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Lent 3: Christ Among Us, Showing Us Justice And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. First Mennonite Church Sugarcreek, Ohio March 3, 2024 Worship: 9:30-10:30 Fellowship Time: 10:30-11:00 Sunday School: 11:00-12:0 We believe in Jesus and take his life, teachings, death and resurrection as the model for how we live and the message we proclaim. *************************************** We seek to be a caring and discerning community, the gathered body of Christ. that welcomes all to join in worship, study, and service. ****************************************** We embody God’s transforming and redeeming Spirit in the world through our prophetic witness and action. THE CHURCH WORSHIPS TOGETHER_____________________ ~Gathering~ Prelude “When the Poor Ones” –from Sing the Journey #69 Welcome & Announcements Focus Statement: God pursues us with words of love. God gave us commandments to follow so we could rest in the giver of life. When the world pulls us in different directions, let’s circle back to the path that directs us toward God. We may stumble and fall, but God is always there to guide us. What does the Lord require of us? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Gathering Litany Right: We are a covenant people, called to God by God. Left: We are a covenant people, called to Jesus by Jesus, losing one life to gain our life. Right: Renamed. Left: Reborn. All: Renewed. We gather ourselves in the community of believers. We gather ourselves unto you. Time of Meditation “Beauty for Brokenness” VT 712 v1-5 Call To Worship: All: May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, O God. Leader: We speak because you spoke first, bringing voice to the brightness of the sun and singing the airy darkness of the sky. You spoke this earth from end to end, and speaking must have given you pleasure, for you said, “It was good.” People: May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, O God. Leader: Year after year you have poured forth speech: passing stories and statutes down through hands and lips. From you we learned to speak, and speaking, we spoke to you—singing songs of consolation that would become your psalms to us; writing poems our children’s children would hear as the voice of God. People: May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, O God. Leader: Your law, O Lord, is perfect. Your Word is the one that endures. We seek the grammar of your justice in the words that you spoke before. Speak here now; speak here once more. All: And may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, O God. Invocation Hymn of Gathering VT 10 Here in This Place ~Praising & Praying~ Psalm Reading: Psalm 19: 7-11 Old Testament Reading: HWB 807 Exodus 20: 1-17, 22, 24b Hymn of Praise VT 194- Lead On, O Cloud of Presence Prayers of the People ~Hearing God’s Word~ Scripture John 2:13-22 Message “A Necessary Reminder” Time of Introspection (to be read silently) Prayer based on Psalm 19 O Lord, the heavens declare Your glory, and the firmament shows Your handiwork. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to my heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to my eyes. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can understand their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen. Piano Interlude “If the War Goes On” from Voices Together #794 If the war goes on and the children die of hunger, and the old men weep, for the young men are no more, and the women learn how to dance without a partner, who will keep the score? If the war goes on and the truth is taken hostage, and new terrors lead to the need to euphemize; when the calls for peace are declared unpatriotic, who’ll expose the lies? If the war goes on and the daily bread is terror, and the voiceless poor take the road as refugees; when a nation’s pride destines millions to be homeless, who will heed their pleas? ~Responding~ Prayer of Confession: Leader: We often miss the beauty in your work, God. People: Forgive our distracted hearts. Leader: When we put our trust in other things, People: remind us of your love and care. All: Bring joy to us once again. Leader: May the reverence we give your name pull us out of selfishness that prevents us from seeing the pain of our neighbor. People: Your kingdom come, your will be done. All: Help us to create a world where we will act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with You and each other. Leader: May the meditations of our hearts People: be pleasing in your sight, All: our Rock and our Redeemer. AMEN. Hymn of Response VT 42 Could It Be That God Is Singing (the offering will be brought forward) Offering Prayer ~Sending~ Sending Hymn ”My Presence Will Go with You” (printed in bulletin) – Joungmin Kim Statement of Covenant: Left: We are not called to be fearful, Right: we are called to love. Left: We are not called to be perfect, Right: we are called to be faithful. Left: We are not called to be