March 18, 2007, 11:00 AM
Fourth Sunday in Lent
WE ENTER INTO GOD’S PRESENCE
Preparation for Worship
*Call to Worship
Let us worship God, who has done great things.
We rejoice in our God, who made a way through the desert of this world.
Let us worship God, who has caused streams of mercy to flow in the wasteland.
We are the people God has formed through Christ; we worship him, and we rejoice!
Let us worship God in spirit and in truth.
We praise God for the grace that has saved us. Alleluia! We rejoice!
*Opening Praise – 95:1-3 “Now with Joyful Exultation”
*God Greets Us
*We Greet Each Other
*Continuing Praise – “I Will Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving”
“Praise the Name of Jesus”“In Christ Alone”Call to Confession
During his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. In response to his sacrifice, let us confess our sins to God.
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us.
Forgive us just as we are fully determined, as evidence of your grace in us, to forgive our neighbors. By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies – the devil, the world, and our own flesh – never stop attacking us.
And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This is God’s gospel promise: to forgive our sins and give us eternal life by grace alone because of Chris’s one sacrifice finished on the cross.
*Song of the Cross – 383:2-3 “My Lord, What You Did Suffer”
WE HEAR GOD’S WORDChildren’s Time
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading – Luke 6:17-26
Message – “Holy Tears: Blessed Tears”
Prayer
WE RESPOND WITH THANKSGIVING
*Song – 267:1,2,4 “And Can It Be”
The Offering – General Fund
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Intercessory Prayer
WE ARE DISMISSED TO LOVE AND SERVEOpportunities for Ministries and Fellowship
*God Blesses Us
*Parting Song – 632 “To God Be the Glory”
Postlude
THIS WEEK IN THE LIFE OF VALLEY CHURCHIf you forgot to return your baby bottle from the All Women’s Help Center last Sunday, please do so today. Check and see if you have an unused bottle and return it as well so they can be reused for next year’s campaign.
Hilda Palmer was hospitalized for several days last week. She is back at Good Shepherd-Fairview now but in a unit that provides greater care. Continue to pray for her as she deals with increasing weakness and confusion.
Tuesday, 7:00 PM Deacons meet
ROUND UP FOR CHOW:
When you shop at any Giant Market in our area you can help CHOW feed the hungry by asking the cashier to “round-up” your total to the nearest dollar for CHOW. CHOW uses the money raised in the “Round-Up” program to supplement the nonperishable food we give out in our pantries with perishable items such as milk, eggs, fresh fruit, and meat. The Giant Markets keep an account for CHOW from the money raised this way. Persons using the pantries are given coupons for perishable items to present to the Giant Markets with the cost of the items being taken from that account. So when you’re shopping at the Giant, remember to tell the cashier to “Round-Up for CHOW.”
Terry’s announcement re the 150th CRC anniversary meetings.
Are you regularly checking out Valley Church’s web site? It’s located at www.valleycrc.com? If this is to be a meaningful tool for communication within the congregation and to our world, we need to use it regularly and include pertinent and interesting material for people to look at. Would you want to submit information about church events or happenings in the lives of church members? What about pictures of small group or regular church events? If this type of serving touches a warm spot in your heart, talk with Ron Crawford and see how you can help make this a more useful tool.
This afternoon at 5 PM several thousand young people will be meeting at the Broome County Arena for “Rock the City.” With music by the band “Tait” and a message by Will Graham, pray that this event will touch many lives with the love of Christ. Pray too for the follow-up to this event with those who make a commitment to follow Jesus.
Next Sunday, March 25, 2007
SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:45 AM Sunday School classes for all ages. The adults are involved in a four-week video study of the book Just Walk Across the Room. This material fits in very well with our participation in the Franklin Graham Festival.
MORNING WORSHIP: 11:00 AM Our worship will be led by Pastor Gelder. He will continue the series of messages for Lent which will center on biblical passages that mention tears. The theme for this week will be “Holy Tears: The Weeping Savior” based on John 11:35 and Luke 19:41. This will also be a day where we will focus on Operation Andrew, a vital part of our preparation for the Franklin Graham Festival. Prepare your heart for this service by thinking this week of friends and neighbors who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior and who you might invite to attend the Festival with you in June.
