:4-7

But that very night the Lord’s word came to Nathan: Go to my servant David and tell him: This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build the temple for me to live in. In fact, I haven’t lived in a temple from 

the day I brought Israel out of Egypt until now. Instead, I have been traveling around in a tent and in a dwelling. Throughout my traveling around with the Israelites, did I ever ask any of Israel’s tribal leaders I appointed to shepherd my people: Why haven’t you built me a cedar temple? (Question: What are the things that take priority in your life and what should take priority?)

1 Chronicles 22:6-10

David sent for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “My son, I had intended to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God. But the Lord told me: You’ve shed much blood and waged great wars. You won’t build a temple for my name because you’ve spilled so much blood on the ground before me. A son has just been born to you. He’ll be a man of peace, and I’ll give him peace with all his surrounding enemies. In fact, his name will be Solomon, and I’ll give Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He will be the one to build a temple for my name. He’ll become my son, and I’ll become his father, and I’ll establish his royal throne over Israel forever. (Question: What are some consequences that you have had to deal with in life?)

1 Kings 8:22, 24, 28-30a, 54-55

Solomon stood before the Lord’s altar in front of the entire Israelite assembly and, spreading out his hands toward the sky. This is the covenant you kept with your servant David, my father, which you promised him. Today, you have fulfilled what you promised. Lord my God, listen to your servant’s prayer and request, and hear the cry and prayer that your servant prays to you today. Constantly watch over this temple, the place about which you said, “My name will be there,” and listen to the prayer that your servant is praying toward this place. Listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place. As soon as Solomon finished praying and making these requests to the Lord, he got up from before the Lord’s altar, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out to heaven. He stood up and blessed the whole Israelite assembly in a loud voice. (Question: What helps you meet God in your life?)

Isaiah 56:7-8

I will bring them to my holy mountain, and bring them joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their entirely burned offerings and sacrifices on my altar. My house will be known as a house of prayer for all peoples, says the Lord God, who gathers Israel’s outcasts. I will gather still others to those I have already gathered. (Question: How do you experience God’s presence?)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us quietly reflect upon an excerpt from the Brief Statement of Faith.

We trust in God the Holy Spirit everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.

Hymn    Lord, the Light of Your Love is Shining    (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn  Here I Am, Lord       (In Person Only)

Sunday, July 25, 2021 - Trial - Error & Better Living: in our responsibilities

Theme: Trial - Error & Better Living: in our responsibilities

Hymn       (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer for God’s Presence

2 Samuel 11:1-5                              Common English Bible Translation

In the spring, when kings go off to war, David sent Joab, along with his servants and all the Israelites, and they destroyed the Ammonites, attacking the city of Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening, David got up from his couch and was pacing back and forth on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone and inquired about the woman. The report came back: “Isn’t this Eliam’s daughter Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers to take her. When she came to him, he had sex with her. (Now she had been purifying herself after her monthly period.) Then she returned home. The woman conceived and sent word to David. “I’m pregnant,” she said. (Question: Have your wants ever clouded your judgment?)

2 Samuel 11:6-11

Then David sent a message to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked about the welfare of Joab and the army and how the battle was going. Then David told Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. However, Uriah slept at the palace entrance with all his master’s servants. He didn’t go down to his own house,” so David asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just returned from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?” “The chest and Israel and Judah are all living in tents,” Uriah told David. “And my master Joab and my master’s troops are camping in the open field. How could I go home and eat, drink, and have sex with my wife? I swear on your very life, I will not do that!” (Question: How are your actions and values related?)

2 Samuel 11:12-18

Then David told Uriah, “Stay here one more day. Tomorrow I’ll send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. The next day David called for him, and he ate and drank, and David got him drunk. In the evening Uriah went out to sleep in the same place, alongside his master’s servants, but he did not go down to his own home. The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. He wrote in the letter, “Place Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle, and then pull back from him so that he will be struck down and die.” So as Joab was attacking the city, he put Uriah in the place where he knew there were strong warriors. When the city’s soldiers came out and attacked Joab, some of the people from David’s army fell. Uriah the Hittite was also killed. Joab sent a complete report of the battle to David. (Question: How do you make things right when mistakes have been made?)

2 Samuel 11:19-24

“When you have finished reporting all the news of the battle to the king,” Joab instructed the messenger, “if the king gets angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot from the wall? Who killed Jerubbaal’s son Abimelech? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on top of him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ then say: ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead too.’” So the messenger set off, and when he arrived he reported to David everything Joab sent him to say. “The men overpowered us,” the messenger told David. “They came out against us in the open field, but he fought against them up to the entrance of the city gate. Archers shot down on your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants died. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead too.” (Question: What are the messages you are surrounded by in your life?)

2 Samuel 11:25-27

David said to the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t be upset about this because the sword is that way: taking the life of this person or that person. Continue attacking the city and destroy it!’ Encourage Joab!” When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband. After the time of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her back to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. But what David had done was evil in the Lord’s eyes. (Question: How do you move forward when things have fallen apart?)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us quietly reflect upon an excerpt from the Brief Statement of Faith.

We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image, male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we rebel against God; we hid from our Creator. Ignoring God’s commandments we violate the image of God in others, and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God’s condemnation. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. In everlasting love, the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the earth. Hearing their cry, God delivered the children of Israel from the house of bondage. Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is still faithful still.

