AT-HOME WORSHIP GUIDE FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2026

Posted on Jan 31, 2026 by David Garrison in General, HomePage, Worship | 32

AT HOME WORSHIP GUIDE

February 1, 2026

The Fourth Sunday
of Epiphany

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Since we are unable to gather in person for worship on this Lord’s Day, we encourage you to use this guide as a way to worship whether by yourself, as a couple, or as a family. You might choose to split up the responsive readings or simply pray through them on your own. As you work through the liturgy, we will provide prompts and explanations to guide you through each movement of the service. The songs are embedded YouTube videos which you can watch on your device or “cast” to a TV if there are others with you. The hymns and praise songs are lyric videos so you can sing along, or use it as an opportunity for prayerful meditation. It is our desire that this guide provide a way for us to engage in worshipping our Lord and Savior, even if we are not able to do so together and in person.

News & Aannouncements for this Sunday can be found here.

PRELUDE

Even when we worship from home, we begin by preparing our hearts. In today’s scripture, we will see how Jesus has lifted the veils that shield our heart and soul from the gracious gaze of God.. As you listen, let this song shape your heart for what God will teach us through His Word.

CALL TO WORSHIP — Isaiah 60:1-3

Even as we worship from home, God gathers His people through His Word. In the Call to Worship, we listen as God speaks, and then respond together in song, offering praise to the God who calls us as His own.

Leader: Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

People: See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,

Leader: but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

People: Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

*OPENING HYMN Arise, My Soul, Arise

*OPENING PRAYER

O God who quickens the faith that brought Magi from the east, who kindles the hope that brought captives from exile, and who inspires the love that brings strangers together, let the light that shone in the darkness shine upon us. Let it shine within us, that it might refine our divided hearts. Let it shine around us, that it might illumine the way that leads to our neighbors. And let it shine above us, that it might reveal the Christ who manifests your presence. Amen.

*PRAISE SONG Christ is Mine Forevermore

PRAYER OF CONFESSION — Unison, based on Matt. 2:1-16; 6:33

Confession is our honest response to God’s grace. Because God is merciful, we do not hide our sin or pretend we have it all together. We come truthfully before Him, trusting that forgiveness is found in Jesus Christ.

God of grace, you have given us Jesus, the light of the world, but we choose darkness and cling to things that hide the brightness of your love. Immersed in ourselves, we have not risen to new life. Baptize us with your Spirit, that, forgiven and renewed, we may preach your Word to the nations and tell of your glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our light forever. Amen.

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON — 1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Song of Response Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

After hearing God’s promise of forgiveness, we respond with praise. Whether singing along or listening prayerfully, this song invites us to rejoice in the goodness of Jesus and the grace we have received.

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH — Westminster Confession of Faith 7.6

Each week we affirm our faith together, often with a passage from the Westminster Confession or Catechisms, sometimes with the Apostles or Nicene Creed. In doing so, we both profess to others and remind ourselves of the truths of our faith, truths that are not new but ones that believers have professed for hundreds of years (or more).

We believe that under the gospel Christ himself, the substance of God’s grace, was revealed. The ordinances of this New Testament are the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper. Although these are fewer in number and are administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet they are available to all nations, Jews and Gentiles, and in them the spiritual power of the covenant of grace is more fully developed. There are not then two essentially different covenants of grace, but one and the same covenant under different dispensations. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD’S PRAYER

Even as we worship from home, we join the prayers of God’s people everywhere. In this time, we bring before the Lord the needs of others, the concerns of our community, and the burdens of our hearts. Take some time for free prayer, and when you are finished, conclude by saying the Lord’s prayer together in unison.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

We encourage you to open to the Word of God in a Bible that you have at home with you. If you do not have a bible, if you are on a laptop or tablet, you can find the scripture reading to the right of the order of worship; if you are on a phone it will be found below the order of worship.

NEW TESTAMENT READING: 2 Corinthians 4:1-12

¹ Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. ² But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

SERMON: Rev. David Garrison

UNVEILED

Series: Blessed to be a Blessing

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6

*CLOSING HYMN Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed

*BENEDICTION

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,

The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace,

Now, and forevermore. Amen.

