God Gathers Us
Call to Worship - Titus 3:3-8
To be read aloud by someone in your home:
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Opening Prayer
As we move through this season of Lent, and continue to focus on the cross of Jesus of Nazareth, we are remembering again and again the big picture of what He accomplished there and what it means for us.
This passage from Paul’s letter to Titus is straight talk, that we might not like at first. What do you mean, Paul, when you say WE were “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved”! Yet part of the meaning of the cross is found in its leveling effect - the way it puts all of us in the same starting place, as sinners, in desperate need of God’s grace. Thankfully, it also assures us that though we don’t deserve it, out of His sheer mercy, God saved us.
Take a moment to reflect on these verses, and then pray, asking the Holy Spirit to make real to your heart and to our church family the humbling and exciting mercy of God, that we might worship Him with gratitude this morning.
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!