News from Isabel Acheson for issue of April 27, 2023
Somerset Bible Chapel
After a week with another late winter/early spring snow storm, Sunday April 23 was bright in the morning with quiet winds!
The Worship Service opened with Erik Picard (with little daughter in his arms) doing the announcements. Kevin Friesen led the music team. “Open the Eyes of My Heart”, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Come Thou Fount of every Blessing” were the opening songs.
Erik was also usher for the day. Rejean Picard led the Prayer Focus. Appreciation was given to those attending with mobility aids following injury/surgery recently. The value of being present in person is strong in many.
Thanks were extended to the team involved in getting video and audio live-streamed to the nursery in the church. Ernie Unrau and Kevin Larson are the current leads in the AV part of the ministry.
Singing resumed with “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “What Blessed Assurance” one of the newer songs in use.
Pastor Jeff Peacock spoke from Matthew 21:12-17 - Jesus Cleanses the Temple. In this incident, the outer courtyard of the temple of Jerusalem had become a marketplace. Those who came unprepared for worship were easy prey for merchants ready to exchange their Roman denarii for Jewish shekels to pay the temple tax. Those bringing animal sacrifices would buy pigeons, doves or other livestock on site rather than bringing from elsewhere.
The place would have been crowded with Passover week worshippers, pilgrims from all over the country, and followers from the Triumphal Entry earlier in the day. Jesus confronts both sellers and buyers about profaning the house of prayer.
Pastor Jeff posed thought provoking questions: Is our church a house of prayer? Each Christian person is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) Is there purity there? Do we fight for what is right, work diligently to the glory of God? What have we exchanged in corporate worship for convenience?
We gather to worship God in song, prayer, learning and giving and to fellowship with one another, encouraging one another. Jesus went on (v. 14-16) from this confrontation to heal the blind and lame, to meet and bless the children.
The closing song was “Here I am to Worship” and the benediction was Rom. 15:5-6.
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