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CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

SCRIPTURE

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Matthew 4:1-11

One month ago today, on our Last Communion Sunday, in a message titled Sinners No More! I talked about how in the church we talk about sin; a lot.

Although it is appropriate and even necessary for salvation to accept the theological truism that we all sin, it is not helpful to think of ourselves solely as a sinner. Because we have a human tendency to live out the label we attach to ourselves. That is, we usually speak, act and react as the person we think we are. And because that is true, my main point that day was that we should endeavor to see ourselves the way God sees us as righteous; a word which means ‘pure,’ ‘perfect,’ ‘holy.’

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Worship Service for April 10, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our community Easter Egg Hunt will be on Saturday. Please pray that we have good weather, that the kids of the community will come out for it, and that they will leave with a better understanding of what Easter is really all about.

There will be an Easter breakfast of pancakes and sausage served at 9 am. Please make your reservation by calling Randy or Gail no later than Wednesday.

Our leaders decided to have one worship service on Easter, hoping that that would be the day that some folks will begin attending worship again. And they wanted all of us to be together for that special worship service. Please let me remind you again that it will be especially important to fill up the back parking lot first. Thank you.

Today is Palm Sunday, called that, of course, because as Jesus made His last entrance into the city of Jerusalem, His followers laid down palm branches on the road ahead of him.

A couple of years ago, it was Palm Sunday but because 5-year-old Sammy came down with a bad cold, he stayed home from church with a babysitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds. Sammy inquired as to what they were for.
His sister said, “People waved them at Jesus as He walked by.”
“Wouldn’t you just know it?” Sammy complained, “The one Sunday I don’t go to church and He shows up.”

Which just goes to remind you that when you miss worship, you never know what you’re going to miss.

CALL TO WORSHIP

After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of His disciples. As He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” He told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on. As He rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him. When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”

But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”

He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Luke 19:28-40

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Worship Service for April 3, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Today, we have the high privilege of celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion. All who strive to live with faith in Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross are welcome to receive this sacrament. If you are reading or listening to this presentation, please pause and prepare your communion elements so they will be ready when the time comes.

In my e-mail Wednesday, I asked you who arrive first to fill in the back parking first. And then how many of you caught the spelling error? This will leave more readily visible and available species for guests. I don’t how many caught that but Annie Dean not only caught it at the right time. She e-mailed me back: “So I’m watching an episode of Star Trek Discovery when I read your reminder to park so as to make the “SPECIES” visible out front to our guest! I agree Randy! If the species are anything like the ones I’m seeing on Star Trek they should be put out front for all to see!”

Our community Easter Egg Hunt will be on the Saturday before Easter. We noticed that last three years we were able to have one, the majority of the families came as a result of being invited by a CrossPointer or a friend of CrossPointe in the community. So your mission if you wish to accept it is to spread the word. The event will begin at 11 am and conclude at 12:30 pm. We will be encouraging people to pre-register online. We would love for you to get involved. We will need both candy and helpers. There are sign-up sheets on the table in the back.

Did you catch that there will be an Easter breakfast of pancakes and sausage served at 9 am? Please make your reservation. There is a sheet for that purpose on the new information table in the back.

A woman who is 3 months pregnant falls into a deep coma. 6 months later, she awakes and asks the doctor about her baby.
Her doctor informs her she had twins, a boy, and a girl, and lucky for you, your brother named them.
She says, “Oh no, not my brother! He’s an idiot! What did he name the girl?”
The doc says, “De-nise.”
She says, “Well this isn’t too bad, what did he name the boy?”
“De-nephew.”

CALL TO WORSHIP

For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With His love, He will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zephaniah 3:17

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Worship Service for March 27, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Attendance is returning almost to normal. We had 61 this past Sunday. That’s the highest since the start of the pandemic! Denny Huff is soon to arrive at the church to help me pull down 20 more chairs from the attic. And it is time for me to ask all of you who are able to fill in the west parking lot facing the pavilion first. This will leave more readily visible and available spaces for newcomers. This does not apply to those of you who need to be close to the entrance for health reasons.