Jan '26

AT-HOME WORSHIP GUIDE FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2026

Posted on Jan 25, 2026 by David Garrison in General, HomePage, Worship | 10

Jan '26

January 25, 2026

The Third Sunday of Epiphany

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcements for this Sunday can be found here.

PRELUDE

Even when we worship from home, we begin by preparing our hearts. In today’s scripture, we will hear Jesus pray for His disciples (including us) in a way that is deeply saturated in the Aaronic Blessing of Numbers 6:22-27. As you listen, let this song shape your heart for what God will teach us through His Word. (Lyrics can be found here (link opens in new tab).)

CALL TO WORSHIP — based on 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 52:10

Leader: The mystery from which true godliness springs
is great—come and see!
Jesus Christ appeared in the flesh,

People: was vindicated by the Spirit,

Leader: was seen by angels,

People: was preached among the nations,

Leader: was believed on in the world,

People was taken up in glory.

Leader: May all the ends of the earth
see the salvation of our God.

*OPENING HYMN #5 Come Thou Almighty King

*OPENING PRAYER

O God, you spoke your Word and revealed your good news in Jesus, the Christ. Fill all creation with that Word again so that by proclaiming your joyful promises to all nations and singing of your glorious hope to all peoples, we may become one living body, your incarnate presence on the earth. Amen.

*PRAISE SONG Blessed Be Your Name

PRAYER OF CONFESSION — Unison, based on Matt. 2:1-16; 6:33

God of the Bethlehem star,
everyone is searching for your light
shining in the face of Christ.
The Magi sought Christ simply to worship him.
But Herod sought him to appease his jealous anger.
We confess that our motives in seeking Jesus are not pure.
We do not come simply to worship:
we come to Christ, asking his benefits of reassurance, health, wealth;
asking him to fulfill the hundred petitions
for not-so-important requests that we heap before him.
But the Magi sought first the kingdom.
Help us, God, to follow their example,
putting our own need in perspective,
worshiping the Christ in love, content to be in your presence,
and laying our gifts before you.
Then may we journey, trusting that your goodness and light
will accompany us all the days of our life. Amen.

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON — 1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you,
that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him
while we are walking in darkness,
we lie and do not do what is true;
but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

SONG OF RESPONSE The Goodness of Jesus

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH — Westminster Confession of Faith 18.8

We believe that Jesus Christ insures with absolute certainty that everyone for whom he purchased redemption actually accepts and receives it. He makes intercession for them, reveals the mysteries of salvation to them in and by the word, and effectively persuades them to believe and obey by his Spirit. He governs their hearts by his word and Spirit and overcomes all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom in such ways as are most in agreement with his wonderful and unknowable administration of things. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

We encourage you to open to the Word of God in a Bible that you have at home with you. If you do not have a bible, you can find the scripture reading below the order of worship.

NEW TESTAMENT READING: John 17:1-26

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

SERMON: Rev. David Garrison

NAMED & CLAIMED

Series: Blessed to be a Blessing

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. – John 17:3

*CLOSING HYMN O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

*BENEDICTION

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace,
Now, and forevermore. Amen.

*POSTLUDE

This Sunday’s Scripture reading:

¹ When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

⁶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. ⁸ For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

— John 17:1-26 (ESV)

May '25

June 2025 Mills’ Musings — Rivers Of Living Waters

Posted on May 29, 2025 by David Garrison in Devotions, General, HomePage, Reading the Bible, Spiritual Growth, Worship | 6

May '25

Quick, what’s the first image that comes to mind when you read the words “Holy Spirit?”

A dove? Tongues of fire? A mighty wind?

Did anyone choose “rivers of living water?” Me either.

Although the connections between the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit and rivers of living waters probably aren’t top of mind for any of us, they are linked in three easily overlooked verses from the seventh chapter of John’s Gospel:

³⁷On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39, ESV)

The feast, as we learn at the outset of John 7, is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (in Hebrew, Sukkot). The seven-day feast, celebrated in the Fall, was a time both to remember God’s past provision for Israel in the wilderness and to praise God for the harvest that had just been gathered. Since late autumn usually brought a drought, this festival also was a time of corporate prayer that God would refresh the land and refill the cisterns by sending once again his life giving rain.

