February 27, 2011
10:30 AM


WE ENTER INTO GOD’S PRESENCE
Preparation for Worship
*Call to Worship
Great is the Lord –
exalted among the nations.
Mighty is the Lord –
King of heaven and earth.
Holy is the Lord –
beyond our understanding.
Let us pray to our God.
God of power and wonder, we are awestruck by the glory of your presence.  We rejoice at what we can see; we marvel at what we cannot see.
You dazzle us with your brightness; you overshadow us as with a great cloud.
Loving, protecting, challenging nurturing, you strengthen and transform us.
May we love and serve you in all that we are and do.  Glory be to you.  Amen.
*Song of Praise – 431:1,5 “All Creatures of Our God and King”
*God Greets Us
*We Greet Others
*Continuing Praise
“I Will Serve You”
“You Are the Reason”
“Give Me Jesus”
Call to Confession
Let us confess our sin before God and one another.
Prayer of Confession
Eternal God, we confess that we have praised you with our lips but have not glorified you with our lives.  Have mercy on us, we pray, for our weak faith that fades under pressure, for our quick enthusiasm that just as quickly dies, for the hopes we proclaim but do not pursue.  Forgive us, Lord God, and give us new trust in your power, that we may live for justice and tell of your loving-kindness by our acts, not just by our words, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.  (II Corinthians 3:17-18)
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and transformed.  Praise be to God!
*Prayer Song – 420 “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
HEAR GOD’S WORD
Children’s Time
Prayer of Preparation
Scripture Reading – Matthew 7:1-6, 13-14
Message – “Kingdom Living: Choices”
Prayer
WE RESPOND WITH THANKSGIVING
*Song of Response – 573:1,3,4 “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
The Offering – General Fund
Offertory Prayer
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Intercessory Prayer
WE ARE SENT TO LOVE AND SERVE
Opportunities for Ministry and Fellowship
*Closing Prayer
God of love, as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us, so may we give ourselves to you, living according to your holy will.  Keep our feet firmly in the way where Christ leads us; help our lips speak the truth that Christ teaches us; fill our bodies with the life that is Christ within us.  In his holy name we pray.  Amen.
*God Blesses Us – Numbers 6:24-26
*Parting Song – 620:3 “Unto God Almighty”
Postlude

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Parents’ Night Out is this Saturday from 5:30 – 8:30 PM.  If your child is going to attend, please sign up today on the sheet on the door or call the church (648-8224) no later than Friday morning.  If you can help with one of the stations or with guiding a group, please talk with Janet Crawford today.

Wednesday, 6:00 AM Men’s breakfast and Bible study at the Spot
       9:30 AM Women’s Bible Study at
Saturday, 5:30 PM Parents’ Night Out

The regular spring meeting of Classis Atlantic Northeast is this Thursday in Pittsfield, MA.  Pastor Al Gelder, elder Doug Aukema and deacon John Moomey plan to represent Valley at this meeting.  Pray for God’s wisdom in matters discussed and decisions made.
     
Please remember to return the baby bottles filled with your pocket change (bills are accepted too!) next Sunday so we can turn them in to the Life Choices Center next week.  Thank you for your support.

Jim Stocum’s knee surgery went well last Monday.  Thank God for hearing prayers and pray that his recovery will be both complete and speedy.

Are you passionate about Valley Church being a place where people with visible and invisible disabilities find a welcome and are able to use their God-given gifts?  If so, council is looking for YOU to be our Disability Concerns advocate, being our contact with the CRC Disability Concerns office so we can grow in our awareness of the needs of people with disabilities.  If you feel God’s tug, talk with council president Tim Brown.

For your advance planning – Lent begins on Wednesday, March 9.  We will have an Ash Wednesday service that evening at 7:00 PM where you can receive the mark of ashes if you choose and begin your observance of the Lenten season.

During Lent some of the elders will take part leading the opening of the worship services as a reminder of the continuity of the church during this time of pastoral leadership.

The Worship Team is assembling a team of persons to operate the sound and projection systems on a rotation basis.  Training will be provided.  If you are interested in serving in this capacity, talk with Al Vos.

If space, repeat note about organist needed.


NEXT SUNDAY, March 6, 2011
SUNDAY SCHOOL:  9:15 AM  Classes for all ages meet.  The adult class, joined by the teens, will continue the series “Becoming a Good Samaritan.”  This video-led discussion, hosted by John Ortberg and developed in partnership with World Vision, is intended to help Christians live out Christ’s love in world-changing ways, right now, right here. 
MORNING WORSHIP:  10:30 AM  Pastor Gelder will bring us God’s Word.  He will conclude the message series from the Sermon on the Mount.  We will look at Matthew 7:15-29, “Kingdom Living.”  
The second offering will be to assist a group from River Rock Church in Rockford, MI, which includes a nephew of Doug Aukema and Grace Roossien, as they travel to Haiti to help Christian Reformed World Missions’ ministries in that country.