Hymn        (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn            (In Person Only)

Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

August 1st –  in our realities

New Sermon Series August 22nd – September 12th

Theme: The Habits of Jesus

Sunday, July 18, 2021 - Abundance, Scarcity & Jesus

Theme: Abundance, Scarcity & Jesus

Hymn       Every Time I Feel the Spirit             (In Person Only)

Welcome

 

Call to Worship   (In person only)

Prayer for God’s Presence

John 6:1-15                                         New Revised Standard Version

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

John 6:16-21

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was not dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us quietly reflect upon an excerpt from the Brief Statement of Faith.

In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve. We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.

Hymn        Will You Come and Follow Me       (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn  When the Lord Redeems the Very Least           (In Person Only)

 Hymn List

66 Every Time I Feel the Spirit

192 Lord, the Light of Your Love Is Shining

726 Will You Come and Follow Me

852 When the Lord Redeems the Very Least

Today we welcome Emily Anderson as our guest preacher. Emily is an intern at the Fort Street Presbyterian Church this summer and is currently in seminary at Western Theological Seminary.

Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

July 25th –  in our responsibilities

August 1st –  in our realities

Sunday, July 11, 2021 - Trial-Error & Better Living: in our relationships

Theme: Trial - Error & Better Living: in our relationships

Welcome

Prayer

1 Samuel 25:23-26                Common English Bible Translation

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and fell facedown before him, bowing low to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “Put the blame on me, my master! But please let me, your servant, speak to you directly. Please listen to what your servant has to say. Please, my master, pay no attention to this despicable man Nabal. He’s exactly what his name says he is! His name means fool, and he is foolish! But I myself, your servant, didn’t see the young men that you, my master, sent. I pledge, my master, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, that the Lord has held you back from bloodshed and taking vengeance into your own hands! But now let your enemies and those who seek to harm my master be exactly like Nabal! (Question: Have you ever had trouble listening to someone else? Why?)

1 Samuel 25:27-31

Here is a gift, which your servant has brought to my master. Please let it be given to the young men who follow you, my master. Please forgive any offense by your servant. The Lord will definitely make an enduring dynasty for my master because my master fights the Lord’s battles, and nothing evil will be found in you throughout your lifetime. If someone chases after you and tries to kill you, my master, then your life will be bound up securely in the bundle of life by the Lord your God, but he will fling away your enemies’ lives as from the pouch of a sling. When the Lord has done for my master all the good things he has promised you, and has installed you as Israel’s leader, don’t let this be a blot or burden on my master’s conscience, that you shed blood needlessly or that my master took vengeance into his own hands. When the Lord has done good things for my master, please remember your servant.” (Question: What are the actions you regret taking in your life? Why?)

1 Samuel 25:32-35

David said to Abigail, “Bless the Lord God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! And bless you and your good judgment for preventing me from shedding blood and taking vengeance into my own hands today! Otherwise, as surely as the Lord God of Israel lives-the one who kept me from hurting you-if you hadn’t come quickly and met up with me, there wouldn’t be one single male left come morning.” Then David accepted everything she had brought for him. “Return home in peace,” he told her. “Be assured that I’ve heard your request and have agreed to it.” (Question: How have others made a positive impact on your life?)

1 Samuel 25:36-38

When Abigail got back home to Nabal, he was throwing a party fit for a king in his house. Nabal was in a great mood and very drunk, so Abigail didn’t tell him anything until daybreak. In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him everything. Nabal’s heart failed inside him, and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. (Question: How have you handled different types of losses in your life?)

1 Samuel 25:39-42

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Bless the Lord, who has rendered a verdict regarding Nabal’s insult to me and who kept me, his servant, from doing something evil! The Lord has brought Nabal’s evil down on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, saying that he would take her as his wife. When David’s servants reached Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you so you can become his wife.” She bowed low to the ground and said, “I am your servant, ready to serve and wash the feet of my master’s helpers.” Then Abigail got up quickly and rode on her donkey, with five of her young women going with her. She followed David’s messengers and became his wife. (Question: How do you bless other people’s lives?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us quietly reflect upon an excerpt from the Belhar Statement of Faith.

We believe in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who gathers, protects and cares for the church through Word and Spirit. This, God has done since the beginning of the world and will do to the end. We believe in one holy, universal Christian church, the communion of saints called from the entire human family. We believe that Christ’s work for reconciliation is made manifest in the church as the community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another; that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus Christ; that through the working of God’s Spirit it is a binding force, yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought: one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain; that this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted;

Hymn   Great God of Every Blessing       (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn       O for a World          (In Person Only)

 Hymn List

65 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

372 O for a World

694 Great God of Every Blessing

742 We Will Walk with God

Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

July 18th – TBA

July 25th –  in our responsibilities

August 1st –  in our realities

Sunday, July 4, 2021 - Trial - Error & Better Living: in our responses

Theme: Trial-Error & Better Living: in our responses

Welcome

 Prayer

1 Samuel 25:1-3                 Common English Bible Translation

Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. David then left and went down to the Maon wilderness. There was a man in Maon who did business in Carmel. He was a very important man and owned three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. At that time, he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and attractive woman, but her husband was a hard man who did evil things. He was a Calebite. (Question: What are the things you value?)

