Sermons

Worship Service for January 16, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Annie Dean and Gale Arthur will be hosting another 12 week Grief Share group that will begin this Tuesday, January 18th at 12 noon at the church. If you or someone you know could benefit by attending these sessions, please give Annie a call at (330) 807-8148.

We thank Annie Dean for taking the lead in providing you with information about the February 19th Polar Bear Event. We encourage you to participate in this wonderful event in any number of the following ways: (1) jumping in the lake and/or walking or running, (2) volunteering your time to block roads during the walk/race, or (3) purchasing one or more $ 50 raffle tickets. The first prize ticket holder will receive $3,000, second prize is $ 1,500 and third prize will be $500. Last year, our own Kathy Sheppard held the first prize ticket. I highly encourage you to visit the Chippewa Lake Lion’s Club website to register and/or to buy a raffle ticket.

CALL TO WORSHIP

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate (between Jesus and the Sadducees who insisted here is no resurrection from the dead). He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: (and Jesus quotes the Shema, meaning ‘hear’ from Deuteronomy 6) ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: (and here Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18) ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:28-31

Worship Service for January 9, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS

On January 30th, MDG Flooring of Medina will be replacing the carpet on the stage and in the office behind the stage with a new flooring material. Toward that end, the Trustees are encouraging anyone who is able to remain after worship today to help quickly clear those two areas. Then a group of guys will take up the old carpet.

I want to thank those of you who have given to the cause of live-streaming our worship services. Funds came in last month and we were able to purchase what I hoped would work as a camera. Unfortunately, the camera did not work out for us and I had to return it. I have since learned that the camera we need is going to cost about $1,500 of which we are about $700 shy. If you would like to see our church begin to live-stream our worship services, and would like to make a special offering for that purpose, please mark your check, ‘live-stream.’

CALL TO WORSHIP

Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord; praise His name.
Each day proclaim the good news that He saves.
Publish His glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things He does.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
Honor and majesty surround Him; strength and beauty fill His sanctuary.
O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
Give to the Lord the glory He deserves!
Bring your offering and come into His courts.
Worship the Lord in all His holy splendor.

Psalm 96:1-9a

Worship Service for January 2, 2022

WELCOME

Happy New Year! And welcome to CrossPointe’s written worship service. Today we are starting out the year right by celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion and focusing on prayer. (With that in mind, I would suggest you ready your bread and juice).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Next Sunday, I will give sort of a State of the Church address. As part of that service, we will present to you and recognize our church leaders.

If you would like to send your offering in the mail, our mailing address is:

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

Before I read today’s Call to Worship Scripture, how about a couple of New Year’s zingers?

Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Abby.
Abby who?
Abby New Year.

What is a New Year’s resolution?
Something that goes in one year and out the other.
(Well, maybe they’re not zingers, but can you stand one more?)

A woman took an afternoon nap on New Year’s Eve. When she woke up, she told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a diamond ring for a New Year’s present. What do you think it means?”
He replied, “You’ll find out tonight!”
At midnight, her husband handed her a small gift-wrapped present.
Excited, she opened it quickly, but was even more surprised: In it was a book titled The Meaning of Dreams.

I guess I should stick to what I know!

CALL TO WORSHIP

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
They are new every morning;
great is His faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Worship Service for December 26, 2021

WELCOME

Good day, and welcome to Christmas Day Plus One worship presentation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Next Sunday, I want to start the New Year right with a service of prayer for the coming year.

CALL TO WORSHIP

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 2:8-14

Worship Service for December 24, 2021

WELCOME

Good evening, and welcome to this Christmas Eve, 2021 worship service. I thank you so much for coming. Toward the end of this hour, we will light candles and sing Silent Night, Holy Night. If you haven’t received a candle, raise your hand. I also thank you for your willingness to wear a mask tonight. I understand they are a pain, but I’m glad you see it as an opportunity to participate in a greater good.

As a result of Covid, we stopped passing an offering plate during the service. If you’d like to give to support the mission of CrossPointe Church in our community, you may do so by placing your gift in the wooden box on the table on the right near the door as you are leaving. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

I wish to thank you for your generous support of our various mission projects in Chippewa Lake all year long, but especially the last 30 days. I am speaking primarily of the Thanksgiving boxes we packed and gave away, the way that we responded again to the need of the Church-at-the-Lake Food Pantry, and last but not least, the amazing response to the opportunity to provide Christmas for six families who live in our neighborhood.

