Home Worship for Sunday, April 3, 2022

Our Home Worship service is much like our in-person service. As you prayerfully journey through Home Worship, we hope it is meaningful for you. 


Staying home is a form of loving your neighbor. You may be staying home for your own health but in reality you then become less of a carrier to others that you might come in contact with. 


If you are not comfortable attending socially distanced activities, please stay home and stay in touch! We hope you will feel close to God who is near even if we are far apart. May God Bless you and keep you.

Prelude: How Deep the Father's Love For Us

LOADING PLAYER…

Call to Worship - Fragrant Worship

(John 12:1-8)

One: Six days before the Passover, Martha served Jesus dinner at Lazarus’ house. There, Mary took a pound of costly perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet.

Many: What’s that in the air?


One: Mary poured her perfume on Jesus’ feet and then wiped his feet with her hair.

Many: She filled the air with the fragrance of her worship.


One: The prayers of the saints are like rising incense before God.

Many: The fragrance of their worship fills the air.


One: Today, let us raise a praise that touches the heart of God.

Many: Let the fragrance of our worship fill the air.


One: Let the fragrance of our worship fill the air!

Many: God, we offer our praise as a sweet fragrance that aspires to heaven. May the fragrance of our worship fill the air!


Kwasi Kena, The Africana Worship Book for Year C (Discipleship Resources, 2008), 66.

What Wondrous Love Is This? UMH #292

1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,

what wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss

to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.


2 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,

what wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of life

to lay aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,

to lay aside his crown for my soul.


3 To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing,

to God and to the Lamb, I will sing;

to God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM,

while millions join the theme I will sing, I will sing;

while millions join the theme I will sing.


4 And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,

and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on;

and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be,

and through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,

and through eternity I’ll sing on.

LOADING PLAYER…

Lenten Prayer

(inspired by John 12: 1-8)


Giver of the most expensive gift of all, help us to learn from you. 

May we who are so adept at catering for our own wants, make ourselves more vulnerable to the needs of others. 

Let us live unselfishly and more sensitively, that we may spread love’s fragrance wherever the odor of cynicism and despair hangs in the air. 

Through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Amen!


Written by Bruce Prewer and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page. http://www.bruceprewer.com. Reposted: https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/prayer-of-commitment-loves-fragrance.html.

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-29 (CEB)

Narrow gate

13 “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.

Tree and fruit

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds, or do they get figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and every rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit. And a rotten tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore, you will know them by their fruit.


Entrance requirements

21 “Not everybody who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 On the Judgment Day, many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and expel demons in your name and do lots of miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I’ll tell them, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you people who do wrong.’


Two foundations

24 “Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock. 26 But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed.”


Crowd’s response

28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching 29 because he was teaching them like someone with authority and not like their legal experts.


Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Message: "20-Point Sermon"

Pastor Emily Denmark-McGee

We Make the Road By Walking Series.


Jesus' sermon on the mount was just that a sermon. It was meant to be heard in its entirety in one sitting. However, we rarely approach it that way. In his book, Brian McLaren does a 20 point paraphrase of the teachings of Jesus in the sermon on the mount. Yes, this is a 20 point sermon, but so was the one Jesus preached on that mountain.

LOADING PLAYER…
LOADING PLAYER…

Blessing of Balm

(inspired by Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-8)

When we see

the body of Christ

still broken in this world,

may we meet it

with lavish grace

and pour ourselves out

with extravagant love.


Written by Jan L. Richardson and posted on The Painted Prayerbook. http://paintedprayerbook.com/2012/03/31/day-34-anointed. Reposted: https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/blessing-john-12-1-8.html.