Cross

…and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. — Colossians 1:20 NLT

Dove

…as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. — Matthew 3:16 NLT

Cup

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. — James 5:14 NLT

Crown

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout… — 1 Thessalonians 4:16 NLT

Communion

Matthew/Luke/1 Corinthians Combined Reading

“Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me.”

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Have I surrendered my life to Him, and do I believe all that we are “remembering” and “proclaiming” in communion?

Trevor Hutton

Learning to Praise from the Psalms.

07/19/26

Psalm 86 NIV

A prayer of David.

Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.

When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.

All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.

For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.

Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me— they have no regard for you.

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.

Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalm 150 NIV

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,

praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 23 NIV

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

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

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

When Money Becomes Your Master

Pastor Jon Verwey

What you treasure will shape your heart, so let Jesus be your master and money your servant.

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. — Matthew 6:19-20 NLT

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. — Matthew 6:21 NLT

Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! — Matthew 6:22-23 NLT

The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry… — Proverbs 30:15a NIV

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. — Matthew 6:24 NLT

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. v. 21

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. — Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT

The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get. — Proverbs 21:20

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. — Proverbs 13:11 ESV

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. — Proverbs 11:24–25 NLT

What you treasure will shape your heart, so let Jesus be your master and money your servant.

The Widow’s Offering and the Heart of the Gospel

Pastor Jon Verwey

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” — Mark 12:41–44 NLT

Jesus called his disciples to him… v. 43a

“I tell you the truth…” v. 43b

This poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions… v. 43c

…she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on v. 44b

Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. — 2 Corinthians 8:9

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. — Ephesians 5:1–2 NLT

Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? — Romans 8:32 NLT

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

The cross of Jesus calls us to trust God completely and live with open hands and generous hearts.

A Warning Against Religious Pretending

Pastor Jon Verwey

Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, he asked, “Why do the teachers of religious law claim that the Messiah is the son of David?

For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ Since David himself called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with great delight. — Mark 12:35–37 NLT

No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. — Matthew 22:46 NLT

Jesus also taught: “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. — Mark 12:38–39 NLT

Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. — Mark 12:40a NLT

Because of this, they will be more severely punished. — Mark 12:40b NLT

Is there a scribe living in me?

There is a little scribe living inside all of us, and it wants to be in charge.

Because when we truly know Jesus and follow His lead, we stop playing at religion and start becoming like Him from the inside out.

Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” — Mark 12:18–23 NLT

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. v. 24

For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. v. 25

“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.”vv. 26-27

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. v. 26b

So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.” vv. 27

The resurrection gives us hope for tomorrow and power for today.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. — Ephesians 1:18 NLT

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead… — Ephesians 1:19–20a NLT

…when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. — Ephesians 1:13 NLT

“The point of the resurrection … is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die. God will raise it to new life. What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it.”

“What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future.”

The resurrection gives us hope for tomorrow and power for today.

Be Still and Know

05/31/26

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28 NLT

As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. — Ephesians 4:15–16 NLT

To be anxious is to live with uneasiness of mind and restlessness of soul, carrying a brooding fear about some part of life—or about life in general.

To form a non-anxious presence in us is to invite the Holy Spirit to deepen our trust in God’s unfailing love and to teach us how to rest in His goodness, faithfulness, and strength.

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. — Psalm 37:1–7a NLT

Be still in the presence of the Lord… — Psalm 37:7a NLT

…fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. — Philippians 4:8 NLT

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. — Psalm 119:15 ESV

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. — Psalm 46:10 NLT

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. — Psalm 46:11 NLT

Be still and know that I am GOD

Be still and know that I AM

Be still and KNOW

Be STILL

BE

During the meditation time show all this text on 1 slide, formatted the way it is below:

Be still and know that I am GOD

Be still and know that I AM

Be still and KNOW

Be STILL

BE

For the “connect with each other time” have this on 1 slide:

Tell someone about…

…a time someone planned a surprise for you and how you reacted.

…one situation where you are most likely to procrastinate.

…one way you measure contentment in your life.

…one thing that makes it difficult for you to “be still before the Lord.”

…the word or phrase that stood out to you as we reflected on “Be still and know that I am God.”