“underline” 

We are in this series called, “underline”  Our hope is we can encourage one another through encouragement from the Scriptures. If you have a verse of encouragement and a story about how it came to you we would love you to share it with us (do so in the comments). God’s Word is indeed a lamp to our feet and a light to the path!

We also invite you to join one of our church Zoom services. Holy Community meets online at 10:30am and Faith Covenant meets at 10am each Sunday. We have individuals sharing their stories each week in this series so contact one of the offices for login information, join, and be encouraged!

All of Creation

Psalm 19:1-6

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
² Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
³ They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
⁴ Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
⁵ It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
    It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
⁶ The sun rises at one end of the heavens
    and follows its course to the other end.
    Nothing can hide from its heat.

Light to My Feet

Psalm 19 – part 1

Prayer

Take a few moments for silence, and then pray:

Teach me, Lord Jesus, to look and listen in faith so that I might see your glory all around me. Amen.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Invitation

All of creation does indeed declare the splendor of God’s glory. This upcoming weekend is the May long weekend and we recognize many consider it the kickoff of summer. We know we can’t do all things as “normal” but we invite you to get a small taste of God’s goodness and Word in creation. Go for a walk or a bikeride or a hike. If you are out camping make sure to catch a glimpse of the stars. May God find you as you seek him!

Benediction

Let the redeemed of the Lord share their story! Amen.

Today we come to the “fellowship” piece of 4 things to which the early church devoted itself. This is more than coffee and conversation. This is unity in God’s Spirit. If you have tasted it you know how amazing it is. If you haven’t we hope you will!

Psalm 133

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!

 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
 It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.

Come Let Us Worship and Bow Down

Conversation on Acts 4:32-5:11

Inheritance

Benediction – 1 Corinthians 1

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Instructions

Maundy Thursday Audio Service

We encourage you to find the best bluetooth (or other) speaker you can for your table or use headphones if you are taking this in on your own.

We have reached the midpoint in the Gospel according to Mark. Jesus is headed to Jerusalem. We go with Jesus on this journey. Jesus asks a lot of questions in the gospels. In this last half of Mark, Jesus asks a LOT of questions. We are going to sit in some of these questions as part of our Lenten journey. Maybe God’s Spirit is going to use these questions to flip the switch in our heart and mind producing some Kingdom light for God’s glory and neighbour’s good!

Opening Prayer

We praise you with joy, loving God, for your grace is better than life itself. You have sustained us through the darkness; and you bless us with life in this new day. In the shadow of your wings we sing for joy and bless your holy name. Amen.

Song of Praise – Reckless Love

A Conversation on Mark 10:35-52

Prayer Prompt

Simply respond to Jesus question which he asked in a few different places in Mark 10. Jesus, by his Spirit, now asks you:

What do you want me to do for you?

Talk with Jesus, as you would with a friend.

Song of Response – Our God is Greater

Take a quiet moment to give God thanks for what you have experienced this day. Trust him with the moments that come next. If able consider partnering with the work of our two churches. Thanks be to God for his kindness and provision! Amen.

Benediction

Call to Worship

If with another person feel free to alternate reading lines below from Psalm 96:

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
he is to be revered above all gods.
Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
Tremble before him, all the earth.

Song of Worship

Be the Center
Jesus be the center
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Jesus be the center
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus be my vision
Be my path and be my guide
Jesus

Prayer for Illumination

As we gather at your table
As we listen to your word
Help us know, oh God, your presence
Let our hearts and minds be stirred
Nourish us with sacred story until we claim it as our own
Teach us through this holy banquet how to make love’s victory known
AMEN

Sermon

Song of Response

Take a few minutes to pause and listen to this song below. What has been your focus? Come to Jesus again.

Offering

The “offering time” in church is a practical way to be an active guest at the great banquet of the kingdom with Christ. It’s a chance to participate, with joy and thanksgiving, in the great feast. In this time, remember the gifts you have received as invited guest in the kingdom meal. Equally, push yourself to offer a gift back. These gifts translate into a greater extending of God’s banquet to a greater population of peoples in our midst. May God bless you as you give.

