Good morning! We're so glad you decided to join us today! 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.
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Good morning! We're so happy you're joining us today! 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): Father, we praise You for the delicate way You powerfully align our lives to Your creation. Thank You for the waters and mountains that remind us of You. Forgive us for overlooking Your presence in every aspect of our lives, and bless us to notice and give glory to You, for You are our healer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. This week's lesson is on Psalm 107:1-9, 39-43.
Good morning! We're so glad you are joining us today! 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): Heavenly Father, we believe and trust your Word, we want to grow in you more each day and to understand your promises for us. We commit our time together to you and ask that you heal and restore us as we dive into your Word. We want a deeper faith. We want to meet with you and know you better. So today, we say "yes" to what you want to show us as we read Scripture. Amen. This week's lesson is on Psalm 9:1-12.
Good morning! We're so glad you've decided to join us today! 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. Father, we thank You and praise You. You alone are God. You are the Creator of everything. We lift Your name high and worship Your holy name. Help us to serve You with joy. Help us to love You with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Help us to love ourselves as You love us. Help us to love others as we love ourselves. Help us to live humbly as we follow You, our Shepherd. You are good and full of mercy. You are faithful always. Your grace and love cover each generation with forgiveness and hope. You are Lord of all. You are Father, Son, and Spirit…. forever and ever and always. We worship You. We praise You. Amen. 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. INTROIT
WELCOME AND MORNING GREETING GATHERING Call To Worship: L: When the people of God were hungry P: God rained manna upon them, and the ate until they were full L: When the people of God are hungry P: God calls us to taste the goodness of God’s gifts, and to share our bread With one another. 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. Prelude:
ANNOUNCEMENTS CALL TO WORSHIP: Leader: In the times of trouble, when all seemed hopeless, I cried out to God. People: And the Lord heard my pleas and answered me. Leader: When I felt lost and alone, I looked for God. People: And God found me and brought me home. Leader: When my life was filled with joy and blessing, I danced and praised God. People: And God danced and rejoiced with me. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
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. Psalm 137
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. Opening Prayer: Loving God, we come from our own homes, our own lives, our own work, and become your people in this place. We see the kingdom of God among us. Guide our study and our fellowship, our laughter and tears, our faith and our uncertainties. Our faith is in you alone. Amen As defined, lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow, that may include wailing, moaning weeping, crying or a complaint. Israel has been taken captive by Babylon. Their daily lives are not the same. They have been removed from Jerusalem, from their temple. Yes, they remain the people of God, but that just isn’t enough. They lament. In their minds Jerusalem and the temple is where God lived. They think they have been separated from God. Their captives make fun of them and their God. “Sing us some of those silly songs that used to make you so happy”. The last two verses are a curse, and cannot be thought of as words of God. The psalmist laments and is expressing his anger. “If you’re not going to help us, them please destroy them.” As Christians, we found ourselves lamenting when 9-11 happened. Those events are forever imbedded in my mind. At 7:00 that evening, North Buffalo’s sanctuary filled with members and friends who came to pray and ask God “What was happening and why” Today we lament over the plague of covid virus and it’s variants. We lament both individually and as a group, both types of laments address God. Both describe the situation or complaint or crisis from which the lament emerges. Contemporary laments are moments in time that bring people together; school shootings, disasters in nature such as floods, hurricanes, horrific accidents, and public marches. Biblical laments are addressed to God. Contemporary ones are addressed to anyone who is able to make the requested change. Lament events may be the occasion when individual laments become communal ones. What happens to the community when the march or event is over. Paul answers that Question in Romans 12:4-5 . For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. He clearly states that when we follow christ, we don’t lose our identity by becoming part of a collective group. Instead, when we follow Christ, we contribute our strengths and depend on the strengths of others to balance our weaknesses. When one rejoices we all rejoice, when one laments we all lament. Lament gives us common ground. Closing Prayer We are grateful, holy God, that you give your children the gift of each other. May we be knit together, bear one another’s burdens, and express our shared sorrow in shared lament, remembering that we are not alone. Amen. |
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