Gathering Recap - 12/03/2023 -Isaiah 9:2-7 - Arrival

Call to worship:

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place[a]
    in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90:1-2

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How are you entering this Advent?

In what ways are you asking Jesus to meet you?

What does applying the promises of Isaiah 9 look like today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for this season that reminds us of who You are and what You've done. We ask that by the power of Your Spirt, we'd be enabled to behold Your Son and rest well. Shape us and use us for Your glory and the good of those around us.

In the name of Jesus we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Isaiah 9:2-7

In general the whole Liturgical calendar is set up so that you never have celebration without preparation. Advent is focused more on preparation. Advent is designed to call us into rest, into reflection and into hope for what’s next. That’s what Christians are focusing on when they celebrate Advent. - Tish Harrison Warren

The entire thrust of this season is designed to bring us face-to-face with reality—reality about sin and death, reality about the human race, reality about God. Something ultimate has entered our world, something or Someone that calls us to attention, calls us out of our daily preoccupations and our routine points of view. That is what this season with its special biblical readings is designed to reveal - Fleming Rutledge

“It is because of His humanity and His incarnation that Christ becomes sweet to us, and through Him God becomes sweet to us. Let us therefore begin to ascend step by step from Christ’s crying in His swaddling clothes up to His Passion. Then we shall easily know God. I am saying this so that you do not begin to contemplate God from the top, but start with the weak elements. We should best ourselves completely with treating, knowing, and considering this man. Then you will know that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Martin Luther

May the Lord make you glad during this remembrance of the birth of His only Son, Jesus Christ; that as you joyfully receive Him for your redeemer, you may with sure confidence behold Him when He shall come to be our judge.

Book of Common Prayer (1928)

“Assyria’s masters are planning to conquer the whole earth (Is. 5:25-29) Her greed is reckless, her weapons devastating, her armies formidable, crushing all resistance, sweeping to victories. No one seems to question her invincibility except Isaiah, who foresees the doom of the oppressor, the collapse of the monster.” Abraham Heschel

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ―Anne Frank

This good news offers another opportunity for rebellious people to turn from trusting in political alliances, mediums, and the spirits of the dead because God is their only true source of hope. Neither Ahaz nor any modern political figure can ever hope to bring about an era of perfect peace and justice. Only God’s wonderful plans will bring about these ideals, not the plans of Ahaz (8:10) or any other fast talking politician. God’s promises will only be accomplished through his chosen messianic ruler, so placing trust in any other solution is folly. - Gary Smith

Matthew 1:9, 21-23, 2:5-6

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbèd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat—and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet—

‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’

Francis Thompson

In the church, this is the season of Advent. It’s superficially understood as a time to get ready for Christmas, but in truth it’s the season for contemplating the judgment of God. Advent is the season that, when properly understood, does not flinch from the darkness that stalks us all in this world. Advent begins in the dark and moves toward the light—but the season should not move too quickly or too glibly, lest we fail to acknowledge the depth of the darkness. Advent bids us take a fearless inventory of the darkness: the darkness without and the darkness within. - Fleming Rutledge

Gathering Recap - 11/26/2023 - Proverbs 27:1-10 - Friendship

Call to worship:

1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
    with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
    in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

Psalm 89:1-2

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is your experience with friendship?

How does Proverbs shape our understanding of friendship?

What does Jesus show us and how does he lead us in friendship?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Kim J reading - Proverbs 27:1-10, 17

“In the bible wisdom is certainly not less than being moral and good but it’s much more. It’s being so in touch with reality that you know what is the right thing to do in the vast majority of the situations that the moral rules don’t apply to. The vast majority of your choices, your decisions, you’re going have a whole lot of different choices in front of you and in most cases no matter what your understanding of morality is, no matter what your moral standards are there will be many many many options that are all moral, they are all allowable morally but which one is the wise one? Wisdom is the ability to know what the right thing is to do in the situations that the moral rules don’t address!” - Tim Keller

“Financial capital - the wherewithal for mass marketing - has steadily replaced social capital - that is, grassroots citizen networks - as the coin of the realm.” - Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone

“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an under appreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives. Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.” Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” - Dale Carnegie

“Two sayings in chapter 27 give the two sides to this: the cheering effect of fellowship, and the healthy clash of personalities or views. A true friendship should have both elements, the reassuring and the bracing”. - Derek Kidner

Proverbs 18:24

“Friendship requires a foundation, an affinity, a common love, a common vision that can’t be created that can only be discovered.” - Tim Keller

Matthew 11:18-19

John 15:12-17

Gathering Recap - 11/19/2023 - Proverbs 2:1-222 - The Wisdom of Love

Call to worship:

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Psalm 86:11-13

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Proverbs reveal the love of God?