Just a closer walk with thee
Just a closer walk with thee
Grant it Jesus if you please
Daily walking close to thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be

I am weak but thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I’ll be satisfied as long
As you walk, dear Lord, close to me

Through this world of toils and snares
If I falter Lord who cares?
Who with me my burden shares
None but thee, dear Lord, none but thee

When my feeble life is o’er
Time for me shall be no more
On that bright eternal shore
I will walk, dear Lord, close to thee

Mark Reading Challenge Update

Benediction

Thanks be to God, for you love the Christ whom you have never seen. Be glad, be open,
and the Christ whom you have never seen will appear all around you. Amen.

Songs of Praise: Let Us Adore and Fairest Lord Jesus

Scripture: John 1:1-5 (NLT)

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

We all need this reminder more often than not. This has been a strange year, and part in parcel, a strange Christmas. Perhaps we better than ever identify with the lonely, uncomfortable, displaced, missing friends and family, Mary and Joseph. And yet, there is maybe also an invitation to allow the joy of Jesus to overwhelm us and melt what is frozen or freezing up in each of us.

We close our quiet Christmas morning worship with these encouraging words penned over 75 years ago at the close of WWII. They are as sturdy, kindly pastoral to us as they certainly were to a world trying to rebuild itself after all kinds of trouble:

“If we today in the midst of a time of world struggle wish to celebrate Christmas properly, then two things dare not happen. First, we dare let the joy of Christmas be corrupted by thoughts about the horrors of the present time and by anxiety about the still greater ones that may yet come. Then the devil would have gained what he wants. With a Christianity that has no more joy in its heart he has an easy game. The only thing that he really fears are those who carry the real joy of Christmas in their heart. For against them he is powerless. All evil thrives only in joylessness…

The second thing, however, is just as important: that we are not sucked into an artificially Christmas joy, that so-called Christmas joy which is gone two days after Christmas, which lasts about as long as the candles we burn on the Christmas tree… dear friends, we wish to have, if I may so express it, a solid Christmas joy, not just a little candlelight with a Christmas tree fragrance, but a storm lantern that does not go out even when it is blown upon from all sides.”

• I Believe in the Living God: Sermons on the Apostles’ Creed, Emil Brunner, 1945.

Christmas Charge

HCCC, FCC, and friends,

May we come to know, from the tip of our head to the bottom of our new Christmas sock wrapped toes: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Because of Jesus, may we become a storm lantern of inextinguishable joy for a banged up world to see. Amen!

Check out our daily Advent Devotional! It’s written to be usable for families with kids, but it’s good for all! May you be blessed as you anticipate, hope, and prepare your heart in this season.

Call to Worship

Psalm 34:1-5a

I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy…

Song of Praise

Kids

We are spending a few weeks reading the messages of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These prophets were God’s messengers to the people of Israel who were coming home after a long time away as exiles (that means they were people who were forced to live far from their home). The message of these prophets was to remember God, to put Him first, and to trust Him. One way God wanted them to do this was to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed. The temple was a symbol of God’s presence with his people.

Grab some blocks, LEGO, cardboard, whatever you have and build a “temple”. When you are done, remember that the temple is a symbol of God’s presence with us. It is a symbol of what is still true: God is with us. He is with you and he loves you.

Offering

Our material possession and how we spend our money indicate our priorities. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Consider with the help of the Holy Spirit how you can prioritize the Kingdom of God through your giving.

Prayer: Loving God, may our sense of belonging within a community of faith nurture the longing to be your faithful servants. Teach us to build a partnership with your Spirit that advances the ways of generosity and grace. Accept our giving and receive our gifts. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Message – Part 1

Erik may have been in the mood for Halloween because his sermon video occasionally channels the “Blair Witch Project” shaky video style. If you get a little motion sick from the movement of the camera, just close your eyes, or doodle as you listen to the sermon. But the scenery sure is lovely!

Confession

God’s presence is greater than our preferences. What preferences or former things are you hanging onto? Name these now before God.

