2024 Church service videos

Our Presbyterian Church Years is broken into a series of seasons.  The first is Advent which starts on the fourth Sunday leading up to Christmas.  for the 2024 calendar year the first Sunday in Advent is December 3rd and ends on Sunday evening December 24th.  Advent is followed by Christmas which lasts from December 25th to January 5th.  After Christmas comes Epiphany starting on January 6th and lasts until  February 13th.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday February 14th and includes Holy Week beginning on Monday March 25th until Saturday March 30th.  Easter begins with the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on March 31st and lasts until Pentecost on May 19th.  Easter is followed by that long season Ordinary Time which lasts until King of Kings Sunday on November 24th.

ApRil 7th worship service

“HE IS RISEN”

From John 20:19-23 Jesus appears to the disciples.

 

It is the first day of the week, three days after the crucifixion.  Mary Magdalene has found the empty tomb.  She has returned to where the disciples were staying and tells Peter, and the disciple whom Jesus loved, that Jesus’ body is gone.  Peter, and the disciple whom Jesus loved, ran to the tomb to confirm the body was gone.  Seeing the empty tomb in confusion they wander back to the where the others are staying.

 

Later that evening the disciples are gathered together.  They have locked the doors for fear the Jewish leaders will come looking for them.  Suddenly Jesus is standing amongst them.  The disciples are very frightened.  After telling them to be at peace, and calming them, Jesus shows them the nail holes in his hands and the wound in his side.  When the disciples understood it was really Jesus in the flesh, they were overjoyed.

 

“Peace be with you,” Jesus told them again.  “As the Father has sent me I will be sending you.”  Then Jesus breathed on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  With this gift the disciple were suddenly able to evangelize, heal the sick and infirm, and forgive sins.


Join us for our April 7th Worship Service.

Easter Lilies

April 13th worship Service

From John 20:19-23 Jesus appears to the disciples.


It is the first day of the week, three days after the crucifixion.  Mary Magdalene has found the empty tomb.  She has returned to where the disciples were staying and tells Peter, and the disciple whom Jesus loved, that Jesus’ body is gone.  Peter, and the disciple whom Jesus loved, ran to the tomb to confirm the body was gone.  Seeing the empty tomb in confusion they wander back to the where the others are staying.


Later that evening the disciples are gathered together.  They have locked the doors for fear the Jewish leaders will come looking for them.  Suddenly Jesus is standing amongst them.  The disciples are very frightened.  After telling them to be at peace, and calming them, Jesus shows them the nail holes in his hands and the wound in his side.  When the disciples understood it was really Jesus in the flesh, they were overjoyed.


“Peace be with you,” Jesus told them again.  “As the Father has sent me I will be sending you.”  Then Jesus breathed on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  With this gift the disciple were suddenly able to evangelize, heal the sick and infirm, and forgive sins.


Join us for our April 1st Worship Service.

Photo: First Pres Choir: "Prepare the Way For the Lord"



Easter

Easter is the 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost.  Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as he returns from dead three days after his crucifixion. In 2024 that is March 31.  Pentecost, from the Book of Acts 2:1-13, is when the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, this year on May 19.

Easter is a floating holiday.  The date is determined by a couple of factors.  Easter is held on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Spring Equinox.      

Following the solemn time of Lent where we prepare ourselves to receive the gif of life Christ offers on his resurrection, Easter is a time of joy and celebration as the risen Christ is alive and within our midst.  It is based on the 40 days Jesus is with his disciples until he ascends into heaven (Acts 1) and 10 days later when the Holy Spirit arrives and fills the disciples with the desire to preach the Good News God has given to the world.

