Wear Sunscreen

June 9, 2024
Wear Sunscreen
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Romans 12:9-17

Call to Worship Psalm 19:7-10, 14
Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,
People: Reviving the soul;
Leader: The decrees of the Lord are sure,
People: Making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,
People: Rejoicing the heart;
Leader: The commandment of the Lord is clear,
People: Enlightening the eyes;
Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure,
People: Enduring forever;
Leader: The ordinances of the Lord are true
People: And righteous altogether.
Leader: More to be desired are they than gold,
People: Even much fine gold;
Leader: Sweeter also than honey,
People: And drippings of the honeycomb.
Leader: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
People: Be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “Wear Sunscreen”. We will be reading from Romans 12:9-17, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Paul gives a lot of advice to the Roman Christians.
Which bit of advice connected most with you?
What bit of advice would you give to other Christians?
Why?

The Birds of the Air

June 2, 2024
The Birds of the Air
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 4:26-34

Call to Worship (Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15)
Leader: It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
People: To sing praises to your name, O Most High;
Leader: To declare your steadfast love in the morning,
People: And your faithfulness by night,
Leader: To the music of the lute and the harp,
People: To the melody of the lyre.
Leader: For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
People: At the works of your hands I sing for joy.
Leader: The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
People: And grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Leader: They are planted in the house of the Lord;
People: They flourish in the courts of our God.
Leader: In old age they still produce fruit;
People: They are always green and full of sap,
Leader: Showing that the Lord is upright;
People: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “The Birds of the Air”. We will be reading from Mark 4:26-34, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 92.

Questions for Further Reflection:
Allen Verhey once referred to the gospel as, “The Great Reversal.”
How does the Parable of the Mustard Seed affirm that idea?
How does it challenge you to reach out to others?

An Interwoven Story

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “An Interwoven Story”. We will be reading from Mark 1:1-13, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 85.

Call to Worship (Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13)
Leader: Lord, you were favorable to your land;
People: You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
Leader: You forgave the iniquity of your people;
People: You pardoned all their sin.
Leader: Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
People: For he will speak peace to his people,
Leader: To his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
People: Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
Leader: That his glory may dwell in our land.
People: Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
Leader: Righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
People: Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
Leader: And righteousness will look down from the sky.
People: The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
Leader: Righteousness will go before him,
People: And will make a path for his steps.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, we see the three members of the Trinity loving each other well.
How does the love God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit inspire you to love others?

Deep Breaths

May 26, 2024
An Interwoven Story
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 1:1-13

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “Deep Breaths”. We will be reading from Romans 8:22-27, and our Call to Worship comes from Acts 2.

Call to Worship (Acts 2:1-4, 17-18, 21)
Leader: When the day of Pentecost had come,
People: [The disciples] were all together in one place.
Leader: And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
People: And it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Leader: Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
People: And a tongue rested on each of them.
Leader: All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
People: And began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Leader: “In the last days it will be, God declares,
People: “That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
Leader: “And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
People: “And your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
Leader: “Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
People: “In those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
All: “Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Questions for Further Reflection:
When we think of Pentecost, we usually think of the Holy Spirit as a mighty, rushing wind.
What do you think of Paul’s image of the Holy Spirit — a deep breath or a sigh too deep for words?

The Rest of the Story

May 12, 2024
The Rest of the Story
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 16:9-20

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “The Rest of the Story”. We will be reading from Mark 16:9-20, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 47.

Call to Worship
Leader: Clap your hands, all you peoples;
People: Shout to God with loud songs of joy.
Leader: For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
People: A great king over all the earth.
Leader: God has gone up with a shout,
People: The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Leader: Sing praises to God, sing praises;
People: Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
Leader: For God is king of all the earth;
People: Sing praises with a psalm.
Leader: God is king over the nations;
People: God sits on his holy throne.
Leader: The princes of the people gather
People: As the people of the God of Abraham.
Leader: For the shields of the earth belong to God;
People: He is highly exalted.
from Psalm 47

Questions for Further Reflection:
This passage is as much about the community of faith as it is about Jesus’ resurrection.
What does it mean to be part of a community of faith?
What can we learn from others in our church family?

How About Now?

May 5, 2024
How About Now?
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 8:22-26

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “How About Now?”. We will be reading from Mark 8:22-26, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 98.

Call to Worship
Leader: O sing to the Lord a new song,
People: For he has done marvelous things.
Leader: His right hand and his holy arm,
People: They have gotten him victory.
Leader: The Lord has made known his victory;
People: He has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
Leader: He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to Israel.
People: All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
People: Break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Leader: Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
People: With the lyre and the sound of melody.
Leader: With trumpets and the sound of the horn
People: Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Leader: Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
People: The world and those who live in it.
Leader: Let the floods clap their hands;
People: Let the hills sing together for joy
Leader: At the presence of the Lord,
People: For he is coming to judge the earth.
from Psalm 98

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, we see a two-step miracle.
How does that challenge the way you think about Jesus?
How can this two-step process offer us hope?

Feed My Sheep

April 28, 2024
“Feed My Sheep”
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 6:30-44

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “Feed My Sheep”. We will be reading from Mark 6:30-44, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 23.

Call to Worship
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me,
In the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
My whole life long. – from Psalm 23

Questions for Further Reflection:
Mark is slow to reveal just how many people Jesus feeds in today’s passage.
In a world focused on efficiency and productivity, how can a passage like this provide a word of comfort and restoration?

On Withered Hands

April 14, 2024
On Withered Hands
Third Sunday of Easter
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 3:1-6

Call to Worship

See what love the Father has given us,
That we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.
The reason the world does not know us
Is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
What we will be has not yet been revealed.
What we do know is this: when he is revealed,
We will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
And all who have this hope in him purify themselves,
Just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness;
Sin is lawlessness.
You know that he was revealed to take away sins,
And in him there is no sin.
Everyone who does what is right is righteous,
Just as he is righteous. from 1 John 3

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, On Withered Hands. We will be reading from Mark 3:1-6, and our Call to Worship comes from 1 John 3.

Question for Further Reflection:
In this passage, there is a dispute over how to be faithful on the Sabbath.
How can we respond faithfully to God’s call in ways that respect traditions, while remaining open to something new?

Friends Like These

“Friends Like These”
Second Sunday of Easter
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Mark 2:1-12

Happy are those who consider the poor;
The Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
They are called happy in the land.
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
In their illness you heal all their infirmities.
As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;”
“Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
My enemies wonder in malice when I will die,
And my name perish.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
They imagine the worst for me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
And raise me up, that I may repay them.
By this I know that you are pleased with me;
Because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
And set me in your presence forever. – from Psalm 41

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “Friends Like These”. We will be reading from Mark 2:1-12, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 41.

Questions for Further Reflection:
This passage is a reminder of the power of community.
How can a community love people more deeply?
Who might God be calling you to reach out to in love?

Christ’s Victory – Easter Sunday

“Christ’s Victory”
Rev. Benjamin Wines
Easter Sunday
Mark 16:1-8


On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
A feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
Of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
The covering that is spread over all nations;
He will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
And the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
For the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day,
“See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
“This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
“Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.Isaiah 25:6-9

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. You can also find our services online at the HVBC YouTube Channel. Today’s sermon is titled, “Christ’s Victory”. We will be reading from Mark 16:1-8, and our Call to Worship comes from Isaiah 25:6-9.

Question for Further Reflection:
On this day, Christ declared victory over the power of sin and death. The events that happened on that first Easter Sunday have changed the entire world.
As one of Jesus’ disciples, how will you respond?