KINDERHOOK REFORMED CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICES FEBRUARY 22, 2015

 “To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Rev. Rudy Visser, Pastor

A warm welcome to visitors.  We invite you to sign our Guest Book in the entranceway 

and fill out a pew card and place it in the offering plate.

  8:30 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

  Announcements, The Lord’s Greeting, and Morning Prayer

*Morning Praise

  Scripture Lesson                                                                   2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (p. 818)

  Message                                     “Being a Christian in a Dark and Frightened World”

  Prayer of Thanks

  Offering and Prayer of Blessing

  Intercessory Prayer

*Closing Hymn

*Benediction

10 A.M. CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

  All are invited to enjoy refreshments and fellowship downstairs following Worship.

  Ushers:  Jim Baker, Bob Dreier, Dick Silvano, Andrew Welcome

Greeter(s): Alan and Noreen Dick                       Preschool Nursery available downstairs.

  Prelude

  Announcements and God’s Greeting

Drawing Near To God

  Call to Worship  (Responsive)  Adapted from Isaiah 40:26-28

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? 
       The Lord, our God. He is the maker of heaven and earth. 
He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name.

       Because of his great power and mighty strength,

       not one of them is missing. 
We praise you, O Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 
       Do you not know? Have you not heard?

              The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
              We worship you, Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 
*Hymn of Praise #95                                                   All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

Allowing God to Shape Us

  Call to Confession  Adapted from Psalm 25

Trusting, with the psalmist, that God is truly good and upright, and willing to teach sinners in God's own ways, let us confess our sins with confidence, seeking God's instruction. 

  Prayer of Confession  (Responsive)   
Merciful Savior, we have been a wayward people. 
       We were dead in our sin, and you gave us life. 
We wandered away from you, becoming exiles, and you rescued us and carried us home. 
       We have been sick, broken and needy, and you healed and restored us. 
We deserve none of this. We deserve the penalty you bore on our behalf.

Yet, your love is so deep, your mercy so wide, your embrace so all-enfolding that you have done for us what we could never do for ourselves. You have made us your own. You have forgiven us and loved us. We receive this gift with gratitude, joy and awe. For the sake of Christ we pray. Amen.

  Assurance of Pardon

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. Believe the good news of the Gospel, in Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.

  Coming before God’s Open Word

  Children’s Message and Prayer of Blessing  (Unison)

Lord Jesus, may the hearts and minds of our children be filled with the light of your holy presence, making your goodness their goodness in the eyes of God.  May they be your light in this world, testifying without shame to your truth, and attracting many to the good news of your gifts of salvation and eternal life.  Amen.

  Prayer for Illumination

  Scripture Lesson                                                                          2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (p. 818)

  Message                                            “Being a Christian in a Dark and Frightened World”

  Prayer of Blessing

  Offering and Offertory

  Doxology and Offertory Prayer  (Unison)

What looks like "just money" is actually much more. It is a symbol of what we do with our days and our talents. It is a return on our indebtedness to you, O God. And it is by your grace that we are able to give it. Amen.

  Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

*Hymn #562                                                                        Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

*Benediction, Blessing, and Response Hymn           My Friends May You Grow in Grace

  My friends, may you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.

My friends, may you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

To God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, amen. (2x)

  Postlude

 About Today’s Opening Hymn

     In the November 1799 issue of Gospel Magazine, there appeared an anonymous hymn entitled, On the Resurrection, the Lord is King, opening with the lines, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name!  Let angels prostrate fall.”  The author, it was later revealed, was Rev. Edward Perronet. 

     Edward’s Protestant grandparents had fled Catholic France, going first to Switzerland, then to England.  Edward’s father had become a vicar in the Anglican Church, and Edward followed in his footsteps.  For several years, he became closely allied with the Wesleys, traveling with them and sometimes caught up in their adventures.  In John Wesley’s journal, we find this entry:  “Edward Perronet was thrown down and rolled in mud and mire.  Stones were hurled - windows broken.”

     In time, however, Edward broke with the Wesleys over various Methodist policies, and John Wesley excluded his hymns from Methodist hymnals.  Edward went off to pastor a small independent church in Canterbury, where he died on January 22, 1792.  His last words were: “Glory to God in the height of His divinity! Glory to God in the depth of His humanity!  Glory to God in His all-sufficiency!  Into His hands I commend my spirit.”