After you have named these before God, pray these words of confession: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspirations of your Holy Spirit, so that we may truly love you and worthily praise your holy name; through our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Song of Confession

Lord I Need You

Lord I come and I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without you I fall apart
You’re the one that guides my heart

Lord I need you oh I need you
Every hour I need you
My one defence, my righteousness
Oh God how I need you

Where sin runs deep your grace is more
Where grace is found is where you are
And where you are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Where you are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord I need you oh I need you
Every hour I need you
My one defence, my righteousness
Oh God how I need you

Teach my song to rise to you
When temptation comes my way
When I cannot stand I’ll fall on you
Jesus you’re my hope and stay
When I cannot stand I’ll fall on you
Jesus you’re my hope and stay

Lord I need you oh I need you
Every hour I need you
My one defence, my righteousness
Oh God how I need you

Assurance

Through Zechariah, God says to his people: “Return to me and I will return to you.” Hear then these words of assurance: God says in so many ways: “There is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.” When the truth of those words breaks through, we are transformed. We don’t have to carry around the burdens of the past. We are a new creation through the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, who has become our companion and the one who nurtures and binds us together. Thanks be to God.

Message – Part 2

Song of Response

Untitled Hymn

Oh Father be honoured here (x3)
Oh our God, oh our God be honoured

Oh Jesus be the center here (x3)
Oh our God, oh our God be the center

Oh Spirit move in us we pray (x3)
Oh our God, oh our God move in us

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (x3)
Oh our God, oh our God be praised

Doxology/Benediction

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
AMEN

Gathering Song

As it is in Heaven
Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Come and let your glory
Come and let your glory fall

Our Father who art in heaven
The rocks cry out your fame
Come and let your glory
Come and let your glory fall

I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song to the Lord

Let your Kingdom come
Let your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Every heart proclaim
The mercy of your name
On earth as it is in heaven

God give us new every morning
Mercy as daily bread
In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus we pray

And lead us not to temptation
But deliver us with your hand
In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus we pray

I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song to the Lord

Let your Kingdom come
Let your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Every heart proclaim
The mercy of your name
On earth as it is in heaven

Let your Kingdom come
Let your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Every heart proclaim
The mercy of your name
On earth as it is in heaven

Call to Worship – adapted from Psalm 145

Come, let us praise God together!

For God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s tell stories of God’s power and majesty, His mighty acts throughout history:

for God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s remember the compassion He has shown toward us;His mercy and unfailing love, generation after generation:

for God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s pass these stories along to our children and grandchildren, so that they, too, may come to know and love our God.

For God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s worship God together!

Song

Great Things
Come let us us worship the King
Come let us bow at his feet
He has done great things

See what our Savior has done
See how his love overcomes
He has done great things
He has done great things

Oh hero of Heaven you conquer the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, you have done great things
We dance in your freedom awakened to life
Oh Jesus our Savior your name lifted high
Oh God, you have done great things

You’ve been faithful through every storm
You’ll be faithful forevermore
You have done great things

And I know you will do it again
For your promise is “Yes and Amen”
You will do great things
God you do great things

Oh hero of Heaven you conquer the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, you have done great things
We dance in your freedom awakened to life
Oh Jesus our Savior your name lifted high
Oh God, you have done great things

Hallelujah God, above it all
Hallelujah God, unshakable
Hallelujah you have done great things
(REPEAT)

Oh hero of Heaven you conquer the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, you have done great things
We dance in your freedom awakened to life
Oh Jesus our Savior your name lifted high
Oh God, you have done great things

Oh hero of Heaven you conquer the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, you have done great things
We dance in your freedom awakened to life
Oh Jesus our Savior your name lifted high
Oh God, you have done great things

“Hey Kids…”

Sermon – Haggai

Offering and Reflection

The prophet Haggai relays a stiff warning (1:7-9) that we like no more than those who heard it from his lips.

“Consider how you have fared. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build my house so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.”

God is upset because his children have returned home but instead of making God and God’s kingdom the centre of their lives the people get busy building their own “kingdoms”.

