Celebration Service
April 11, 2021 1:30 pm
Prelude Chris Vigneau
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship
Prayer of the Day (In Unison)
Holy God, Grant us the gift of dreaming: The dream of a world enjoying its extraordinary colour and beauty; not viewing life through tunnel-vision, grey-tinted spectacles. The dream of breadth and variety in glorious harmony; not definition through division, prejudice and ignorance. The dream of acceptance and inclusion; not judgement and exclusion. The dream of your love and humour; not our idolatry and self-righteousness. The dream of ‘we might’; not ‘we can not’. God give us the vision and imagination to dream and enable us to make the dream a reality. We come now into the silence of this place with gratitude for this day. We come with our needs. And we come because we have gifts to share. In our coming and in our going may we be strengthened in our bonds of love and peace. Amen.
Singing
Our God
Verse 1
Water You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Verse 2
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You
Chorus
Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power our God our God
Bridge
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
(Then) what could stand against
CCLI Song # 5677416
Chris Tomlin | Jesse Reeves | Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman
CCLI License # 3077632
Morning Song
Verse 1
Night turns to morning
You have been waiting
Whispering to me
Gently I’m waking
Verse 2
It’s the dawn of a new day
You’ve painted for me
Colors exploding
Telling our story
Chorus
I’m waking up I’m waking up
I’m waking up I’m waking up
Bridge
I can feel the rising of the sun
Mercy sings me the promise of Your love
I’m reminded of how far we’ve come
You’re the one that my heart is beating for
Interlude
My heart is beating for
My heart is beating for
It’s beating for
CCLI Song # 7029056
Amanda Cook | Steffany Gretzinger
CCLI License # 3077632
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
Chorus
Bless the Lord O my soul O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
Verse 1
The sun comes up it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
Verse 2
You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
Verse 3
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
Tag
Worship Your holy name
Lord I’ll worship Your holy name
Ending
Sing like never before O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
Worship Your holy name
Worship Your holy name
CCLI Song # 6016351
Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman
CCLI License # 3077632
The Light Inside
There’s a light inside that we’re all trying to find
Even the ones who are left behind
And we push and we fall, and then we hit a wall
No matter what happened yesterday
I know there’s a brand a new way, That’s waiting for you
And he, took a chance on me
And I, forgot that I could see
The cracked places we all know, the times I wanted to quit the show
When I looked up, light was seeping in
Though I cannot undo my past, and all the times that went by so fast
Now I can feel a new day dawning
And she, taught me how to believe
And oh, it was grace that helped set me free
There’s a light inside that we’re all trying to find
Even the ones who get left behind
And we push and we fall, and then we hit the wall
No matter what happened yesterday
I know there’s a brand hew way, the light is waiting for you….
By Taryn Noelle
Readings
John 20:19-31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Message
“Bringing the Story to Life” Rev. Peter Hammond
Giving
Breathe
Michael W. Smith
Song
In Christ Alone
Verse 1
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light my strength my song
This Cornerstone this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love what depths of peace
When fears are stilled when strivings cease
My Comforter my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
Verse 2
In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
Verse 3
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Verse 4
No guilt in life no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
CCLI Song # 3350395
Keith Getty | Stuart Townend
CCLI License # 3077632
A Good Word
Postlude
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Calendar of Events
Our board of directors is discussing how and when we will reopen the church. Our 9:30 am and 1:30 pm Sunday services continue to be Live Streamed through our web site www.stowechurch.org.
Tuesday, 4/13 8:00 AA weekly meeting in Fellowship Hall
Happy Birthday this week to:
Lana Burkhardt and James Vaus today 4/11
Matt Anderson and Neil Van Dyke 4/12
Samuel Salvas on 4/15
Stella Frame on 4/16
Happy Anniversary this week to:
John and Margie Rains on 4/15
Announcements
Our deepest sympathies to family and friends of Robert Adams who was born to eternal life on March 31, 2021.
Of course, many individuals and organizations have deep financial needs in the midst of the Covid-19 Crisis. Stowe Community Church can certainly use your donations at this time. Click here to donate: http://stowechurch.org/donate/
If you, or someone you know, would like prayers for comfort or healing, the members of the Prayer Team are ready to support you. Please call the church office, 253-7257, with your prayer requests.
Please do not forget our neighbors in need by donating food for the Lamoille Community Food Share. Please let Marylou know if you want to donate non-perishable food items. You can leave them on the front porch, or knock on the front door 8:30 – 2:30 Monday through Friday or leave them at the local grocery store in their food deposit containers. Thank you.