1 Samuel 25:4-8

While in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten servants, telling them, “Go up to Carmel. When you get to Nabal, greet him for me. Say this to him: ‘Peace to you, your household, and all that is yours! I’ve heard that you are now shearing sheep. As you know, your shepherds were with us in the wilderness. We didn’t mistreat them. Moreover, the whole time they were at Carmel, nothing of theirs went missing. Ask your servants; they will tell you the same. So please receive these young men favorably, because we’ve come on a special day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.’” (Question: How do you request, give, and receive help?)

1 Samuel 25:9-13

When David’s young men arrived, they said all this to Nabal on David’s behalf. Then they waited. But Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is Jesse’s son? There are all sorts of slaves running away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread, my water, and the meat I’ve butchered for my shearers and give it to people who came here from who knows where?” So David’s young servants turned around and went back the way they came. When they arrived, they reported every word of this to David. Then David said to his soldiers, “All of you, strap on your swords!” So each of them strapped on their swords, and David did the same. Nearly four hundred men went up with David. Two hundred men remained back with the supplies. (Question: How do you know when you are overreacting?)

1 Samuel 25:14-17

One of Nabal’s servants told his wife Abigail, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he just yelled at them. But the men were very good to us and didn’t mistreat us. Nothing of ours went missing the whole time we were out with them in the fields. In fact, the whole time we were with them, watching our sheep, they were a protective wall around us both night and day. Think about that and see what you can do, because trouble is coming for our master and his whole household. But he’s such a despicable person no one can speak to him.” (Question: How do you try to make things right in difficult situations?)

1 Samuel 25:18-22

Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep ready for cooking, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes. She loaded all this one donkeys and told her servants, “Go on ahead of me. I’ll be right behind you.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal. As she was riding her donkey, going down a trail on the hillside, David and his soldiers appeared, descending toward her, and she met up with them. David had just been saying, “What a waste of time – guarding all this man’s stuff in the wilderness so that nothing of his went missing! He has repaid me evil instead of good! May God deal harshly with me, David, and worse still if I leave alive even one single male belonging to him come morning!” (Question: How do you react when you believe you’ve been wronged?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us quietly reflect upon an excerpt from the Brief Statement of Faith.

In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve. We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.

Hymn   Lift Every Voice and Sing       (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn   O Beautiful for Spacious Skies       (In Person Only)

Hymn List

338 O Beautiful for Spacious Skies

339 Lift Every Voice and Sing

621 I Will Call Upon the Lord

New Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

July 11th –  in our relationships

July 18th – TBA

July 25th –  in our responsibilities

August 1st –  in our realities

Sunday, June 27, 2021 - Living into the Future with the Lord's Prayer

Theme - Prayers for Life: Living into the Future with the Lord’s Prayer

Welcome

Prayer

Matthew 6:5-6                 Common English Bible Translation

“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you. (Mt. 26:36-37) Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to the disciples, “Stay here while I go and pray over there.” When we took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, he began to feel sad and anxious. (Question: What keeps us from praying/conversing with God?)

Matthew 6:7-8

“When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. 

(Lk 6:12-13) During that time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night long. At daybreak, he called together his disciples. He chose twelve of them whom he called apostles. (Question: When do find yourself being the most careful or careless with using words?)?

Matthew 6:9-10

Pray like this: Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. (Mt 9:35-36) Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Question: What do you imagine the world would look like if everyone were following God?)

Matthew 6:11

Give us the bread we need for today. (Lk 12:32-34) “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Make for yourselves wallets that don’t wear out – a treasure in heaven that never runs out. No thief comes near there, and no moth destroys. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.” (Question: How does God provide for your needs?)

Matthew 6:12-15

Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you, just as we also forgive those who have wronged us. And don’t lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your sins. (Lk 7:44-48) Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your home, you didn’t give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. This is why I tell you that her many sins have been forgiven; so she has shown great love. The one who is forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Question: How has forgiveness impacted you?)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

New Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

July 4th –  in our responses

July 11th –  in our relationships

July 18th – TBA

July 25th –  in our responsibilities

August 1st –  in our realities

Sunday, June 20, 2021 - Living Well with Others

Theme - Prayers for Life: Living Well with Others

Song List on YouTube click here

Hymn     Great Are You, Lord             (In Person Only)

Welcome

 Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-16                 Common English Bible Translation

Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers. (Ps 107:8-9) Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people, because God satisfied the one who was parched with thirst, and he filled up the hungry with good things! (Question: Who have you struggled to love? Why?)

Ephesians 1:17

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you. (2 Cor 6:1-2) Since we work together with him, we are also begging you not to receive the grace of God in vain. He says, I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation. Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation. (Question: How do you listen for God?)

Ephesians 1:18-19

I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength. (2 Cor 6:3-5) We don’t give anyone any reason to be offended about anything so that our ministry won’t be criticized. Instead, we commend ourselves as ministers of God in every way. We did this with our great endurance through problems, disasters, and stressful situations. We went through beatings, imprisonments, and riots. We experienced hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger. (Question: How have you noticed God’s presence in your life and in other people’s lives?)

Ephesians 1:20-21

God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future. (2 Cor 6:6-7) We displayed purity, knowledge, patience, and generosity. We served with the Holy Spirit, genuine love, telling the truth, and God’s power. We carried the weapons of righteousness in our right hand and our left hand. (Question: Are there relationships in your life that you think God can’t help you to navigate? Why?