We do this too. The invitation of Haggai is to:

1. consider how this is really working out for you (“how have you fared”?)
2. consider a priority/value shift with tangible evidences of such

This is what the offering is all about. Consider how life is when we go our own way and consider how life is when we live in trust before our providing God. Then, in faith, offer tokens of our trust which our emblems of our remembering that everything we have is gift. Our tangible trust evidences priority and value shifts in our lives.

Scripture – Luke 19:1-9

Song of Response

I Surrender All
All to Jesus I surrender
All to him I freely give
I will ever love and trust him
In his presence daily live

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at his feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus
Take me now

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender
Make me Savior wholly thine
May the Holy Spirit fill me
May I know thy power divine

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender
Lord I give myself to thee
Fill me with thy love and power
Let thy blessings fall on me

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
(REPEAT)

Encouragement and Benediction (2 Thess. 2:13-17)

¹³ As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, ¹⁷ comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

Kids Activity

Psalm 150 (the very last one in the Psalms) says:

Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
    Hallelujah!

You are going to make some instruments and play along during worship!

Raid your recycling bin and pantry and make the best music makers you can. An old container with a lid and some dried beans or rice make an excellent shaker. Be creative and play along with worship this morning. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!!!

Foyer Convo: Words of Encouragement

Call to Worship

In Genesis 16, Hagar (Sarah’s maidservant) runs away from Abraham and Sarah because she was being treated poorly by Sarah. In the wilderness, where she ran, God met her. She named God “the One who sees me.” She declares “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Before moving any further, pause… Reflect on the words of Psalm 139:1, “You have searched me, and you know me.” Take a minute or two now, silently by yourself or with your family to recognize the gift of this moment to commune with and worship a God who sees and knows you. You are seen… You are known…

Song

Bless the Lord (10,000 Reasons)

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship your holy name

The sun comes up its a new day dawning
It’s time to sing your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship your holy name

You’re rich in love and you’re slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship his holy name

Confession & Assurance (Cody)

Call to Confession: (if in a group, have one person read)
Even before we speak, God knows our wrongs.
Yet our repentance opens our hearts to God,
who is waiting to hear us and forgive us.
Let us confess all that separates us from God and others.

Prayer of Confession (all pray aloud):
God who forms our inward parts and knows our hearts, forgive us…
Instead of acknowledging you as our God, we make our own idols. Instead of proclaiming Jesus Christ as our Lord, we proclaim ourselves. Instead of turning to the Holy Spirit, we attempt to attain your way in our own understanding.

Words of Assurance: (if in a group, have one person read)
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Paul says in Romans, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Song

Reckless Love

Before I spoke a word, you were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, you breathed your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh it chases me down, fights ’till I’m found, leaves the ninety nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still you give yourself away
Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

When I was your foe, still your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, you paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh it chases me down, fights ’till I’m found, leaves the ninety nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still you give yourself away
Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

There’s no shadow you won’t light up, mountain you won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall you won’t kick down, lie you won’t tear down
Coming after me
(REPEAT)

Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh it chases me down, fights ’till I’m found, leaves the ninety nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still you give yourself away
Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Offering

All that we are points back to our Creator;
all that we have is gift and trust.
God will finish what God has begun;
we have the privilege of taking part.

With grateful hearts, let us bring our tithes and offerings to God from whom they came.

Sermon – Psalm 139

Closing Song

Comfort My People

Do you know?
Have you not heard?
Has it been told you from the first?
Have you not understood from the forming of the earth?
He sits enthroned above the world
And spreads the heavens like a tent
A place for us to live in
A place for us to live

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?
Who has marked out the heavens with the breath of his word?
Comfort my people
Comfort my people
Says the Lord

He brought out the starry host
And one by one he calls them by name
Why do you still complain that he doesn’t know your ways?
Lift your eyes and look to see who created all of these
And never more complain that he doesn’t know your ways

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?
Who has marked out the heavens with the breath of his word?

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?
Who has marked out the heavens with the breath of his word?

Comfort my people
Comfort my people
Comfort my people
Says the Lord

Benediction