     Edward Perronet’s hymn, All Hail the Power, has earned him an indelible place in the history of church music.  It also has a place in missionary history, being greatly used in evangelistic endeavors. Rev. E.P. Scott, for example, missionary to India, wrote of trying to reach a savage tribe in the Indian subcontinent.  Ignoring the pleadings of his friends, he set off into the dangerous territory.  Several days later, he met a large party of warriors who surrounded him, their spears pointed at his heart.  Expecting to die at any moment, Scott took out his violin, breathed a prayer, closed his eyes, and began singing, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name . . .” and when he reached the words, “Let every kindred, every tribe,” he opened his eyes.  There stood the warriors, some in tears, every spear lowered.  Scott spent the next two years evangelizing the tribe.

                                                                   From Then Sings My Soul, Robert J. Morgan, author

~THANK-YOU FROM VALATIE ECUMENICAL FOOD PANTRY~

Dear Kinderhook Reformed Church,

     Please accept this letter as a thank-you for your recent and most generous donation of $735 to the Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry.  Your support is appreciated very much.  Our pantry serves all of the households in the Ichabod Crane School District who request help; the only stipulation is proof of residency in our district.  We are fortunate to live in communities that are very giving.

     We find that more people are using the pantry in today’s economy.  On their behalf, and for all of our volunteers, a sincere thank-you for your assistance.  Many people will eat a good meal thanks to your help.

                                                Sincerely yours,

                                                Jean S. Norton for the Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry

Donations to the Pantry of cake and brownie mixes would be especially appreciated at this time; however, other non-perishable foods always in demand are evaporated milk; coffee; sugar; boxed cereals; pancake mix; syrup; jelly; canned meats, fruits, and vegetables; spaghetti/spaghetti sauce; mac & cheese; dinner helpers; apple sauce; juice. Donations may be placed in the collection containers available in the entryways of the church.

TO THANK & PRAISE GOD FOR

• Pastor Rudy Visser, our Spirit-filled minister and leader of vision. those men and women who have served or are now serving our country, and those who have sacrificed their well-being and lives for the peace & liberties we enjoy.
• all His provisions for our basic life needs, and the wonderful ways God shows His love to us, especially during difficult times.
• the many dedicated and hard-working friends and members of the Kinderhook Reformed Church Family who serve on Consistory, church ministries, and committees; teach Sunday School; lead Youth Group, Bible studies, and prayer group; organize and carry out special church events; prepare food, serve, and clean up for coffee hours, receptions, and dinners; and who are always ready to offer whatever help and support they can to those in need.

REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR

• those who do not know Christ or who are struggling in their faith, especially Diane, that she will come to know the Lord or experience a renewal.
• KRC programs & projects and those planning & administering them: adult and children’s Sunday School; KRC’s youth; small group ministries; adult Bible studies; Community Prayer Group; outreach programs. 
• KRC’s Consistory members and administrative ministries, chairpersons, and supporting members.
• our military men & women, their families, and friends, that they may know God’s presence, protection, and peace.
• survivors of warfare, terrorism, violence, and natural and other disasters worldwide, Pray for an end to the violence and persecution, for safety of Christians in Niger and throughout the world, and for protection of homes, churches, and businesses.
• our state and national leaders, that God will grant them the leadership skills, wisdom, and the personal protection needed to govern effectively and safely.
• those, especially children, suffering poverty and hunger; abuse; exploitation; neglect; family hostility.
• families and friends grieving the death of loved ones.
• Libby Little as she carries out a very demanding Interserve Australia speaking tour in March.  Copies of Libby’s daily travel and speaking schedules are available on the back table. 
• Mid Glass, recovering in Columbia Memorial Hospital following exploratory surgery.  Mid, who has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer, is in good spirits, and praising God for a long, healthy, and very blessed life. She is not in pain, and is quite able to receive visitors and accept calls (828-7601 and ask to be connected to Mid Glass’s room on the sixth floor). Mid will soon be discharged either to Whittier or to her home for hospice care.
• others battling or recovering from cancer: Larry and Leonard, Susan Lamont’s brother and cousin; Zoe Covey; Andy; Lucy B. and Rodrigo; Jean; Edward Giordano; Glen Simmons; 2-year-old Logan; Sandy; Bridget; Charlie Ropollo; Donna Scalera.
• those awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; chronically ill; or in hospice care: Harriet Simpkins; Doris, Cricket Warren’s aunt, and Doris’s elderly husband, Dick; a grandmother with congestive heart failure; Stan Bertram; Alan Dick; Scott Calhoun; Baby Emma; Paul Varga; Floyd Haber; Dick Van Alstyne; Alan Dick; Jane Smith; Blanche Rogers; Liz Carroll; Ruth Edge; Laurie (Dunham) Maul; Florence Rivera.
• those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions:  Kent Busman and his wife, whose home was destroyed by fire recently; Diane, friend of Cricket Warren, and Jim, in need of job opportunities; Greg L; Bill and Abby, in need of many special prayers; Craig Johnson; Holly and Marc Morales; those facing the challenges of their college education - pray that God will bless them with wisdom in all of the many choices, and decisions that they are facing; Libby Little.
• those who are traveling,  reassurance and peace for our loved ones who are nearing the close of this life; those caring for the elderly, displaced, disabled, or ill.
• Residence-bound members Gordie Van Buren, Murray Leonardson, Doris Schmieder, Joan Van Alstyne.

