Service Archives

We look forward to seeing you in Worship this Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent! Today we light the Candle of Joy. We will be reading from Luke 1:46-55. Pastor Ben’s message is titled, “God’s Promise”.

Lighting the Candle of Peace
Leader: During this season of Advent,
People: We await the coming of our Savior.
Leader: We feel the abundant joy of the season,
People: Our cups run over!
Leader: For though we have wandered in darkness,
People: We know a great light is coming.
Leader: We remember God’s promises,
People: That through Christ we are saved.
Leader: We know that God walks among us,
People: And that makes our joy complete.
Leader: May the joy of Christ’s birth abide in us,
People: May we share that joy with all we meet.

Questions for Further Reflection:
Mary recognizes the wonderful things God has promised to her people.
What makes those promises so joyful?
What makes her faith so compelling?

We look forward to sharing in Worship with you on this Sunday, the Second of Advent. We will be reading from Psalm 85:1-2, 8-12. Today, Pastor Benjamin Wines brings the sermon titled, “Kiss of Peace”.

It Came upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,”
From heaven’s all gracious King.
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife,
People: The world has suffered long,
Leader: Beneath the angel strain have rolled,
People: Two thousand years of wrong;
Leader: And man, at war with man, hears not,
People: The love song which they bring:
Leader: O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!

Questions for Further Reflection:

This is the Sunday of Peace. We often think of peace as the absence of conflict.

• How does Jesus’s birth create a better definition of peace?
• How can we work for a more positive peace in our daily lives?

We look forward to seeing you in Worship this Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent!  Today is Hanging of the Greens and we hope you will join us for this special time of music and scripture.  Rev. Benjamin Wines will share with us the message, “The Face of God”.   We will be reading from Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19.

Questions for Further Reflection:

Today is the Sunday of Hope.

• What does the psalmist place his hopes in throughout this passage?
• What do you make of the phrase, “Hope is a muscle”?

We hope that you will join us for Worship at 11:00AM, either in-person or via livestream.   Today, Rev. Benjamin Wines brings the message entitled, “The Least of These.”

Our Scripture reading is Matthew 25:31-46, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 95:1-7.

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
And a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
And the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For his is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,
And the sheep of his hand. – Psalm 95:1-7

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land,
A land with flowing streams,
A land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates,
A land of olive trees and honey,
A land where you may eat bread without scarcity,
A land where you will lack nothing.
You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God
For the good land that he has given you.
Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God,
By failing to keep his commandments.
When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them,
Then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God.
Do not say to yourself,
“My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.”
But remember the Lord your God. – Deuteronomy 8:7-12, 14, 17-18

We look forward to seeing you in Worship this Sunday! Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Abundance”. Our Scripture reading is 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, and our Call to Worship comes from Deuteronomy 8:7-12, 14, 17-18.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Paul talks about giving abundantly and creating a cycle of thankfulness.

• What gifts has God given to you?
• In what ways can you share them with friends, family, or your wider community?

We look forward to seeing you in Worship this Sunday! Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Taking Risks”. Our Scripture reading is Matthew 25:14-30, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 123.

To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress.
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
For we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those at ease,
Of the contempt of the proud. – Psalm 123

Questions for Further Reflection:
This passage encourages an interesting mix of faithfulness and risk-taking.

• What does it mean to take a “faithful risk”?
• What talents do you have, personally, that God may be calling you to take a risk with?

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
Let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
So your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
And was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
Around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
Happy are those who take refuge in him.

We look forward in sharing in worship with you on Sunday, November 5th, starting at 11:00AM. Our Call to Worship is from Psalm 34, and our Scripture reading is from Matthew 5:1-12. Today, Rev. Benjamin Wines brings the sermon, “Faith Legacies“.

Today is All Saint’s Day. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

Questions for Further Reflection:

• Who are some of the Christians in your own life that have influenced your faith in a positive way?
• What hope can a day like All Saints provide for the future?

We look forward to joining in worship with you, starting at 11:00AM. Rev. Benjamin Wines brings the sermon titled, “Practice What You Preach”. We will be reading from Matthew 23:1-12 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 107:1-9, 43.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
For his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands.
Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And he delivered them from their distress;
He led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
And the hungry he fills with good things.
Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
And consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Questions for Further Reflection:

Consider this quotation from Allen Hilton, “The antidote to hypocrisy is grace.”

• What do grace and hypocrisy have to do with each other?
• How does grace resolve hypocrisy?

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

We look forward to sharing in Worship with you this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the sermon, “Be Careful!”. Our Scripture Passage is Matthew 21:33-46, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19.

We hope you will join us in Worship, starting at at 11:00AM. Our guest speaker, Rev. Bradley Chestnut, will bring the message, “Looking Back While Moving Forward”. We will be reading Matthew 16:13-23; our Call to Worship is Psalm 67.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
And make his face to shine upon us,
That your way may be known upon 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.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
Let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
Let all the ends of the earth revere him. – Psalm 67