May 18, 2025 9:30 p.m.
Livestream begins at 9:25 am.
Whom Shall I Fear God of Angel Armies
Hymn of Heaven
Hammer & Heels
“The Lift of Love”
Galatians 6:2
“The Face of Fear ~ Joseph of Arimathea”
John 19:30-42
Lord Reign In Me
God's Parting Blessing:
God go before you to lead you, God go behind you to protect you,
God go beneath you to support you, God go beside you to befriend you.
Do not be afraid.
May the blessing of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you
Do not be afraid. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen
John 19:30-42
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers, therefore, came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37 and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced." 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Introduction – Story - Eastertide
I. The Cross of Christ Changes Joseph of Arimathea
II. The Cross – Overcomes Fear
A. Taking a position before men, more than position before God
B. Valuing the praise of men more than the praise of God
III. The Cure for Fear
· John 3:14-15
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
· Perfect love drives out fear
Application
Love > Grow > Serve
The Nursery is staffed today. Thank you, Jamie Beery & Brooklyn Snieder. Please sign your child in.
Attention, Attention VBS Leaders! For all of those involved in leadership roles (not crew leaders). We will have a brief meeting in the teen room about 10 minutes after service. We will be handing out the books for you to look over. Please look through the book and make a list of what you need to order. We will then have another meeting on Wednesday, May 21st, at 6:00 pm, for all those in leadership roles who can attend. Please bring your list to that meeting. Thank you!
Coffee N Chat, this Wednesday at 9:30 am (Last one until Fall). Guest speaker: Chris Lovell, “Faith Journey of Daughter’s Leukemia”
Please grab your Caring Pregnancy Center Baby Bottle from the Connection Center and fill it up with change, $$ or checks from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day! Blessed to Bless Babies!! Please return by June 15th.
Bless Garden is BACK! Sign up for what you are interested in being planted this year. (There is no guarantee.) Please donate seed packages or seedlings to be planted in the garden. The garden will be planted this week.
Golf Mondays. Monday, May 19th, with a tee time of 5:30 pm. Meet in Nora Springs at the Buffalo Run Golf Course.
Save the Date: Youth Basic Bible Camp is August 3rd - August 7th.
Attention: If you use the nursery, please make sure that you leave it as you found it. Please make sure everything is put away in its proper place and there is no garbage on the floor. Thank you.
Newsletter: Helfers have sent a newsletter. Pick up a copy from the Missions Corner.
MAY MARKS THE MONTH to bless our missionary families, the Klompiens (Nepal) and the Helfers (South Africa), with our financial support for them. Thus far this past year, Rolling Acres has given $1,316 to their ministries. Let's see how much we can gather to bless them in the next several weeks, shall we? Just put the amount to earmark for "Missionary Families" in the memo line of your check or Venmo gift. Bless YOU as you bless THEM!
Update on Jordan Pals: He went back to work this week, his shoulder is healing, but he is still doing some physical therapy. Celebrate his recovery.
Church Cancellation Policy Updated: In case of a tornado watch or warning, all church activities and church services will be canceled. This is because we do not have a basement. If school is cancelled, all activities at church will be canceled as well. The final decision to cancel a church service will be made by the Elders. The VP of Council/Elders will initiate the calls and process to other Elders for discussion. Once it is determined that the service will be canceled, efforts by the Elders will be made to contact the congregation.
Want to make our guests feel welcome? Please put on a name tag. They are available at both entrances. Thanks!
Reminder: If you are the last person leaving the church after any event or activity, Please remember to clean up; i.e. tables, chairs, and kitchen, turn off the lights, shut the windows, and lock the doors. Thank you Management
If you unhook the chairs in the sanctuary, you must hook them up again! this is a safety issue. Thank you.
Would you like access to the devotional offered by the church, please call 641-424-1369 or email the church secretary at racrcsec@msn.com.
Have you checked out Missionary Corner? There are updates from our missionaries, the Klompien's, and the Hefler's. Copies are available for reading. Please take one and see how they have been sharing Christ’s love and mission
Reminder if you borrow tables and chairs from the church, please remember to follow equipment borrowing procedures. Upon return, please make sure all items are clean and in good order.
There are activity bags available for the children, during worship service. They are located next to the coat rack in a bin.
The church email has changed to secretary@rollingacrescrc.org. Please update your church directory.
lease keep Dick and Joey Van Zomeran in your prayers. Dick has been diagnosed with a mass on his brain, possibly cancer. His surgery went well, and he will be moving to the West Campus. He is open to visits and loves flowers. Pray for healing and God’s peace and presence for both Dick and Joey. Dorothy Oppermann fell out of bed and broke her left wrist and hip. She is currently in the hospital. Please pray for those who cannot attend on Sunday, like Jeanetta Taft. Pray for Church Beyond Borders, as they unite people from all regions to worship God in unity. Pray for World Renew to continue supporting community development and disaster relief. Pray for our missionary family, the Helfers, as they minister to the people of South Africa. Remember Israel and Ukraine in your prayers, and pray for peace.
John 13:31-35
Get Ready: Gather props for roles that kids will be able to identify, such as an artist, a firefighter, a fisherman, a musician, and a teacher. If you don’t have a partition, hang a bed sheet that you can walk behind to switch roles.
Do This :SAY: I’ve prepared a fun game for us to play today. It’s a guessing game. Here’s how we play. I’ll put on a costume and pretend to have a specific role or job, and then you’ll have to guess who I am. Ready?
Choose a role and then perform actions the person might perform if they were in that role. Take props from behind the partition to add to your persona until the kids guess who you are. Once the kids have guessed correctly, ask them how they knew who you were.
Let kids take turns repeating the same process with new roles, while the other children guess who they are. Allow them to use the props for other roles they think of, as well.
This game makes me think of our Bible passage for today. Jesus was teaching His friends, the disciples. He was getting ready to go to heaven and He wanted them to be ready, too. He told them, “You can’t go where I’m going. But when I leave, I want you to love others as I have loved you. Then they’ll know you’re My disciples.”
Like in our game, you knew I was a [remind children of a role you played] because I [remind children of the actions you did and what you looked like].
Jesus says when we love others like He loved others, they’ll know we’re His friends. Would you like people to know you’re Jesus’ friend? We’ll think more about that today.
PRAY: God, we want others to know we’re Jesus’ friends. Help us to love others like Jesus loved. In Jesus name, Amen.