​

February 21
Life streaming Worship services
For 9:30am service click the following link: https://youtu.be/7nFgJtKL52c
For our 2:30pm service click the following link: https://youtu.be/FJVsJYuh6Ww

9:30 am Service
​Welcome and Announcements
Preservice song
                                - The Heavens Above Declare (# 19A) Stanzas 1-5
Silent Prayer
Opening reading -   Psalm 8:1-2 (p.530) (large p.848)
Statement of dependance and Blessing
Song  - All Things Bright and Beautiful   #251 - stanzas 1,2,3,5
Our Need  - Deuteronomy 5:1-21 (p.177) (large p.282) 
Prayer
Song - God, Be Merciful to Me   #51C. - stanzas 1-4
Prayer
Bible reading  - Genesis 41:1-40
Message -God’s working patience in His child, 
​                                                                      will be used for good and rewarded
Prayer
Song - How Great Thou Art  #227
Offering - The ministry of the church
Congregational Prayer
Closing Song - Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Closing blessing from God
 

2:30 pm service 
Welcome and announcements        
Preservice Song. - Jesus shall Reign Where’er the Sun (#417)
Silent Prayer 
Opening reading -  Psalm 103:1-5 (p.587) (large p.939)
Statement of dependance and Blessing
Song - That Man is Blessed - # 1A
Prayer
Bible Readings     - Isaiah 53:4-12 (p.716) (large p.1145)    
Confession Reading - Belgic Confession - Article 21
Message - The great, awesome and gruesome payment for our sins  
​                                                             by our faithful High-Priest, Jesus Christ
Prayer
Song - I will sing of My Redeemer - #498
Offering - Adoration Christian Center, in Haiti
Congregational Prayer
Confessing our faith with the Apostles Creed
Closing Song - Doxology - #568
Closing Blessing

Announcements

 Sunday worship services - 9:30, 11:30 and 2:30

Offerings 
This morning services it is for the ongoing ministry of the River of Life church.
This afternoon is for Adoration Christian Center.  This is a Christian School in Haiti for those who would not be able to get an education otherwise.  Part of the centre also provides housing for students who are orphans or have  parents who live very far from the Center. 

Afternoon offering schedule for next month
March - Word and Deed  - This is a Christian relief organization that help those who are dealing with starvation, poverty, lack of eduction and catastrophes by seeking to improve lives both materially and spiritually in obedience to Christ’s command to love our neighbour as our self. 
In the last Sunday of the month for the Deacon Fund.  This fund is to help those with special financial struggles in our community.

Wednesday devotionals - Each Wednesday there is a devotional put up on our Face book page.  Presently the devotionals go through the book of James.  

From the Deacons  Dear church family, As ROL deacons we want to let you know that, though we are not able to meet as regularly as we like this month, we will still be able to receive your offerings towards the ROL budget or monthly offering causes. As we did last year, envelopes can be given to one of the office bearers, dropped off at River of Life through the mail slot Sunday morning or placed in the offering box on Sunday morning or afternoon. If dropping off at one of us office bearers please phone ahead of time to make delivery arrangements to ensure someone is home and money is not left in a mailbox. As always, we as deacons serve Christ to ensure no one among us is lacking of any basic living needs. If any among you are having difficulty meeting a physical need please never hesitate to contact one of us.   Upcoming offering causes beside the regular AM collection for ROL Budget, or Deacon fund are as follows: (Please indicate on envelope or cheque memo)
March – Word and Deed
April – South Niagara Life Ministry
In Christ we serve, Your deacons,     Mike and Nick

