"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalm 119:105)

We offer this tentative listing primarily for our worship leaders and their preparation. However, we also hope it will encourage everyone to read the Scripture passages in advance as you listen for God to speak.

 

Oct 2 – Forgiveness: “Grieving your loss” – Psalm 35:1-28 (“My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?... My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.”; see also Psalm 13; acknowledging what needs to be forgiven; grief and lament as spiritual disciplines; finding hope in the pain when we express it)

Oct 9 – Forgiveness: “Trusting God’s justice” – Romans 12:14-21 (“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”; refusing to take God’s place as Judge; faith that God is at work when we cannot see it; finding hope in how Jesus entrusted himself to him who judges justly and endured unjust suffering)

Oct 16 – Forgiveness: “The Healing Freedom of Forgiveness” – Luke 6:27-38 (“Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”; forgiving for our own healing; finding release from the cycle of sin and pain; freedom from resentment and bitterness)

Oct 23 – Forgiveness: “Forgiveness as spiritual warfare” – Ephesians 4:25-27; 6:10-13 (“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”; “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”; spiritual warfare distinguishes the wrong actions of people and the work of satan behind it; forgiveness breaks strongholds of anger and bitterness)

Oct 30 – (Music Sunday) One service at 10:00am with Celebration Meal

Nov 6 – Forgiveness: “The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation” – Matthew 18:15-20 (“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”; “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”; forgiveness can happen without repentance, but reconciliation requires repentance and change)

Nov 13 – Forgiveness: “The journey of forgiveness” – Matthew 18:21-35 (“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”; forgiveness is not a one-time act, but an ongoing journey and life-style; drawing from the infinite supply of God’s grace to us to give forgiveness to others)

Nov 20 – “Dinner with Jesus” – Luke 14:1-24 (Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”; When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable…”; “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”; hospitality can be an expression of love or pride; serving God through serving others; seeking a heavenly reward; serving the least of these)

Nov 27 – The mothers of Jesus (Advent): “Tamar” – Genesis 38:1-30 (Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I.”; “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”; Tamar bears disgrace and rejection and points to the rejection and suffering of Christ; Christ “breaks out” of the grave for our salvation)

Dec 4 – The mothers of Jesus (Advent) – “Rahab” – Joshua 2:1-21 (“Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”; “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her; “And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.”; Rahab is given hope despite her moral failings; Jesus has come to seek and to save the lost)

Dec 11 – The mothers of Jesus (Advent) – “Ruth” – Ruth 4:1-17 (The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”; Ruth is accepted by the kinsman-redeemer who rescues her and her mother-in-law; Jesus sees us in our need and chooses us as His own for life to the fullest)

Dec 18 – The mothers of Jesus (Advent) – Mary – Luke 1:26-49 (“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”; “And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”; personal and intimate nature of God’s love where God becomes vulnerable, able to be rejected, but also able to draw us in; faith and trust in God to do the impossible; progressive belief that leads to praise)

Dec 24 – Saturday Christmas Eve service at 5:00pm – “God is on the Move” – Philippians 2:1-11 (Christmas; Incarnation; power of God’s love to fill us with identity, worth, and purpose)

Dec 25 – One service at 10:00 am – “Praise and Thanks” – Luke 2:22-38 (“Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem”; Simeon and Anna giving thanks and praise for the birth of Christ; blessing others with our thanksgiving to God)