While the state guidelines have allowed us to meet again for a few weeks, we continue to take cautious steps towards resuming our life together as a congregation. For the present, we will resume meeting at 9am for Sunday morning worship. These meetings will be held outside in the area behind the church. We will maintain social distancing, and masks may be used at your discretion. Knowing that this option will not work for everyone, we will continue to offer the home worship guide, though the sermon may not be posted until after the service on Sunday morning.
Caring for One Another
I encourage you to continue connecting with one another and taking the initiative to encourage one another. If you are struggling, connect with your Community Group or get in touch with the pastor. As our ability to meet with one another in various contexts increases, we want to be careful and responsible while also growing in our love for God and one another!
Giving Reminder
As we are not meeting routinely on Sunday morning, we also wanted to take a moment to remind you to give. At a time when we see people hoarding – trying to protect and preserve themselves – God has called us to instead be generous. He has entrusted this earth and all that is in it to us, but it is, ultimately, His! The Father gave what was most precious to Him, His own Son, in order to die for our sins. He has given to us abundantly beyond all that we could possibly ask or imagine! He is a benevolent and generous Giver! So, we give.
First, we want to remind you to continue your regular giving to The Quechee Church. This supports the ongoing work and ministry here in the Upper Valley and around the world through our missions support.
Second, please consider giving to our Benevolence Fund, which supports local community care, both inside and outside the church. This is vitally important right now! As we see needs sprouting up around the community, we want to be positioned to extend a loving hand of support to those in need.
In this strange and tumultuous time, let us refresh ourselves on our foundational commitments as a church!
We value displaying the beauty of the gospel, both individually and corporately.
Evangelism is not simply one thing we do, but it permeates everything we do. It is who we are. We treat non-Christians with respect, remembering what it is like not to believe. We treat non-Christians with hope, remembering what a grace-miracle our own faith is. We consider virtually every public event – video conferencing too – to be something we do “before the nations” (Psalm 67), and we expect to be “overheard” by many friends who do not believe or who don’t know what they believe. We seek not only to equip and motivate every member into an evangelistic life-style but also corporately to display the gospel in the way we live together before the watching world (Matthew 5:14-16).
The following page will take you through the order of worship for this Sunday. To access the recorded songs and sermon, use the embedded audio players in each section.
Please note: the song and sermon audio may not be available until Saturday evening.
Time of Reflection
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
~James 1:2-4
“Nothing is so certain as that which is certain after doubts. Shaking settles and roots.”
~The Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), Puritan pastor and theologian
“The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.”
~The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton
“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”
~Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
“Christianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful. There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.”
~Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, Tim Keller
“We may hence gather a most useful doctrine—That whenever signs of God’s wrath meet us in outward things, this remedy remains to us—to consider what God is to us inwardly; for the inward joy, which faith brings to us, can overcome all fears, terrors, sorrows and anxieties.”
~John Calvin (1509-1564), leader of the Protestant Reformation in Geneva
Opening Prayer
Call to Worship
from Psalm 46:1-7 (NIV)
LEADER: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
CONGREGATION: Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
LEADER: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
CONGREGATION: God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
LEADER: Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
CONGREGATION: The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
LEADER: Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
CONGREGATION: He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
LEADER: Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
CONGREGATION: The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Songs
(sing as a group or sing along to recorded versions)
THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD
(Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901)
This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass,
He speaks to me every where.
This is my Father’s world,
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heav’n be one. PUBLIC DOMAIN
BE STILL MY SOUL
(Katharine von Schlegel 1697, Jason Ingram, Kari Jobe)
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side:
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain:
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
In you I rest, in You I find my hope.
In you I trust, You never let me go.
I place my life within your hands alone
Be still, my soul.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be for ever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
(as a lead in to the Prayer Time, as a group share how you are feeling and what you learning; below are suggested questions)
What are you learning about life/God lately?
What do you want to pray for this week?
What fears are you experiencing with this pandemic?