What is our responsibility in Proverbs 2? What about God’s?

Do you see the gospel rooting us in reality? How does it send us in love?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Proverbs 2:1-22

“Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes much easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn’t through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple. So the first thing that happens in a conflict is that we choose a side, because that’s easier than trying to hold two thoughts in our heads at the same time. The second thing that happens is that we seek out facts that confirm what we want to believe—comforting facts, ones that permit life to go on as normal. The third is that we dehumanize our enemy.” - Frederik Backman

Mark 10:17-22

John 16:31-33

Matthew 11:25-30

In this way only we attain to what is not to say difficult but altogether against nature, to love those that hate us, render good for evil, and blessing for cursing, remembering that we are not to reflect on the wickedness of men, but look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, should by its beauty and dignity allure us to love and embrace them.

—John Calvin

Gathering Recap - 11/12/2023 - Proverbs 18:22 - Marriage - Blessing or Ball and Chain

Call to worship:

6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
    listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
    for you answer me.

8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
    nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
    and worship before you, O Lord,
    and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
    you alone are God.

Psalm 86:6-10

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does culture tell us about marriage?

How does the canon of scripture shape our view of marriage?

When we see the whole gospel of Jesus, how does that inform our perspective of singleness, marriage, and divorce?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Prov 18:22 & 21:19 - Mike Reading

Title: Blessing Or Ball & Chain

“So where did this pessimism come from, and why is it so out of touch with reality? Paradoxically, it may be that the pessimism comes from a new kind of unrealistic idealism about marriage, born of a significant shift in our culture’s, understanding of the purpose of marriage. Legal scholar John Witte, Jr., says that the earlier "ideal of marriage as a permanent contractual union designed for the sake of mutual love, procreation, and protection, is slowly giving way to a new reality of marriage as a ‘terminal sexual contract’ designed for the gratification of the individual parties. Witte points out that in western civilizations there of been several competing views of what the “form and function” of marriage should be. The first two were in the Catholic and Protestant perspectives. Though different in many particulars, they both taught that the purpose of marriage was to create a framework for lifelong devotion and love between a husband and a wife. It was a solemn bond, designed to help each party subordinate individual impulses, and interests in favor of the relationship, to be a sacrament of God's love (the Catholic emphasis) and serve the common good the (Protestant Emphasis). Marriage created by bringing male and female into a binding partnership. In particular, lifelong marriage, was seen as creating, the only kind of social stability in which children could grow and thrive. The reason that society had a vested interest in the institution of marriage, was because children could not flourish as well in any other kind of environment. However, Witte explains that a new view of marriage emerged from the 18th and 19th century Enlightenment. Older cultures taught their members to find meaning in duty, by embracing their assigned social roles, and caring them out faithfully. During the Enlightenment, things begin to shift. The meaning of life came to be seen as the fruit of the freedom of the individual to choose the life that most fulfills him or her personally. Instead of finding meaning, through self denial, through giving up one's freedom, and binding oneself to the duties of marriage and family, marriage was redefined as finding emotional and sexual fulfillment and self actualization. Proponents of this new approach, did not see the essence of marriage as located in either its divine sacramental symbolism or as a social bond given to benefit the broader human commonwealth. Rather, marriage was seen as a contract between two parties for mutual individual growth and satisfaction. In this view, married persons married for themselves, not to fulfill responsibilities to God, or society. Parties should, therefore, be allowed to conduct their marriage in anyway they deemed beneficial to them, and no obligation to church, tradition, or broader community should be imposed on them. In short, the Enlightenment, privatized marriage, taking it out of the public sphere, and redefined its purpose as individual gratification, not any "broader, good" such as reflecting God’s nature, producing character, or raising children. Slowly, but surely, this newer understanding of the meaning of marriage has displaced the older ones in western culture.

