Community Presbyterian Lingle WY

08/10/2025

A prayer for decommissioning the Manse with a laying-on of hands, August 10, 2025

Creator God, we praise you and raise our thanksgiving for the many years of service by this structure. Thank you for the shelter and protection it has provided as a Manse to many ministers of this church and their families, as a home for renters and other users, and as a constant companion to the church building and this community.

We ask that you bless the souls of those who built this house, those who moved it from Wyncote to Lingle, those who have kept it a beautiful place to live throughout the past century, those who have called it home, and those who cherish its historic significance to this town.

We commend this house, its materials, and the holy space it occupies back to you, our Lord, contributing it to the cycle of life on this Earth: ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Renew its atoms to the benefit of the world in your glory. Amen.

03/20/2025

Joint worship in Lingle on Sunday, March 23 at 10:30am. Hope you'l consider joining us.

03/14/2025

This Sunday we share worship with first Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Torrington at 2972 main Street. Worship at 10:30.

03/05/2025

03/05/2025

04/01/2024

We arrived safely before the weather got here in Glenwood Springs. Snowing now, going to be a damp move in. Thanks for your support!

03/28/2024

Blessings on your Holy Week! Maundy Thursday @ 7 in Torrington. Good Friday at UMC @ 6:30. Easter Sunrise at The Fort Laramie @ 6:30. Easter worship @ 9:30 in Lingle. Easter worship @ 11 in Torrington.

03/24/2024

Community Presbyterian Church – Lingle
First Wyoming United Presbyterian Church - Torrington
Palm Sunday
March 24th, 2024

Prelude
Welcome Gathering Prayer

Call to worship
One: Today we celebrate Palm Sunday
All: Hosanna!
One: we consider how Jesus came into town
All: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
One: Jesus’ arrival causes us to celebrate. Let us worship God.
All: Hosanna in the highest heaven! Today we praise God!

Praise Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee #611
Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love! Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.
All thy works with joy surround thee; earth and heaven reflect thy rays; stars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in thee.
Mortals, join the happy chorus which the morning stars began. Love divine is reigning o'er us, joining all in heaven's plan. Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife. Joyful music leads us sunward in the triumph song of life.
TEXT: Henry van D**e, 1907, alt.
CCLI #3116531

Call to Confession: In the book of Zechariah we find these words, “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey.” Our salvation comes humbly and in righteousness. God provides for our need for forgiveness.

Prayer of Confession: We confess that we have sinned, we have become preoccupied with our own pleasures. Lord, you have offered to us salvation through one who is oppressed yet righteous. Open the gates of your forgiveness and restore us in your love, for the sake of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: The Lord God helps us; we will not be disgraced. Siblings in Christ, beyond the shadow of doubt, your sins are forgiven. By the mercy of Christ, let us unite, forgiven and free. Amen.
All: Hallelujah, we are forgiven. Amen.

Song of Response Glory to God, Whose… #582
Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me, and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me, And to the Spirit, whose love has set me free. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.World without end, without end. Amen. World without end, without end. Amen. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
TEXT: Trad. liturgical text; adapt. Paul M. Vasile, 2008; © 2008 Paul M. Vasile
CCLI #3116531

Peace of Christ
One: May the peace of Christ be with you
All: And also with you. (nod or wave to someone near you)

Prayer for Illumination: Holy Spirit, stir our hearts as we listen for your word to us this day. Help us focus on the life of Jesus during this Holy Week. Awaken our ears, open our hearts, and sustain the weary with your Word. Amen.

