Beginning of Sibling Rivalry – Genesis 4:1-16

If this Sunday Worship section is helpful to you on your journey please like or better yet comment in that section or personally through the contacts link. We are in the midst of evaluation and need your feedback. Thanks!

Call to Worship – Psalm 20

¹ In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
² May he send you help from his sanctuary
    and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
³ May he remember all your gifts
    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude

⁴ May he grant your heart’s desires
    and make all your plans succeed.
⁵ May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
    and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

⁶ Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
    He will answer him from his holy heaven
    and rescue him by his great power.
⁷ Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
    but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
⁸ Those nations will fall down and collapse,
    but we will rise up and stand firm.

⁹ Give victory to our king, O Lord!
    Answer our cry for help.

Song of Praise – Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Message – Beginning of Sibling Rivalry

Benediction – Psalm 119:73-77

⁷³ You made me; you created me.
    Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
⁷⁴ May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,
    for I have put my hope in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
    you disciplined me because I needed it.
⁷⁶ Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
    just as you promised me, your servant.
⁷⁷ Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
    for your instructions are my delight.

We are in the midst of evaluation and need your feedback. Leave a comment. Thanks!

Beginning of Sin – Genesis 3

If this Sunday Worship section is helpful to you on your journey please like, or better yet comment in that section or personally through the contacts link. We are in the midst of evaluation and need your feedback. Thanks!

Call to Worship – Psalm 32

¹ Oh, what joy for those
    whose disobedience is forgiven,
    whose sin is put out of sight!
² Yes, what joy for those
    whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
    whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
³ When I refused to confess my sin,
    my body wasted away,
    and I groaned all day long.
⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
    My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude

⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
    and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
    And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 

Song of Worship – Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Sermon – The Beginning of Sin: Genesis 3

Water Colour Image based on Genesis 3 by Graeme Unrau – Faith Covenant Church Winnipeg

Benediction – Romans 5:15-17

¹⁵ But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁶ And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. ¹⁷ For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

If this Sunday Worship section is helpful to you on your journey please like, or better yet comment in that section or personally through the contacts link. We are in the midst of evaluation and need your feedback. Thanks!

Beginning of Human Community: Genesis 2

If you are able to leave a comment or like we are trying to evaluate how to connect and encourage the Body best in this wild season. If you’d rather make a private message or comments simply talk to your pastors an email in the contact section. Thanks!

Call to Worship – Psalm 8

¹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Song of Praise – Reckless Love

Message – Beginning of Human Community

Benediction – Hebrews 2:8-13

When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.

It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know
    about you;
I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.

Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says,

Even I live by placing my trust in God.

And yet again,

I’m here with the children God gave me.

Again, if you are able to leave a like, comment or reach out to one of our pastors or churches it will be helpful in our ongoing evaluation.

God of Beginnings – Genesis 1

This week we begin a new 8 week journey through the first 12 chapters of the book of Genesis. These are bedrock chapters for understanding so much of the Biblical story. We invite you to read along. This is incredibly provocative literature, but even more than that, this is God’s Word and carries the possibility of shaping us for God’s glory and neighbour’s good. It carries the possibility of a real hearing and encounter with our Creator.

Call to Worship – Psalm 16

¹ Keep me safe, O God,
    for I have come to you for refuge.

² I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
    Every good thing I have comes from you.”
³ The godly people in the land
    are my true heroes!
    I take pleasure in them!
⁴ Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
    I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
    or even speak the names of their gods.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
    You guard all that is mine.
⁶ The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
    What a wonderful inheritance!

⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I know the Lord is always with me.
    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
    My body rests in safety.
¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead
    or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
¹¹ You will show me the way of life,
    granting me the joy of your presence
    and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Song of Praise – How Great Thou Art / How Great is Our God

Message – The God of Beginnings

Reflection and Prayer

“In the beginning God…”

How do you recognize this reality and live it? Where do you not and need a shift?

The message points out 4 realities about who we are which are implicit in the creation story:

• We are made in community (communion) for community (communion)
• We are blessed to be a blessing
• We are made by work for work
• God rests, we rest

If you were to do a little self-evaluation, how are you doing in these areas 1-10? What is a next step or two you could take to live more fully into your created reality?

Spend a few minutes going to God in prayer. Talk with Jesus as you would to a caring friend about what you see and what you would like to see in your life.

Benediction – Psalm 30:10-12

¹⁰ Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
    Help me, O Lord.”

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
¹² that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

Feedback

We remain hopeful that sooner than later we will have the opportunity to return to in-person worship. We also know the many in our community participate in the Zoom services. We also know Zoom isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and/or doesn’t always work as it is time specific.

As we continue to evaluate and plan we would welcome your feedback. If you still use this site and find it valuable please like the posts and/or leave some comments during the month of June. If there are things you find most helpful (or not helpful) be bold and make comments. We are committed to run the Winnipegcovenant.ca services through the end of July which is the end of the Genesis series and longer if useful and needed but we need to make plans beyond this and need your feedback. Thanks!