 Fruitland United Methodist Church April 24, 2022 Prelude “Fairest Lord Jesus” A Silesian melody Welcome The lighting of the candles and welcoming the neighborhood to worship. Interlude “I Love to Tell the Story” By William Fischer *Call to Worship Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Calling Song “How Majestic is Your Name” TFWS #2023 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. O Lord, we praise your name. O Lord, we magnify your name: Prince of Peace, mighty God; O Lord God Almighty. Responsive Reading Romans 11:33-36 Leader: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out. People: Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Leader: Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? People: For from him and through him and to him are all things. All: To Him be the glory forever! Amen. Unison Invocation Living and loving God, long ago faithful women proclaimed the good news that Jesus was alive and the world was forever changed. Teach us to keep faith with them, that our witness may be as bold, our love as deep, and our faith as true. We pray in the name of Jesus, our resurrected Lord. Amen Hymns of Praise “Blessed Be the Name” UMH #63 Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name! Blessed be the name of the Lord! “Oh For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” UMH #57 1. O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace! 2. My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name. 3. Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease; 'tis music in the sinner's ears, 'tis life, and health, and peace. New Testament Readings Acts 5: 17-32 Revelation 1: 4-8 God’s Word for God’s People. Thanks Be To God Young People’s Moment Hymn “Walk With Me” TFWS #2242 Refrain: Walk with me, I will walk with you and build the land that God has planned where love shines through. Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer Message “What Are You Talking About?” Luke 24:13-35 Offering Doxology “Glory Be to the Father” UMH #70 Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. Commitment Hymn “Break Thou the Bread of Life” UMH #599 Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, as thou didst break the loaves beside the sea; beyond the sacred page I seek thee, Lord; my spirit pants for thee, O Living Word! Bless thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me, as thou didst bless the bread by Galilee; then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall; and I shall find my peace, my all in all. Unison Benediction* May the peace of the Lord Jesus go with you wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors. *from the Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals Postlude “It Is Well With My Soul” By Philip Bliss Thank you for Worshiping with us today! (CCLI License #1552544) 
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 Fruitland United Methodist Church April 17, 2022 Easter Sunday Prelude “Easter Fantasy” Arranged by Clarence Kuhlmann Welcome The lighting of the candles and welcoming the neighborhood to worship. Interlude “Low in the Grave He lay” By Robert Lowery *Call to Worship He Is Risen! He is risen indeed! Calling Song: “Easter People, Raise Your Voices” UMH #304 Easter people, raise your voices Sounds of heaven in earth should ring. Christ has brought us heaven’s choices; Heavenly music, let it ring. Al-le-lu-ia Al-le-lu-ia Easter people, let us sing. Fear of death can no more stop us from our pressing here below. For our Lord empowered us to triumph over every foe. Alleluia! Alleluia! On to victory now we go. Every day to us is Easter, with its resurrection song. When in trouble move the faster to our God who rights the wrong. Alleluia! Alleluia! See the power of heavenly throngs. Responsive Reading from Psalm 118 Leader: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. People: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; Leader: The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. All: The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice and be glad! Unison Invocation UMH #320 Almighty God, through Jesus Christ you overcame death and opened to us the gate of eternal life. Grant that we, who celebrate the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may, by the renewing of your Spirit arise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymn “Christ Has Risen” TFWS #2115 Christ has risen while earth slumbers, Christ has risen where hope died, as he said and as he promised, as we doubted and denied. Let the moon embrace the blessing; let the sun sustain the cheer; let the world confirm the rumour. Christ is risen, God is here! Christ has risen for the people whom he loved and died to save; Christ has risen for the women bringing flowers to grace his grave Christ has risen for disciples huddled in an upstairs room. He whose word inspired creation is not silenced by the tomb. Choir “The Easter Song” New Testament Reading Acts 10: 34-43 Gospel Reading Luke 24: 1-12 God’s Word for God’s People. Thanks Be To God Young People’s Moment Hymn “Christ Is Risen” UMH #307 Christ is risen! Shout Hosanna! Celebrate this day of days. Christ is risen! Hush in wonder; all creation is amazed. In the desert all-surrounding, see, a spreading tree has grown. Healing leaves of grace abounding bring a taste of love unknown. Christ is risen! Raise your spirits from the caverns of despair. Walk with gladness in the morning. See what love can do and dare. Drink the wine of resurrection, not a servant, but a friend; Jesus is our strong companion. Joy and peace shall never end. Christ is risen! Earth and heaven nevermore shall be the same. Break the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain. Tell its grim, demonic chorus: "Christ is risen! Get you gone!" God the First and Last is with us. Sing Hosanna everyone! Message “Tell Peter” Mark 14: 27-31 and 14: 66-72 Offering Doxology “Glory Be to the Father” UMH #70 Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. Resurrection Hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” UMH #302 Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! Unison Benediction And now, may the God of peace, who brought back again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all this is pleasing to him. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Postlude “Thine is the Glory” Judas Maccabeus tune Thank you for Worshiping with us today! (CCLI License #1552544)   Please enjoy worshiping with us by listening to our Good Friday Service.