Ministry of Music

Ministry with Children

Scripture Lessons: Mark 11:1-11 John 12:12-16
Listen for the word of God.
Mark 11:1-11
1 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a c**t that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 They went away and found a c**t tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the c**t?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the c**t to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

John 12:12-16
12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s c**t!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Faith Talk Humility Bruce McBurney
What is a hero? One definition says, “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Philosophy Professor Scott LaBarge says, “Originally, heroes were not necessarily good, but they were always extraordinary; to be a hero was to expand people's sense of what was possible for a human being.” Let me say that again, “Originally, heroes were not necessarily good, but they were always extraordinary; to be a hero was to expand people's sense of what was possible for a human being.” No doubt you are familiar with some of the heroes that are popular today, Harriet Tubman, Bruce Wayne, Malala, Diana Prince, Greta, Rosa Parks, Jane Goodall, Amelia Earhart, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, the list goes on and on. Sometimes our culture gets fixated on some ideas that come close to being heroic but miss the mark. When I searched the internet for heroes there were only a couple of places that I found the name Jesus.
When we look at all the gospels we find this story about Jesus coming into town. He had come into town on many occasions before and had never had such a greeting. When we look closely we find that he comes to town and then turns around and leaves again. It is almost like the authors just needed a photo opportunity of Jesus on a donkey surrounded by cheering people. “Hey, pick up some palm branches and wave them, yeah, that’s better.” He wasn’t at all the type of hero/messiah that everyone was wanting. He wasn’t a general leading an army that would kick the Romans out of their country. He didn’t even get in any fights. Jesus was the opposite of what folks were looking for in a leader. So why the photo opportunity? What is it that the Gospels are telling us as we wave our palm fronds?
We find in the lesson from John a quote from the book of Zechariah. In verse 15, “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s c**t!” This is the only place in the scriptures where we see this image used. Oh there are plenty of places where kings and generals move around on great war horses. There are places where the Jewish army defeats armies that stand in their way. But here in this verse we find an oxymoron, a king riding on a donkey. It turns out that Zechariah is talking about a time when God will be the salvation of Judah and no one will wage war. There will be peace throughout the region. God will provide for the needs of everyone and there will be peace.
So when we look at this triumphant entry we are being told that Jesus comes with a salvation that provides peace for all people. We find that there is no need for violence or war. Doesn’t that play out as we move into Holy Week? You might recall that when Jesus was later arrested he goes without a struggle. Even at his trial he doesn’t say anything in his own defense. So is our celebration of Palm Sunday one in which we think of Jesus as the victor coming into town? Do we look on this scene with a certain humility? Are these palm fronds for us to celebrate power or surrender?
When we make our way through this Holy Week I hope that we take some time to observe what is going on. Often I have had my focus on Easter morning from Palm Sunday right through. I have to catch myself, and pay attention to all the things that happen along the way. Is my messiah only a resurrected Son of God or is my messiah one who struggles with the humanness of our existence? Do I consider Jesus to be a teflon coated person who doesn’t really feel any of the physical and emotional challenges along the way? Sometimes yes, in the past I have given Jesus more divinity than we see in the scriptures. This has been a point of discussion from the beginning of the New Testament, is Jesus 100% or 200%? Is Jesus 50/50? Why did we try to define Jesus as being part human and part divine? Do the scriptures not tell us that the Holy Spirit of God resides in each of us? Doesn’t that make us some sort of similar hybrid creatures?
When we consider the passion of Jesus this week it is important for us to allow Jesus to be human. We will find that our messiah is humble and rides a donkey into town. There is no show of force. There is a person who is trying their best to live a faithful and righteous life before God. This Jesus came to focus on the shalom of God in his community. He came to explore different ways that people can love one another, share the love of God with their neighbors. We will do well to follow his example. As we lift our palm branches today let it be a way for us to praise God for being part of our experience. Let us praise God for interacting with us, not just corporately but individually as well. When we find God incarnate in the human experience it lifts us up. God takes on human form in order to share our experience to live a life of trials and challenges. We find encouragement as we make our way through this life of ups and downs when we think of Jesus doing the same things we do. Sometimes we want Jesus to come into town on a great war horse and sometimes we want Jesus to come into town on a donkey. The choice is ours: we can celebrate a victor or we can tiptoe through the palm fronds as humble servants of God. Amen.

