Pathways Baptist Church
Welcome to worship at Pathways! We are glad you are here. Pastor Jonathan Der will bring today's message from our sermon series “In Other Words,” where we will look at one of the hard sayings of Jesus. Follow along with us in Luke 16:1-15. Fill out a Connection Card (link provided below) and let us know how we can serve you.
Praise Welcome: POMPOSO, Sanctuary Bells
Thanksgiving Video
Praise Song: GIVE THANKS, Sanctuary Bells
Praise Song: FOREVER
Testimony and Prayer: Silvia Mendes, Children's Ministries Director
Praise Medley: MADE ME GLAD
WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE LORD
Thanksgiving Responsive Reading: Psalm 136: 1-6, 23, 26, NIV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
All: His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
All: His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
All: His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
All: His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
All: His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
All: His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
All: His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
All: His love endures forever.
Praise Song: MY TRIBUTE
Gaithersburg HELP Fall Food Drive:
Pathways wants to make a difference and give much needed non-perishable food items to Gaithersburg HELP. The special Thanksgiving Collection ends today. Your donations make a big difference to those in need in our community. Donations are always appreciated throughout the year.
Don't know what to do with all your old eye glasses you no longer use? Bring them to Pathways - both regular and tinted lenses. Pathways will accept your glasses all year long! Thank you for helping to improve the vision of others in our community with your donation.
Thanksgiving Song: GRATEFUL
Mesale (Mimi) Moutsos, solo
Learning how to have a relationship with God has often been made analogous to learning a new language.
But what if, like a language you haven’t spoken regularly, you’ve forgotten how to hear God in your everyday life?
What if, because we can’t see His hand acting in real time, with real affect upon our daily lives, we have forgotten how to be thankful?
What if, because we’re not thankful, we’re not living in a way that prepares our friends to hear the message of Jesus?
What is the cost of our having lost our thankfulness?
What is the cost of our having lost everyday fluency in our everyday relationship with Jesus?
Mark 4:11-12 NIV
Found in every gospel and in Paul's writings:
Matthew 13:14-15; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26-27; John 12:40; Romans 11:8
Isaiah 6:9-10 NIV
"God in our everyday."
DISCUSSION / REFLECTION PROMPTS
1. How would you describe your current state of thankfulness before God?
2. Why do you think even more thankfulness might be hard for you?Recall /
3. Share about a time in your life when you remember being very fluent in your intimacy with God, when you were very close with Him on a daily basis.
4. If that time is in your future, hopefully, how do you think it might benefit your everyday life in real and tangible ways?
5. What’s your favorite song of thankfulness? Share it with someone via text or email or Spotify or whatever platform you’re comfortable with.
6. Find a verse about being thankful and memorize it / write it up on your bathroom mirror in dry erase marker or post it. Be mindful of it and set a goal to spend time with Jesus every day this week. If you forget a day, start up again! (https://www.openbible.info/topics/)
7. Find a YouVersion Devotional on Thankfulness for yourself and pursue it.
8. Take a daily snapshot for a week (a month?) of something/someone for which you’re thankful.
9. Prepare for the End of the Year Reflection Service:
*2 min Slideshow of your thankfulness pics
*2 min on mic (or recorded) testimony Show and Tell of a Sketch or a Painting that reflects God in your life this past year
*Lyrics or a poem you wrote that encapsulates God in your life this past year
*Home-Baked goodness you share with us at the refreshment table?
*A new community role you’re going to pursue with us:
--Host Desk
--Tech Team
--Orchestra
--Bells
--Worship Team
--Childrens’ or Student Ministries
--a Sunday morning Class
--a Small Group
--getting in on the next New Members’ Group
--pursuing Baptism
--joining our building / facilities team
--contacting a pastor about a Workshop you can help lead
--Or however else God might lead you!
Sermon Series: In Other Words: "How Fluent In Jesus Intimacy Are you"
Pastor Jonathan Der, Student Ministries Pastor
Mark 4:11-12
Closing Song: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS