A Word like Fire

August 17, 2025
Jeremiah 23:23-29
“A Word like Fire”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “A Word like Fire”. We will be reading from Jeremiah 23:23-29 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 80.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 80)

Leader: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

People: You who lead Joseph like a flock!

Leader: Restore us, O God;

People: Let your face shine, that we might be saved.

Leader: You brought a vine out of Egypt;

People: You drove out the nations and planted it.

Leader: You cleared the ground for it;

People: It took deep root and filled the land.

Leader: Turn again, O God of hosts;

People: Look down from heaven and see;

Leader: Have regard for this vine,

People: The stock that your right hand planted.

Leader: Then we will never turn back from you;

People: Give us life, and we will call on your name.

Leader: Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;

People: Let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Question for Further Reflection:
In this passage, God speaks out against those who peddle their own desires as “prophecy.”

How do we, as flawed people, figure out the difference between what we want and what God wants?

Listen to Your Heart

August 10, 2025
Luke 12:32-40
“Listen to Your Heart”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Listen to Your Heart”.  This message is part of an ongoing series titled, “Summer Traditions”.  We will be reading from Luke 12:32-40 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 100.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 100)
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
People: Worship the Lord with gladness;
Leader: Come into his presence with singing.
People: Know that the Lord is God.
Leader: It is he that made us, and we are his;
People: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Leader: Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
People: And his courts with praise.
Leader: Give thanks to him, bless his name.
People: For the Lord is good;
Leader: His steadfast love endures forever,
People: And his faithfulness to all generations.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus challenges His disciples concerning what they treasure.
What are the things you treasure in this world?
How can you be sure you don’t value them more than God?

Summer Break

August 3, 2025
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
“Summer Break”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Summer Break”.  This message is part of an ongoing series titled, “Summer Traditions”.  We will be reading from Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 98.

Call to Worship Psalm 98
Leader: O sing to the Lord a new song,
People: For he has done marvelous things.
Leader: His right hand and his holy arm,
People: They have gotten him victory.
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
People: Break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Leader: Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
People: With the lyre and the sound of melody.
Leader: With trumpets and the sound of the horn
People: Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Leader: Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
People: The world and those who live in it.
Leader: Let the floods clap their hands;
People: Let the hills sing together for joy
Leader: At the presence of the Lord,
People: For he is coming to judge the earth.

Questions for Further Reflection:
Think back to your own summer breaks.
What was it that made them feel so special?
How can those feelings help you connect with God?

“Vacation”

July 27, 2025
Genesis 1:26-2:4a
“Vacation”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Vacation”.  This message is part of an ongoing series titled, “Summer Traditions”.  We will be reading from Genesis 1:26-2:4a and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 8.

Call to Worship Psalm 8

Leader: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

People: You have set your glory above the heavens.

Leader: Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark,

People: To silence the enemy and the avenger.

Leader: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

People: The moon and the stars that you have established;

Leader: What are human beings that you are mindful of them,

People: Mortals that you care for them?

Leader: Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

People: And crowned them with glory and honor.

Leader: You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;

People: You have put all things under their feet,

Leader: All sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

People: The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

Leader: Whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

People: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Questions for Further Reflection:
So often when we go on vacation, we take in the beauty of Creation.
Why might it be so relaxing to be surrounded by nature?
What does that comfort tell us about who God is?

Baseball

July 20, 2025
Acts 2:42-47
“Baseball”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Baseball”. This message is part of an ongoing series titled, “The Power and the Glory”. We will be reading from Acts 2:42-47 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 23.

Call to Worship Psalm 23
Leader: The Lord is my shepherd
People: I shall not want.
Leader: He makes me lie down in green pastures;
People: He leads me beside still waters;
Leader: He restores my soul.
People: He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Leader: Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
People: I fear no evil, for you are with me;
Leader: Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
People: You prepare a table before me,
Leader: In the presence of my enemies;
People: You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Leader: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
People: All the days of my life.
Leader: And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
People: My whole life long.

