The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their heritage will abide forever; They are not put to shame in evil times, In the days of famine they have abundance. Our steps are made firm by the Lord, When He delights in our way; Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, For the Lord holds us by the hand. Depart from evil, and do good; So you shall abide forever. For the Lord loves justice; He will not forsake His faithful ones. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their Refuge in the time of trouble. – from Psalm 37
We hope that you will join us for Worship – either in-person or via livestream – at 11:00AM. Today, Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Since the Dawn of Man”. We will be reading from both 2 Timothy 1:8-14.
Do not fret because of the wicked; Do not be envious of wrongdoers, For they will soon fade like the grass And wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; Trust in Him, and He will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light And the justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret over those who prosper in their way. Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret — it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; Though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land And delight themselves in abundant prosperity.Psalm 37:1-11
Join us for Worship – either in-person or via livestream – at 11:00AM. Today, we will hear from our guest speaker, Dr. Steve Bolton, who will bring the message, “Stir Up the Gifts of God”. We will be reading from both 2 Timothy 1:1-7 and Psalm 137:1-4.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, In mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; On that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord their God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.Psalm 146:1-8
What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How could the rich man have been a good neighbor to Lazarus? How can you “faithfully listen” to God and others?
Join us for Worship – either in-person or via live-stream – starting at 11:00AM.
“Foolishness” – Rev. Benjamin Wines
O sing to the Lord a new song, For He has done marvelous things. His right hand and His holy arm, They have gotten Him victory. The Lord has made known His victory; He has revealed His vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. – from Psalm 98
Join us for Worship – either in person on via live stream – starting at 11:00AM.
“Sinners Eat Free” – Rev. Benjamin Wines
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; According to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified in Your sentence and blameless in Your judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, A sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; Teach me wisdom in my heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be like snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; Let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit in me. – Psalm 51:1-10
Our Scripture passage today comes from Luke 15:1-10.
Questions for Further Reflection:
What does the word “welcome” mean to you?
Why is it so important for Jesus to say that the shepherd and the woman in his parables “celebrate” when they find their sheep and coin?
Join us for Worship! Either on-line or in-person, starting at 11:00AM.
Thriving Together – Dr. Chris Aho
All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, And all Your faithful shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your Kingdom, And tell of Your Power, To make known to all people Your mighty deeds, And the glorious splendor of Your Kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your Dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all His Words, And gracious in all His deeds. The Lord upholds all who are falling, And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand, Satisfying the desire of every living thing. – Psalm 145:10-16
Questions for Further Reflection:
How do you define thriving?
Where do you see thriving in your life and in the world?
Are there instances where you see support from thriving?
How might we learn from other places that are thriving?
Dr. Chris Aho has been in local church ministry for more than 20 years, serving congregations in North Carolina, Texas, and Alabama. Most recently, Chris served as the pastor of Oxford Baptist Church in Oxford, NC. Since May of 2021, Chris has served as the Director of Thriving Congregations with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In this role, Chris works with congregational leaders through CBF’s Thriving Congregations Initiative, a program that equips congregations to thrive by fulfilling God’s unique call to their church, in and for their community.
How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints, For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy. They sing to the living God. Happy are those whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion. For a day in Your courts is better Than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God Than live in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; He bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of Hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in You.Psalm 84:1-2, 5, 10-12
We hope you will join us as we continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “The Cathedral“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Colossians 3:12-17. The artwork Pastor Wines will be sharing in today’s service can be found at the NC Art Museum.
Questions for Further Reflection: Colossians talks a lot about what it means to be in authentic community with other people as a church family. What does “church family” mean to you? How have you been changed by your church family?
Seek good and not evil That you may live, And so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, Just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, And establish justice in the gate; It may be that the Lord, the God of Hosts, Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. I hate, I despise your festivals, And I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, And the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like water And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. from Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
We hope you will join us as we continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “The Green Bridge II“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Luke 18:18-27. The artwork Pastor Wines will be sharing in today’s service can be found at the NC Art Museum.
Questions for Further Reflection: The Green Bridge II depicts a lot of people going under its bridge. What does the bridge itself represent to you? How does Christ help us pass through the open door rather than the Green Bridge?
“The Worship of the Golden Calf” – Rev. Benjamin Wines
Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His steadfast love endures forever. Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord Or declare all His praise? Happy are those who observe justice, Who do righteousness at all times. They made a calf at Horeb And worshiped a cast image. They exchanged the glory of God For the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore He said He would destroy them — Had not Moses, His chosen one, Stood in the breach before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them. – from Psalm 106
We hope you will join us as we continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “The Worship of the Golden Calf“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Exodus 32:1-20. The artwork Pastor Wines will be sharing in today’s service can be found at the NC Art Museum.
Questions for Further Reflection: When it gets hard to see God, sometimes people panic. Why would Aaron go along with the people’s desire? What are some ways we can connect with God even when it is difficult to see God?
As a deer longs for flowing streams, So my soul longs for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, While people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul, And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, My help and my God. My soul is cast down within me; Therefore I remember You. By day the Lord commands His steadfast love, And at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Why are you cast down, O my soul, And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, My help and my God.Psalm 42
Today, we will continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “Head of a Man“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Luke 8:26-39.
Questions for further reflection, based on today’s passage:
How should Christ’s actions in this story affect your perceptions of other people? What sorts of negative things can we allow ourselves to be overrun by?