 Jesus is Alive – Life Wins!
Written by Jim Hardenbrook "For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 116:8-9 This week, the one we call Holy, is filled with death, tears, and stumbling. Just read any gospel account of Jesus’s last week on earth and you will see what I mean. Jesus becomes indignant about the misuse of the temple. He cries when considering the future of Jerusalem. He agonizes over his betrayal and crucifixion. He stumbles while carrying his cross to Golgotha. He dies. But this is only part of the story. It is only the story until Sunday morning. Sunday morning is when Jesus walked again – in the land of the living! The land of the living isn’t necessarily a place of peace but it is a place where life wins over death. As Eugene Peterson wrote: That’s where we Christians are stationed to affirm the primacy of life over death, to give a witness to the connectedness and preciousness of all life, to engage in the practice of resurrection. We do this by gathering in congregations and regular worship before our life-giving God and our death-defeating Christ and our life-abounding Holy Spirit. We do it by reading, pondering, teaching, and preaching the Word of Life as it is revealed in our Scriptures. We do it by baptizing men, women, and children in the name of the Trinity, nurturing them into a resurrection life. We do it by eating the life of Jesus in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. We do it by visiting prisoners, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, healing the sick, working for justice, loving our enemies, raising our children, doing our everyday work to the glory of God. This Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, will be such a time: a time to challenge the forces of death and destruction with the incredibly powerful news that Jesus is alive. Life wins! You, Lord Jesus, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. May I may walk before you in the land of the living to your eternal praise and glory. Amen.  Be Courageous!
by Jean Hershey "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 I’ve always loved the word courageous. It means, “not deterred by danger or pain; brave.” When you hear someone say, Be Courageous! It sounds simple, yes. But its not so easy really, is it. By definition, courageous people believe in themselves. They know who they are and what they stand for. They have strong values, recognize their personal capabilities, and are confident in meeting the challenges that lie before them. Courageous people are passionate and purposeful. The Bible teaches that we are to take courage from the fact that He never leaves us or forsakes us. ... Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” With God, you can face your fear. You are not alone. I will say here that being courageous doesn’t mean that you won’t be afraid. That is not always realistic. Instead, being courageous means to press through the fear when you feel afraid. In fact, sometimes your knees will shake or your anxiety will rise. Your mind may even start racing away with all kinds of “what if” thoughts. About the time this happens, that’s when you have to kick into overdrive and let the Word of God take over. That’s when you have to plunge through your fear and trust in Him. You have to trust God beyond your fears. God laid out a plan if you read a little bit before verse 9 in Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it." I know it is not an easy thing to be brave and courageous as we face all kinds of fears in life. I have been there too many times and know that this can be tough. Personally, when things have looked dark, scary, or intimidating in my life, I’ve had to trust God beyond my fears. And it hasn’t been easy. However, that’s when the Lord would remind me, “Be strong and courageous, I am with you.” And I would have to repeat those words over and over again, and then walk in His strength and courage. We, as Christians, know the plan, we have the tools! We are armed with the Word and God’s promise that he is with us, always. He even sent Jesus to seal the deal. We know the ending too, we win! So Be Courageous! Always! Lord, help me to always remember that you walk with me every step of the way. I never have to face any fear alone, you are always there. Your Word strengthens me. With that faith help me to be courageous and live without fear. Amen,  Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord – I Want to See You
by Jessica Adams and Lucy Adams-Hardenbrook "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9 Our daughter-in-law, Jess, shared this conversation she had with our five-year-old granddaughter, Lucy. Feeling like I have a little saint in the making on my hands tonight. Lucy at bedtime, weeping: I know Jesus is in my heart. Jess: Yes, he is! Does that make you sad? What’s the matter? Lucy: It’s just that I’ve never seen him. Jess: Well, most people don’t, but you could pray for that. Lucy: You mean I could make up a “pray” and ask Jesus to let me be a person who sees him? Jess: Yes! You can definitely make up that prayer. Lucy: Now? Jess: Absolutely. Lucy, still weeping: Oh, Jesus, I pray that you could please, PLEASE make me a person who sees you because I love you so much and I never want to lose you. Jess: That was wonderful. Did anyone out there pray like that when you were five years old? Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; open the eyes of my heart – I want to see you; I want to see you. Amen.  