God Gathers Us
Call to Worship - Psalm 42:1-4
To be read aloud by someone in your home:
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
Opening Prayer
This word from the prophet Isaiah describes for us the Messiah - Jesus Christ - in His incredible character. Jesus is strong, bringing justice to the nations (vs 1, 3), and not faltering or becoming discouraged in this difficult work (vs 4). Jesus is wise, with teaching so great, that distant lands (the islands) will put their hope in His word. AND, Jesus is gentle - not breaking a bruised reed (in other words, a reed that’s at its breaking point) and not putting out a smoldering wick (in other words, a smoky flame that’s about to be extinguished).
As we go to worship, think about how great this Jesus we worship is - combining all of these great traits in His character. How much we need to learn from Him, and be more like Him! How we can trust Him, to save us when we are weak, and help us when we are at the brink.
Slowly read the Psalm again, this time inserting the name “Jesus” into the text -
“Here is my servant Jesus, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on Jesus,
and Jesus will bring justice to the nations.
2 Jesus will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed Jesus will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness Jesus will bring forth justice;
4 Jesus will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”Now pray, giving thanks to Jesus for who He is, and asking Him to fill you with a greater love for Him and trust in Him during this time of worship.
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
For everyone watching services online, 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!