Hymn Ride On! Ride On in Majesty v1,4 #198
Ride on! ride on in majesty! Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry; thy humble beast pursues its road with palms and scattered garments strowed.
Ride on! ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die; bow thy meek head to mortal pain; then take, O God, thy power, and reign.
TEXT: Henry Hart Milman, 1827, alt.
CCLI #3116531

Announcements
Today Joint Congregational Meeting following worship
Thursday @ 6:00 Bible Study
Monday 3/25 @ Noon brown bag Book Group in Torrington
Holy Week schedule: Maundy Thursday @ 7 in Torrington
Good Friday @ 6:30 at United Methodist Church in Torrington
Easter Sunrise at the Fort Laramie @ 6:30
Worship @ 9:30 in Lingle
Worship @ 11 in Torrington

Minute for Mission - OGHS

HYMN All Glory, Laud, and Honor v1, 3 #196
All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!
Thou art the King of Israel, thou David’s royal Son, who in the Lord’s name comest, the King and blessed One.
All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!
Thou didst accept their praises; accept the prayers we bring, who in all good delightest, thou good and gracious King!
All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!
TEXT: Theodulph of Orleans, c. 820; trans. John Mason Neale, 1851, alt.
CCLI #3116531

OFFERING/OFFERTORY

Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow #593 PH
Praise God, from whom all bless-ings flow; Praise God, all crea-tures here be-low; Praise God above, ye heaven-ly host; Praise Faither, Son, and Ho-ly Ghost. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men.
Dedication of Gifts

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Charge and Benediction
Postlude

03/17/2024

Community Presbyterian Church – Lingle
First Wyoming United Presbyterian Church - Torrington
March 17, 2024
Prelude
Welcome/Gathering Prayer

Call to Worship
One: In the book of Jeremiah we find these words; The days are surely coming, says the LORD,
All: when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
One: It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors,
All: But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD:
One: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts;
All: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me,
One: from the least of them to the greatest,
All: for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. Let us praise the Lord!

Praise You Are My All in All x2 #519
You are my strength when I am weak; you are the treasure that I seek; you are my all in all. When I fall down, you pick me up; when I am dry, you fill my cup; you are my all in all.
Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name! Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name!
TEXT: Dennis L. Jernigan, 1990; © 1991 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc. (admin. PraiseCharts.com)
CCLI #3116531

I Love You, Lord x2 #627
I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you; O my soul, rejoice.
Take joy, my King, in what you hear; may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.
TEXT: Laurie Klein, 1978; © 1978 House of Mercy Music (admin. Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing)
CCLI #3116531

Call to Confession: Let us pray for the cleansing of our hearts, confessing the separations in our lives to the One whose mercy is everlasting.

Prayer of Confession: Redeeming God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart, and have not loved our neighbors as we ought; we have strayed from your commandments. Do not remember our sins, but forgive our iniquities, that we may fix our eyes on you and sin no more, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Siblings, by the faith of Christ, your sins are forgiven. May you delight in the joy of your salvation.
All: Hallelujah, we are forgiven. Amen.

Song of Response Glory to God, Whose… #582
Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me, and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me, And to the Spirit, whose love has set me free. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.World without end, without end. Amen. World without end, without end. Amen. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
TEXT: Trad. liturgical text; adapt. Paul M. Vasile, 2008; © 2008 Paul M. Vasile
CCLI #3116531

Prayer for Illumination: Your Word, O God, has power to change our lives and to create a whole new world. As we meditate on your word this day, help us focus on your Holy Spirit within, that we may treasure your word with our whole hearts and fix our eyes on you. Amen.

