PROVIDENCE CHURCH

      March 13, 2022

 

Welcome

Passing of the Peace: Though we are separated by distance our hearts are one in Christ. The peace of Christ be with you!  And also with you!

 

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise him all creatures here below,

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

 

Call to Worship:   Psalm 23

Leader:  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Congregation:  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.

Leader:  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Congregation:  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Leader:  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

ALL:  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,   and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

 

Songs of Praise:

Great Are You, Lord (Steve & Vikki Cook, CCLI #26863)

Holy Lord, most holy Lord, you alone are worthy of my praise,

O holy Lord, most holy Lord, with all of my heart I sing:

 

Chorus:

Great are you, Lord, worthy of praise!

Holy and true, great are you, Lord, most holy Lord.

 

Holy Lord, most holy Lord, you alone are worthy of my praise,

O holy Lord, most holy Lord, with all of my heart I sing:

 

Chorus:

Great are you, Lord, worthy of praise!

Holy and true, great are you, Lord, most holy Lord. (2X)

 

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (Martin Smith, 1994  CCLI Song #1043199)

Over the mountains and the sea, your river runs with love for me,

And I will open up my heart and let the Healer set me free.

I’m happy to be in the truth, and I will daily lift my hands,

For I will always sing of when your love came down.

 

Chorus:

I could sing of your love forever, I could sing of your love forever.

I could sing of your love forever, I could sing of your love forever. (Repeat all, then repeat Chorus)

 

Days Without Number (Renee Allsbrook, CCLI #7156215)

We have forgotten you days without number,

Shrunk down the sky so blue onto a screen.

We’ve forgotten You, day after day,

We’ve forsaken You, blindly stumbled away,

We’ve forgotten You, turning insane,

We’ve forgotten You…

 

Lord, have mercy on my soul; Lord, have mercy on my children;

Lord, have mercy on the broken; Lord, have mercy on me.

 

Christ, have mercy on my soul; Christ, have mercy on my children;

Christ, have mercy on the broken; Christ, have mercy, mercy, mercy, Lord on me.

 

 

 

Weary of vanities, parched from indulgence,

I lift my hands to thee, crying for rain!

You are goodness, Lord: mercy defines You,

You’re kindness, Lord: You lift up the humble,

You’re holiness, righteousness, You are faithfulness, faithfulness!

Have mercy on my soul, Lord, have mercy on my children;

Lord, have mercy on the broken; Lord, have mercy on me.

 

Christ, have mercy on my soul; Christ, have mercy on my children;

Christ, have mercy on the broken; Christ, have mercy, mercy, mercy, Lord on me.

 

Confession/Assurance    Psalm 84

 

How lovely is your dwelling place,

    Lord Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, even faints,

    for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh cry out

    for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home,

    and the swallow a nest for herself,

    where she may have her young—

a place near your altar,

    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

    they are ever praising you.

 

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

 

7 They go from strength to strength,

    till each appears before God in Zion.

 

8 Hear our prayer, Lord God Almighty;

    listen to us, O God of Jacob.

9 Look on our shield, O God;

    look with favor on your anointed one.

 

10 Better is one day in your courts

    than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

    the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

    from those whose walk is blameless.

 

12 Lord Almighty,

    blessed is the one who trusts in you.

 

Respond in Praise: 

 

Jesus, Cast a Look on Me (John Berridge, ca. 1760)

Jesus, cast a look on me; give me sweet simplicity.

Make me poor and keep me low, seeking only Thee to know.

 

All that feeds my busy pride, cast it evermore aside.

Bid my will to thine submit, lay me humbly at thy feet.

 

Make me like a little child; of my strength and wisdom spoil,

seeing only in thy light, walking only in thy might.

 

Leaning on thy loving breast, where a weary soul can rest,

feeling well the peace of God flowing from his precious blood.

 

In this posture let me live, and hosannas daily give;

in this temper let me die, and hosannas ever cry…

in this temper, let me die, and hosannas every cry.

 

Scripture Reading:    Matthew 20: 1-16

 

Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’[b] 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

 

”This is the Word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

Sermon:  “ What’s the Prize?”                                                                                                        

 

Hymn of Dedication

 

What a Friend We Have in Jesus (Joseph Scriven, 1855; tune Charles Converse, 1868)

1.What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry ev’rything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry ev’rything to God in prayer.

 

2.Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged: take it to the Lord in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness—take it to the Lord in prayer!

 

3.Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—take it to the Lord in prayer!

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

 

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.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.  Amen

 

Hymn of Thanksgiving

Be Thou My Vision (Irish poem and trad. Irish melody, 8th century, tr. Mary Byrne, Eleanor Hull)

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that thou art—

Thou my best thought by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

 

Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word;

I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

 

Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight;

Be thou my dignity, thou my delight,

Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:

Raise thou me heav’n-ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

 

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.

 

High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

 

Benediction 

 

KNOW

Welcome to Providence Church! We are glad that you are here, joining us in person or via Zoom!.

POTLUCK APRIL 3RD:  On Sunday, April 3 we’re planning a potluck for the whole church after the morning worship service. It’s been way too long since we have done this. So everyone get ready, prepare and bring your best-tasting Chili! If you would like to bring Chili and be a part of the competition that’s great! Otherwise, bring a beverage or a side dish- or just bring yourself! There will be plenty. Note, we will not be having Sunday School that day.

Brief Congregational Mtg:  Also on April 3, the Session is convening a short congregational meeting in the Fellowship Hall. Here’s the background. This year the general assembly of the EPC is approving a new presbytery (a local geographical association of EPC congregations) right here in Western North Carolina. This new Presbytery of the Central Carolinas (PCC) is right in our backyard. Presently we are in the Presbytery of the Southeast (POSE), with outlying churches spread an 8-hour drive due west and 8-hours due south.  Providence is on the extreme eastern boundary of POSE. There are about 35 churches in this large area. Three times a year your pastor and two elders serve as commissioners to attend, participate and serve on committees. So there is a fair amount of driving. After prayerful consideration, your session endorses to you, our members, that Providence be released from POSE and transferred to PCC. That would place us just 30-40 minutes from 7 EPC congregations and the farthest church would be Charlotte.

Children of all ages are invited to participate in the entire service of worship.  Childcare for children up to 6 years of age, in our downstairs Christian Ed wing (on the left) at the end of the hallway.

Nursery Worker Needed –     Providence is looking to hire a part time nursery worker for each Sunday from 9:45 to 12noon.  Please contact Edward Brouwer 828-550-4615, or Linda Wilson, 901-230-7178, providencechurchassistant@gmail.com, if you are interested or know of anyone that might be.  Also, please be in prayer that God will guide this process. Thank you!

 

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GROW

 

Pastor Bible Study – meets each Tuesday at noon in the fellowship hall to discuss the previous week’s sermon as well as the upcoming sermon.   Bring your Bible and a bagged lunch if you would like.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY – From 6:30pm until 8:00pm, we are excited to hold our Wednesday night bible study. The study will be on selections from the book of John. We will also have a short praise and prayer time. Childcare provided if needed. Contact the Allsbrooks or the Mitchells with any questions.

Women’s Prayer Group – 10:15am Tuesday mornings, contact Linda Roberts for more info

Men’s Prayer Group – 6:45am Thursday mornings, contact Sam Mitchell for more info.

 

 

GO

 

Prayer Requests: For Mercy and Grace: Glenda White, Judd and Susanne Heriot, Robbie Hargrove, Mike and Rhonda Lear, Chuck & Carole Torpy; Lisa Rhodarmer’s mother Ruth