Service Archives

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Puritan”, part of the Sermon Series, “Faith and Art, Redux”. We will be reading from Mark 7 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 51.

You can a reduction patterned after Saint-Gaudens’s monument, “The Puritan” at the Met Fifth Avenue, or by clicking this link.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 51)
Leader: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
People: According to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Leader: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
People: And cleanse me from my sin.
Leader: For I know my transgressions,
People: And my sin is ever before me.
Leader: Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
People: And done what is evil in your sight.
Leader: Create in me a clean heart, O God,
People: And put a new and right spirit within me.
Leader: Do not cast me away from your presence,
People: And do not take your holy spirit from me.
Leader: Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
People: And sustain in me a willing spirit.
Leader: Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
People: And sinners will return to you.
Leader: The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
People: A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus pushes back on folks whose focus is misplaced.
How do we let our beliefs shape our actions?
And how do we make sure we don’t fall into just saying what we believe with no action?

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Our guest, Dr. Garry Crites, will be bringing the message, “Learning to Trust Again”.
We will be reading from Acts 15:36-40 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 8.

Call to Worship (from 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!

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists”, part of the Sermon Series, “Faith and Art, Redux”. We will be reading from Psalm 19:1-10 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 104.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 104)
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:
Think back to a moment in nature when you felt particularly close to God.
What was it about the Creation that made you think of God?
What did God reveal to you in that moment?

Please note: Our piece for this week’s sermon is The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists by Claude Monet. It is located in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC.

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church”, part of the Sermon Series, “Faith and Art, Redux”.  We will be reading from 1 John 3:11-24 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 23.

Call to Worship (from 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:
This passage and this painting remind us that people are worth more than treasure.
What does it mean to you to know that God treasures you?
How does the love of God call you to treasure other?

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Our guest speaker, Rev. Jeanell Cox will bring the message, “The Great Divide”. We will be reading from Luke 16:19-31 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 103.

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Everything Happens for a Reason”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”.  We will be reading from Romans 8:26-39 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 105.

Questions for Further Reflection:

What role can the Christian community play in grief?
How does having a community help in all aspects of life?

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “There Go I”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”.  We will be reading from John 7:53-8:11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 112.

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Bible Says…”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”. We will be reading from Matthew 4:1-11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 19)
Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,
People: Reviving the soul;
Leader: The decrees of the Lord are sure,
People: Making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,
People: Rejoicing the heart;
Leader: The commandment of the Lord is clear,
People: Enlightening the eyes;
Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
People: The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Leader: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
People: Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Leader: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
People: Be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus and Satan both use scripture to make their points.
What role does humility play in reading the scriptures?
How can we use the scriptures to lift others up?

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “More Than You Can Handle”. We will be reading from 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 123.

Brothers and sisters,

I wanted to briefly write about our upcoming sermon series, where the inspiration came from, and what I’m hoping we can do over the next four weeks. The sermon series is titled, “I’m Just Trying to Help” and, in this series, we’re going to take a look at some phrases that Christians will say that might not be as helpful as we think they are. In other words, we’re going to look at some cliches that get thrown around in casual conversation and ask ourselves, “Ok, but what does it mean to say that?”

Over these next four weeks, we’re going to look at four phrases. The first is a classic, “God will never give you more than you can handle”—a phrase usually said to folks going through some sort of trial. The second is, “The Bible says…”—something you typically hear when a person wants to make a more generic point about some-thing they believe. Third, the phrase, “But for the grace of God, there go I”—one that a person will sometimes say when they recognize how fragile life can be. Finally, the big one, “Everything happens for a reason”—when someone is going through the unthinkable, we Christians are quick to reach for this one.

In this series, we’re going to talk about why these phrases are not as helpful as we might initially think. But I do not want this to be a negative series. In other words, I don’t want anyone to think this is a series in which we’re going to dogpile anyone who has ever said any of these. Instead, I want this to be a series in which we acknowledge what the phrases are trying to say and how they can unintentionally be hurtful. But, in each sermon, we’re also going to take the time to talk about a better phrase that we can use in place of the four I just listed. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to help each other. If we have better language to use, I think we can help each other more effectively.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben