Monthly Archives: May 2021

Philippians 1:9-11

Call to Worship: 

-Romans 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

-Psalm 150:2

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

-Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Sermon: 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13

9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 

10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 

12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Call to Worship - 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sermon - Mark 8:31-9:1

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

9:1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Call to Worship - Revelation 5:9

9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

    and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

    from every tribe and language and people and nation, (...)

Sermon - Mark 8: 1-21

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 

2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 

3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 

4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 

5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 

6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 

7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 

9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 

10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 

13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 

15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 

16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 

18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 

20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 

21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Call to Worship - Revelations 7: 9-12

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 

10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 

11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 

12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Sermon - Mark 7: 31-37

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 

32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 

33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 

34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 

35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 

36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”