fearless, Right: we are called to be obedient. Left: We are not called to be all-knowing, Right: we are called to believe. Left: We are not called to claim, Right: we are called to give. Left: We are not called to be victorious, Right: we are called to be courageous. Left: We are not called to lord it over others, Right: we are called to serve. Dan: For it is in serving that we shall reign, April: It is through courage that we shall find victory, Bruce: It is in giving all that we shall gain all, Bertie: It is in believing that we shall overcome, Nancy: It is in obedience that we shall overcome, Bill: It is in faithfulness that we shall find perfection, Tabby: It is in loving that we shall dispel fear, ALL: It is in slavery to Christ and his justice that we shall find freedom, now and forever, for ourselves and for the world. Amen. Postlude “How Can We Be Silent” VT 790 v1-3 Sending Words Visuals: Our journey toward God leads us on a path. We may stray from time to time, but God is always with us, gently guiding us back. The symbols on the altar represent our journey. The brown cloth represents our path, and the side-by-side footprints represent those we walk along side. Along with the empty bowl which reminds us of God’s never-ending love for us and how God wants to fill us, the cross reminds us that to follow Jesus, we must take up our cross daily. Today, we add the scrolls, which represent the Ten Commandments and serve as a guide and reminder of God’s great love for us. WORSHIP 9:30-10:30 Minister Mike Gehman Worship Leader: Dan Hostetler Song Leader: April Shupe Organist: Margaret Cheslock Pianist: Suzanne Stauffer Head Usher: Leadership Team THE CHURH GIVES THANKS__________________________ Hannah Gehman: Glad that Kim was able to come this morning. THE CHURCH PRAYS FOR___________________________ Hannah Gehman: For Keutmy’s health and well-being. Mennonite Mission Network: Tomorrow, members of the Central Plains Mennonite Conference will begin a week-long Just Peace Pilgrimage, organized by Mennonite Mission Network. Pray for open minds and hearts as participants focus on the struggle for civil rights in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, and how Jesus is calling his fo llowers to respond. FMC LIVES IN DISCIPLESHIP TOGETHER_________________ Next Week’s Text: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; John 3:14-21; Ephesians2:1-10 Harbor of Hope for March: Paper Products Mission Project for March: MCC Hygiene Kits THIS WEEK______________________________ March 10 th Fourth Sunday of Lent UPCOMING EVENTS________________________ March 17 th Fifth Sunday of Lent Happy St. Patrick’s Day March 23 rd Pancake Day & Health Screening at Belden Center March 24 th Palm Sunday March 30 th Community Easter Egg Hunt at Garaway Football Stadium NEXT WEEK______________________________ Minister: Mike Gehman Worship Leader: Jean Flinner Head Usher: Leadership Team LAST WEEK___________________________________________ ATTENDANCE: 27 OFFERING: $1050 Change for a Dollar: $15 Garaway Power Packs Offering $50 2024 Lenten Theme: Christ Among Us Lent begins with mourning on Ash Wednesday, when we remember who we are as humans and who God is, reminding us of our brokenness and God’s grace. This is followed by passages recalling Christ’s venture into the wilderness and the 40-day journey that we are on as well. The journey starts with this moment of God speaking to God’s Son, announcing to the world who Jesus is, reminding Jesus of his belovedness, and reminding the people of God of the prophecies and promises of the coming Messiah. This year’s Lenten texts focus on covenants. They point to God’s history of reaching out to continue in relationship with God’s people. Covenants begin with God. God forms an agreement with God’s people. Time and time again, humanity fails to follow these covenants, yet God’s mercy and grace remain. Christ is among us, reminding us of who we are, and even when we fail, reminding us of grace and calling us beloved. Christ remains among us, and that is where we stand united in our Mennonite denomination. So each week, we consider a key theme among these passages: What might Christ be teaching? What is God expecting of us? How does this enable us to live our Christian—and Mennonite—identity more fully, bringing glimpses of the new heaven and new earth into our communities? What is the journey showing us as we answer God’s call? CHURCH LEADERSHIP_____________________________ Pastor: Mike Gehman: 1-330-749-6746 Email: pastor@firstmennonitesugarcreek.com Pastor’s Hours: Wednesday 9:30 am-2:30 pm Church Secretary: Tabatha Murphy Church Phone: 1-330-852-2822 Email: office@firstmennonitesugarcreek.com Website: http//fmcsugarcreekoh.org Address: 113 W. Main St. P.O. Box 250 Sugarcreek, Ohio 44681 CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM: Chairperson: Mike Keim Office Contact: Linda Yoder Mission Contact: Reno Stevanus Trustees Contact: Dan Hostetler Secretary Contact: Amy Stauffer-McNutt