When we meet together in person, we share our joys and concerns with each other before we focus on our Sunday school lesson. Right now think about your needs and all the things for which you are thankful. If you like, you can share them in the comments.
​
This quarter we have been looking at scriptures that show how people have praised God or that call us to praise God. The psalms are probably the ultimate example of the latter. The lesson for today includes two psalms that call God’s people to praise.

The following prayer was written by Jeffrey A. Nelson and posted on the Philosophy Over Coffee website.

This week's lesson is on Psalm 149:1-5 and Psalm 150.

​Introduction and lesson context
The unexpected beauty of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” moved many in the crowd above to tears. Whether they knew it or not, they were hearing the repetition of “Praise the Lord!” It is an oft-repeated phrase in the psalms and a fitting conclusion to the book of Psalms.

The Sunday school lesson for today features the last two psalms in the book, which call on God’s people to “Praise the Lord!” In Hebrew, the phrase is a combination of two words
“hallelu” (meaning to praise) and a shortened form of the word for Yahweh, “jah”.

Earlier lessons have reviewed the five divisions of “books” that some scholars see within the book of Psalms. They include Psalm 1-41, which focuses on the Davidic dynasty; Psalm 42-72, which focuses on the flourishing of that dynasty; Psalm 73-89, which focuses on the failure of the dynasty; Psalm 90-106, which focuses on the fact that God is ultimately the king and that God reigns; and Psalm 107-150, which celebrates the fact that, in that role,  God will one day make all things right.

When we meet in person, we share our joys and concerns together. If you have any you would like to share, you can add them in the comments.

This week's lesson is Psalm 84.

Lesson Context
​Psalm 84 is in Book III of the Psalter. 

A total of 11 Psalms are written "of the Sons of Korah." Our book says this could mean either that the songs were written by those descendants of Korah, or that the songs were written for them.

The song may have been written for a pilgrimage to the temple, maybe for a new-year festival. However, this is based on Psalm 84:5, and is quite speculative.

When we meet together, we share our joys and concerns. Take some time to consider your last week. What worries did you have? What caused you joy? If you have any prayer requests, you can add them as a comment to this post. When you are ready, you can get started with this prayer (source):

This week's lesson is on Psalm 107:1-9, 39-43.

When we meet in person, we share our joys and concerns together. Take some time to consider your past week, and any prayer requests you might have. If you have anything you would like us to pray for, you can add it as a comment to this post. When you are ready, get started with a word of prayer (source):

This week's lesson is on Psalm 9:1-12. 

When we meet together in person, we share our joys and concerns with each other before we focus on our Sunday school lesson. Think about your needs and concerns right now, and if you like, you can share them in the comments.

Today’s lesson is Psalm 100. It is a brief psalm that calls the earth all its people to offer God unbridled worship, praise and thanksgiving for God’s faithful and unending care and love.

Our Sunday school and church is now open so that we can join to worship God, to learn about God’s word and to encourage each other in person. We are grateful to be back together, but we continue to pray for those who not yet able to participate in person or who do not yet feel comfortable participating in person. We are glad that those who cannot be with us physically are able to learn and worship with us here online.
​
​The following prayer was written by Deb Wolf and posted on her website, “Counting My Blessings at the Intersection of Faith and Life.” More of her prayers and blog posts can be found at her site, How to Be Prepared & Stand Strong When It's Hard to Follow Jesus - CMB.

Let’s pray together.

This week's lesson is on Psalm 100.

Today’s guest speaker is Rev. Liddy Barlow.
 
All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Concerns and Celebrations. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

Scripture Lesson
Psalm 19:7-14
​Mark 9:38-50

Today’s guest speaker is Rev. Clare Jean Haury.
 
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

Today’s guest speaker is Kristen Emrick.
 
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

Today’s guest speaker is Don Herschell.
 
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

​Mission Study Day is May 22

Everyone in the North Buffalo Church family is invited to our Mission Study Day. As we begin our search for a new pastor, this will be an exciting and informative way to look at who we are as a congregation, what we are looking for in a minister, and what we hope for the future of our church and its ministry.

The event will be held in the fellowship hall on Saturday, May 22, starting at 10 a.m. It will include a catered luncheon by Crystal’s Catering and will end by early afternoon. As a precaution, the church will supply bottled water, but those who want other drinks should bring them along.

Representatives from Washington Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry will be on hand to lead the meeting and guide the discussion. We will also be sharing the results of the congregational survey. 

To get an idea of how many will be attending the meeting and luncheon, we are asking participants to fill out this form and submit it to the church by Sunday, May 16. We will hold a congregational meeting following the service that day.
​
Set aside the date so that you can be part of this important event. See you there!

Today’s guest speaker is Rev. Don Austin
 
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

Hymn: “Christ The Lord is Risen Today”                                                                                  
CALL TO WORSHIP           
Leader: The Lord is risen indeed: Hallelujah
People: The Lord is risen indeed: hallelujah
Leader: I am He that lives and was dead, saith the Lord; and behold, I am alive forevermore.
People: Glory be to you, O God, who raised up your Son from the dead and made us partakers of His victory over sin and death.