Ministry of Music

Nora Jespersen & Friends

Scripture Lessons: Hebrews 5:5-10, John 12:20-33
Listen for the word of God.
Hebrews 5:5-10
5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as God says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been completed, he became the source of salvation for all who trust with him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

John 12:20-33
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for their age. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. 27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Faith Talk For Our Sake Bruce McBurney
A voice from heaven. Have you heard a voice from heaven? We’ve heard thunder before and that is what this event in our second lesson this morning is compared to. When we hear thunder we may be inclined to consider the size of the creation. I know I feel like an insignificant part of the creation when that rolling thunder rumbles across the sky. Or when that clap of the strike happens close by. It makes you jump. When we lived in Arizona I worked at the school district, so I needed to find a job for the summer. I applied to the Presbyterian summer camp that operates in the White Mountains of Arizona and worked for several summers there. Up in the mountains we would get weather, not like down in Phoenix where it was just plain hot all the time. One afternoon it had been raining most of the day and we were all inside the lodge doing some arts and crafts. All of a sudden there was an enormous thunder clap, everyone jumped and the director and myself went outside to investigate. Sure enough lightning had struck a tree about 15 yards from the lodge. There was a very large branch now lying in the parking lot and the top of the tree was smoking. Observing nature like that offers us a chance to appreciate the scale of the creation. The voice from heaven that was heard by all in the crowd must have been more like one of those rumbling thunders. One of those that seems to be like several booming sounds from above, you know the kind. However, I have never heard the sound of a voice in thunder. When God speaks to me it is almost always in the stillness of my meditation. It isn’t like someone else's voice that I hear, it is more like the words form in my mind as I am thinking and listening. I can tell that they are not my words or thoughts, these whispers are brilliant and I’m pretty sure I would not have come up with them. But in our lesson from John we clearly have a story about people hearing something. What does Jesus say? “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.”
I find an interesting comparison between what Jeremiah says this morning and what we find in our second lesson with the voice from heaven event. Jeremiah talks about how God has interacted with humans in the past. Jeremiah is talking about the covenantal relationship between God and people. In verse 32 he says, “It will not be like the covenant that I made with your ancestors, when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.” You recall the story of the Exodus, it is full of amazing, supernatural events that cause the Egyptians to allow the Hebrews to leave Egypt. Jeremiah suggests that God takes us by the hand sometimes and leads us to where we are supposed to be. Supernatural events, like a voice from heaven, offers us one of the many ways that God interacts with us. Often these supernatural events happen when people have become too stubborn to listen on their own. But what does God go on to say through Jeremiah? God wants to establish a new covenant. But this new covenant doesn’t come with amazing flash bangs, it comes from within. In verse 33 we find, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Doesn’t this bring joy to your heart? Do you find hope and courage that God is working within us to guide and direct our lives? When we think of the way that God intervened with humans in the past I am reminded that God is always at work in and around us. It seems to me that only when we have gotten too stubborn; that God has to resort to the supernatural to get our attention, for our sake.
God is so great! God is willing to put up with our wanderings and attempts to capture and hold onto our brief glimpse of the divine. In our lives we have a tendency to want to control the way that we interact with God. Perhaps it is the ‘fear of God’ that keeps us at arms length. We want to live a life in which God is safe and not too interfering. If we took an honest and open approach to embracing God in our lives we would be shocked! We would never be the same again. If we allowed God to work through us we would end up doing amazing things toward creating a new world in which the orphan and widow are cared for. We would find that there would be no more hunger and there would be a safe place for everyone to sleep. But all of that would take us out of our comfort zone. It would take us into places that we have never been before. It would cause us to feel; not just our own emotions but the emotions of those around us. No wonder we take those tiny interactions with God and transform them into a religion that we can control. We form from those events traditions that make us feel warm and cozy. Yet, for our sake God waits patiently.
We are quickly approaching Holy Week. It is a time for us to consider the passion of the Christ. Not what Jesus felt but how Jesus lived his life. His passion was for those who were in need. His passion was for those who had been excluded from their own culture. Next Sunday we will wave palm branches as Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem triumphantly. For our sake. Then on Thursday we will observe the passion of Jesus for a command that he gives to his disciples, to love one another. For our sake. Amen.