Music Corner  
Psalm 19A : The Heavens Above Declare
For the month of February, we are able to learn Psalm 19A "The Heavens Above Declare" 
Various composers and authors have contributed to giving us this version that we are learning. 
When singing, verses 1-4 reflect the first six verses of this Psalm of David.  Consider how the psalmist stood in awe at the beginning of the day and marvelled at what God reveals of himself in His creation.  David was by no means in an easy place!  Yet he still reflected and considered the heavens that declared the glory of God.  This month when we sing this psalm together can we be reminded to stop, reflect, ponder and meditate on God’s glorious works?  Even during a difficult pandemic are you able to look up?  Look up! -- and consider the sky that God created and all within it.  Consider how God has set every day and night his canopy over us, showing to all how glorious He is.  Let us marvel how God’s creation speaks of His greatness, as He sets the sun, moon, and stars into motion to continue their orbit.  Spurgeon says “At every moment, God’s existence, power, wisdom and goodness are being sounded by the heavenly heralds that shine on us.” 
As we continue to sing through the verses 5 and 6, we are echoing the words of Psalm 19:7-9. These verses talk of Gods grace. The “perfect law” is the complete Word of God – the whole gospel.  When we read or hear the word “revive”, we often picture a weary, sick soul.  As we sing the words of the Bible, God Himself is telling us that He will renew, change, and strengthen us as we sing His words with faith. Spurgeon says that “humble, candid, teachable minds receive the word and are made wise to salvation.” 
Each Sunday as we sing this Psalm may we encourage each other to be in God’s word, and so be revived by His gracious words again and again. 
When we continue to sing notice how verse 7 uses the pronoun “they.”  This “they” refers back to the things spoke of in stanza 6, that is His commands and His truth that are far better than the costliest or sweetest thing this world will ever offer.    Having God's truth and commands is infinitely greater and more wonderful than any earthly thing, ultimate vacation, food or experience that you could imagine.  When we slow the Psalm down – may we see how the Psalmist was overwhelmed by His Redeemer.  It is through learning and being instructed and meditating on God’s word that we also will be overwhelmed by our Redeemer. 
Finally, the last two stanzas sum up Psalm 19:12-14 by ending in sweet prayer.  A prayer for God’s grace.  The Psalmist shows that he understands his sin and recognizes that God’s Word reveals his heart in a proper way.   Therefore he confesses all His sin; even the sins he is unaware of.  They he prays for and seeks protection from a willful spirit. The Psalmist ends his petitions with  assurance – the Lord has redeemed and set me free. 

Hymn 417:  Jesus Shall Reign Wher er the Sun
Jesus Shall Reign was penned by a great hero of England and known as the father of modern English hymns,  Dr. Isaac Watts.  It has been used widely as a missionary hymn and is a paraphrase of the 2nd part of Psalm 72.  It was 1st published under the title “Christ’s Kingdom Among the Gentiles.” This hymn is considered one of the earliest mission hymns, becoming more widely known and used in the 19th century. 
It is interesting to note that Watts paraphrased a Psalm, yet begins the hymn with Jesus Shall Reign.  Watts believed the Psalms pointed to Jesus and so also should reflected Christian experience.  Therefore, in his hymn writing he commonly references to Jesus,  even though we don’t read of Jesus in the text of the Psalms.  Read this little story of this hymn!  Mr. G. J. Stevenson gives, in his Methodist Hymn Book Notes, 1883, p. 351, an account of the striking and historical use which was made of this hymn when various islands in the South Seas officially renounced heathenism and embraced Christianity: 
"Perhaps one of the most interesting occasions on which this hymn was used was that on which King George, the sable, of the South Sea Islands, but of blessed memory, gave a new constitution to his people, exchanging a Heathen for a Christian form of government. Under the spreading branches of the banyan trees sat some thousand natives from Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, on Whitsunday, 1862, assembled for divine worship. Foremost amongst them all sat King George himself. Around him were seated old chiefs and warriors who had shared with him the dangers and fortunes of many a battle; men whose eyes were dim, and whose powerful frames were bowed down with the weight of years. But old and young alike rejoiced together in the joys of that day, their faces most of them radiant with Christian joy, love, and hope. It would be impossible to describe the deep feeling manifested when the solemn service began, by the entire audience singing Dr. Watts's hymn, “Jesus shall reign where'er the sun"... Who so much as they could realize the full meaning of the poet's words? for they had been rescued from the darkness of heathenism and cannibalism, and they were that day met for the first time under a Christian constitution, under a Christian king, and with Christ Himself reigning in the hearts of most of those present. That was indeed Christ's kingdom set up in the earth." --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Isn’t it a wonder then that the modern day hymn writers of the 21st century, the Gettys, added a refrain of praise to this well known hymn?  A few years ago, all around the world on a Sunday in February we sang this song with the added chorus.  The church must continue to be missional to spread the gospel far and wide.  As we learn this song more fully this month let us consider how we at River of Life church can share and spread the gospel to our community and how all the nations of the earth can bring the eternal God praise. In the days of political unrest and rights activism may we sing to each other that Jesus is reigning on the throne.  Each day, every day, over all the earth. He is the King! Repeat the Loud AMEN!