What is it about Christmas? People decorate their homes, put up lights, go to the trouble to put up Christmas trees, spend hours coming up with lists, and shopping for just the right Christmas presents for friends and loved ones. Everywhere we go, we hear Christmas music. Would you believe that there are 9,274 songs with the word Christmas in the title! Someone dug into the streaming service Spotify and discovered 914,047 Christmas songs! So what is about Christmas that draws the world’s attention? I think you know.

SCRIPTURE

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on My behalf.

Micah 5:2

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Luke 2:1-7

Worship Service for December 19, 2021

WELCOME

Good day, and welcome to the 4th and final Sunday in Advent worship presentation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thanks to all of you who participated in Friday’s Community Meal. And thank you to all you wonderful and generous people who so wonderfully gave to our Adopt-a-Family Mission Project.

Last Wednesday’s e-mail informed you that in order to safely accommodate up to 100 people, I was hoping to have two Christmas Eve Services. Thus far, 6 people have rsvp’d for the 4 pm and 7 for the 6 pm. I want to assume that more than that will attend. Please e-mail me at randykmeyer@hotmail.com to let me know which service you would prefer to attend.

CALL TO WORSHIP

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Luke 2:1-7

Worship Service for December 12, 2021

WELCOME

Good day, and welcome to the 3rd Sunday in Advent worship presentation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our monthly Community Meal is this coming Friday. If you would like to serve, please let Sandy Barnes know.

There are still a few opportunities to participate in our annual Christmas Adopt-a-Family program. Please call Annie Dean at (330) 807-8148 for more information.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Isaiah 9:1-7

Worship Service for December 5, 2021

WELCOME

Good day, and welcome to the 2nd Sunday in Advent worship presentation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Yes, here we are in sunny and 78 degrees Sarasota, Florida. And, yes, I am wearing one of my favorite Ohio State t-shirts. Sugar Bowl champs January 1, 2021. I wear it proudly even though the beloved bucks were thoroughly beaten by Michigan a week ago Saturday. My head is bloodied but it is not bowed for until my dying day, I will always be an Ohio State alum and supporter of the Buckeyes. And I say, “Congratulations to Larry Warner for being a loyal fan of the Wolverines.” We could all take a lesson from Larry about loyalty. I mean it takes a lot of faith to hang in there and support his team through the thick and thin of the last 20 years of college football’s greatest rivalry. But last Saturday, his faith was rewarded!

As you are viewing this, Gail and I are headed back north to wintry Ohio. We celebrated Thanksgiving with daughter, Sarah, and her family in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. From there we came to Sarasota to help celebrate the 4th birthday of grandson, Carson. We plan on arriving back in Medina County sometime Tuesday after stopping to celebrate grandson, Matthew’s 20th birthday. Wow; that’s a lot of celebrating. We are grateful!

We are also grateful that we can take a trip like this knowing that the worship service is in good hands in Chippewa Lake. Thanks to Annie for arranging and announcing our Adopt-a-Family intentions, and for leading the communion portion of today’s worship service. Thanks, as always to the singers and musicians for using their gifts to help us worship the Lord with gladness and joy. And thanks to Robyn Tresch and Phil Strauss for leading us in prayer.

I will be delivering a Christmas/Communion meditation a little later. Thanks to Lindsay for receiving these video files and making them available to you. For now, I will turn it over to Annie Dean for an announcement about our Christmas Adopt-a-Family Program. (For you readers, please see last Wednesday’s e-mail which contains an attachment with this information).

CALLS TO WORSHIP

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Isaiah 7:14

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Matthew 1:22-23

Worship Service for November 28th

WELCOME

Good morning and welcome to CrossPointe Community Church’s online worship. If you are visiting or new to the congregation, my name is Jim. I am filling in for Pastor Randy this week. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share this time with you.

This is an exciting day for all believers in the Lord Jesus. This is the first Sunday of Advent. Which means we have now, “officially” entered the Christmas season. This Sunday is traditionally celebrated as the Sunday of Hope… There are four candles for the four weeks of Advent, symbolizing hope, love, joy and peace. And finally the center candle is lit for Christmas.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Watch for more details about our Christmas Adopt-a-Family coming soon.

CALL TO WORSHIP

A psalm of David.
O Lord, I give my life to you.
I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.

Psalm 25:1-7