This Sunday’s service will invite us to slow down and listen for the quiet, steady voice of God who offers rest to our weary souls. We will explore spiritual rest not as escape or inactivity, but as a deep trust in God—our rock, refuge, and source of peace. In a world that glorifies busyness and self-reliance, we are called back to Sabbath rhythms, honest prayer, and a life grounded in reliance on God rather than constant striving. Together, we will reflect on what it means to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and shape the way we live.

This theme of rest and trust is especially fitting as we welcome new members into the life of our congregation. Becoming part of a church is not about earning belonging or keeping up with expectations, but about being received into a community centered on grace, patience, and shared faith. As we open our hearts to new members, we are reminded that this church is meant to be a place of refuge—a spiritual home where people can rest, grow, and walk together in Christ. In welcoming others, we also recommit ourselves to being a community where God’s peace dwells richly among us.

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This worship service explores the theme of social rest in our ongoing sermon series—this is the healing, holy work of being held in community and learning to hold one another. Together, we reflect on compassion fatigue, chosen family, authenticity, and the practice of detaching with love. We listen to the story of Moses, whose weary arms are held up by Aaron and Hur, and hear Paul’s vision of a community marked by genuine love, mutual care, and shared emotional and spiritual labor. Together, we consider how God never intends us to carry everything alone—and how rest can be found not only in solitude, but in supportive, truthful relationships.

Children participate through an embodied object lesson that illustrates how we can help hold each other up when we are tired, reminding us that even the youngest among us have a role in God’s caring community. This service invites worshipers of all ages to reflect on who their “Aaron and Hur” might be, where they need to receive support, and how they can offer presence and compassion without burning out. May this worship experience encourage you to practice social rest—rooted in love, sustained by community, and grounded in God’s grace.

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This week’s worship service continues our Rest Assured sermon series with a focus on emotional rest—the kind of deep, inner peace God offers when our hearts feel overwhelmed, anxious, or worn down. Drawing from Isaiah 40:25–31 and Philippians 4:4–9, we reflect on God’s promise to renew the strength of the weary and to guard our hearts and minds with a peace that surpasses understanding. In a season when many are carrying more than they can hold, this service invites us to release what drains our inner life and to rest in God’s steady, renewing presence.

Through scripture, prayer, and song, we explore how emotional rest is nurtured through healthy boundaries, honest prayer, and attentiveness to what shapes our inner world. Rather than asking us to ignore our feelings or push through exhaustion, this service offers space to breathe, reflect, and receive God’s peace as a gift. Whether you are joining us in the sanctuary or online, we pray this time of worship will help create room within you for healing, calm, and renewed hope as you wait on the Lord.

NOTE: This Sunday, Pastor Jessie has pre-recorded her sermon (and children’s time), as she is out of town on the youth group’s annual winter retreat at River Valley Ranch.

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Children’s Time

Scripture and Sermon

Benediction

Epiphany Sermon Series begins today: REST ASSURED

This short new year sermon series will pave the road to Pastor Jessie’s sabbatical. This will invite us all into a season of renewal as we explore the seven types of rest every person needs—physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and spiritual. Together, we will reflect on God’s rhythm of restoration and consider how rest is not a luxury but a vital practice for wholeness. Each week will open space for honest reflection, gentle challenge, and hopeful imagination as we learn to receive the kind of rest that restores our lives and deepens our life together as a church.

This series is inspired by Sacred Rest: by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

This first Sunday we will focus on physical rest and sensory rest. In such a fast paced world that is overloaded with input and content, how do we find this kind of rest? How do we make room with intention for this kind of rest on a regular basis?

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On Epiphany, we celebrate a God who leads—guiding seekers through signs, Scripture, and Spirit into spaces of revelation and renewal. In Matthew’s telling of the Magi, a star awakens curiosity, ancient words point the way, and divine wisdom redirects the journey. This story reminds us that faith is not about having the whole map, but about trusting the light God gives for the next step. Epiphany proclaims that God still meets us where we are and draws us toward deeper truth and unexpected grace.

This worship service invites all ages to follow that light together. Through the story of the Magi and the practice of receiving Star Words, we will reflect on how God continues to guide our lives—sometimes clearly, sometimes gently, always faithfully. As the Magi were led to worship and left transformed, we too are invited into a journey of restoration, attentiveness, and hope, discovering how Christ’s light still shines for us and through us in the world today.

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