There will be a fellowship dinner this Sabbath, January 28, following second worship service in the Commons on the lower level. Visitors are always welcome.
"You Turned My Mourning into Dancing"
The Habitude of Gratitude
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonSince 1983, Dwight Nelson has served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. He preaches on the “New Perceptions” telecast, teaches at the theological seminary and has written some books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
Offering
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Program:
Preparation for Joy
Put on Gladness, O My Soul • Johannes Brahms
Invitation to Joy
O Come, Let Us Sing to the Lord • Anonymous
Call to Joy
Psalm 100 NKJV • Sinegugu Katenga
Response of Rejoicing
Praise to the Lord • setting: Michael Burkhardt /Johann Gottfried Walther
Words of Joy
Psalm 98 NKJV • David Ortiz
Response of Rejoicing
Sing Praise to God • 29 setting:. Kenneth Logan
Prayer of Rejoicing
José Bourget
Choral Response of Rejoicing
From Hymns of Luther
Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord O Lord, We Praise Thee
Homily
"'You Turned My Mourning into Dancing': The Habitude of Gratitude" • Dwight K. Nelson
Choral Response in Thanksgiving
Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ Lay in Death's Bonds) • Johann Sebastian Bach
Letters of Thanksgiving
From Chorales of Luther's Movement
What God Does Is Done Well O God, Thou Faithful God Rejoice Thyself, O My Soul Now Thank We All Our God
Procession of Thanksgiving
Gifts of Food, Song, Tithes & Offerings
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart • st. 1-2 of 27 | We Have Heard a Joyful Sound • st. 1,4 of 340 | This Is My Father’s World • st. 1, 3 of 92 | My Faith Looks Up to Thee • st. 1, 3 of 517 | To God Be the Glory • st. 1, 3 of 341 | Now Thank We All Our God • 559
Benediction in Thanksgiving
Dwight K. Nelson
Choral Response
Now Thank We All Our God • Kenneth Logan
Final Thanksgiving
Now Thank We All Our God • Wilhelm Teschner
More In This Series
"'You Turned My Mourning into Dancing': Habitude of Gratitude"
- "Habitude"
- "An act or an attitude that becomes a custom or habit"
- "Habitude of Gratitude”
- Jeremiah 31:3-4, 13-14
- NRSV: "You shall take your tambourines and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers."
- Twenty One Pilots "Stressed Out":
Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
We're stressed out . . . - Jean Twenge: "[The song] 'Stressed Out' captures this possible link between growing up slowly and mental health issues.... As Asbury University student Alyssa Driscoll wrote, the song ‘has exactly what we’re thinking written in it... [It] really GETS US.'" (iGen 111)
- "iGen is on the verge of the most severe mental health crisis for young people in decades. On the surface, though, everything is fine." (93)
- "In Laura's profile picture... she's a girl with wavy brown hair who looks no more than 16. Her site is titled 'a depressed person life.' Her pain is starkly evident in her posts, which include 'That's how depression hits. You wake up one morning, afraid that you’re gonna live,' 'I don't why I am so stupid. I don’t know why I am so sad,' and 'They all looked so [expletive] happy to me. Why couldn't I look like that?' The web page's title appeared as one apt word: ‘Broken.'" (99-100)
- Gregory Boyd: "My life is Christ—nothing else really matters." (Present Perfect: Finding God in the Now 57)
- Ministry of Healing
- Emotional Health Nugget #1: "When you open your eyes in the morning, God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night, let as a sweet perfume ascend to heaven." (253)
- Emotional Health Nugget #2: "One of the surest hindrances to the recovery of the sick [physically/emotionally] is the centering of attention upon themselves. Many invalids feel that everyone should give them sympathy and help, when what they need is to have their attention turned away from themselves, to think of and care for ." (256)
- "Good deeds are a blessing, benefiting both the giver and the receiver of the kindness. The consciousness of right-doing is one of the best medicines for diseased bodies and minds. When the mind is free and happy from a sense of duty well done and the satisfaction of giving happiness to others, the cheering, uplifting influence brings new life to the whole being." (257)
- Emotional Health Nugget #3: "Let praise and thanksgiving be expressed in . When tempted, instead of giving utterance to our feelings, let us by faith lift up a song of to God." (254)
"My life is Christ—nothing else really matters."