Hymn O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go #833
O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.
O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day may brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be.
TEXT: George Matheson, 1881, alt.
CCLI #3116531

Announcements
Tuesday @ 5:30 Reception
Tuesday @ 6:30 Session
Thursday @ 6:00 Bible Study
Monday 3/25 @ Noon brown bag Book group in Torrington
Holy Week schedule: Palm Sunday @ 9:30 in Lingle
Maundy Thursday @ 7 in Torrington
Good Friday @ 6:30 at United Methodist Church in Torrington
Easter Sunrise at the Fort Laramie @ 6:30
Worship @ 9:30 in Lingle
Worship @ 11 in Torrington

Minute for Mission -

HYMN Here I Am, Lord #69
I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save. I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright. Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send? Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people's pain. I have wept for love of them. They turn away. I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone. I will speak my word to them. Whom shall I send? Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame. I will set a feast for them. My hand will save. Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied. I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send? Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.
TEXT: Daniel L. Schutte, 1981, alt.; © 1981, 2000 OCP
CCLI #3116531

OFFERING/OFFERTORY

Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow #593 PH
Praise God, from whom all bless-ings flow; Praise God, all crea-tures here be-low; Praise God above, ye heaven-ly host; Praise Faither, Son, and Ho-ly Ghost. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men.
Dedication of Gifts

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Charge and Benediction

Postlude

03/10/2024

Community Presbyterian Church – Lingle
First Wyoming United Presbyterian Church - Torrington
March 10, 2024
Prelude
Welcome/Gathering Prayer

Call to Worship
One: Can there be any question about God and God’s love?
All: O give thanks to the Lord, who is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever.
One: Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those God redeemed from trouble,
All: and those God gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
One: Some were sick and they suffered through their iniquities,
All: and they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
One: God sent out God’s word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
All: thank the LORD for God’s steadfast love, for God’s wonderful works to humankind. And let all offer thanksgiving, and tell of God’s deeds with songs of joy.

Praise Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty #35
Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near; join me in glad adoration!
Praise ye the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth, shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth! Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise ye the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him! Let the amen sound from his people again; gladly for aye we adore him.
TEXT: Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
CCLI #3116531

Call to Confession: We are called to be the light of Christ in the world, sometimes we miss the mark.

Prayer of Confession: Merciful God, we confess the folly of our sin and the hypocrisy of our complaints. We grumble about the evils in our world, even as we turn away from injustices. We fret about the scarcity of resources while allowing the hoarding of earth’s goods and the cheating of the poor. We protest the problems of our world, but we do not actively work to address them. Merciful God, expose our sins before the light of your grace. Heal our sin and free us from our foolish ways that we may know the joy of life in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be transformed through him. In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
All: Hallelujah, we are forgiven. Amen.

Song of Response Glory to God, Whose… #582
Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me, and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me, And to the Spirit, whose love has set me free. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.World without end, without end. Amen. World without end, without end. Amen. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
TEXT: Trad. liturgical text; adapt. Paul M. Vasile, 2008; © 2008 Paul M. Vasile
CCLI #3116531

Prayer for Illumination: Almighty God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, open your word and illumine our darkened world, that we may see clearly and live faithfully by the light of your truth in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ministry of Music

