Sermon Preview
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
This coming Lord’s Day we will be looking at one of the more memorable passages from the Old Testament. Many of you will be familiar with the words of the Lord, spoken through the prophet Samuel to king Saul: “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). On the surface, this is a rather odd thing for the Lord to say, given the fact that He had previously established a very elaborate and detailed system of acceptable sacrifices in the Book of Leviticus. So, how are we to understand this statement? What is the connection between sacrifice and obedience? And why does the Lord tell us here that His real “delight” (v. 22) is not to be found in the flames, smoke, and blood of the Old Covenant sacrifices, but in the humble obedience of His people? As you prepare for worship, let me encourage you to read prayerfully and carefully 1 Samuel 15:1-22.
Let me also remind you once more about Easter Week 2018. Our celebration of Holy Week will involve three services of worship, Maundy Thursday (March 29), Good Friday (March 30), and Easter Sunday (April 1). Our two evening services will start at 6:00 PM, and a nursery will be provided. And then on Resurrection Sunday, we will have Sunday School at 9:15 AM followed by Worship at 10:30 AM. Our sermons for these special services will be taken from Ephesians 2:4-7:
Maundy Thursday: “But God Being Rich in Mercy”–Ephesians 2:4
Good Friday: “Even When We Were Dead In Our Trespasses”–Ephesians 2:5
Easter Sunday: “He Made Us Alive Together With Christ”–Ephesians 2:5-7
Also, our new Adult Sunday School Class will begin on Easter Sunday, April 1. We will be investigating the vital subject of personal evangelism. Our textbook will be Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When It’s Tough, by Rico Tice. The Amazon link is below so that you may secure your own copy of this excellent little book.
I love you all so very much, and find such joy in serving our blessed Savior with each of you!
In His abundant grace,
Mike
Upcoming Events:
March 25, 3:30 PM – Alleluia Choir at Church House
March 27, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
March 28, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Downtown Rescue Mission painting project.
March 28, 9:30 AM – Women’s Morning Study
March 29, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
April 3, 9:00 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
April 3, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
April 5, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch
April 7, 10:00 AM – Mother/Daughter Tea Party
April 8, 2:30 PM – Men’s Spring Bible Study
April 8, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
April 18, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
April 21, 11:00 AM – Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event at Westminster Pres
April 26, 6:30 PM – Women’s Quarterly Potluck at home of Sarah Burgess
Order of Worship:
You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here
The songs for this week are:
All Creatures Of Our God and King (Hymn 115, vs. 1,2,5)
Take My Life And Let It Be (Hymn 585, vs 1,2,5,6)
Precious Lamb of God (There is a Redeemer)
Joyful, Joyful
Announcements:
Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. The Tuesday evening study is at 6 PM, while the Wednesday morning study is at 9:30 AM.
Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also back in action, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.
Men’s Spring Bible Study: The Men’s Spring Bible Study of the Psalms continues April 8 at 2:30 PM. All men are encouraged to attend. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Cooper at cooperma777@gmail.com or 256-698-6556
Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is April 5 at 11:30 AM.
Women’s Book Club: Life is busy for mothers and we need each other for support and encouragement. To meet that need, a new spring book study will begin on April 3. We will meet on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at the church for six weeks. Childcare provided. We will read Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman.
Women’s Quarterly Potluck: The next Women’s Quarterly Potluck will be at the home of Sarah Burgess on April 26 at 6:30 PM. The address is 3009 Twelvestones Rd in Owens Cross Roads. Please make plans to attend.
Alleluia Choir: Alleluia Choir for students in Second through Sixth Grades meets from 3:30-4:20 PM upstairs in the Church House. New choristers are always welcome.
Senior Fellows: The Senior Fellows will work on a painting project at the Downtown Rescue Mission (DRM) every Wednesday of this month. The project days are March 14, 21 and 28. Carpool from the church at 8:00 AM or arrive at DRM at 9:00 AM. The DRM is located at 1400 Evangel Drive. Drive in the main gate, and park near the main entrance. Additionally, they will have breakfast, fellowship and a devotional at the Church House the morning of April 3. Guests are welcome.
Mother/Daughter Tea: Mothers/daughters, Grandmothers/granddaughters: You are invited to “Muffins & Manners” on Saturday, April 7th, at 10 am at the church. A sweet team of ladies will present a short program on manners & table etiquette, pretty flowers, and how you were created to be a daughter of the King! Put on your favorite spring outfit and come ready for a fun morning of food and fellowship together! If you would like to help with food or decor, please see Libby Loose or Debi Walker. They’ll be in he Narthex the next few weeks before church to answer any questions. There will be a planning meeting on Friday, March 9th at 10 am at Libby’s house for those interested.
Thank you for your help!
Providence Presbytery Spring Youth Event: Westminster Pres is hosting a Presbytery Youth Event at their church on April 21st from 11-4. For more details, visit the Facebook group here
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Debbie Hill, Allison Randall, Perry Calvert, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the the Stafford and Dean families, expecting in April, and the Elliott family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).