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#WeAreTowneView
Welcome and Instructions
As you scroll down this page, interact with each element, read along, sing the songs that you know & listen to the ones that you might not. Pray, Praise, Participate! Take your time with it, and after the service, call a friend and reflect on the music, the words, the prayers, and the sermon. We love each other, we are here for each other, we are Towne View.
Call to Worship
Psalm 104:24-34
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made.
All: We will Rejoice and be glad in it.
Leader: Come, Let us worship.
Song of Praise
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, the power,
and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Pentecost Scripture Reading
Acts 2:1-12
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Song of Faith
Pause
Discuss with your family, or ponder to yourself...
First Holy Week, then Easter, now Pentecost! How does it feel during a time of a pandemic to hear Psalms about provision, to pray for God's will to be done, and to listen to the birth of the Church in Acts?
Where have you seen God's provision, God's will being done, and God birthing new things in this strange time?
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Beatitudes for a Pandemic
Meditate on the words of Jesus in italics next to these words from Jana Greene.
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Blessed are the exasperated, the cooped up, the frustrated, and the lonely. For they shall be reminded that God is not bound by illness or protocol, or the foibles of human nature.
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”
Blessed are those grieving the loss of certainty and structure. For their hope lies in bigger things. Hold on tight, you are still in the Father’s embrace, even though the world seems upside-down.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”
Blessed are the odd ducks and weird people, who are just trying to navigate their way through the “new normal.” We are all free to be who we were created to be, no need for shame. Yours is the Kingdom, weirdo.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought."
Blessed are the seekers, the doubters, the spiritually starving. Does your soul feel empty? Are you hungry for peace, comfort, and hope? Your system is just making room for the One who gives those things, and in abundance.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.”
Blessed are the helpers, the lovers, the carers. For they are showing the rest of us how to be the hands and feet of God on Earth, modeled after the Perfect One.
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.”
Blessed are those who “check themselves before the wreck themselves.” For they are ever striving forward, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.”
Blessed are the calmer heads, the team players, and the encouragers. For where would we be without the Light Bearers? They see the Spirit in all, and welcome all to the table with Christ.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”
Blessed are the ostracized, yet steadfast. For they keep moving forward, in the face of opposition and a bleak forecast for a broken world.
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.”
Blessed are those who get knocked down, but keep getting back up. For they are US! In us lies incomprehensible power, as we are the Kingdom of God on Earth.
(Scripture taken from Matthew 5:1-12, The Message.)
Giving as an act of worship
As God has given so generously to us, let us respond in generous contribution to the work and ministry of God's Kingdom, manifest in part at Towne View Baptist Church.
As you give, meditate on all the ways that God has invited us into ministry with Him.
Part of our worship is the giving of our tithes and offerings to the ministry of the church. To give online now CLICK HERE.
Sermon
1 Corinthians 12:3-13
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says,
“Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Last Year's Pentecost Sermon Graphic
This Year's Pentecost Sermon Graphic
Pause
Discuss with your family, or ponder to yourself...
How has your paradigm of "Church" changed in the past few months?
"What new gift has sprouted in the rocky soil of quarantine and Covid-19, what new gift may have sprouted in your life in this time of challenge?"
Song of Response
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Benediction
Each week for the past 26 years, we have closed our worship times by reading this ancient prayer together. Benediction is a Latin word meaning "Good Word." Christian worship services traditionally end with the clergy speaking a "Good Word" of blessing over the congregation. At Towne View, we affirm the priesthood of all believers and as a part of that, we read this benediction together, ending our time of community worship by speaking a good word of blessing over each other.
Jim Conrad: Sr. Pastor
Jim@towneview.org
678-977-5013
Jeremy Hall: Assoc. Pastor
Jeremy@towneview.org
850-982-7530
Jonas Delva:
Deacon on Call
jad0419@yahoo.com
404-457-7845
Dear Friends,
Thank you for sharing in this worship experience today. This service will remain available to enjoy and share until next weekend.
Keep an eye on towneview.org as well as our various social media accounts as we continue to offer opportunities for worship, fellowship, education, and prayer as a community of faith.
Pastor Jeremy will be on Facebook live today (5/31) at 1pm to reflect with participants on today's worship experience. CLICK HERE to go there now.
Grace and Peace,
Towne View Baptist Church