We will be opening the nursery and kids’ worship next Sunday. We still need 3 volunteers for kids’ worship and one for the nursery. The folks who lead kids’ worship take the kids in the kids’ worship room during the sermon time to give them a Bible lesson. You will be given a very easy-to-follow curriculum the Sunday before. Both the nursery and kids’ worship will be available each Sunday as volunteers come forward to fill those positions. Please see Gail today after worship to let her know if you can help.

Our community Easter Egg Hunt will be held on the Saturday before Easter. We noticed that in the last three years we were able to have one, the majority of the families came as a result of being invited by a CrossPointer or a friend of CrossPointe in the community. So your mission, if you wish to accept it, is to spread the word. The event will begin at 11 am and conclude at 12:30 pm. We will be encouraging people to pre-register online. We would love for you to get involved. We will need both candy and helpers. There are sign-up sheets on the table in the back.

Let’s show some appreciation to Chuck Lemmon who has been leading our Recovery Ministry for five years!

Larry and Cathy Warner made their weekly sojourn to Akron to fetch some of those wonderful Gardner’s Pies. Please take one home for a donation that will go toward paying down our church mortgage! Thank you Larry and Cathy! And thank you who have been taking home those pies!

In the middle of creation, God is talking to one of his angels and says, “Do you know what I have just done? I have just created a 24-hour period of alternating light and darkness on Earth. Isn’t that good?”
The angel says, “Yes, but what are You going to do now?”
God says, “I think I’ll call it a day.”

CALL TO WORSHIP

He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

John 1:10-17

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Worship Service for March 20, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Most of you are aware that we recently expanded our stage and had new flooring installed on it and back into our office space. Thanks to our Trustees and especially Trustee Jerry Barnes. At the same time, the Trustees thought it would be nice to take advantage of the situation to also install some mic/instrument inputs and electrical outlets and I want to thank Jim Brandenburg for putting them in. You can readily see some of them on the facing of the stage. It was a very tedious job as Jim had to solder about 80 connections to make it happen.

Our leaders met this past Tuesday evening and among other decisions we made, set a goal to re-open the nursery and kids’ worship by the first Sunday in April. If your heart beats for kids and you would like to know more about either position, please talk to Gail today after the service.

Next Friday is our next Community Meal. If you’d like to help serve it, please let Sandy Barnes know.

Lastly, we are planning an Easter Egg Hunt for the Saturday before Easter. We need volunteers. There are sign-up sheets on the table I the back.

Before I read today’s Call to Worship, I have a little story. Whether it’s true or not, I leave to you to decide.

After God made Adam, he noticed that Adam was sad and asked what was wrong.
Adam replied, “I’m lonely.”
God said, “That’s no good! How about I make you a companion? One that is appealing, will cook and clean, and doesn’t mind it when you hang out with the guys or watch football?”
Adam can’t contain himself: “That sounds awesome! What will it cost me?”
God says, “An arm and a leg!”
Adam asks, “What can I get for a rib?”

By the way, were you aware that we’d all be living in paradise if Adam and Eve were Chinese. Because they would’ve eaten the snake and not the apple.

But alas, they ate the forbidden fruit as Paul writes about it in our . . .

CALL TO WORSHIP

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. … Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:12, 14b-17

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Worship Service for March 13, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lets’ begin with a little ancient Biblical history:

After God created Adam from dust, He noticed that Adam was sad and asked what was wrong.
Adam answered, “I’m lonely.”
So God said something like, “How about I make you a companion? One that is pretty, will cook and clean, and doesn’t mind it when you spend time with the guys or watch football?”
Adam says, “That sounds awesome! What will it cost me?”
God replies, “An arm and a leg!”
Adam asks, “What can I get for a rib?”