Ephesians 1:22-23

God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way. (2 Cor 6:8-12) We were treated with honor and dishonor and with verbal abuse and good evaluation. We were seen as both fake and real, as unknown and well known, as dying-and look, we are alive! We were seen as punished but not killed, as going through pain but always happy, as poor but making many rich, and as having nothing but owning everything. Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you, and our hearts are wide open. There are no limits to the affection that we feel for you. You are the ones who placed boundaries on your affection for us. (Question: When do you feel most connected to other people?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn           Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying      (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn   We Are One in the Spirit      (In Person Only)

Hymn List

We Are One in the Spirit – 300 GTG

Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying – 469 GTG

Great Are You, Lord  – 614 GTG

Take My Life  – 697 GTG

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

June 27th – Living into the Future

New Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

July 4th –  in our responses

July 11th –  in our relationships

July 18th – TBA

July 25th –  in our responsibilities

August 1st –  in our realities

Sunday, June 13, 2021 - Revitalizing Courage

Theme - Prayers for Life: Revitalizing Courage

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfBUFUmORhE7vWy3yPGWYT64MPzxZtmLT

Hymn     God of Great and God of Small        (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer

1 Samuel 1:10, 12-17                 Common English Bible Translation

Hannah was very upset and couldn’t stop crying as she prayed to the Lord. As she kept praying before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah was praying in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice was silent, so Eli thought she was drunk. “How long will you act like a drunk?” Sober up!” Eli told her. “No sir!” Hannah replied. “I’m just a very sad woman. I haven’t had any wine or beer but have been pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think your servant is some good-for-nothing woman. This whole time I’ve been praying out of my great worry and trouble!” Eli responded “Then go in peace. And may the God of Israel give you what you’ve asked from him.” (Question: Have you ever been wrongfully judged? How did you handle that?)

1 Samuel 1:20, 24-28

So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which means “I asked the Lord for him.” When he had been weaned and was still very young, Hannah took him, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a jar of wine, and bought him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh. They slaughtered the bull, then brought the boy to Eli. “Excuse me, sir!” Hannah said. “As surely as you live, sir, I am the woman who stood here next to you, praying to the Lord. I prayed for this boy, and the Lord gave me what I asked from him. So now I give this boy back to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” Then they worshipped there before the Lord. (Question: How do you feel connected to God?)

1 Samuel 2:1-3

Then Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the Lord. My strength rises up in the Lord! My mouth mocks my enemies because I rejoice in your deliverance. No one is holy like the Lord – no, no one except you! There is no rock like our God! Don’t go on and on, talking so proudly, spouting arrogance from your mouth, because the Lord is the God who knows, and he weighs every act. (Question: What helps you to rejoice?)

1 Samuel 2:4-7

The bows of mighty warriors are shattered, but those who were stumbling now dress themselves in power! Those who were filled full now sell themselves for bread, but the ones who were starving are now fat from food! The woman who was barren has birthed seven children, but the mother with many sons has lost them all! The Lord! He brings death, gives life, takes down to the grave, and raises up! The Lord! He makes poor, gives wealth, brings low, but also lifts up high! (Question: How has God been with you through the challenging times and in the joyous times?)

1 Samuel 2:8-10

God raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the garbage pile. God sits them with officials, gives them the seat of honor! The pillars of the earth belong to the Lord; he set the world on top of them! God guards the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked die in darkness because no one succeeds by strength alone. The Lord! His enemies are terrified! God thunders against them from heaven! The Lord! He judges the far corners of the earth! May God give strength to his king and raise high the strength of his anointed one. (Question: How do you want God to raise you and others up?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn           I Need Thee Every Hour        (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn   Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart   (In Person Only)

Hymn List

God of Great and God of Small – 19 GTG

I Need Thee Every Hour – 735 GTG

Alleluia! Laud and Blessing – 755 GTG

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart! – 804 GTG

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

June 20th – Living Well with Others

June 27th – Living into the Future

New Sermon Series July 4th – August 1st

Theme: Trial – Error & Better Living

Sunday, June 6, 2021 - Letting Go + Living Well

Theme - Prayers for Life: Letting Go + Living Well

Hymn     O God, You Are My God      (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer

Daniel 9:1-3                 Common English Bible Translation

In the first year of Darius’ rule – Darius, who was Ahasuerus’ son, a Median by birth and who ruled the Chaldean kingdom – I, Daniel, pondered the scrolls, specifically the number of years that it would take to complete Jerusalem’s desolation according to the Lord’s word to the prophet Jeremiah. It was seventy years. I then turned my face to my Lord God, asking for an answer with prayer and pleading, and with fasting, mourning clothes, and ashes. (Question: What are the things you ask God to do for you?)

Daniel 9:4-7

As I prayed to the Lord my God, I made this confession: Please, my Lord – you are the great and awesome God, the one who keeps the covenant, and truly faithful to all who love him and keep his commands: We have sinned and done wrong. We have brought guilt on ourselves and rebelled, ignoring your commands and your laws. We haven’t listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our parents, and to all the land’s people. Righteousness belongs to you, my Lord! But we are ashamed this day – we, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all Israel whether near or far, in whatever country where you’ve driven them because of their unfaithfulness when they broke faith with you. (Question: What are the things you need to let go of and give to God?)

Daniel 9:8-11

Lord, we are ashamed – we, our kings, our leaders, and our parents who sinned against you. Compassion and deep forgiveness belong to my Lord, our God, because we rebelled against him. We didn’t listen to the voice of the Lord our God by following the teachings he gave us through his servants, the prophets. All Israel broke your Instruction and turned away, ignoring your voice. Then the curse that was sworn long ago-the one written in the Instruction from Moses, God’s servant-swept over us because we sinned against God. (Question: Where do you go for advice? Why?)