- Timothy Keller

“The sage, is writing from the perspective of the man. As one looks at a pig and sees only the gold ring, so is a man who is so enamored by a woman’s physical beauty that he does not recognize her lack of discretion. The sage is warning those who will listen that the beauty is not worth all the problems that a woman’s indiscretion will bring to him. Later, in the poem concerning the virtuous woman, the sage will affirm that what is really important is not charm or beauty, but rather a woman’s fear of Yahweh. “Beauty without wisdom is the height of incongruity.”

- Tremper Longman

“Destructive to marriage is the self fulfillment ethic that assumes marriage and the family are primarily institutions of personal fulfillment, necessary for us to become "whole" and happy. The assumption is that there is someone right for us to marry, and then, if we look closely enough, we will find the right person. This moral assumption overlooks a crucial aspect to marriage. It fails to appreciate the fact that we always marry the wrong person. We never know whom we marry; we just think we do. Or even if we first, marry the right person, just give it a while, and he or she will change. For marriage, being (the enormous thing it is) means we are not the same person after we have entered it. The primary problem is… learning how to love and care for the stranger to whom you find yourself married.”

- Stanley Hauerwas

Gathering Recap - 11/05/2023 - Proverbs 6:6-11 - Work and Money

Call to worship:

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
    save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
    for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
    for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
    abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Psalm 86:1-5

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does the biblical story help us to understand work?

In what ways does the good news of the gospel shape our work and money?

What does mission and generosity look like in your life today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Kim J reading -

Prov 6:6-11, 3:9-10, 23:4-5

Gen 2:15-17,

Gen 1:27-28

Prov 10:4

Prov 15:6

Prov 22:1-2,

Prov 23:5

“The works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone… Indeed, the menial housework of a manservant or maidservant is often more acceptable to God than all the fastings and other works of a monk or priest, because the monk or priest lacks faith.” Martin Luther

Col 3:17, Col 3:25

Our work can be a calling only if it is reimagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own interests. Thinking of work mainly as a means of self-fulfillment and self-realization slowly crushes a person. - Tim Keller and Katherine Alsdorf

“The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. Church by all means, and decent forms of amusement, certainly—but what us is all that if in the very center of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry? No crooked table legs or ill fitting drawers ever, I dare swear, came out of the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth. Nor, if they did, couple anyone believe that they were made by the same hand that made heaven and earth. - Dorthy Sayers

1 Cor 15:57-58,

Everyone will be forgotten, nothing we do will make any difference, and all good endeavours, even the best, will come to naught. Unless there is God. If the God of the Bible exists, and there is a True Reality beneath and behind this one, and this life is not the only life, then every good endeavour, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God's calling, can matter forever. - Tim Keller

Gathering Recap - 10/29/2023 - Proverbs 3:1-12 - Children and Parents

Call to worship:

13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

Psalm 77:13-15

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does the text say about children/parents?

What unhelpful templates have you been given for parents/kids? How does scripture shape that?

In what ways can we show how compelling Jesus truly is?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Prov 3:1-12 - Linda B

Proverbs 3:1-12

Proverbs 26:11,

Prov 15:17,

Prov 11:22

They were happy, or at least as happy as a family can be when it's burdened by a grief too large to be absorbed by time. - Frederick Backman

“The parents’ chief resource is constructive, namely their ‘law’, taught with loving persistence. This ‘law’ (tôrâ) is a wide term which includes commands (cf. 3:1; 7:2) but is not confined to them: basically it means direction, and its aim here is to foster wise habits of thought and action.” Derek Kinder

Prov 22:6,

Prov 17:6

Prov 22:15

“It must be borne in mind that the application of any proverb depends on the people involved as well as the situation. These proverbs do not imply that parents must apply physical punishment when they judge that a simple verbal reprimand will do. Discipline is never to be done out of anger or hate or a desire to harm, but out of love and a desire that the person improve. In this way, the parent follows the model of God, who disciplines his children.” - Tremper Longman

In every moment when you are parenting, you are being parented. In every moment when you are called to give grace, you are being given grace. In every moment when you are rescuing and protecting your children, you are being rescued and protected. In every moment when you feel alone, you are anything but alone because he goes wherever you go. - Paul Tripp

Matthew 18:1-6

Gathering Recap - 10/22/2023 - Proverbs 4:20-27 - Wisdom for Direction

Call to worship:

4 May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
    hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!

Psalm 70:4-5

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is your typical way for finding direction in life?

