They Were Slaves, Then They Were Farmers, Now They’re Giving God a Fruit Basket. It’s a Wild Ride. The Ultimate ‘Started From the Bottom, Now We’re Here’ Story, Featuring More Barley.
Section 1. Welcome and Announcements
Hey everyone! Welcome, welcome! It’s so great to see each and every one of you here today. We’re so glad you’ve joined us as we journey together in faith.
Church Announcements and Upcoming Events:
- Community Outreach: This Saturday, we’ll be partnering with the local food bank to distribute meals. Please join us at 9:00 AM if you’d like to help.
- Bible Study: Our weekly small group Bible study meets every Wednesday at 7:00 PM in the fellowship hall. This week, we’ll be diving deeper into the Book of Ruth.
- Family Fun Day: Mark your calendars! Next month, we’re having a church-wide family fun day with games, food, and fellowship. More details to come!
- New Members Class: If you’re new to our church family and would like to learn more, our new members class starts next Sunday after the service.
Section 2. Call to Worship
Let’s turn our hearts and minds to the Lord. As it says in Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Let’s join together in a moment of responsive reading:
Leader: O Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Congregation: We lift our voices in praise and adoration.
Leader: You have shown us your faithfulness and love.
Congregation: We come before you with grateful hearts.
Let’s sing together, praising the name of the Lord.
Section 3. Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before you with open hearts, ready to receive your word and your love. We thank you for this beautiful day and for the opportunity to gather together as your family. Lord, we ask that you would open our minds and hearts to understand your truth and that your Holy Spirit would guide us in worship and fellowship. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Section 4. Praise and Worship
What a joy it is to lift our voices in praise to our loving God! Our worship team has prepared a beautiful selection of songs that will help us connect with God’s presence. Let’s join them now, and let our hearts be filled with adoration and gratitude.
Section 5. Scripture Reading
Today, we’re going to look at a powerful passage from Deuteronomy, chapter 26, verses 1 through 11. This passage reminds us of the importance of remembering God’s faithfulness and expressing our gratitude.
The Events in Deuteronomy 26:1-11
In this passage, Moses instructs the Israelites on what to do when they enter the Promised Land. They are to take the first fruits of their harvest and bring them to the Lord as an offering, acknowledging His provision and remembering His deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It’s a powerful act of gratitude and remembrance.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (NIV)
1 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it,
2 you shall take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then you shall go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name
3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”
4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.
5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.
6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor.
7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.
8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.
9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;
10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him.
11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
Section 6. Pastoral Prayer or Intercessory Prayer
Lord, we lift up our hearts to you in prayer. We thank you for your faithfulness, just as the Israelites did when they brought their firstfruits. We ask that you would help us to always remember your goodness and to express our gratitude in all that we do. We pray for those who are struggling, for those who are in need, and for those who have yet to know your love.
Congregational Prayer Response:
“Lord, we bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.”
Section 7. Offering
Giving is an act of worship, a way to show our gratitude to God for all He has provided. Your tithes and offerings support the ministry of our church and enable us to reach out to our community. Thank you for your generosity.
Prayer of Thanks:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to give back to you. We ask that you would bless these offerings and use them to further your kingdom. May they be a reflection of our love and gratitude. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Section 8. Special Music
Now, we have a special musical presentation prepared by our choir. Let’s give them our full attention as they minister to us through song.
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They Ate Locusts & Wandered 40 Years… Then THIS Happened?
And How It Can Fix Your Congregation’s ‘Spiritual Slump’
Imagine, if you will, a dusty, sun-baked landscape. Forty years. Forty years of wandering, of hardship, of doubt. The Israelites, a people forged in the crucible of slavery, finally stand on the threshold of their promised land. But what happens next isn’t a victory lap, a moment of self-congratulation. It’s an act of profound, almost breathtaking, gratitude.
Moses, their weathered leader, doesn’t tell them to build monuments or throw a party. He tells them to bring baskets. Baskets filled with the first fruits of their harvest. To remember. To recount. To feel the weight of their journey, the miraculous deliverance, the unwavering faithfulness of their God.
You see, it wasn’t about the fruit. It was about the heart. It was about remembering where they came from, the trials they endured, and the One who brought them through it all. It’s a story of transformation, of going from nomads to landowners, from despair to abundance.
And as I crafted this sermon, every word, every phrase, was born from that same spirit of gratitude. From a deep desire to help you, and your congregation, experience that same transformative power. It’s not just a sermon; it’s a journey, a reminder, a call to cultivate a heart of gratitude that changes everything.
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This isn’t just a sermon; it’s a tool, a resource, a gift to help you and your congregation experience the transformative power of gratitude.