Daniel 9:12-15

God confirmed the words he spoke against us and against our rulers, bringing great trouble on us. What happened in Jerusalem hasn’t happened anywhere else in the entire world! All this trouble came upon us, exactly as it was written in the Instruction of Moses, but we didn’t try to reconcile with the Lord our God by turning from our wrongdoing or by finding wisdom in your faithfulness. So the Lord oversaw the great trouble and brought it on us, because the Lord our God has been right in every move he’s made, but we haven’t listened to his voice. “But now, my Lord, our God – you who brought your people out of Egypt with a strong hand, making a name for yourself even to this day: We have sinned and done the wrong thing.” (Question: Why is it sometimes difficult to listen to sound advice?)

Daniel 9:16-19

My Lord, please! In line with your many righteous acts, please turn your raging anger from Jerusalem, which is your city, your own holy mountain. Because of our sins and the wrongdoing of our parents, both Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace to all our neighbors. “But now, our God, listen to your servant’s prayer and pleas for help. Shine your face on your runed sanctuary, for your own sake, my Lord. Open your ears, my God, and listen! Open your eyes and look at our devastation. Look at the city called by your name! We pray our prayers for help to you, not because of any righteous acts of ours but because of your great compassion. My Lord, listen! My Lord, forgive! My Lord, pay attention and act! Don’t delay! My God, do all this for your own sake, because your city and your people are called by your name. (Question: How do you need God to guide and change your life?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn           Be Thou My Vision.        (In Person Only)

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn   I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me   (In Person Only)

Hymn List

Let All Things Now Living – 37 GTG

Be Thou My Vision – 450 GTG

What a Friend We Have in Jesus – 465 GTG

I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me – 700 GTG

O God, You Are My God – 743 GTG

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

June 13th – Prayers to Lift Us

June 20th – Praying with Others

June 27th – Living into the Future

Sunday, May 30, 2021 - Receiving God's Blessings

Theme - Prayers for Life: Receiving God’s Blessings

Hymn     O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!

Welcome

Prayer

1 Chronicles 29:9-10                 Common English Bible Translation

The people rejoiced at this response, because they had presented their offerings to the Lord so willingly and wholeheartedly. King David also rejoiced greatly. Then David blessed the Lord before the whole assembly: Blessed are you, Lord, God of our ancestor Israel, forever and always. (Ps 29:1-2) You, divine beings! Give to the Lord – give to the Lord glory and power! Give to the Lord the glory due his name! Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor! (Question: How do you celebrate God’s presence in your life?)

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

To you, Lord, belong the greatness and power, honor, splendor, and majesty, because everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingship, and you are honored as head of all. You are the source of wealth and honor, and you rule over all. In your hand are strength and might, and it is in your power to magnify and strengthen all. And now, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. (Ps 29:3-5) The Lord’s voice is over the waters; the glorious God thunders; the Lord is over the mighty waters. The Lord’s voice is strong; the Lord’s voice is majestic. The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees – yes, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. (Question: What does it mean for you to be blessed by God?)

1 Chronicles 29:14-15

Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly? Since everything comes from you, we have given you that which comes from your own hand. To be sure, we are like all our ancestors, immigrants without permanent homes. Our days are like a shadow on the ground, and there’s no hope. (Ps 29:6-8) He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull, makes Sirion jump around like a young wild ox. The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames; the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness – yes, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. (Question: What are the things God has made possible in your life?)

1 Chronicles 29:16-18

Lord, our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build you a temple for your holy name comes from your hand and belongs to you. Since I know, my God, that you examine the mind and take delight in honesty, I have freely given all these things with the highest of motives. And now I’ve been delighted to see your people here offering so willingly to you. Lord, God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep these thoughts in the mind of your people forever, and direct their hearts toward you. (Ps 29:9) The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks, strips the forests bare, but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” (Question: How do you respond to God’s blessings?) 

Hymn     Love Divine, All Loves Excelling                (In Person Only)

1 Chronicles 29:19-20

As for Solomon my son, give him the wholehearted devotion to keep our commands, laws, and regulations – observing all of them – and to build the temple that I have prepared. Then David said to the whole assembly, “Bless the Lord your God,” and the whole assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, bowed down, and worshipped before the Lord and the king. (Ps 29:10-11) The Lord sits enthrone over the floodwaters; the Lord sits enthrone – king forever! Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace! (Question: How do you share in God’s blessings with others?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn        Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn      Holy, Holy

Hymn List

Holly, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! – 1 GTG

O Worship the King, All Glorious Above! – 41 GTG

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling – 366 GTG

Holy, Holy – 141 Songs of Praise & Worship

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

June 6th – Letting Go

June 13th – Prayers to Lift Us

June 20th – Praying with Others

June 27th – Living into the Future

Sunday, May 23, 2021 - Igniting Our Relationships

Theme - Igniting Our Relationships: grasping the potential

Hymn     We Are Marching in the Light of God   

Welcome 

Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:11-13                 Common English Bible Translation

So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already. Brothers and sisters, we ask you to respect those who are working with you, leading you, and instructing you. Think of them highly with love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. (Acts 2:1-2) When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. (Question: What do you enjoy about being in relationship with others?)

