Sermon

You Have Not Been Abandoned

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. ... I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you"
John 14:15-16,18

Jesus promised his followers that they would not be left alone, that even though he was leaving to prepare a place for them, and would return, he would not leave them as orphans, he would send another Advocate, one to act on their behalf. He also gave them an important assignment. They were to continue to live and minister as he had taught them.

Our lives and world are dramatically affected by the pandemic. This is one of those events where we cannot ignore the fact that we face problems, obstacles, and needs that are bigger than us. But, even then, Jesus promises that we have not been abandoned, we are not alone, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, is present and at work.

Now, more than ever, we are to love one another as Jesus loves us. As we love others the way Jesus loves us, we become aligned with and part of God's will and work in our lives and in the world.

With all the stress and change going on in people's lives, this week's video includes a 6 minute presentation by a mental health counselor that Nancy has known for many years.

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

"You are My King (Amazing Love)" by Billy Foote (c) 1996 Worshiptogether.com songs
"Something Beautiful" by Gloria Gaither (c) 1971 William J. Gaither, Inc.
"In His Time" by Diane Ball (c) 1978 Maranatha! Music
All rights reseved by publishers and copyright holders
Used under CCLI license #11123016 which include streaming permissions

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also" John 14:2-3

We are in a troubling time, and yet Jesus told his disciples to do not let their hearts be troubled. These are easy words to say when you have everything you need, but they are tested when things do not go as you planned. Jesus spoke these words as he pursued his journey to the cross and grave, stops he must make to prepare a place for us. He knew his disciples would face troubles, doubts, and fear, but he reminded them that God gets the last word.

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families and remember to hit the "Subscribe" button.

"10,000 Reasons" by Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman (c) 2011 Thankyou Music, Said and Don Music, sixsteps Music, SHOUT! Music Publisher
"They Will Know we are Christians" by Peter Scholtes (c) 1966 F.E.L. Publications. Assigned 1991 Lorenz Publishing Company (Admin. by Lorenz Corporation)
All rights are reserved by the copyright holders
Music performed under CCLI License #11123016 which includes streaming permissions

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
John 10:11

Jesus repeatedly described himself as the Good Shepherd - a shepherd who will lay down his life for the sheep, who would leave a flock of 99 to seek and to save the one who wandered. God, rather than being eager to punish and condemn, is eager to save and restore those who have wandered.

This worship service is through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that it will bless all that God leads to watch it. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/SbfWEOorWX8

"Reckless Love" by Caleb Culver, Cory Asbury, Ran Jackson (c) 2018 Essential Music Publishing
"They Will Know we are Christians" by Peter Scholtes (c) 1966 F.E.L. Publications.
Assigned 1991 Lorenz Publishing Company (Admin. by Lorenz Corporation)
All rights reserved by the copyright holders
Music performed under CCLI License #11123016 which includes streaming permissions

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Jesus was raised from the dead and on the loose. He appeared behind locked doors to fearful followers, he called by name the one who doubted, bringing recognition. A couple days later, Jesus joins two people who had been in Jerusalem, who had heard about Jesus' resurrection, and were trying to figure it out on their way back home. Not knowing it was Jesus, they invited their fellow traveler to spend the night. Sitting down to supper, Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and their eyes were opened and they recognized the risen Lord.

The risen Lord continue to seek us, as even as we might hide in fear. Whether in extraordinary or ordinary circumstances, he calls us by name, revealing himself as the risen lord.

This worship service is through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/gAJ2lfEiZgM

"Because He Lives" William and Gloria Gaither (c) Capital Music Group
"What a Beautiful Name" by Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood (c) 20616, Hillsong Publishing
"They Will Know we are Christians" by Peter Scholtes (c) 1966 F.E.L. Publications.
Assigned 1991 Lorenz Publishing Company (Admin. by Lorenz Corporation)
Music performed under CCLI License #11123016 which includes streaming permissions

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

On the Sunday after Easter we remember that even Jesus closest followers expected Jesus to remain in the tomb, rather than be raised from the dead. The word of others who believed was not sufficient, they had to encounter Jesus themselves. Having seen and believed that God raised Jesus from the dead, they became bold witnesses of the risen Christ.

This worship service is through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church. We are very grateful to the many people that contributed to it.

"Christ the Lord is Risen Today" Public Domain
"Lead Me to the Cross" by Brooke Ligertwood (c) Capital Christian Music
"They Will Know we are Christians" by Peter Scholtes (c) 1966 F.E.L. Publications.
Assigned 1991 Lorenz Publishing Company (Admin. by Lorenz Corporation)
Music performed under CCLI License #11123016 which includes streaming permissions

Celebrate Jesus' resurrection through scripture, song, and the sacrament of communion.

We may be physically apart, but the Holy Spirit and the good news of Jesus' resurrection brings us together in worship and praise.

We pray that God will use this simple video to touch your heart and life, and bring you hope and purpose in a world that is very different today than it was only one month earlier.

We will celebrate communion as part of our Easter worship together. Please know that you don't have to have any special bread, wafers, grape juice or wine. Jesus used common household food to point to the extraordinary sacrifice he was soon to make - his body broken, his blood shed. Please use what you have available: regular bread, crackers, tortillas, wine, any kind of juice, or even water, and trust the Holy Spirit to use these common elements for God's eternal purposes.

We are very grateful to the many people that contributed to this service.

Please join our virtual Good Friday Tenebrae service. The ancient tradition of Tenebrae services dates back to the early years of the church. Derived from the Latin word meaning “shadows,” Tenebrae depicts, through the reading of scripture, extinguishing of candles, and the dimming of lights, the suffering and death of Jesus.

You are invited to listen to the words of Scripture, not just with your ears and mind, but especially with your heart and imagination as we walk alongside Jesus.

Join Oviedo Presbyterian and Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona for this at-home Tenebrae Service to mark Jesus' final hours. We encourage participants to designate four lights (or sets of lights) to extinguish at times designated on the screen -- moving your room into deeper darkness. Ideally when you extinguish the fourth light, your room will be mostly dark apart from the dim light of the screen for the final readings and musical piece. The service features musical pieces on piano by Joy Lay, on recorder by Keith Lay, and on violin by Bethany Connell -- with readings by Oviedo pastor Paul Ogne and Hope pastor Nancy Graham Ogne.

Listening and watching tips:

• Please expand the video to fill your display
• Please take advantage of the closed captioning if you have any difficulty understanding what is being said. Do this by clicking on the "CC" in a white box at the bottom of your video.
• The service has opportunities for you to reflect on what Jesus experienced for our sake. Please use your pause button if you would like more time to reflect.

Music performed under CCLI License #11123016 which includes streaming permissions

As Jesus approached Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, crowds of people shouted and sang, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Hosanna is a Hebrew word calling to be saved or rescued. The crowds proclaimed Jesus the savior from God. To need a savior is to admit that we need help, that we can't do it ourselves.

In Philippians 4:6-7 the Apostle Paul writes, "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

We can bring our requests before God, the one who is bigger than our problems, but the real blessing is to pray with thanksgiving, not just need and anxiety.

In the midst of our anxious times, we asked people from the congregations to share some of the things they were thankful for. It is our prayer that it will encourage all of us to give thanks to God.

Matthew 14:22-33 (NRSV)

Sermon

Entire Service

Audio

Note: This is one part of several weeks of sermons from this passage. The sound of the audio will abruptly shift several times in the recording to amplify and clarify as several people speak from the congregation extemporaneously.

Ephesians 1:1-2, 15-23(NRSV)