How does the wisdom of scripture direct us in our decision making?

What does surrendering, asking, listening, consulting, and going look like for you?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Proverbs 4:20-27

“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” - Frederick Beuchner

The father is vitally concerned to keep his son moving on the right path in his life. In many ways, this discourse is an admonition like the previous one. It does not mention God explicitly, but by invoking the two-path theology, it does so implicitly, since the father’s path is the one that is associated with God. The admonition to the son here is to focus all of his energies on staying on the right path and avoiding the evil path. Again, this underlines the idea that wisdom entails a lifetime of work and not a single decision. - Tremper Longman

Matthew 7:13-14

“A major part of godliness lies in dogged attentiveness to familiar truths. So a kind of medical inspection follows, in which one’s state of readiness in the various realms symbolized by heart, mouth, eyes and feet, comes under review.” - Derek Kidner

The way of freedom isn’t found in grasping for God’s omniscience, but in grasping for God’s hand.This freedom, though, isn’t synonymous with safety. In fact, sometimes it’s risky. Bethany Jenkins

Surrendering

Asking

Listening

Consulting

Going

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry

“Love God and do whatever you will: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.” - Augustine

Prov 16:1-3

Prov 16:9

“I see an opportunity. I don’t see anybody else taking the opportunity. I feel an obligation to come. I think it’s a good idea. I think God’s calling me. But I can’t be absolutely sure. I can be sure that I must not lie; it’s in the Bible. I can be sure that I must not bow down to idols; it’s in the Bible. I’m sure of a lot of things that are God’s will. But as far as I know, I won’t be sure that I’m called to plant a church until it happens.” When people would persist, saying, “Didn’t you have a peace about it?” I’d reply: “No, it was too hard of a decision. It was too scary. But I know this: guidance is as much something God does as it is something he gives. Therefore, I knew that by selling my house and moving up here and signing a three-year lease that, if I failed to plant a church, God was preparing me for something I couldn’t envision.” - Tim Keller

Gathering Recap - 10/15/2023 - Proverbs 10:18-19 - Wise Words

Call to worship:

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Psalm 67:4-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does Proverbs say about our words?

What do our words tell us about our heart?

How does Jesus heal our words?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Larry & Jorgen reading, Proverbs 10:18,19,31,32; 12:13,14,17,18; 15:1,4; 16:23,28; 18:13,21; 24:26

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
 but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 12:8

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Proverbs 18:21

“A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Proverbs 16:28

“an evil man is trapped by his sinful talk”...“From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good”

Proverbs 12:13 & 13:2

“2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things"

James 3:2-5

“he who conceals his hatred has lying lips”

Proverbs 10:18

The characteristics of words:

1. Truthful and honest rather than deceptive.

2. Kind and gentle rather than rash.

3. Wise and apt rather than careless.

4. Forthright and courageous rather than gossip.

5. Economical rather than impulsiveness.

“Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.”

Proverbs 12:17

“a soft answer turns away wrath.”

Proverbs 15:1

“With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.”

Proverbs 25:15

“The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable…”

Proverbs 10:32

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

Proverbs 25:10

“Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.”

Proverbs 24:26

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”

Proverbs 10:19

“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

Proverbs 17:28

“out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

Gathering Recap - 10/08/2023 - Proverbs 1:1-7 - Learning Wisdom

Call to worship:

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

Psalm 67:1-3

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is the genre of wisdom literature in the Bible?

Why do we need Proverbs, Job AND Ecclesiastes?

