God Gathers Us
Call to Worship - Psalm 107:1-9, 23-32
To be read aloud by someone in your home:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
Opening Prayer
The Psalmist here says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story”, and then gives a series of stories of deliverance as a pattern for this kind of story telling. All of the stories follow this pattern - trouble comes, the people “cried out to the Lord”, and out of His unfailing love, God delivered them.
Have you seen this pattern at any point in your life? What is your story of God’s deliverance? It may be dramatic; it may not. But the Psalmist encourages us to think about the times we have cried out to the Lord, and to “give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”
Take a moment to pray, praising the Lord and asking Him to bless your time of worship with His grace and power..
God Saves Us
Congregational Singing
We encourage you to sing - make a joyful noise! If you play an instrument, play! If you have some favorite hymns or choruses, pick one or two and sing! Or make use of other technology to play some music, and listen and sing along.
Below are some hymns you can make use of if these would be a help to you.
Offering
During this time when we can't gather on Sundays, we can still receive your offerings a couple of ways:
You can drop your offering in the locked mailbox outside the church office entrance
Or, you can mail them to the church at 393 Water Street, Augusta ME 04330.
Thank you for your continued support of Penney and its ministries!
Scripture Reading - John 6:1 - 24
This morning’s Scripture reader is Matt Mahar