Fellowship Dinner
Offering for January 28, 2023
Michigan Advance Partners
The early Christian church was marked by its deep love for the Lord and sacrificial giving to His cause. In Acts 2:44, 45 we read how “all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Two chapters later we are told that “all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts 4:34, 35)
Amid this incredible tide of giving, the hearts of two believers, Ananias and Sapphira, were stirred as well. When selling a valuable possession, they enthusiastically pledged the proceeds to the Lord. But as the time to surrender their pledge drew near, their enthusiasm cooled, and they decided to only give part of what they had originally promised. You can read the tragic results in Acts 5:1-11.
The great sin of this couple wasn’t that they refused to give all. The Lord doesn’t ask us to give everything, but merely to give as our hearts are moved—and to give without wavering. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was making a covenant with God and then going back on their commitment. As we give for the work of evangelism today, let us do so without wavering. May the Lord remove any equivocation in our hearts and bless our humble offerings to His glory.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
AU Wind Symphony Winter Concert
Come join us for the AU Wind Symphony Winter Concert tonight at 8:00pm at the HPAC, featuring our annual partnership with the Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band under the direction of conductor Mark Hollandsworth. We will feature a wide variety of music, including Gershwin’s Strike up the Band, a collection of French folksongs, and the Mexican masterpiece Huapango by José Moncayo.
The Wooden Structure(s) on Ararat
ASM members and guests are invited to hear Dr. Randall Younker discuss his team's recent visit to Mt. Ararat and what they found, on February 12, at 1 PM. It's sure to be an exciting program. Bring some food and enjoy a potluck with your friends. Bring a new friend and invite them to join ASM for the remainder of the present term for only 1/2 of the annual dues.
Andrews Academy Luncheon for Senior Citizens
All ASM members and friends of Andrews Academy are invited to their annual Senior Citizens Dinner in the Academy Commons at 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 29. The meal and the program are a gift from the academy. At the event, your donations to Christian Education will be greatly appreciated.
Howard Center Presents: Charles Reid & Friends
Isn't It Romantic? In anticipation of Valentine's Day, join internationally renowned tenor, Charles Reid, and friends from the Andrews University Department of Music in an eclectic and fun evening on the theme of love.
Pioneer Reception Has Moved!
Thanks to our exciting elevator project, Pioneer has temporarily relocated our Reception to the Lower Level Welcome Center.
You may visit the Lower Level Welcome Center by using the internal stairs via the main Awning Entrance or by using the external stairs adjacent to the Awning Entrance. Heidi Ha will continue to provide you with excellent service with key & card access, Sabbath School resources, volunteer engagement, facilities use, and much more. Contact phone numbers will remain the same—269-471-3133 and 269-471-6565.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we collaborate on the exciting and much-anticipated elevator project.
Pioneer Piloting Alive in Jesus Children's Sabbath School
We are excited to be one of 80 churches around the globe piloting the new Alive in Jesus Sabbath School curriculum for the first quarter of 2023. Our Kindergarten 5-6 Year, Primary Grade 3, and Junior Grade 5 Sabbath Schools are leading our pilot, fulling implementing, with parents and our volunteer teams providing research feedback. The Gracelink curriculum, developed 25+ years ago, will be replaced with new lessons for 0 to 18 years olds by 2025. The Alive in Jesus Curriculum is being developed to better assist families in discipling kids in this 21st century to deeply love and fully live for Jesus.
We invite members to pray for our parents and volunteers as they reflect on this pilot experience to provide rich data to improve the lessons for global use. Feel free to watch an introductory video and explore the online materials at https://pilot.aliveinjesus.info/, or come visit or volunteer in a Sabbath School this quarter.
Something In Common: Sacred Marriage Series
Something In Common Sabbath School presents "Sacred Marriage": What If God Designed Marriage To Make Us Holy More Than To Make Us Happy?
- January 7 - God’s Purpose for Marriage: More Than We Imagine
- January 14 - The Refining Power of Marriage
- January 21 - The God-Centered Spouse
- January 28 - Sacred History
- February 4 - Sexual Saints
- February 11 - Marriage: The Love Laboratory
Everyone is welcome to join us in Room 141 every Sabbath from 10:30 - 11:30.
Update for Renovate 2.0
Our building committee and church board have voted to install the much-needed elevator and redesign the stairs to reduce their steep climb which in turn can provide more comfortable access to our church for all God's people.