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This Week at First

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9 AM Contemporary

10:30 AM Traditional

July 21: Whose Will?


When you have what seems like a good idea, do you vent it with others or just plunge ahead with your plans? When we have what seems like a good idea for the church, how do we evaluate its merits? Using 2 Samuel 7:1-14a and Mark 6:7-13 we will focus on “Whose Will?”


See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim


 

2 Samuel 7:1-14a


God’s Covenant with David

7 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him,  2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.”  3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

 

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:  5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?  6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.  7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders[a] of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”  8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;  9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.  10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,  11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.  12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.


 

Mark 6:7-13


 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;  9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.  10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.  11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”  12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.  13 They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

   

 







9am Service

(Not Available)


10:30am Service



July 14: Honoring the Past, Looking to the Future



Seventy years ago, our spiritual forbearers were in the midst of a multi-year journey toward a season of change and growth. In a similar way, the people of Israel were in the midst of change during the reign of King David. The early disciples were also in for a season of change. Using 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19, and John 15:1-12, we will look to God for direction as to what change might be in store for Palmyra First Church. The message will be, “Honoring the Past, Looking to the Future.”


See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim


 

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19


David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.  2 David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim.  3 They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,[a] the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart  4 with the ark of God;[b] and Ahio[c] went in front of the ark.  5 David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs[d] and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.



12 So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing;  13 and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.  14 David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod.  15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

 

16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

 

17 They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord.  18 When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts,  19 and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat,[a] and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.


 

John 15:1-12


Jesus the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit.  3 You have already been cleansed[b] by the word that I have spoken to you.  4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.  5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.  6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become[c] my disciples.  9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.  10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

 

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  

   

 







9am Service



10:30am Service



July 7: Peace


One of the most desirable things in life is a sense of inner peace. This inner peace can be one of the benefits of the Christian faith. We will explore how to achieve this peace as we look at both 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 and Matthew 6:25-34. The message is titled “Peace.”


See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim


 

2 Corinthians 12:2-10


 2 I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.  3 And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—  4 was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.  5 On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.  6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,  7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep[a] me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.[b]  8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,  9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power[c] is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 


 

Matthew 6:25-34


Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,[a] or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?[b]  28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 But strive first for the kingdom of God[c] and his[d] righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

   

 







9am Service




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