~NOTE FROM EDDY HEALTH ALERT, ST. PETER’S HEALTH PARTNERS~

Eddy Health Alert, part of St. Peter’s Partners, is introducing new technology with REDUCED pricing!  We all want our loved ones, neighbors, and friends to be safe – home and away from home.  Please call 833-1040 to learn about the new equipment that is now available and its advantages.  

~A NEW BEGINNING - ANGEL TREE MINISTRY UPDATE~

     How can a man who spent years behind bars call himself “lucky”?  It’s because God used Angel Tree to soften his heart. 

     Wayne spent 12 years in prison, but if you ask him about it, he’ll say, I’m the luckiest man in the world.”  You see, it was in prison that Wayne met Jesus.  He was in prison when you helped him turn his life – and the lives of his family – around.

     “I remember the first year I signed my boys up for Angel Tree,” Wayne says.  “When I called home that day - my eyes still tear up when I think about it – there was excitement in my wife’s voice.  Angel Tree brought Christmas back into my boys’ lives.”  As they told him how thrilled and thankful they were for the gifts that had been given in his name, he couldn’t help thinking, “There really is a God, and He does Care.”

     The walls that a life of crime and its consequences had built around Wayne’s heart were beginning to tumble down.  So often, God uses the Angel Tree Christmas you help provide for a child to soften the heart of a prisoner like Wayne.  Some time later, when the Indiana prison where Wayne was incarcerated hosted a Prison Fellowship evangelism event, he jumped at the chance to attend. Before long, Wayne had trusted Christ and was working hard to grow into the new man God wanted him to become.  Wayne was still serving time, but he was also learning to serve Jesus.

     Sometimes he still weeps for the years that were lost, but he also rejoices at how good God has been to him.  And because Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree was such a blessing to his family, he’s volunteering with Angel Tree now that he’s been released.  Wayne knows that prisons are dark and desperate places, and that too many prisoners are still desperate to hear a message of hope. 

     Many prisoners remain unreached, but thanks to your support and that of volunteers like Wayne, thousands will hear the Gospel message of hope through evangelism events being held this year in prisons across the country.  Evangelism events include dynamic worship, powerful testimonies of changed lives, and an unvarnished Gospel message.  There’s a personal touch too – before and after each event, volunteers make an effort to visit with every prisoner in every cell.  Many prisoners trust Christ, and many more recommit their lives to Him.  Hundreds, like Wayne, will never be the same again.

    You can rejoice in all that God is doing through your support of prison evangelism.  But hundreds of correctional facilities across the country have yet to host an event.  Please pray that God will continue to open doors so that every prisoner in America can be reached with the Gospel.  

HAPPY FEBRYARY BIRTHDAY! 

Jayne Ferguson (1^st), Courtney Wood (8^th), Filip Carroll (9^th),

Mary Schubert (9^th), Heather LaTorre (18^th), Chip Wood (23^rd),

Angie Hickman (24^th), Jackson Carroll (24^th)