How does Jesus embody wisdom?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Prov 1:1-7

“You’ve heard of the meat of the word and milk of the word, proverbs is the hard candy of the word. You don’t just swallow it. You don’t just bite into it. You have to let it dissolve very slowly on your tongue.” Tim Keller

The book of Proverbs opens by breaking up the plain daylight of wisdom (ḥokmâ) into its rainbow of constituent colours. Derek Kidner

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.” - Yoda

I used to wonder about that myself. Thought it was a bunch of mumbo jumbo: a magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and the light. Crazy thing is...it’s true. The Force, the Jedi. All of it. It’s all true. - Hans Solo

In my experience, when you think you understand the Force, you realize just how little you know." - Ahsoka Tano

1-9 - 10 speeches calling to heed/listen to wisdom

10-29 - Collection of all sorts of sayings

30/31 - Wisdom from Agur//Lemuel

Prov 22:6

Prov 10:15

Ecc 5:10-12

Prov 3:5-8

1 Cor 1:18-30

Gathering Recap - 10/01/2023 - Psalms: Learning Prayer

Call to worship:

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on[a] my tongue.[b]
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!

Psalm 66:16-20

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How have the Psalms taught you about prayer?

In what ways do we find Christ reflected in the Psalms?

How does Christ complete this Psalm and help followers today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Gathering Recap - 09/24/2023 - Psalm 37:1-7 - Don't Worry, Be Happy

Call to worship:

8 Bless our God, O peoples;
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip.

Psalm 66:8--9

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does this Psalm direct hearts in their worry and fear?

In what ways have you seen the faithfulness of God through the trials of your life?

How does Christ complete this Psalm and help followers today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 37:1-7 - Larry and Jorgen

Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb. Psalm 37:1-2

"When you're looking to the left or the right to see how you measure up to other people whether good or bad--you have an inability to see what God is doing for you. In the case of both envy and self-righteousness, the answer is found in looking to God-being thankful for what He has given you (including the opportunity for eternal life) and using Him as the standard for righteousness, which can only produce humility since we fall so woefully short." (excerpt from Comparison & Envy study)

Psalm 37:3-7 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit[a] your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you , says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jer: 29:11

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin. And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Do not fear therefore you are of more value than many sparrow.” Matt; 10:29

Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Taking delight in the Lord means that our hearts truly find peace and fulfillment in Him. If we truly find satisfaction and worth in Christ, Scripture says He will give us the longings of our hearts. Does that mean, if we go to church every Sunday, God will give us a new Rolls Royce? No. The idea behind this verse and others like it is that, when we truly rejoice or "delight" in the eternal things of God, our desires will begin to parallel His and we will never go unfulfilled. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be given to you as well.” F.B. Meyer

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:6-8

Gathering Recap - 09/17/2023 - Psalm 67:1-7 - Let the Nations Be Glad

Call to worship:

5 Come and see what God has done:
    he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
    they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
7     who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
    let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Psalm 66:5-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does this Psalm show us God’s heart for the nations?

What role has God’s played in His mission of redemption?

How does Christ fulfill this Psalm and send His people today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 67:1-7 - Kim

Slide 1

Big Idea

When it comes to God’s plan,

it’s about us, but it’s about much MORE than us!

Slide 2

“‘The Lord bless you

and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you

and give you peace.”

Number 6:24-26

Slide 3

… that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

Palm 67:2-5

Slide 4

“The psalmist had a beautiful scope in mind: not just Jerusalem, not just Judea, not just all of Israel, not just all the Middle East, not just all the Mediterranean world, not just his continent or hemisphere, but all the earth. God wants us to have the same heart and the same vision – for all the earth.”

David Guzik

Slide 5

“These words are no vain repetition, but are a chorus worthy to be sung again and again. The great theme of the Psalm is the participation of the gentiles in the worship of Jehovah; the Psalmist is full of it, he hardly knows how to contain his joy.”

Charles Spurgeon

Slide 6

“The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God … All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His son among all the people of the earth.”

John Piper

Slide 7

What is OUR part in the fulfillment of Psalm 67?

Slide 8

(This is a photograph of the Union Philippines team - see attached JPEG

Slide 9

What is YOUR part in the fulfillment of Psalm 67?

Slide 10

(This is a photo of a painting - see attached JPEG)

Slide 11

“This painting is not literal. It’s symbolic. It’s not about the Last Supper. It’s about the NEXT supper. The one where all the tribes of the earth will be invited.”

