Spiritual Growth @ Home (May 10)

Worship @ Home Guide

for May 10th

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Today, we give special thanks to God for our mothers and other maternal figures in our lives who have made a lasting impact on us through their nurture and fortitude.

Watch in our service for a special tribute to mothers from our Youth and a special musical offering.

1 Peter 2:2–10

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Prayer Concerns

The family of Neil Convery
The family of Bob McCutcheon
The family of Anne Wilson
Nate Fowler – recovering from a painful knee injury
Gary Baughman – Hospitalized again
Larry Kelly
April – Coworker of Linda Cline whose family has been badly affected by COVID-19
Patty Skidmore – (niece of Elva Jones) hospitalized for cancer
Don McGowan – Battling Cancer
Aaron Casciola – Recovering from tractor accident
Carol Cassella – Recovering at home from heel surgery
Ben Copenhaver – Recovering at home
Bea Jones – Recovering at home
Cheryl Chek – Recovering from back surgery

Submit additional concerns through the attendance link above.

Growing in Faith - for Kids of All Ages

Today on this Mother's Day we honor our mothers and all of the maternal figures who have loved, supported, challenged, and corrected us. When we think about the role of mothers in our lives, nurturing us, feeding us, teaching us, and more, we naturally turn to thinking about the ways God acts in those same ways toward us. While our mothers are not perfect in the ways they fill this role in our lives, God is our constant parental guardian. When our mothers have lost their patience with us with our endless needs, wants, and questions, God is still there calmly, but firmly, providing, protecting, and correcting us.

As you try and bring this message home to your children, grandchildren, or even yourself this week, think with them about what kinds of questions and needs they come to you about. Babies can only cry to express their needs. Toddlers are an emotional rollercoaster as they start to learn how to express their needs through words. Eventually, you're inundated with "why, why, why, whyyyy mommy??" While your own capacity to handle these questions and demands is limited, God's isn't.

From an early age, children can learn to address their divine parent, the One who perfectly models motherhood and fatherhood to us, God's children. It doesn't have to be formal. In fact, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he said pray in this way, as I do...

"Our Father..."

Jesus tells us to talk to God with the closeness of how we would talk to our parents.

Our heavenly parent is ready to answer our every plea and petition. We could all learn something from children who rely on mom for their daily bread, "Mommy, I'm hungry." Prayers to God can be that simple! Just as a child asks mom for milk and bread, so too do we need to learn to rely on God for these things.

Take some time to teach your kids to pray, talking to their divine parent about everything they need, from the simplest to the most complex.

And for the adults, if you have a strained or difficult relationship with your mother, or if your role has shifted to caring for your mother, remember to take those needs to God as well. As the one who is the perfect model for our imperfect and mortal parents, God is equipped to give us what we need.

Joel Peterson
Director of Outreach

Announcements

The Christian Education Team has placed plans on hold for this year's Vacation Bible School, originally scheduled for June, in anticipation of a later date.
Details on new plans will be released as they are available.

As we learn more about the levels of restrictions that will continue under Gov. Wolf's reopening plan for Pennsylvania, our live summer concert events will likely be operating under a delayed start.

Some early concerts (June) will be held online, while others may be rescheduled as revised plans for later in the summer take shape.

More information will be released as it is available through email and on our Facebook Events page.

While we continue worshipping online in this season, we have an opportunity to involve everyone in worship in new ways. If you would like to be considered for reading Scripture, praying, or sharing a God-sighting in worship through a short video, contact Pastor Tina or Joel.

Also, you now have the option on your online attendance to upload a photo/selfie to virtually greet your fellow worshipers and show them what you're up to!