Frescoes:

Christ as the shepherd Mausoleum of Galla Placidia 425-450, Christ Risen Fra Angelico fresco 1450-52 Monastery of St Mark Florence

Gift of the Holy Spirit Žitomislić Monastery Bosnia



Join us for our March 31 Worship Service.                                              Join us for our April 1st Worship Service.

lent

Lent is a time of preparation.  First we prepare ourselves to receive the gift which God gave to his people in the death of his Son on the Cross, in which our sins were forgiven placing each of us in right relationship with God.  Second, three days later, we recognize the gift of Jesus’ Resurrection where we are granted eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

This year Lent began last Wednesday, February 14th, and will last until the Saturday before Easter on Sunday March 31st.  Lent is 40 days long which is remembrance of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert (and the 40 days Moses and Elijah spent fasting).  Actually there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter.  Although there are different understanding on how to count the 40 days of Lent probably the easiest explanation is that the Sundays are not included in the 40 days.

Since Lent is a time of preparation the usual methods of preparing the Easter celebration is searching within ourselves.  It is a time for remembrance and taking stock of our lives.  It is a time of humility, repentance and confession as we prepare ourselves to receive the gift which God has given to us.


Join us in our March 17th Worship Service.                                                               Join us for our March 24th Worship Service.

Join us for our March 3rd Worship Service:                                                  Join us for our March 10th Worship Service.

Join us for our February 18th Worship Service.                                            Join us for our February 25th Worship Service


Jesus Betrayal, Fra Angelico, 1436-45, Museum San Marco, Florence / The Last Supper, Da Vinci, 1495, Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, Milan

epiphany

It is the Season of Epiphany.  When we celebrate the times when Jesus becomes manifest to the world.  Coming from the Greek, which means manifestation, we focus on those event when people recognize Jesus for the Savior which he is.  These can include such times as when the Wise Men for a different culture follow the star to find the one who will change the world.  It includes Simeon who sees Jesus when Jesus is 40 days old and knows that he has witnessed the promise Messiah.  It include the Woman at the Well in Sychar Samaria who is so impressed with Jesus she brings the elders from the village who attest to Jesus as the Savior of the World.  It is going to be an interesting six week until the start of Lent on February 14th.

Jesus and the Woman at the Well, Paolo Veronese 1585 Kunst Historisches Museum Vienna

Simeon with the Christ Child, Fra Angelico fresco 1450-52 Monastery of St Mark Florence

Three Wise Men ,mosaic 565 CE Basilica San't Apollinaire Nuovo,  Ravena, Italy


Join us for our February 4th Worship Service.                                Join us for our February 11th Worship Service.

Join us for our January 21st Worship Service.                                 Join us for our January 28th Worship Service.

Join us for our January 7th Worship Service.                                   Join us for our January 14 Worship Service.


Christmas

It is Christmas, those twelve days from December 25th until January 5th and the beginning of Epiphany on January 6th.  It is 12 days of celebration as we recognize the gift which God has given to the world.  God came to earth in human form for the sole purpose of being a sacrifice the God of heaven for all of the sins committed by mankind.  Becasue of this sacrifice those who chose to follow him will be redeemed and granted eternal life in heaven.  That is something for believers to be celebrated everyday, but it is during these twelve days we have a special opportunity to rejoice in the angels of heaven coming to earth to sing about the saviors arrival, the gift to us.


Join us for our December 31st Worship Service.


Picture:  Sanctuary's Nativity and Fellowship Hall Christmas Village

advent

The Season of Advent opens our Liturgical Calendar Year.  It encompasses the four Sundays leading up to Christmas when we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.  Advent has been traced back to fifth century when Bishop Perpetuus of Tours directed fasting for three days each week between the St. Martin’s Day (November 11th) and Christmas.  Starting in in the diocese Tours, France, the custom spread through France, and through a series of renditions, has spread throughout Western Christianity. 

 

The visual components of Advent center around a decorated Christmas tree, a nativity scene focusing on the birth of Jesus and the Advent wreath with four colored candles and a central White Christ Candle.   

 

The visual elements of Advent lead to the spiritual preparation which is the purpose of Advent.  The spiritual preparation centers around three primary components  The first is to prepare ourselves to remember the gift which God gave to his people as God come to earth in human form.  The second is to receive God into our hearts.  The third is to prepare ourselves for when God returns to rule over all of creation.


Join us for our December 17th Worship Service.                                       Join us for our December 24th Worship Service.

Join us for our December 3rd Worship Service.                                        Join us for our December 10th Worship Service.