Prayer Time
(have an open time of prayer or appoint one or two to pray)
Confession of sins
Praise and thanksgiving to God
Petitions
Listen to Sermon
“O Let Me Never Forget”
preached by Pastor Ryan Bouton Download
Habakkuk 3:1-19 (ESV)
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise. 4 His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power. 5 Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels. 6 He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your indignation against the sea,
when you rode on your horses,
on your chariot of salvation? 9 You stripped the sheath from your bow,
calling for many arrows. Selah
You split the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw you and writhed;
the raging waters swept on;
the deep gave forth its voice;
it lifted its hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their place
at the light of your arrows as they sped,
at the flash of your glittering spear. 12 You marched through the earth in fury;
you threshed the nations in anger. 13 You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah 14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,
who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,
rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
the surging of mighty waters. 16 I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
Sharing Time
(have everyone share one thing that struck them from the sermon)
Songs
(sing as a group or sing along to recorded versions)
HE WILL HOLD ME FAST
(Ada Ruth Habershon, Matthew Merker)
When I fear my faith will fail,
Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail,
He will hold me fast.
I could never keep my hold
Through life’s fearful path;
For my love is often cold;
He must hold me fast.
CHORUS:
He will hold me fast,
He will hold me fast,
For my Savior loves me so,
He will hold me fast.
Those He saves are His delight,
Christ will hold me fast;
Precious in His holy sight,
He will hold me fast.
He’ll not let my soul be lost;
His promises shall last;
Bought by Him at such a cost,
He will hold me fast.
(CHORUS)
The following page will take you through the order of worship for this Sunday. To access the recorded songs and sermon, use the embedded audio players in each section.
Time of Reflection
“If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
~ C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British writer, lay theologian and Christian apologist
“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.”
“The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.”
~ Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015), Christian missionary, author and speaker
“Hope for the Christian isn’t just confidence in a certain, glorious future. It’s hope in a present providence. It’s hope that God’s plans can’t be thwarted by local authorities or irate mobs, by unfriendly bosses or unbelieving husbands, by Supreme Court rulings or the next election. The Christian hope is that God’s purposes are so unassailable that a great thunderstorm of events can’t drive them off course. Even when we’re wave-tossed and lost at sea, Jesus remains the captain of the ship and the commander of the storm.”
~ Elliot Clark, contemporary author specializing in cross-cultural church planting
“Money and machines anesthetize neediness. They put us in charge, in control. As long as the money holds out and the machines are in good repair, we don’t need to pray.”
~ Eugene H. Peterson (1932-present), American clergyman and author
“…it is faith and hope in the midst of suffering, not miraculous deliverance from it, that display most clearly the all-sufficiency of God to a despairing world.”
~ Scott Hafemann (1954-present), American professor of the New Testament
“My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon.”
~ Mizuta Masahide (1657-1723), Japanese poet and samurai
Opening Prayer
Call to Worship
from 1 Timothy 1:15-17 (NIV)
LEADER: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:
CONGREGATION: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
LEADER: But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
CONGREGATION: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Songs
(sing as a group or sing along to recorded versions)
MY HOPE IS BUILT
(Edward Mote & William B. Bradbury, 1863)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
REFRAIN:
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil. (REFRAIN)
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay. (REFRAIN)
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne. (REFRAIN) PUBLIC DOMAIN
IN CHRIST ALONE
(Stuart Townend, Keith Getty)
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground his body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His, and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
(as a lead in to the Prayer Time, as a group share how you are feeling and what you learning; below are suggested questions)
What are you learning about life/God lately?
What do you want to pray for this week?
What fears are you experiencing with this pandemic?
Prayer Time
(have an open time of prayer or appoint one or two to pray)
Confession of sins
Praise and thanksgiving to God
Petitions
Listen to Sermon
“Earnestly Engaging God in Distress”
preached by Doug Cooper Download
Habakkuk 2:20-3:16 (NASB)
Habakkuk 2
20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
Habakkuk 3
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear.
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy. 3 God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise. 4 His radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His power. 5 Before Him goes pestilence,
And plague comes after Him. 6 He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.
Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling. 8 Did the Lord rage against the rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
On Your chariots of salvation?
9 Your bow was made bare,
The rods of chastisement were sworn. Selah.
You cleaved the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands. 11 Sun and moon stood in their places;
They went away at the light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear. 12 In indignation You marched through the earth;
In anger You trampled the nations. 13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your anointed.
You struck the head of the house of the evil
To lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah. 14 You pierced with his own spears
The head of his throngs.
They stormed in to scatter us;
Their exultation was like those
Who devour the oppressed in secret. 15 You trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the surge of many waters.
16 I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise who will invade us.
Sharing Time
(have everyone share one thing that struck them from the sermon)
Songs
(sing as a group or sing along to recorded versions)
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
(Thomas O. Chisholm & William M. Runyan, 1923)
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.
REFRAIN:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Summer and winter, springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
(REFRAIN)