Hyatt Moore

Gathering Recap - 09/10/2023 - Psalm 35:1-10 - Asking God Crazy Things

Call to worship:

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
2     sing the glory of his name;
    give to him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
4 All the earth worships you
    and sings praises to you;
    they sing praises to your name.”

Psalm 66:1-4

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How have you interacted with the imprecatory Psalms?

What do they teach us about God, prayer and ourselves?

In what ways do these prayers point us to Christ?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 35:1-10

NGRAM Picture (attached)

Psalm 69:22-25

Psalm 58:6-9

Psalm 137:8-9

“In the ancient Near East in general, life was dominated by the need to cope with the terrifying threat of curses and omens” New Dictionary of Biblical Theology

The Psalms explore the full gamut of human experience from rage to hope. Indeed, it would be very strange if such a robust spirituality lacked such a dimension of vengeance, for we would conclude that just at the crucial point, robustness had turned to cowardice and propriety” Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms

“Imprecations are appeals to the Judge of the earth to play the part of Judge” Peter Leithart

We must not either try to explain them away or to yield for one moment to the idea that, because it comes in the Bible, all this vindictive hatred must somehow be good and pious. We must face both facts squarely. The hatred is there – festering, gloating, undisguised – and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it. These prayers of the psalmists "are indeed devilish”- CS Lewis

1 Sam 24:12-15

“The New Testament appears not in the least embarrassed with the Old Testament imprecations; on the contrary, it quotes freely from them as authoritative statements with which to support an argument. The New Testament not only quotes passages which, though themselves not imprecations, are found in a Psalm with an imprecatory section; but also, and this is more remarkable, it quotes with approval the imprecations themselves” Harry Mennega

“To pray “Thy kingdom come” is to invoke divine judgment on all other kingdoms and all those who oppose the reign of God. "When we pray as Jesus taught us, we cry out to God for His blessings upon His church and for His curses upon the kingdom of the evil one" James Adams, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace

When you approach God in prayer, don’t think of a majestic, almighty old man in the clouds. Picture a man with scars of suffering, eyes that have wept, ears that have heard hate, a mouth that’s hungered, a heart that’s bled. There is no more sympathetic listener than Christ. - Chad Bird

Gathering Recap - 09/03/2023 - Psalm 51:1-19 - The Gift of Repentance

Call to worship:

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What comes to mind when you think about repentance?

How does the community and Holy Spirit play a role in repentance?

In what ways is repentance a gift?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 51:1-19 - Faith

Title: The Gift Of Repentance

“Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.”

- Thomas Watson

“Making a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human beings the exact nature of our wrongs. Being entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. And humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”

- Alcoholics Anonymous

“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” - 2 Sam. 12:5&6

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” - Proverbs 27:5-6

 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

- Jeremiah 17:9

“21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

- Mark 7:21-23

“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…”

- Romans 5:12

“The appalling misery of the human race can only be explained as a punishment upon sin. How can God, who certainly is good and just, subject all humans from their conception on to sin and death if they are completely innocent? An original moral debt must rest upon all; there is no other way to understand the crushing yoke that weighs upon all the children of Adam.”

- Herman Bavnik

“17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

- Romans 5:17&18

“A broken heart cannot keep secrets. Now is all revealed, now its essence goes forth. Far too much of our praying, and of our worship, is like closed up boxes; you cannot tell what is in them. But it is not so with broken hearts; when broken hearts sing, they do sing. When broken hearts groan, they do groan. Broken hearts never play at repenting, nor play at believing…with broken hearts, the hymn is a real hymn, the prayer is a real prayer, the hearing of sermons is earnest work, and the preaching of them is the hardest work of all. Oh, what a mercy it would be if some of you were broken all to pieces! There are many flowers that will never yield their perfume till they are bruised.” —Charles Spurgeon

Question:

Am I being willfully blind?

Quote:

“O dear children of God, scorn your sins, lament your sins, weep over your sins! Indulge that feeling, and God will accept it when it is mixed with faith in his dear Son; for “the sacrifices of God”-that is, all sorts of sacrifices put together, sin-offerings, burnt offerings, peace-offerings, scape-goats, and all together-” the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” One broken spirit is worth them all. “A broken and a contrite heart,”-though there be but one such,-“O God, thou wilt not despise.” —Charles Spurgeon

Prayer:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
 Try me and know my thoughts!