Fruitland United Methodist Church April 10, 2022 Palm Sunday Prelude “Ride on, Ride on in Majesty" Arranged by Lani Smith Welcome The lighting of the candles and welcoming the neighborhood to worship. Interlude “Dona Nobis Pacem” Arranged by Ellen Foncannon *Call to Worship The story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, tells us that after his celebrated arrival. He went into the Temple and looked around at everything. As we gather here for worship today may it be with a sense that Jesus has walked in too, and is looking around. May our eyes be open to see Him, may our hearts be ready to be seen by Him, may our worship be worthy of His presence, and may we be transformed so that we see the world through his eyes. Amen. Children’s Processional with Congregational Singing “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” UMH #278 1 Hosanna, loud hosanna the little children sang; through pillared court and temple the lovely anthem rang. To Jesus, who had blessed them, close folded to his breast, the children sang their praises, the simplest and the best. 2 From Olivet they followed mid an exultant crowd, the victory palm branch waving, and chanting clear and loud. The Lord of earth and heaven rode on in lowly state, nor scorned that little children should on his bidding wait. 3 "Hosanna in the highest!" That ancient song we sing, for Christ is our Redeemer, the Lord of heaven, our King. O may we ever praise him with heart and life and voice, and in his blissful presence eternally rejoice. Responsive Reading based on Isaiah 6: 3 One: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. All: The Lord of hosts is with us. One: Let us lift up our hearts! All: We lift them up to the Lord! One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God! All: It is a good and joyful thing to give God thanks and praise! Unison Invocation On this day, your Son Jesus Christ entered the holy city of Jerusalem and was proclaimed King by those who spread their garments and palm branches along his way. Let those branches be for us signs of his victory, and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our Lord, and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life. In his name we pray. Amen Choir “Ride On, King Jesus” Old Testament Reading Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29 Gospel Reading Luke 19 28-40 God’s Word for God’s People. Thanks Be To God! Hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” UMH #280 All glory, laud and honor, To Thee, Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring. Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David’s royal Son, Who in the Lord’s Name comes, The King and Blessèd One. All glory, laud and honor, To Thee, Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring. The company of angels Are praising Thee on High, And we with all creation in chorus make reply. All glory, laud and honor, To Thee, Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring. The people of the Hebrews With palms before Thee went; Our prayer and praise and anthems Before Thee we present. All glory, laud and honor, To Thee, Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring. To thee, before thy passion, they sang their hymns of praise; to thee, now high exalted, our melody we raise. Children’s Moment Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer Offering Doxology “Glory Be to the Father” UMH #70 Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. Message Commitment Song “Are Ye Able” UMH #530 1 "Are ye able," said the Master, "To be crucified with me?" "Yea," the sturdy dreamers answered, "To the death we follow Thee." Refrain: Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, Like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance Above us shall be A beacon to God, To love, and loyalty. 2 Are ye able to remember, When a thief lifts up his eyes, That his pardoned soul is worthy Of a place in paradise? [Refrain] 3 Are ye able when the shadows Close around you with the sod, To believe that spirit triumphs, To commend your soul to God? [Refrain] 4 "Are ye able?" Still the Master Whispers down eternity, And heroic spirits answer Now, as then, in Galilee. [Refrain] Unison Benediction* May you know hope in the midst of doubts, Assurance in times of questioning And peace in the presence of conflict. May your journey through Lent Lead you ever closer to the heart of God, And may God walk with you all your days. Closing Hymn “God Be with You, Till We Meet Again” UMH #672 Postlude “All Glory, Laud and Honor” St. Theodulph tune Thank you for Worshiping with us today! (CCLI License #1552544)   Quick to Listen
by Deanna Carr "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19 NLT I went to the bank, but the man I wanted to speak to was busy. I went to Walgreens to pick a up prescription at the drive-thru window. There was a sign there that said "no pharmacist available". That was different from their normal sign they put up when the staff is having a lunch break from 1:30-2:00. Many times I have gone there when they were closed for lunch. But remember this sign was different, NO PHARMACIST AVALABLE. It even said where the closest Walgreens is from Ontario. I decided to physically go into the store and the shades were down. Then, I went to the front counter and asked the clerk. He said they w²ere probably just at lunch. I decided to run another errand to the Phones Plus store. The gal messed around with my iPad and she was making progress. She then said that I needed to come back in thirty minutes. So, I went to a coffee place and purchased an expensive coffee. After thirty minutes had elapsed, I went back. Within five minutes it was ready to go and I headed back to Walgreens. I checked to see if cars were in line and there was one, so I got in line behind it. The driver seemed to be waiting a long time and I could hear her angry words. So, I got out of my car and went to talk to her to see if they were really in there. She said they were but they were just messing around and they didn't know what they were doing. After waiting a little more, I decided, I would come back later. I tried to get the lady behind me to back up. There was no response. I got back in the car and waited a little bit more. I discovered she had been sleeping. I signaled for her to back up. She did, but I hardly had enough room to back out. I went home and called the pharmacy. The robot lady can't answer your questions unless she is programmed for the right ones. I finally was referred to someone who could help me. I told the pharmacy tech, Orion, what had happened. I know him. He said he was really sorry, but they had a problem with their Covid shots and were about to lose them. My heart went out to him and the other workers. I said I would come back later. I went home to discover that the young man who is redoing my bathroom had made minimal progress. He has been working on it since November. He is starting a full time job on Monday. I learned a little about anger, today.