Speaking of being sad, Gail and I were scheduled to go to Syracuse New York this weekend to help celebrate the birthday of our grandson, Eliot. But alas, he and his sister, Anna, came down with bad colds and their parents thought it best to cancel. That’s the third time this year that we have had to cancel trips to see family due to illness.

Anyway, I had asked and Jim Brandenburg had accepted the invitation to preach today while we were supposedly going to be away. And so, although it was sad that we could not make our trip we are glad to be here today to participate in this service of worship.

Our leaders met this past Tuesday evening and among other decisions we made, set a goal to re-open the nursery and kid’s worship by the first Sunday in April.

One practice that we adopted during the pandemic was to not pass offering baskets and we are going to maintain that. Not because of covid fears, but because it seems to work better. So for the time being we will continue the practice of placing our offerings in the wooden box on the wooden table next to the doors.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

Psalm 130

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Worship Service for March 6, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thanks to all who participated in this past Wednesday’s Prayer Vigil.

Today, we are blessed to be able to celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. I am so happy to say all who desire to be right with God through the Lord Jesus are welcome to come to the table and receive what God in Christ offers. If you are reading or listening at home, I encourage you to pause in order to prepare the communion elements you will be using.

This is also the first Sunday of six in the Lenten season. On these Sundays, I plan on drawing closer to Christ by examining the lives of some of the people who were close to Jesus then. Today we will focus on who I am calling “the fickle follower.”

CALL TO WORSHIP

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.

Ephesians 1:1-7

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Worship Service for February 27, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

After today, the books on the table in the back will be donated to Project Learn.

Gail and I will be traveling to Florida tomorrow and will return Friday.

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday; the 40 day period that precedes Easter and is known as the Lenten season. The tradition of placing ashes on the forehead originated in the Roman Church in the 6th century. Many Christian churches continue this practice. Here at CrossPointe, we have not. We are going to observe Ash Wednesday by having another of our Prayer Vigils. We are inviting you to sign up for one or more 20 minute time slots to pray. Please pick up a prayer folder that will help you.

CALL TO WORSHIP

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are Mine.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Isaiah 43:1-3

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Worship Service for February 20, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

As you are probably aware, our leaders voted this past week to make mask-wearing optional. However; for the time being, we are asking that should you choose not to, please sit to my right.

I am so sorry that those of you who were looking forward to jumping into the freezing waters of Chippewa Lake yesterday were disappointed. The Medina County Park District closed the lake due to flooding. However; the remainder of this Year’s Chippy’s Back event went off without a hitch. I thank all of you for participating so generously. A special thanks to Alan Robbins for all the hours of planning that went into making this such a successful event. Thanks also to Annie Dean for all the communications and for coordinating the volunteers.

Even though the event itself is over, we’re not through. As in years past, the Lions’ Club looks to us for help in retrieving yard signs and policing the beach area. So if you have the time today after worship, please see Annie for a list of sign locations. We also need two persons to walk the beach area and one person to drive along Beachside to pick up any trash that may have been left behind. Thank you.

OPENING WORSHIP SONGS

As We Gather

Coomes, Tom/Fay, Mike

As we gather, may Your Spirit work within us.
As we gather, may we glorify Your name.
Knowing well that as our hearts begin to worship,
We’ll be blessed because we came.
We’ll be blessed because we came.

As we gather, may Your Spirit work within us.
As we gather, may we glorify Your name.
Knowing well that as our hearts begin to worship,
We’ll be blessed because we came.
We’ll be blessed because we came.

We’ll be blessed because we came.

©1981 Maranatha! Music (admin by The Copyright Company)/
Coomesietunes (admin by The Copyright Company)
CCLI License No. 1843349

SCRIPTURE

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:1-7

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WELCOME

Good morning and welcome to CrossPointe Community Church. I thank God for all of you and for the opportunity to spend this time with you. My name is Jim and I am filling in for Randy this week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Annie – Polar Bear

CALL TO WORSHIP

A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Psalm 100

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