Questions for Further Reflection:
When Luke tells this story, he emphasizes the communal aspect of church.
Why is community so important for church members?
Why is church community so important for outsiders?

Cookouts

July 13, 2025
James 2:14-26
“Cookouts”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Cookouts”. This message is part of an ongoing series titled, “The Power and the Glory”. We will be reading from James 2:14-26 and our Call to Worship comes from Proverbs 22.

Call to Worship Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 16, 22-23
Leader: A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
People: And favor is better than silver or gold.
Leader: The rich and the poor have this in common:
People: The Lord is the maker of them all.
Leader: Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
People: And the rod of anger will fail.
Leader: Those who are generous are blessed,
People: For they share their bread with the poor.
Leader: Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
People: Or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Leader: Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
People: Or crush the afflicted at the gate;
Leader: For the Lord take up their cause
People: And will exact life for life.

Questions for Further Reflection:
James is very clear in this passage — faith without works is dead.
What are some things you can do in your everyday life to show your faith to others?
How can you show them you care?

Fireworks

July 6, 2025
1 Thessalonians 5:15-24
“Fireworks”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Fireworks”. We will be reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:15-24 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 118.

Call to Worship, Psalm 118:1, 21-26, 28-29
Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
People: His steadfast love endures forever!
Leader: I thank you that you have answered me
People: And have become my salvation.
Leader: The stone that the builders rejected
People: Has become the chief cornerstone.
Leader: This is the Lord’s doing;
People: It is marvelous in our eyes.
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made;
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Leader: Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
People: O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Leader: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
People: We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Leader: You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
People: You are my God, I will extol you.
Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
People: For his steadfast love endures forever!

When the Fire Burns Out

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Our guest speaker, Isabel Packevicz, will bring the message, “When the Fire Burns Out”. We will be reading from 1 Kings 19:1-18 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 85:8-13.

Call to Worship, Psalm 85:8-13
Leader: Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
People: For he will speak peace to his people,
Leader: To his faithful,
People: To those who turn to him in their hearts.
Leader: Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
People: That his glory may dwell in our land.
Leader: Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
People: Righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Leader: Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
People: And righteousness will look down from the sky.
Leader: The Lord will give what is good,
People: And our land will yield its increase.
Leader: Righteousness will go before him,
People: And will make a path for his steps.

Making a Name for Ourselves

June 8, 2025
Pentecost Sunday
Genesis 11:1-9
“Making a Name for Ourselves”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Making a Name for Ourselves”. We will be reading from Genesis 11:1-9 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 104.

Call to Worship, Psalm 104:24, 27-30, 33-34
Leader: O LORD, how manifold are your works!
People: The earth is full of your creatures.
Leader: These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
People: When you give to them, they gather it up;
Leader: When you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
People: When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
Leader: When you take away their breath,
People: They die and return to their dust.
Leader: When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
People: And you renew the face of the ground.
Leader: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
People: I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
Leader: May my meditation be pleasing to him,
People: For I rejoice in the LORD.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, the people of Babel try to “make a name for themselves.”
What does it mean to you to “make a name for yourself”?
How might that lead you away from God?

Bulletin for Sunday, June 8, 2025

Power From God

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Power From God”. We will be reading from Luke 24:44-53 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 93.

Call to Worship, Psalm 93
Leader: The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
People: The Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
Leader: He has established the world;
People: It shall never be moved;
Leader: Your throne is established from of old;
People: You are from everlasting.
Leader: The floods have lifted up,
People: O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice;
Leader: The floods lift up their roaring.
People: More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
Leader: More majestic than the waves of the sea,
People: Majestic on high is the Lord!
Leader: Your decrees are very sure;
People: Holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus tells the disciples that power will come to them from God.
What are the keys to understanding the power God gives each of us?
How can we use that power to lift up our neighbors?

Bulletin for Sunday, June 1, 2025