March 9, 2025

First Mennonite Church

Sugarcreek, Ohio

March 9, 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 One:

Christ Collides With Our Bias

~Gathering~

Prelude: "My Jesus, I Love Thee" - arr. Anna Laura Page

Welcome & Announcements

Mission Moment: MCC Hygiene Kits

Focus Statement:

Often the things Jesus taught or the way Jesus treated people collided with the society around him. When that happens, Jesus invites us to see things differently. Jesus changes how we see things. In today’s scripture text, Jesus confronts biases that are not just historical, but also deeply personal. How can our thoughts and actions be transformed when Jesus collides with them?

Time of Meditation: My Song Is Love Unknown

- arr. Larry Shackley

Call to Worship:

Leader: Christ collides with our bias. Who will follow

Christ?

People: We will follow for sure, but we will tell you where

to bring down your fire.

Leader: Jesus says, “Follow me.”

People: We will follow when our calculations are

finished.

Leader: Christ collides with our leanings.

People: For your reign, O God, help us put a hand on your

plow and not look back.

All: Guide us as we worship you.

Invocation

Hymn of Gathering: HWB 20 Come and See

~Praying & Praising~

Prayers of the People

Hymn of Praise: HWB 644 When Morning Gilds the Skies

~Hearing God’s Word~

Scripture: Luke 10:25-42

The Good Samaritan -read by Mike Keim

Mary and Martha -read by Kristy Keim

Message: “Seeing and Loving Like Christ”

~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 our assumptions and insist that our

point of view is the correct one.

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

loving God. Please help us open our hearts to your

love. Help us to shake free from our biases and

assumptions so we may better share your peace in

your world, rejoicing in your name. Amen.

Hymn of Response: God of Grace and God of Glory

Offering Prayer

~Sending~

Sending Hymn: HWB 418 Move In Our Midst

Benediction:

Leader: I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have the power, together with all the saints, to

grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love

of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses

knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all

the fullness of God.

All: Now to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we

ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within

us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Postlude: I Want Jesus to Walk with Me - arr. Larry Shackley

Sending Words

WORSHIP 9:30-10:30

Minister: Mike Gehman

Worship Leader: Bruce Stauffer

Usher: Leadership Team

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 March: MCC Hygiene Kits

Keeping clean is an important part of staying healthy. Families who have fled their homes because of disaster or war often struggle to afford the necessary supplies. Kits also go to schools or orphanages to encourage healthy habits for children. Last year, MCC shipped 80,060 hygiene kits to El Salvador, Guatemala, Malawi, Ukraine, the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) and Zambia. Pick up a list of items on the table in the fellowship area.

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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.

THE CHURH GIVES THANKS

Lizzie Keim: I am going to be a great-grandma, Micheal and Samantha is expecting.

April Shupe: Thankful that baby Harvey is healthy.

Keo Sixiengmay: I am also going to be a great grandma.

CHURCH PRAYS FOR

Sue Stauffer: I have two friends that have people dying and am thankful for Hospice.

Dan Hostetler: Sandy, the half-sister of the Brown family has passed away.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 13^th Palm Sunday

April 20^th Easter Sunday

NEXT WEEK

Text for Lent Two: Luke 13:1-9, 31-35