24 

And see if there be any grievous way in me,
 and lead me in the way everlasting!

—Psalm 139:23&24

Gathering Recap - 08/27/2023 - Psalm 142:1-7 - How God Shows Up

Call to worship:

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
    beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
    in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63:1-4

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

This Psalm comes with a story…What about the story of David is surprising to you?

How has God used people in your life?

If this Psalm teaches us prayer and points us to Christ, what do you learn about both?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 142:1-7

1 Sam 22:1

Abraham debated.

Moses protested.

Jeremiah worried.

And Elijah basically whined.

But Jonah? Jonah ran.

It's a reminder that arguing with God is not an obstacle to intimacy with God,

but a primary channel into it. - Sharen Hodde Miller

A portrait of the righteous in the Psalms tells the true story: they find their refuge in God and, as a result, receive a righteousness from him that increasingly characterizes their lives. They also anticipate the coming of the Righteous One, in whose mouth the psalmists’ words find their ultimate fulfillment. Christopher Ash

1 Sam 22:2-3

“Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all.” - Eugene Peterson

2 Cor 4:6-12, 2 Cor 4:16-18

Gathering Recap - 08/20/2023 - Psalm 19:1-14 - How to Know God

Call to worship:

1 Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.

Psalm 61:1-3

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

This Psalm shows us some of the primary ways God speaks. What are they?

What tends to dull your sense of awe and wonder?

How does Christ fully and completely show us who God is and how to know Him?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 19:1-14 - Mike G

Earth’s Moon is about 1/ 400th the diameter of the Sun, but it is also 1/ 400th as far from us, making the Sun and the Moon the same size on the sky—a coincidence not shared by any other planet–moon combination in the solar system, allowing for uniquely photogenic total solar eclipses. - Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Romans 1:20

Romans 8:20-22

We know Him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to see clearly the invisible things of God, even his everlasting power and divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All which things are sufficient to convince men and leave them without excuse. Secondly, He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word; that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to His glory and our salvation.

Belgic Confession of Faith (1561)

Forgetting the awesome and glorious One who made it all and holds it all together by the sheer power of his magnificent will, will always insert me into the center. This means that no story will be more important to me than my story. I will ask no bigger question than the question of how I am doing. I will have no bigger concern than my satisfaction and comfort. I will ask life to serve me, to submit to my interests, and to deliver whatever I demand. This viewpoint will guarantee me a life of huge disappointment. And not only that, it is also an insane way to live. I am not the center of all things. The world will not do my sovereign bidding. God will not offer his awesome throne to me. Awe of self, worship of self, underlies every form of self-destructive living. Paul Tripp

Hebrews 1:1-4

Colossians 1:15-20

Gathering Recap - 08/13/2023 - Psalm 6:1-10

Call to worship:

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8     Awake, my glory![b]
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 57:7-11

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What cries need to be voiced to the Lord?

In suffering, what do you tend to call to mind? What does this reveal about your confidence?

How is the resurrection our remedy?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 6:1-10 - Chris Fisher Reading

Title: Surviving Suffering

“Waiting is hard. ‘How long O Lord’ is the cry of someone who has walked with more pain and sickness than they thought they could ever bear.”

- Timothy Keller

“The most precious use of the word hesed in the Old Testament is used as a description of what God does. Having entered a covenant relationship with His people, God bound Himself to act toward them in certain ways, and He is utterly faithful to His self-commitment…Psalm 136 explores what the Lord’s hesed means in its broadest possible terms, for each line concludes with the words: “his hesed endures forever.” Because of the Lord’s hesed, He created the universe, and He rules it daily through His providence (Ps. 136:5–9, 25)…In Psalm 23:6, the psalmist declares that the Lord’s goodness and hesed will pursue him all the days of his life. The word pursue normally describes the action of pillaging armies and covenant curse, but the psalmist is convinced that instead of the covenant curse he deserves, the Lord’s faithful love and goodness will hunt him down relentlessly instead.”

- Ian Duguid

“Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
 smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.”

