LIVERMORE FALLS — The Feb. 19 First Baptist Church of Livermore Falls service began after Maggie Houlihan played several beautiful pieces of music which set the mood for worship. Kay Watson welcomed members and visitors and read the Announcements. She led us as we sang two praise songs: “Majesty” and “Great and Mighty, “. Rev. Russ Thayer read the Call to Worship from Psalm 93, then led us into Prayer Time as members of the congregation asked for prayers for friends and families.
The congregation sang the Hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” and then Rev. Thayer announced “Happy Time”, Tithes and Offerings. During the Offertory, Maggie & Margaret played “How Majestic Is your Name”. Th e Worship Team sang Special Music titled ‘I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me.” Keyboard music was provided by Maggie Houlihan and Margaret Emery,
Rev. Thayer introduced his Sermon as he read Scripture from Hebrews 1. His Sermon, titled “Who Is Jesus”, began with the questions: How many names do we use when we talk about Jesus? Do we take Jesus with us wherever we go? Do we think about Him as we go about our daily lives? We know who Jesus is, but do we really know Him in our hearts? Because God made the sacrifice of Jesus, His only son, on Calvary’s Cross, when we speak to Jesus, we are speaking directly to God. We are redeemed from our sins because of God’s sacrifice. As Christians, that is exciting news, news to share as often as possible with others. We should be so excited; we can’t wait to share our enthusiasm and to help others become enthusiastic servants of God.
Tell others how Jesus has changed your life and, live a Godly life to set an example for others! We sang “Blessed Be the Name”, and after the Benediction, we sang “Grace, Love and Fellowship”.
Announcements:
1. The Food Cupboard is looking for volunteers to work a few hours each month. Contact Tini Eastman, if interested. This month, we are collecting tuna, and in March, we will collect canned fruit.
2. There is a Weekly Bible Study each Tuesday at 10 a.m., in the Sturtevant Room.
3. Mary’s Lunch is served every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in the Vestry. All women are invited.
4. The next Men’s Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 11, at 8 a.m. All men are invited.
5. The Worship Team rehearses each Thursday in the Sanctuary at 1 p.m. Come and help us make joyful noise in praise of the Lord!
6. The next Soap ‘N More Store will be on Saturday, February 25, from 9 a.m. to Noon.
7. Our next Hymnsing will take place on Sunday, February 26 at 7 p.m.
The Feb. 26 service: First Sunday of Lent. Kay King Watson opened the service and read the announcements. She and Rev. Thayer led the congregation as they sang “Crown Him” and “Victory Chant.” Rev. Russ Thayer read Psalm 96, Verses 8 – 13, followed by Prayer Time and The Lord’s Prayer, recited with the congregation. The children left to attend Sunday School with teachers, Becky Widger and Paula Esposito. Keyboards were provided by Maggie Houihan and Margaret Emery and Song Leader was Kay King Watson.
Before the offering was collected, we sang, “O Worship the King”. During the offertory, Maggie and Margaret played “Farther Along”. Special music was a duet by Rev. Russ and his wife, Carol. The piece was titled “There Is A Redeemer,” and was greatly enjoyed by all! As introduction to his sermon, Rev. Russ read from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 23, verse 34. Since today is the first Sunday in Lent, Rev. Thayer is beginning to prepare us for Easter by speaking about “The Seven Last Words of Jesus”, as He died on the Cross.
The title of the Sermon was “Last Words of Jesus – Forgive.” The last words spoken by Jesus as He was dying were: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” The soldiers, Pontius Pilate, the religious leaders, the Jewish people, they all knew what they were doing. The soldiers and Pontius Pilate were doing what they had to do. It was part of their jobs to put Jesus to death. Jesus, who never hurt or harmed another person was killed because the citizens of Jerusalem demanded that Pilate put Jesus to death on a cross.
Jesus had every reason to seek revenge on those who ridiculed him and demanded He be hung on a cross. But rather than look for revenge, Jesus asked His Father, God, to forgive them. Even we who are living on earth today, we have been forgiven for all our sins. No matter what we have said or done, if we have accepted Christ as our Savior, and we believe in Him, we are forgiven all our sins and God expects us to learn from those mistakes and live better lives. We ended the service as we sang “The Trees of the Field” after the Benediction.
Announcements:
We are collecting canned fruit for the Food Cupboard in March.
Bible Study at 10 a.m. each Tuesday.
Mary’s Lunch each Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
Worship Team rehearsal each Thursday at 1 p.m.
Our Hymnsing takes place on the last Sunday of each month at 7 p.m.
The Men’s Breakfast will take place on Saturday, March 11 at 8 a.m.
Soap ‘N More Store will be open on Saturday, March 25 from 9 a.m. to Noon.