March 30, 2025

First Mennonite Church

Sugarcreek, Ohio

March 30, 2025

Worship: 9:30 – 10:30

Fellowship Time: 10:30-12:00

We believe in Jesus and take his life, teachings, death and resurrection

as the model for how we live and the message we proclaim.

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We seek to be a caring and discerning community, the gathered body

of Christ, that welcomes all to join in worship, study, and service.

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We embody God’s transforming and redeeming Spirit in the world

through our prophetic witness and action.

THE CHURCH WORSHIPS TOGETHER

Lent Four:

Christ Collides With Our Selfishness

~Gathering~

Prelude: "To God Be the Glory" - arr. Mark Hayes

Welcome& Announcements

Focus Statement:

Christ’s teachings collide with our selfishness, which is as much

a problem today as it was in the time of Jesus. We even have a

generation referred to as the “Me” generation. What selfishness

might Christ be colliding with within us? How can we, as the body of Christ, collide with selfishness in our society?

Time of Meditation: "Draw Me Nearer" - arr. Lloyd Larson

Call to Worship:

One: As we worship, Christ collides with our selfishness.

Many: Lord, stir our beings as we turn to you.

One: Lord, shake our perspective as you work in our lives.

Many: Help us center on you!

ALL: We are persuaded to listen to you, our living God, as we

worship this day.

Invocation

Hymn of Gathering: VT 22 What Is This Place

~Praying & Praising~

Prayers of the People

Hymn of Praise: VT 34 We Praise You, O God, Our

Redeemer

~Hearing God’s Word~

Scripture: Luke 16:19-33

Hymn: VT 758 Who Will Speak a Word of Warning

Message: “Where Is Your Treasure?”

~Responding~

Prayer of Confession and Words of Assurance:

All: Loving and merciful God, we confess that we have

sinned against you.

Leader: We have not loved you with all our thoughts, words,

and actions.

People: We have sinned through what we have chosen to

do and what we have chosen to neglect.

Leader: We have not fully accepted your love for us. We

have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

People: We cling to what we have and trust in material

things, ignoring the needs of those around us.

All: We repent before each other and before you, our loving

God. Please help us open our hearts to your love. Help

us loosen our grip on what we have and challenge the

selfishness of our society with open hands so we may

better share your peace in your world, rejoicing in

your name. Amen.

Hymn of Response: VT 745 God, Whose Giving

Offering Prayer

~Sending~

Sending Hymn: VT 555 Lord, I Am Fondly, Earnestly Longing

Benediction

Postlude: "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me" - arr. Kurt Kaiser

Sending Words

WORSHIP 9:30-10:30

Minister: Mike Gehman

Worship Leader: Dan Hostetler

Usher: Leadership Team

Lentin Theme 2025: Christ Collides

This year, we are using many of the parables that Jesus shared in his ministry. It has been said that the origin of the word parable is two things that collide, and if you, upon hearing a parable, do not feel the impact of the collision, you are probably missing something. In many parables, Jesus throws a surprise beside or in comparison with something else. Each week’s texts offer a glimpse into how the content of his teachings collides with us and our world. The visuals on the altar serve as a reminder of our collisions each Sunday:

Lent 1: Bias – Optical illusion of the name, “Jesus,” which reminds us

to keep our focus on Jesus to transform our thoughts and

actions.

Lent 2: Condemnation – Fig Tree and a gavel; the fig tree is incapable

of healing itself and incapable of self-justification, while the

gavel reminds us it is not our job to condemn others.

Lent 3: Priorities – A clock, cell phone and TV remote; how are we

spending our time? How might realigning our priorities

with Christ shape our community of faith?

Lent 4: Selfishness ---Treasure Chest filled with coins; reminds us to

loosen our grip on what we have and challenge the

selfishness of our society with open hands.

In conjunction with our Anabaptist at Five Hundred celebration this year, we would love to have pictures of any community, service and/or peace experiences our church members have experienced over the years. Please give to April or Tabby who will scan them into the computer. You will get them back!

FMC LIVES IN DISCIPLESHIP TOGETHER

Mission Project April: Garaway Released Time Offering

The Garaway School District offers a released time program, also known as "Cabin" allowing students in grades K-12 to attend religious instruction during the school day with parental approval, a program that has been in place for 60 years.

Please note that on April 27^th, we will not be having our usual church service at 9:30; instead, we will be having Julie Gerber’s Celebration of Life in the form of a worship service at 11, with music beginning at 10:45, and a lunch following, in which all are invited to stay and share more stories about Julie.

People who are willing to knot one or more pin-basted comforters in their homes are asked to contact Sue Stauffer, who will provide them with a comforter, thread, and a needle. The knots are to be square knots. The comforters will be returned to Katie Miller, who made the tops and backs, and she will pass them on to MCC, where they are greatly needed. Katie has given us 24 comforters to complete. At this point we have six doled out to people, so you can see that there are quite a few more to do. Sue is pin-basting them and finishing the bindings. Thank you.

CHURCH PRAYS FOR

Tabatha Murphy: Family Friend Jon Anderson was killed in a car accident.

Sue Stauffer: Bruce’s cousin has had complications after thyroid surgery.

Bertie Showers: Sister-in-law has been ill 3 times in a row.

Melanie Blauch Archer: Dave got norovirus in the nursing home.

THIS WEEK

April 4^th Happy Birthday, April Shupe

April 4^th Rotary Pancake Day

April 5^th Happy Birthday, Susan Yoder

April 6^th Happy Birthday, Dotti Schrock

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 13^th Palm Sunday