Good Friday morning Church Requel!
We have another wonderful sermon - our tenth in the summer Hymns 4 Him series: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" by Thomas Chisholm. I never cease to be amazed at how our Lord God has arranged His affirmations of love and faithfulness to us. This Sunday is no exception.
The hymn is based on Lamentations 3:22-23:
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
The truly fascinating thing about these verses is that Jeremiah wrote them down in the midst of The Great Depression of the Old Testament. Things couldn't have looked worse for the people of God. Their grand city was destroyed. God's beautiful temple had been turned to ruble. All the best of the the citizenry had been relocated.
Yet Jeremiah writes: "Great Is Your Faithfulness!"
Sunday morning we'll learn the story behind the hymn and the hymn writer and discover - once more - how God has done marvelous miracles, if we will but look to see them.
For those of you who can't wait until Sunday morning, you can read my written sermon text online by going here: http://bible.com/events/48937171.
The Songs We Sing Sunday will be as follows: "Next To Me" by Jordan Feliz; "The Blessing" by Kari Jobe; "In Jesus Name" by Katie Nicole; "Another In The Fire" by Hillsong; "My Heart Is Yours" by Passion; "Evidence" by Josh Baldwin; and "Yes I Will" by Vertical Worship.
Brian Betts will lead our communion service. I have the privilege of leading our prayer time together.
For those of you who will be watching the online stream, you can join us on our Facebook Page or you can worship with us on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/J8I6hgn8d2k.
Speaking of praying - here's a reminder that all the prayer requests and praises from Sunday morning are posted on our private Church Requel Prayer Chain on Facebook each Monday morning. Thank you Cheryl Buckley for this service of love each week. Cheryl does more than just write down the prayer requests. She also shares a devotional message each Monday too. And they are really good! Here is a little of what she wrote this past Monday:
People would worry a lot less if they/we could differentiate between what is a real problem and what is a challenge. Problems are challenges, of course. However, not every challenge is a problem. When faced with an issue which seems insurmountable, take the time to stop, breathe, and think about the difference I just mentioned.
I’m remembering the Israelites wandering in the desert. They thought they had a problem when it came to obtaining food. God didn’t seem to think it was a problem. In God’s eyes, it was only a challenge, one that he could easily provide for. He gave them manna every morning and quail in the evenings. Moses directed them not to save any leftovers. What did the Israelites do? They decided to gather up more than they needed and store it. Do you remember what happened? It all rotted and had maggots! If they had trusted God and relied on his daily provision, nothing would have gone to waste.
What was a challenge became a problem only because they didn’t trust and they decided they could handle “the problem.” Our prayer concerns every week prove that there are people who have real problems. We handle it by going to the One who can handle everything, whether it’s a real problem or a challenge. I’ve seen a meme which says, “Good morning! This is God. I’ll be handling your problems today. I do not need your help, just your trust. So, relax and enjoy the day!” Will you let him do that for you?
Good words Cheryl! I'm reminded what my dad always told me about my challenges in life: "They're not problems. Those are opportunities!" Thank-you, Cheryl, for all you do for our church!
Neighborhood Meal Planned For Tomorrow Evening. This Saturday we will serve a healthy meal to those in our neighborhood who are hungry. We so appreciate your support of this meal ministry. Don and Stephenie will lead the charge but they would love your help. Volunteers should show up by 4pm. We are usually finished with the cleanup by 6pm.
Outdoor Concert Planned for August 27th. We have planned for a two-hour outdoor concert in front of the church on Saturday, August 27th, from 6pm to 8pm. Our own worship band will be singing and playing! The concert will be totally free, so invite all your family and friends to come.
Like last year, we will offer a tip jar. All proceeds will go to St. Luke's Point Of Grace. This is Paul Lintern's non-profit organization that provides the place where we worship. While we do pay a monthly rent to St. Luke's, we know it doesn't cover all the costs of maintaining the property. So we thought it would be a great way to say "thank-you" to Paul and St. Luke's by playing a benefit concert.
I can now confirm that there will be food offered as well! So get this date on your calendar and start telling everyone you know! It should be a grand time together.
Second Annual Sequels Putt-Putt Outing. It is amazing that it has been a whole year since we took the big step (for our small church) to add Eddie Walker to our staff as our student ministry director. To celebrate this one-year anniversary our students and student ministry team will gather where it all started - Kelly's Putt Putt - on Saturday, September 17th, from 2pm to 4pm. The church will provide a free game of putt putt and ice cream for each person who comes! They'll also be talking that day about their future directions as the Sequels. If you know of anyone in grades 3 through 12, this would be a great opportunity to join in the group!
One last administrative note - I won't be sending you a newsletter next Friday. Mary Kay and I will be away celebrating 43 years of marriage. That's right! We were married August 18, 1979. Yay! I'm always reminded never to brag too much. At every wedding dance, Steve and Cindy win the contest. They were married in 1978. So congrats Steve and Cindy!
Blessings! Love you much! Pastor Mark