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are disorderly. Comfort the discouraged. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone. Make sure no one repays a wrong with a wrong, but always pursue the good for each other and everyone else. (Acts 2:3-4) They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Question: What are the difficulties that arise in relationships with others?)

Hymn    On Pentecost They Gathered      (In Person Only)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (Acts 2:5-6) There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. (Question: How does gratitude change your relationships?)

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

Don’t suppress the Spirit. Don’t brush off Spirit-inspired messages, but examine everything carefully and hold on to what is good. Avoid every kind of evil. (Acts 2:7) They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? (Jn 15:9) “As the Father love me, I too have loved you. Remain in my love. (Question: When do you feel the most inspired?)  

Hymn     Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness             (In Person Only)

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Now, may the God of peace himself cause you to be completely dedicated to him; and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming. The one who is calling you is faithful and will do this. (Eph 4:1-6) Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. (Question: What is your top priority? Why?)

Hymn     For Everyone Born             (In Person Only)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn        Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Closing Hymn      We Will Go Out with Joy

Hymn List

Every Time I Feel the Spirit – 66 GTG

On Pentecost They Gathered – 289 GTG

Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness – 291 GTG

We Will Go Out with Joy – 539 GTG

For Everyone Born – 769 GTG

We Are Marching in the Light of God – 853 GTG

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

May 30th – Receiving God’s Blessings

June 6th – Letting Go

June 13th – Prayers to Lift Us

June 20th – Praying with Others

June 27th – Living into the Future

Sunday, May 16, 2021 - Being a Hopeful Presence

Theme - Sustainable Hope: Being a Hopeful Presence

Hymn        To God Be the Glory

Welcome

Prayer

Acts 26:1-5                            Common English Bible Translation

Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” So Paul gestured with his hand and began his defense. “King Agrippa, I consider myself especially fortunate that I stand before you today as I offer my defense concerning all the accusations the Jews have brought against me. This is because you understand well all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I ask you to listen to me patiently. Every Jew knows the way of life I have followed since my youth because, from the beginning, I was among my people and in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time. If they wanted to, they could testify that I followed the way of life set out by the most exacting group of our religion. I am a Pharisee. (Question: How would you describe who you are and who you are to others?)

Acts 26:6-8

Today I am standing trial because of the hope in the promise God gave our ancestors. This is the promise our twelve tribes hope to receive as they earnestly worship night and day. The Jews are accusing me, King Agrippa, because of this hope! Why is it inconceivable to you that God raises the dead? (Ps 1:1) The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful. (Question: What do you hold onto when you feel like everything is falling apart?)

Hymn       Come! Live in the Light!           (In Person Only)

Acts 26:9-11

“I really thought that I ought to oppose the name of Jesus the Nazarene in every way possible. And that’s exactly what I did in Jerusalem. I locked up many of God’s holy people in prison under the authority of the chief priests. When they were condemned to death, I voted against them. In one synagogue after another – indeed, in all the synagogues – I would often torture them, compelling them to slander God. My rage bordered on the hysterical as I pursued them, even to foreign cities. (Question: What are some of the regrets you have in life?)

Acts 26:19-21

“So, King Agrippa, I wasn’t disobedient to that heavenly vision. Instead, I proclaimed first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to the whole region of Judea and to the Gentiles. My message was that they should change their hearts and lives and turn to God, and that they should demonstrate this change in their behavior. Because of this, some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to murder me. (Question: How have you moved forward with your regrets?)

Hymn      In the Bulb There Is a Flower                    (In Person Only)

Acts 26:22-23

God has helped me up to this very day. Therefore, I stand here and bear witness to the lowly and the great. I’m saying nothing more than what the Prophets and Moses declared would happen: that the Christ would suffer and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to my people and to the Gentiles.” (Ps 1:2-3) Instead of doing those things, these persons love the Lord’s Instruction, and they recite God’s Instruction day and night! They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds. (Question: How does God’s presence in your life change your words and actions?)

Hymn          We All Are One in Mission                    (In Person Only)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn        Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Hymn      Standing on the Promises

Hymn List

Great Is Thy Faithfulness – 39 GTG

In the Bulb There Is a Flower – 250 GTG

To God Be the Glory – 634 GTG

We All Are One in Mission – 733 GTG

Come! Live in the Light! – 749 GTG

Standing on the Promises – 838 GTG

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Guiding Scripture for the Easter Season

Isaiah 33:2

“Lord, show us favor;

    we hope in you.

Be our strength every morning,

   Our salvation in times of distress.”

Pentecost May 23rd

Theme: Igniting Our Relationships

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

Sunday, May 9, 2021 - Insight into Thriving

Theme - Sustainable Hope: Insight into Thriving

Hymn    Lord, Prepare Me

Welcome

Prayer

2 Corinthians 1:3-5                       Common English Bible Translation

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. (Ps 98:1) Sing to the Lord a new song because he has done wonderful things! His own strong hand and his own holy arm have won the victory! (Question: How does God comfort you?)

2 Corinthians 1:6-7

So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort. (Ps 98:3) God has remembered his loyal love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; every corner of the earth has seen our God’s salvation. (Question: How does your experience with suffering impact others?)

