Happy Birthday, America!
Worship July 5, 2026 9:30 a.m.
Livestream begins at 9:25 am.

America The Beautiful
“God’s Handiwork”
Ephesians 2:10
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
The Lion And The Lamb
John 11:1-44
11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" 38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
Introduction
I. Disciples
II. Mary & Martha
III. Miracle itself
Application

BLESSed to be a BLESSing
The Nursery is staffed today. Thank you, Sue Pedelty & Alana Brown. Please check your child in.
If you use the Nursery, please clean it up before you leave.
Monday Night Golf: Golf tomorrow, July 6, at the Forest City Beaver Creek golf course. We will meet at the course at 5:30 pm.
We are seeking youth group leaders for the upcoming fall season. If you have a heart for our youth and feel the Lord leading you to serve, please contact an outreach committee member or a council member to share your interest.
Join us Tuesday, July 7, at 5:30 PM for a bonfire with the Klompiens, our missionaries from Nepal! Nate and Lindsey Snieder are hosting at their home. Bring: lawn chairs + a side dish. Provided: drinks, utensils, hot dogs, buns. If it rains, we’ll move indoors. Come enjoy fellowship and hear updates from Nepal! Address: 8 Deer Creek Court, Mason City Phone: 712-540-9680
On Sunday, July 9th, we will be celebrating a “day Days of Summer.” This is an outdoor Service. We want to celebrate God’s good creation to us in pets - especially dogs. We invite you and your dog to join us. We are planning a booklet that would feature a photo of your dog, his/her name, his/her breed, and any other interesting points. The service will be divided up between biblical teaching and a ‘dog parade. If willing and able we would love to have you show off your dog. Leashes please. Photos and information should be submitted to Jamie by July 6, 2026.,
It's time to update our Church Photo Wall! Please send me a current photo of your family so we can keep it up to date. Updating the Photo Wall and Church Directory will be one of my summer projects. We have welcomed several new families to our church family, and we'd like to make sure everyone is included. Next week, I will be sending out a family information sheet for each household to complete. Once finished, you may return it to me, place it in my mailbox, or send it by email. Extra forms will also be available at the Connection Center. Thank you for helping us keep our church records current!
Join us Tuesday, July 7 at 5:30 PM for a bonfire with the Klompiens, our missionaries from Nepal! Nate and Lindsey Snieder are hosting at their home. Bring: lawn chairs + a side dish. Provided: drinks, utensils, hot dogs, buns. If it rains, we’ll move indoors. Come enjoy fellowship and hear updates from Nepal! Address: 8 Deer Creek Court, Mason City Phone: 712-540-9680
Next Week! Special Offering for Youth Bible Camp.
Don’t forget to register for Summer Camp
Brochures are at the Connection Center.
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdyIMbGQT6.../viewform...
Just a reminder:
Office Hours for the Summer are as follows:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 7:30 am -2:30 pm
Wednesday: 7:30 am -2:30 pm
Thursday: 7:30 am -2:30 pm
Friday: OFF
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.
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.
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.
Please pray for Larry Kalke’s nephew, Jalen Kalke, who is having lung issues and will need surgery. Please keep Jerry Bergman in your prayers. Jerry suffered a mild heart attack, had an angioplasty, and is now recovering. Bailey is doing well and making improvements. She is off all supportive oxygen now and has been able to get up and take a few steps here and there. They are still waiting for the Trauma team to release her to the orthopedic team before she can have surgery on her elbow. That will hopefully be by the end of the week though. Thank you for continued prayers. She will still have a lengthy recovery ahead of her. Prayers go out to the Helfers family, our missionaries in South Africa. May God protect them and bless their ministry as they share His love with the local community. And let us continue to pray earnestly for peace in the Middle East—for a swift end to conflict and for lasting peace to take root in the region.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
When life's burdens feel too heavy, Jesus is there to help carry the load. He promises rest to those who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28). God's Word is full of encouragement, reminding us He's with us in times of trouble, giving us strength, and helping us grow. Trust in Jesus, and He'll help you carry your load, making you stronger and more faithful.
Some of you have some pretty heavy burdens to carry in life. Perhaps you have a physical handicap that makes your life difficult. Or, perhaps your father has lost his job, and your family is having financial difficulties. Maybe someone in your family has cancer or some other serious illness, and you are worried about them. You may be having a hard time making passing grades in school. I don't know what the burdens are that you have in your life, but I do know that there are some that you just can't handle by yourself. Well, guess what? You don't have to!
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." There is no reason for you to struggle with burdens that are too heavy for you. God's Word is full of promises to help us in times of trouble. Here are just a few: "Don't be afraid, I am with you." (Gen.26:24) "I'll give you strength." (Psalm 28:7) "I'm with you in times of trouble." (Psalm 34:6) These words of encouragement are just what we need to face the hard times that may come our way.
Does that mean that if we ask him, God will take all of our troubles away? No, but he will help us. In fact, some of our struggles may help us to grow and become stronger. They may also help us to learn to trust in Jesus. But when the load is too heavy, he will help us to carry it -- and no burden is too heavy for Jesus. Dear Father, we are thankful that when we struggle under the load of life's burdens, you are there to help us carry the load. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.