Ministry with Children

Scripture Lessons: John 3:14-21, Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Listen for the word of God.
John 3:14-21
14 “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever trusts with him may have life in their age. 16 “For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only Son, so that everyone who trusts with him may not perish but may have life for an age. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be redeemed through him. 18 Those who trust with him are not condemned; but those who do not trust are condemned already, because they have not trusted with the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for God is good; for God’s steadfast love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those God redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and God saved them from their distress; 20 God sent out God’s word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. 21 Let them thank the LORD for God’s steadfast love, for God’s wonderful works to humankind. 22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of God’s deeds with songs of joy.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Faith Talk Tell of God’s Deeds Bruce McBurney
Start thinking about the deeds of God that you have experienced. I want to share with you one of my observations of the deeds of God. When I was a toddler, maybe 3 years old, my family moved to a house on a beach. I loved to play in the sand and watch the water ebb and flow. You might recall how folks when they are young love to splash around and try to stay ahead of the lapping of the waves up onto the sand. One day my father and I were walking along the water’s edge, we were hand in hand and it was a calm day. Then suddenly a ‘rogue’ wave caught us unaware. The wave didn’t come roaring into the beach but caught my father around the waist, almost knocking him off his feet. I was picked up and washed away. Of course this was all sudden and the water was all foamy with bubbles everywhere. Dad would recall that he realized that he didn’t have a hold of my hand and blindly started searching in the water as the wave receded. You probably know the force of the water when a wave moves off the shore, it is really moving quickly. His hand caught my arm as I was being pulled out and he was able to pick me up. To me there are several layers of God’s deeds going on in that event. Of course the sparing of my life is a significant deed for me but I also observe the wonderful deeds of God in the way that the oceans work. How the waves move back and forth and there can be surprises that keep us on our toes. I think of the beauty of a beach early in the morning or at sunset when the glory of God’s deeds is painted across the sky and the surrounding landscape. How about you?

What stands out as the deeds of God in your life?
Can you share a deed of God from the scriptures?
What are some of the ways we express our joy?

Our place in history seems just normal to us, as we live our lives. It was the same for the people in the Hebrew scriptures too. When we read the events in the Psalms we might think of the deeds of God as being supernatural but I think that we are living in a time of a new, new testament. The events that unfold in our lives are just as dynamic as the events of old.
If we take the time to focus our attention past what is immediately before us, we will see a bigger picture. We will see God at work in the world in our lives and in the lives of everyone and everything around us. I also think that we have been doing a great job of expressing our joy in the deeds of God. We have been aware of the needs around us and we have reached out to help in the ways that we can. We can’t do more than is possible but by being generous we express our joy in how God has blessed us in so many ways. No matter if we are up and feeling great or maybe sad and blue maybe in pain we can acknowledge the presence of God in our lives all the time. We can rest assured that God is with and in us no matter what we are going through. Amen.

Hymn Let All Things Now Living #37
Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving to God our Creator triumphantly raise; Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us, by guiding us on to the end of our days. God's banners are o'er us; pure light goes before us, a pillar of fire shining forth in the night: Till shadows have vanished, all fearfulness banished, as forward we travel from light into light.
By law God enforces, the stars in their courses, the sun in its orbit obediently shine; The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains, the depths of the ocean proclaim God divine. We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing; with glad adoration, a song let us raise, Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving: to God in the highest, hosanna and praise!
TEXT: Katherine K. Davis, 1939, alt.; © 1939, 1966 E. C. Schirmer Music Company
CCLI #3116531

Announcements
Today @ Noon Lunch & Lesson in Torrington
Thursday @ 6:00 Bible Study
Save the date: March 24 will be a combined worship service in Lingle. That service will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Congregational Meeting called by Session for March 24 following worship in Lingle.

Minute for Mission - OGHS

HYMN I Sing the Mighty Power of God #32
I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise, that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day. The moon shines full at God's command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord who filled the earth with food. God formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good. Lord, how thy wonders are displayed, where'er I turn my eye, if I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!
There's not a plant or flower below but makes thy glories known. And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from thy throne, While all that borrows life from thee is ever in thy care, and everywhere that we can be, thou, God, art present there.
TEXT: Isaac Watts, 1715, alt.
CCLI #3116531

OFFERING/OFFERTORY

Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow #593 PH
Praise God, from whom all bless-ings flow; Praise God, all crea-tures here be-low; Praise God above, ye heaven-ly host; Praise Faither, Son, and Ho-ly Ghost. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men. A - men.
Dedication of Gifts

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Charge and Benediction

Postlude