Hymn     Light Dawns on a Weary World                       (In Person Only)

2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be unaware of the troubles that we went through in Asia. We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive. It certainly seemed to us as if we had gotten the death penalty. This was so that we would have confidence in God, who raises the dead, instead of ourselves. (Ps 98:4) Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth! Be happy! Rejoice out loud! Sing praises! (Question: What confidence do you have in how God is working in your life?)

2 Corinthians 1:10-11

God rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will rescue us again, since you are helping with your prayer for us. Then many people can thank God on our behalf for the gift that was given to us through the prayers of many people. (Ps 98:5-6) Sing your praises to the Lord with the lyre- with the lyre and the sound of music. With trumpets and a horn blast, shout triumphantly before the Lord, the king! (Question: What are the ways you want and need to be rescued in life?)

Hymn        Goodness Is Stronger than Evil               (In Person Only)

2 Corinthians 1:12-14

We have conducted ourselves with godly sincerity and pure motives in the world, and especially toward you. This is why we are confident, and our conscience confirms this. We didn’t act with human wisdom but we relied on the grace of God. We don’t write anything to you except what you can read and also understand. I hope that you will understand totally since you have already understood us partly. Understand that in the day of our Lord Jesus, we will make you proud as you will also make us proud. (Ps 98:8-9) Let all the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains rejoice out loud altogether before the Lord because he is coming to establish justice on the earth! He will establish justice in the world rightly; he will establish justice among all people fairly. (Question: What do you rely upon during difficult times? Why?)

Hymn         O Day of Rest and Gladness                   (In Person Only)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn     Called as Partners in Christ’s Service

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Hymn   You Shall Go Out with Joy

Hymn List

Light Dawns on a Weary World – 79 GTG

You Shall Go Out with Joy – 80 GTG

O Day of Rest and Gladness – 393 GTG

Lord, Prepare Me – 701 GTG

Goodness Is Stronger than Evil – 750 GTG

Called as Partners in Christ’s Service – 761 GTG

**********************************************************

Guiding Scripture for the Easter Season

Isaiah 33:2

“Lord, show us favor;

    we hope in you.

Be our strength every morning,

   Our salvation in times of distress.”

Easter Series: Sustainable Hope April 18th – May 16th

May 16th – Being a Hopeful Presence

Pentecost May 23rd

Theme: Igniting Our Relationships

Sermon Series May 30th – June 27th

Theme: Prayers for Life

Sunday, May 2, 2021 - Cultivating Practices that Matter

Theme - Sustainable Hope: Cultivating Practices that Matter

Prayer

Creative God, guide us through scripture this day to a deeper understanding of how we can practice your sustainable hope. May your wisdom bring us to new possibilities. Amen. 

Jeremiah 29:1-3                            Common English Bible Translation

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the few surviving elders among the exiles, to the priests and the prophets, and to all the people Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem. The letter was sent after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the government leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and smiths had left Jerusalem. It was delivered to Babylon by Elash, Shaphan’s son, and Gemariah, Hilkiah’s son – two men dispatched to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar by King Zedekiah. (Question: What are the relationships that are most important to us? Why are they the most important?)

Jeremiah 29:4-7

The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims to all the exiles I have carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children; then help your sons find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. Increase in number there so that you don’t dwindle away. Promote the welfare to the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare. (Question: What are the things you practice that enhance your life?)

Hymn          All Who Love and Serve Your City        (In Person Only)

Jeremiah 29:8-9

The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Don’t let the prophets and diviners in your midst mislead you. Don’t pay attention to your dreams. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I didn’t send them, declares the Lord. (1 Jn 4:9, 11) This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. Dear friends, if God loved us this way, we also ought to love each other. (Question: How do you decide what words, actions, and practices guide your life?)

Jeremiah 29:10-11

The Lord proclaims: When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. (1 Jn 4:16) We have known and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them. (Question: How do you practice peace?)

Hymn             Praise Ye the Lord                  (In Person Only)

Jeremiah 29:12-14

When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will be present for you, declares the Lord, and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the Lord. (1 Jn 4:18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. (Question: In what ways do you recognize how God is with you in your life?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Hymn             This is My Father’s World                  (In Person Only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn     My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less    

The Lord’s Supper

Invitation

Prayer of Thanksgiving 

Words of Institution

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Hymn   Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee   

Hymn List

Hallelujah! Sing Praise to Your Creator – 18 GTG

All Who Love and Serve Your City – 351 GTG

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less – 353 GTG

This is My Father’s World – 370 GTG

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee – 611 GTG

Praise Ye the Lord – 633 GTG

*********************************************************** 

Guiding Scripture for the Easter Season

Isaiah 33:2

“Lord, show us favor;

    we hope in you.

Be our strength every morning,

   Our salvation in times of distress.”

Easter Series: Sustainable Hope April 18th – May 16th

May 9th – Insight into Thriving

May 16th – Being a Hopeful Presence

Sunday, April 25, 2021 - Elevating Our Expectations

Theme - Sustainable Hope: Elevating Our Expectations

Hymn     Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing    (Recording Only)

Hymn    The Lord’s My Shepherd            (In Person Only)

Welcome

Prayer

Romans 8:18-19                            Common English Bible Translation

I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. (Ps 23:1-3) The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He lets me rest in grassy meadows; he leads me to restful waters; he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of his good name. (Question: How do you want God to be at work in your life and with those around you?)

Romans 8:20-22

Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice – it was the choice of the one who subjected it – but in the hope that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children. We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. (Ps 23:4) Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff – they protect me. (Question: What is your greatest hope? How is it connected to God?)

