What to Expect This Sunday, January 10

Happy New Year! On this second Sunday of January, we will worship the Lord in song and through scripture:

  • Welcome/Announcements: We take care of the business of the church.
  • Opening Prayer: We invite God to be attentive to our worship of him.
  • “Whom Shall I Fear?”: We sing a song of praise that reminds us that God is always right by our side.
  • Responsive Reading (Psalm 29): We recite an ancient song that celebrates the power of God and the peace that he gives his people.
  • “God of Wonders”: We continue in praise by worshiping the Lord of heaven and earth.
  • Offering: We give our tithes and offerings as an act of thanksgiving to our almighty Lord.
  • “Victory in Jesus”: We sing a song of testimony, because the power of God transforms our lives!
  • Scripture Reading (Isaiah 43:1-7): The Old Testament prophet reminds us that God loves us and is always with us.
  • “Wonderful Peace”: This hymn of reflection speaks of the peace we have because God is with us.
  • Scripture Reading (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22): In this gospel reading, John the Baptist points the way to Jesus and then baptizes Jesus.
  • “Open My Eyes That I May See”: As a response to the glory revealed at Jesus’s baptism, we prepare for prayer by asking God to open our eyes to see Jesus, too.
  • Prayer: We lift up our requests before the ever-present, ever-loving Lord.
  • Special Music: Our faithful piano player Deann Smith will present an instrumental offering of worship to the Lord.
  • Message: Our guest preacher for the day will be Pastor Jim Shanks, a good friend of ours from Eagle Ridge Church of God.
  • “Consecration”: We close the service by consecrating ourselves to the Lord’s service.
  • Benediction: We depart in peace, knowing that Christ goes with us everywhere we go.

Come and worship!

Observing a Baptism Service

Yesterday afternoon, a neighboring church celebrated the baptisms of eight people, each of whom has experienced salvation in Jesus and is dedicating his or her life to following him. Together with seven other people who were baptized in September, the Midland Missionary Church has now seen fifteen people go through the waters of baptism in the past few months. Praise the Lord for how he is moving in that congregation! Continue reading →

The Bible – Year in Review

Several of us committed to read the Bible all the way through in 2015. If you are in that group, did you make it? If you are not in that group, is there someone you know who participated? We used the “Chronological Bible,” a reorganization of every verse of scripture according to the order of biblical events. It has been a fascinating journey through scripture, and now that it’s complete, I’d like to offer a couple of reflections on the process. Continue reading →

What to Expect This Sunday, December 27

Happy Christmas Eve! Soon we will gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Here is a preview of our Sunday morning service, so you can prepare yourself for this encounter with the living Messiah.

  • Welcome/Announcements: We take care of the business of the church.
  • Prayer: We acknowledge God’s presence among us and invite him to be attentive to our worship.
  • “Angels We Have Heard on High”: We celebrate the birth of Jesus with this carol: Glory to God in the highest!
  • “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”: We continue in praise of our newborn King.
  • Christ’s Birthday Observance Offering: We give a special offering to honor the birth of Jesus. This offering supports national and international ministries of the Church of God.
  • “This Little Light of Mine”: We join in singing this spiritual as we give our special offering.
  • Responsive Reading (Psalm 148): We praise the Lord by reading a psalm of praise together.
  • “Jesus Messiah”: In song we adore Jesus, the one who became our righteousness: love so amazing!
  • Scripture Reading (Isaiah 61:10-62:3): We hear an ancient text that inspires us to sing praise to God in our souls.
  • Scripture Reading (Luke 2:22-40): The sermon text calls us to center our thoughts on an encounter with the newborn Jesus.
  • Message (“Give Thanks to God”): Mary and Joseph brought young Jesus to the Temple, where he was greeted by Simeon and Anna. We reflect together on this marvelous story.
  • “Come, Share the Lord”: We sing this song to prepare ourselves to meet Jesus face to face.
  • The Lord’s Supper: This is the highlight of the service. In the bread and cup, we meet our crucified and risen Savior. This is a mystery – but it’s one that we share with each other with eyes wide open.
  • Offering: We give our regular tithes and offerings to the Lord, in response to the gift he has given us: life with him.
  • “You Have Been Given”: We sing this chorus to prepare ourselves for prayer.
  • Prayer: We lift up our praises and petitions before the Lord.
  • Special: We hear a story from one of our dear, elderly saints.
  • “Good Christians, Now Rejoice”: We sing this carol to remind ourselves of our call to rejoice in the Lord always.
  • Benediction: We receive a blessing as we depart, changed forever by this encounter with the living Jesus.

What to Expect This Sunday, December 20
Peace: it’s something that most people hope to experience, but the lack of peace in our lives and in our world is never far from our attention.
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we will light the fourth Advent candle to represent the peace that Jesus brings into the world. Together, the four candles represent love, hope, joy, and peace – four things that are desperately needed in all places and at all times.
Here is a preview of this Sunday’s order of service, along with what each portion represents:

A Radical Christmas

John Rutter is one of the most famous composers of choral music in the 20th century. He is known as the founder and director of the Cambridge Singers, and his compositions and arrangements are widely known and sung throughout the world and especially here in the United States.

I recently became aware of a Christmas carol written by Rutter in 1990. The carol is entitled “Christmas Lullaby,” and Tara and I have the opportunity to sing it with a chamber choir this coming weekend. The lyrics to this carol are particularly meaningful to me this year, so I’d like to share them with you here. Continue reading →