(Isaiah 53:4&5)

Gathering Recap - 08/06/2023 - Psalm 1:1-6

Call to worship:

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Psalm 57:1-3

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Psalm 1 show us what a “blessed” life truly is? How does that differ from current culture?

What can trees teach us about stability, fruitfulness and prospering?

Does Christ embody Psalm 1? How so? In what ways does he lead us toward the same?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Psalm 1:1-6

Book 1 - 1-41 - Distress//Confidence

Book 2 - 42-72 - Lament//Hope

Book 3 - 73-89 - Darkest of all (88)

Book 4 - 90-106 - Doubts in Light of the Lord’s reign

Book 5 - 107-150 - Declaration//Ascent//Ps119 - 176verses

“Psalms are companions - They are the closest friends, wisest advisors, and faithful discerners. They understand your heart and provide words when we don’t have any.” Anthony Garcia

“The term refers to a wide range of behaviors and thoughts, but, at root, it is when somebody presents, or imagines, themself as the lead in a sort of fictional version of their life (usually their own, although sometimes, disturbingly, somebody else’s), and presents that "life" through social media.” - Psychology Today

“Most people are like a shaving of wood which is curled round its central emptiness” - Theophan the Recluse

“The introduction to the Psalter is anything but an invitation to pedantry, legalism, or self-righteousness, on the contrary, it is an invitation to be open to God’s instruction and to the reality of God’s reign in the world.” - Clinton McCann

“I have been induced to embrace the opinion of some among the ancient interpreters (Augustine, Jerome, etc.), who conceive that the first Psalm is intended to be descriptive of the character and reward of the JUST ONE, i.e. the Lord Jesus.” John Fry, 1842

John 15:1-5.

“We want something from Him, not Him at all. Is that a relationship? Do we behave in that way with our friends? Do we aim at what friendship can give us or is it the friend whom we love? Is this true with regard to the Lord?” - Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray

Gathering Recap - 07/30/2023 - Galatians 6:11-18

Call to worship:

8 You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise

Psalm 56:8-10

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Where have you seen “zoochosis” in your life?

In what ways has the “new creation” broken into the present age of life?

How does the finished work of Jesus lead us toward rest and freedom?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Galatians 6:11-18

Bear Video (attached)

Monkey video (attached)

“He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward.”

Harry Emerson Fosdick

All that matters is that, through Christ crucified, we are made a “new creation” (v 15). The gospel changes my future, giving me a place in Christ’s perfected re-creation. And the gospel changes my present, giving me a whole new self-image and whole new way of relating to everyone - Tim Keller

“Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.” - Dallas Willard

1. Grace! 'Tis a charming sound,

Harmonious to the ear;

Heaven with the echo shall resound,

And all the earth shall hear.

2. Grace first contrived the way

To save rebellious man,

And all the steps that grace display

Which drew the wondrous plan.

3. Grace first inscribed my name

In God's eternal book;

'Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,

Who all my sorrows took.

4. Grace led my wandering feet

To tread the heavenly road;

And new supplies each hour I meet

While pressing on to God.

5. Grace taught my soul to pray

And made mine eyes o'erflow;

'Twas grace that kept me to this day

And will not let me go.

6. Grace all the work shall crown

Through everlasting days;

It lays in heaven the topmost stone

And well deserves the praise.

Gathering Recap - 07/23/2023 - Galatians 6:1-10

Call to worship:

1Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 56:1-4

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does the gospel inform how we live? In what ways do we tend to untether from it?

How can we bear one another’s burdens? How does this fulfill the law of Christ?

What in your life needs to be reframed using agricultural metaphors?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen.

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Galatians 6:1-10

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Jesus was a revolutionary, who did not become an extremist, since he did not offer an ideology, but Himself." - Henri Nouwen

1 Cor 10:12

“There is one burden that we cannot share … and that is our responsibility to God on the day of judgment. On that day you cannot carry my pack and I cannot carry yours.”

John Stott, The Message of Galatians

“Jesus offers himself as God's doorway into the life that is truly life. Confidence in him leads us today, as in other times, to become his apprentices in eternal living. "Those who come through me will be safe," he said. "They will go in and out and find all they need. I have come into their world that they may have life, and life to the limit.” - Dallas Willard