Hymn  Everyone Who Longs for the Boundless Love of God    (In Person Only)

Romans 8:23-25

And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. (Acts 4:8-10a)Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, answered, “Leaders of the people and elders, are we being examined today because something good was done for a sick person, a good deed that healed him? If so, then you and all the people of Israel need to know that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. (Question: What is the most difficult about having hope?)

Romans 8:26-27

In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. (Ps 23:5) You set a table for me right in front of my enemies. You bathe my head in oil; my cup is so full it spills over! (Question: Have you ever pleaded with God for something?)

Hymn       There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy                     (In Person Only)

Romans 8:28

We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Ps 23:6) Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the Lord’s house as long as I live. (1 Jn 3:2Hil4) Those who keep his commandments dwell in God and God dwells in them. This is how we know that he dwells in us, because of the Spirit he has given us. (Question: What do we expect of God and what should we expect of God in our lives?)

Reflection Together              (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn     Live into Hope.   (Recording Only)   

Hymn   Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing      (In Person Only)   

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Benediction

Hymn      May the God of Hope Go with Us     

Hymn List

There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy – 435 GTG

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing – 475 GTG

Live into Hope– 772 GTG

May the God of Hope Go with Us – 765 GTG

Everyone Who Longs for the Boundless Love of God – 849 GTG

***********************************************************

Guiding Scripture for the Easter Season

Isaiah 33:2

“Lord, show us favor;

    we hope in you.

Be our strength every morning,

   Our salvation in times of distress.”

Easter Series: Sustainable Hope April 18th – May 16th

May 2nd – Cultivating the Practices that Matter

May 9th – Insight into Thriving

May 16th – Being a Hopeful Presence

Sunday, April 18, 2021 - Accessing what we need

Theme - Sustainable Hope: Accessing What We Need

 Prayer

Ephesians 2:12-13                          Common English Bible Translation

At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Psalm 4:1-2) Answer me when I cry out, my righteous God! Set me free from my troubles! Have mercy on me! Listen to my prayer! How long, you people, will my reputation be insulted? How long will you continue to love what is worthless and go after lies? (Question: When do you struggle the most with having hope?)

Ephesians 2:14-16

Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God. (Question: How do others help or hinder you having hope?)

Hymn      My Life Flows On        (In Person Only)

Ephesians 2:17-19

When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away From God and to those who were near. We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. (Psalm 4:3) Know this: the Lord takes personal care of the faithful. The Lord will hear me when I cry out to him. (Question: When have you been the most hopeful?)

Ephesians 2:20-21

As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. (Psalm 4:4-5) So be afraid, and don’t sin! Think hard about it in your bed and weep over it! Bring righteous offerings, and trust the Lord! (Question: What do you base your hope upon?)

Hymn       Lord of All Hopefulness        (In Person Only)

Ephesians 2:22

Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit. (Psalm 4:6-8) Many people say, “We can’t find goodness anywhere. The light of your face has left us, Lord!” But you have filled my heart with more joy than when their wheat and wine are everywhere! I will lie down and fall asleep in peace because you alone, Lord, let me live in safety.

(Question: How does having hope impact your identity)

Reflection Together                      (In Person only)

Offering Ourselves to God

       During this time let us reflect upon and commit ourselves to how we can connect to God through giving of our time, our thoughts, our resources, and our actions.

Hymn     Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Blessing

Hymn      There is Now a New Creation

Song List

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me – 438 GTG

As the Deer – 626 GTG

Lord of All Hopefulness – 683 GTG

There Is Now a New Creation – 774 GTG

My Life Flows On – 821 GTG

***********************************************************

Guiding Scripture for the Easter Season

Isaiah 33:2

“Lord, show us favor;

    we hope in you.

Be our strength every morning,

   Our salvation in times of distress.”

Easter Series: Sustainable Hope April 18th – May 16th

April 25th – Elevating Our Expectations

May 2nd – Cultivating the Practices that Matter

May 9th – Insight into Thriving

May 16th – Being a Hopeful Presence

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Theme: Thomas

Prayer

Psalm 133                                        New Revised Standard Version

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

Message #1     Willing to be Courageous

John 11:1-16

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Message #2       Willing to be Taught

John 14:1-7

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Message #3       Willing to Believe

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe[ that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory, forever.  Amen

Blessing

Song List

God, You Spin the Whirling Planets – 23 GTG

Christ Has Risen While Earth Slumbers – 231 GTG

Thine Is the Glory – 238 GTG

Praise, Praise, Praise the Lord! – 390 GTG

Guide My Feet – 741 GTG

What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine – 837 GTG

Thought for Individual Meditation

When someone says, “I’ve never had a moment of probing religious doubt.” I find myself wondering whether that person has ever had a moment of vital religious conviction.  For if one fact stands out above all others in the history of religion, it is this:  the price of a great faith is a great and continuous struggle to get it, keep it and to share it. 

Guiding Scripture for the Easter Season

Isaiah 33:2

“Lord, show us favor;

    we hope in you.

Be our strength every morning,

   Our salvation in times of distress.”

Easter Series: Sustainable Hope April 18th – May 16th

April 18th – Accessing what we Need

April 25th – Elevating Our Expectations

May 2nd – Cultivating the Practices that Matter

May 9th – Insight into Thriving

May 16th – Being a Hopeful Presence