Join us for a neighborhood celebration of a risen Savior! Hosted by the Back Swamp Ruritan Club, the Easter Sunrise Service will be March 31 at 6:30 AM at the Back Swamp Community Building.
Questions? Contact us.
Read the Bible: Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the LORD,
and he turned to me and heard my cry for help.
2 He brought me up from a desolate pit,
out of the muddy clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and they will trust in the LORD.
4 How happy is anyone
who has put his trust in the LORD
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!
5 LORD my God, you have done many things —
your wondrous works and your plans for us;
none can compare with you.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.
6 You do not delight in sacrifice and offering;
you open my ears to listen.
You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.
7 Then I said, “See, I have come;
in the scroll it is written about me.
8 I delight to do your will, my God,
and your instruction is deep within me.”
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
see, I do not keep my mouth closed —
as you know, LORD.
10 I did not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation;
I did not conceal your constant love and truth
from the great assembly.
11 LORD, you do not withhold your compassion from me.
Your constant love and truth will always guard me.
12 For troubles without number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me; I am unable to see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my courage leaves me.
13 LORD, be pleased to rescue me;
hurry to help me, LORD.
14 Let those who intend to take my life
be disgraced and confounded.
Let those who wish me harm
be turned back and humiliated.
15 Let those who say to me, “Aha, aha! ”
be appalled because of their shame.
16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation continually say,
“The LORD is great! ”
17 I am oppressed and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my helper and my deliverer;
my God, do not delay.
Psalms 40:1-17 (CSB)
Read the Bible: Psalm 39
I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “LORD, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.
5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Selah
6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.
7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.
9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what you have done.
10 Remove your torment from me.
Because of the force of your hand I am finished.
11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;
yes, every human being is only a vapor. Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, LORD,
and listen to my cry for help;
do not be silent at my tears.
For I am here with you as an alien,
a temporary resident like all my ancestors.
13 Turn your angry gaze from me
so that I may be cheered up
before I die and am gone.”
Psalms 39:1-13 (CSB)
Read the Bible: Psalm 38
LORD, do not punish me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my body
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.
6 I am bent over and brought very low;
all day long I go around in mourning.
7 For my insides are full of burning pain,
and there is no soundness in my body.
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.
9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.
12 Those who intend to kill me set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.
13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.
15 For I put my hope in you, LORD;
you will answer me, my Lord, my God.
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me —
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.
18 So I confess my iniquity;
I am anxious because of my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;
many hate me for no reason.
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.
21 LORD, do not abandon me;
my God, do not be far from me.
22 Hurry to help me,
my Lord, my salvation.
Psalms 38:1-22 (CSB)
COMING SOON: Spring Revival Services
COMING SOON!
Make plans to join us as we welcome Rev. Harvey Whaley, Jr. for Spring Revival Services, March 24 at 6 PM, and March 25-27 at 7:30 PM nightly. All are warmly welcome.
Sunday School is for All Ages!
As God had instructed, Moses and Aaron stood before the Pharaoh and voiced God’s command to “Let my people go…” (Ex. 5:1).
The Pharaoh’s response in that day is the same response of any heart not made new and kept by the Spirit of God: “Who is the LORD that I should obey Him…?” (Ex. 5:2). Pharaoh acknowledges no authority greater than his own and no power surpassing his own might. For a time, he flexes his own strength against the word of the Lord—but only for a short time longer.
Sunday School for all ages begins weekly at 9:45 AM. All are warmly welcome.
Fourth Sunday of Lent (A Prayer)
“Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that He may live in us, and we in Him; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen” (The 1979 Book of Common Prayer, 2005).
Read more:
SPRING FORWARD: Daylight Savings Time Ends
Daylight savings time ends March 10 at 2 AM. Remember to spring forward any clocks that require manual adjustment.
COMING SOON: Easter Eggstravaganza!
Mark your calendars to join us for a free time of food, fun, & fellowship! All are warmly welcome.
What can I expect?
Lunch will be served (hot dogs, hamburgers, & fixings)
Easter egg hunt with areas divided by general age groups
Weather permitting, both inside & outside games for all ages (Bingo, Cake Walk, races, playground fun, Corn Hole, & more)
What should I bring?
The most important thing to bring is yourself & all the family & friends your vehicle will hold! Nothing else is required.
If you’d like, you’re welcome to contribute to the Easter eggs for the egg hunt, or bring a container to participate. We’ll have a few extra baskets on hand too.
More questions? Contact us.
Read the Bible: Psalm 37 (Part 2)
21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.
22 Those who are blessed by the LORD will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.
23 A person’s steps are established by the LORD,
and he takes pleasure in his way.
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the LORD supports him with his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.
28 For the LORD loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;
33 the LORD will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.
35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted, like a flourishing native tree.
36 Then I passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the person of peace will have a future.
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD,
their refuge in a time of distress.
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in him.
Psalms 37:21-40 (CSB)
(Read all of Psalm 37 using the link below.)