"When the Lord returned the captives of Zion we were like those who dream" Psalm 126:1
Worship with us Sundays 10:00 am.
For those unable to come in person, we stream online on YouTube
The 4th Sunday of Easter
Mother's Day
Untouched Flower, Olga Kovtun (board, levkas, oil, 2023) LINK
Opening of Worship
[Leader:] The Lord be with you
[ALL:] And also with you​
[Leader:] Alleluia, Christ is risen!
[ALL:] The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!
[Leader:] Blessing and honor is yours, O God.
[ALL:] Glory to God forever, Alleluia!
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[Leader:]
Today is Mother's Day. We thank God for moms and motherhood! Truly, God has made us all through women!
Jesus's mother Mary can be defined by her great belief in God. She models motherhood and faith to us as she offered the entirety of her being for God's mysterious salvation plan. Her faith is famous for she believed God in the dark, not knowing what was next, but praising God for what He was about to do in extending grace to the world.
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Her cousin Elizabeth, a barren women who miraculously conceived John the Baptist in her latter years, said this to Mary, "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (Luke 1:45)
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The psalmist models a transparent faith with these words:
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[ALL:]
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
—based on Psalm 139:23-24, NLT
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In 2 Peter 3:9, the apostle writes, "The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."
Pray this prayer of confession with me, looking to the promises of God's salvation for forgiveness and healing.
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[Leader:] For the times we have lied to one another
and the times we have been lied to,
[ALL:] heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
[Leader:] For the times we have laughed at another’s pain
and the times we have been laughed at,
[ALL:] heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
[Leader:] For the times we have spoken when we should have remained silent
and the times we have remained silent when we should have spoken,
[ALL:] heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
[Leader:] For the times we have not respected another’s freedom
to be different from us,
[ALL:] heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
[Leader:] For the times we have betrayed a friend
and the times we have been betrayed,
[ALL:] heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
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[ALL:] O God of heaven and earth,
you emptied yourself of your power
and became a helpless baby
in order that you might heal the sick world.
Teach us to empty ourselves of the things
that destroy us and keep us alone.
Empty us of our jealousy,
of our meanness,
of our fear of others.
For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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[LEADER:]
God's mercy overflows as a healing spring to cleanse us of our offenses,
leading us to peaceful streams,
renewing our strength,
guiding us along right paths.
The Lord is your shepherd.
Know that you are forgiven
and receive new life in Christ.
Come, let us worship the LORD!
The First Reading
Acts 9:36-43 (NLT)
There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!”
So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.
The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord. And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with Simon, a tanner of hides.
A Psalm // Sacred Songs
Psalm 23 (KJV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Prayer for Tithes and Offerings
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Trusting in divine care, let us present our tithes and offerings to God who restores our lives eternally.
Generosity & Giving
The tithes and donations you make to DreamHouse Church make a difference to our church, our community, the people of Newport News, and world missions.
There are various ways you can donate. We pass a collection plate during services and electronic giving is available for 24/7 donations. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9).
The Second Testament // The Epistles
Revelation 7:9-17 (NLT)
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.
And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter.
They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
The Second Testament // The Gospel
John 10:22-30 (NLT)
It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
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Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
Mother Teresa (1910-1997) // Prayers from the Cloud of Witnesses
Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul.
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Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best, by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching: not by words, but by our example, by the catching force —
the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you. Amen.
Prayer of Illumination // For reading and preaching of the Word of God
Shepherd of our souls,
You call us to an abundant feast at the table of your word;
open our hearts to feed on your goodness,
that by the power of the Holy Spirit
we might dwell evermore deeply in you. Amen.
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The Lord's Supper // Communion
​Hear the words of the institution
of the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ:
The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread,
and after giving thanks to God,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
“Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.”
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the saving death of the risen Lord until he comes.
—based on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
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Let us pray --
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Living God,
send your Holy Spirit upon us
as we share your heavenly meal;
nourish us with your grace
so that we are strengthened
to do your work in this world;
unite us with you so that we are renewed;
and join us with your covenant people
throughout time and space
so that all divisions will be healed.
May we gratefully and joyfully remember that Jesus, our Savior,
lived, died, and rose to give us new life and make us new creations in him.
May we live in the hope
we discover through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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The body of Christ, given for you.
Thanks be to God.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Thanks be to God.
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Loving God,
you have given us a share in the one bread and the one cup
and made us one with Christ.
Help us to bring your salvation and joy to all the world.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Doxology and Benediction // The Sending & the Blessing
As you leave this place this day,
may God’s love sustain you,
and may you love those who surround you.
May God’s Spirit empower you,
and may you empower all those you meet.
May God’s joy fill your hearts,
and may this joy overflow
to the ends of the earth for God’s glory, now and forever. Amen