When is it good to be angry? Jesus got angry. James writes about righteous and unrighteous anger. The late James Lewis talked about good trouble. The January 6th attack on the capital was not good anger or good trouble. Righteous anger cares about others. Righteous anger doesn't hurt. It doesn't retaliate. Sinful anger opposes love, kindness, and respect. Righteous anger doesn't demean or denigrate. Righteous anger is improving and building relationships. Our Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that we don't deserve. Thank you for giving us second chances. Thank you for your magnificent love. Help us to be like Jesus in all we do and all we say. Amen.  Don’t Give Up Hope
by Anne DeBord "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm118:1 When my oldest son was about ten years old, he took on the summer job of caring for the neighbors’ yard while they were on vacation. With extra effort and for a little surprise for them, he was arranging medium sized rocks around the outside edge of the pond. All was going well when he accidently dropped a rock on his right index finger and thumb causing blood to flow, pain to start and a short run home to Mom for a look. It looked bad enough for a trip to the doctor, and it was close enough to quitting time for Dad to come home and help out with the crisis trip. Dad could drive and Mom could soothe a scared child. Causing more problems was the fact that my son was planning a trip with his grandparents to Spokane for the World’s Fair in just a few days. The doctor analyzed the situation, found the thumbnail broken as well as the finger and thumb and it required splinting. We were sure the trip would have to be cancelled, but to our surprise, the doctor said, “You can heal traveling as well as sitting around being depressed.” “Thank God,” I said. Our son’s accident didn’t ruin a blessed chance to go have fun with his grandparents. Praying in the crisis, along with us parents adding our layer of soothing, led to a very positive result. In simple daily life, we pray for a clear view in moving forward in hope for a good future. Amen.  Playing by God’s Rules
by Chase Van Weerdhuizen Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “how long shall this fellow be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God; do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” Exodus 10:7 It’s hard to lose at the game. Pharaoh was part of a tradition of winners. The kings and queens of Egypt never lost at anything. They were a global superpower at the time and had stayed that way for thousands of years by being the best at what they did. They had a highly skilled army. They were the best representational artists on the planet. And don’t get me started on how good they were at stacking rocks on top of each other! They had to be good at everything. They were surviving on a temperamental river system at the east of the Sahara. There was no room for losers. Of course in order to be a winner, someone has to be a loser. In the case of Egypt, it was the slaves needed to maintain their infrastructure. At this point in the story, God had started letting Egypt know that he wasn’t happy about the whole slavery thing. But Pharaoh continued to hold out, causing his own team to suffer. Pharaoh’s officials were reminding him of his duty to his entire kingdom. Why wasn’t he worried about how their livestock had keeled over? Or how the Deben was going down in value? Or that everyone was still trying to sweep frogs out of their houses? Oh let’s not forget how the sky had been streaked with fire and ice just the day before. Or that beyond their borders they had to deal with enemy states like the Mitanni and the Libyans who were ready to pounce at any moment. Because it wasn’t just God who wasn’t happy with them, it was all their neighbors too. Maybe if they’d been just a bit nicer before… Pharaoh was willing to give up everything to win in a contest of spite against his adopted brother and his brother’s God. Often we are tempted to do the same, whether it is for our pride, hate, or even grief. God calls on us to be better sportspersons. Not only do we follow Christ’s example so that we might truly enjoy the game being played, but I’m pretty sure he’s willing to pay for an ice cream cone at the drive-in on the way home. Dear God, help me to play by your rules when it’s so easy to follow my own. As we approach the darkest days of Lent, let Christ be our example of how to win the game against death. Amen. |