Sermon

Sunday Worship April 19, 2020

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

Easter Worship - April 12, 2020

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.

Good Friday Service - April 10, 2020

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

Sunday Worship April 5, 2020

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.

March 22, 2020 "Stepping into the Storm" - Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-33 (NRSV)

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

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March 15,2020 "Growth Spurts" - Ephesians 1:1-2, 15-23

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)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

---

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason, I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

"In the Same Way" - 1 Peter 3:1-9

A quick note:
As a white man I have approached this sermon, and the one from the previous week, with a deep appreciation that I do not know what it is like to live as a descendant of the legacy of slavery or a woman, in a world where the effects of the evils of slavery, racism, and misogyny are present and real. In the end, God did not listen to my excuses and dragged me, despite my best efforts, to confront these texts. In the end, God revealed to me that the profound message of these passages is very different than the abusive ways they have been used against others. I pray that our congregation, and others who stumble upon this sermon, might be similarly blessed.

Yours in Christ,
Paul

1 Peter 3:1-9(NRSV)

Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.

Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers.

Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.

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http://oviedopres.podbean.com/

Amazing Wine/Ordinary People - John 2:1-11 January 12, 2014

John 2:1-11(NRSV)

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

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Dusty Deity - John 1:1-18 December 29, 2013

John 1:1-18(NRSV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.