This context helps us understand why a water bearing ceremony was central to Sukkot. Each day of the feast, priests would use a golden pitcher to draw water from Jerusalem’s Pool of Siloam. They would then bring the water to the Temple where it would be mixed with wine and poured out on the altar as a drink offering. This ceremony was accompanied by joyful music, dancing, and huge public celebrations, a fulfillment of Isaiah 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”.

Earlier in John’s gospel, Jesus had told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this [well] water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). Now, at the Feast of Booths, he plainly tells his disciples that the living water he had promised was the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In these few words, spoken on the last day of the feast, Jesus laid a foundation that later would help his disciples understand the Holy Spirit’s connection to his own person and work. In the moment, Jesus’ first disciples couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of his words. But once he was “glorified,” John’s term for Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the Spirit would be poured out in all his fullness. That outpouring wouldn’t end with the disciples in Jerusalem on the first Christian Pentecost. Those disciples would themselves become conduits through whom rivers of living water would continue to flow.

Today, you and I are Jesus’ disciples. One of our responsibilities is to continue to let the presence and the power, the goodness and the blessings, of God’s Holy Spirit flow through us and thereby nurture and nourish a dry and weary land.

Quick, what’s the first image that comes to you mind when you read the words “Holy Spirit?”

Nov '24

News & Announcements for Sunday, November 24, 2024

Posted on Nov 20, 2024 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, Missions, News, Worship | 1

Nov '24

SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE CHANGE BEGINS SUN. DEC. 1

Beginning Sunday, December 1, the worship service will begin at 11:00 am. Sunday School will meet from 9:30-10:30.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 7:00PM

The Women’s Bible Study will meet at 7pm Monday evening, December 2^nd at the home of Debbie Irvine. We wanted to study something related to the “real” Christmas story. So read or reread Joseph and Mary, complete your workbook or look over what you did last year and come prepared to discuss Mary, Joseph and Jesus. As always, if you don’t get a chance to finish your lesson, come anyway. However, if you don’t get it done, come anyway and always feel free to bring a friend.

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 11:00AM

The Northminster Book Club will meet at Depot Grille on Thursday, December 5th at 11:00 a.m for our Christmas party. Please bring a story, poem or story about Christmas that they can share with the group. We are also asking each person to bring a book (it doesn’t have to be new, just in pretty good shape), wrapped in gift paper. We are going to exchange books with one another. See the newsletter for more information. We look forward to seeing you there!

HANGING OF THE GREENS – SATURDAY, DEC 7, 9AM-Noon

You are invited to join us on Saturday, December 7 from 9-noon as we prepare our church to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We will gather together to decorate beautiful trees with Chrismons, set up Advent candles, wreaths, and banners as we enjoy light brunch refreshments, Christmas music playing in the background, and above all, each other’s company.

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS – ORDER YOURS TODAY!

It’s time to order poinsettias to help decorate our sanctuary for the Advent-Christmas season. You are welcome to donate one in memory and in honor of loved ones. To place an order, please sign your name on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary and fill out the form provided for payment. They are $10.00 each and the deadline is Sunday, Dec. 8. Please contact Anne Wilkins if you have questions.

NOVEMBER MISSION FOCUS – CHRISTMAS BASKETS

The November Mission Focus is the Christmas Baskets. Please bring items to help bring a little joy to needy families in our area. Details can be found in the November newsletter.

Apr '24

April 2024 Pastor’s Corner — Refuge

Posted on Apr 11, 2024 by David Garrison in Christian Living, HomePage, Pastor's Corner, Spiritual Growth, Worship | 6

Apr '24

Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. — Psalm. 28:2

As I come to a half-century of walking this earth, I find that the frenetic nature of our culture is wearing on me more often than not. Everything seems to operate at a “hurry up and wait” pace that leaves me stressed and exhausted, and there are few places to go to find a respite from it. Social media stirs up my anxiety and my discontent. The news stirs up my fears and worries. The pleasure of eating out is often tainted by slow service due to understaffed restaurants and higher prices due to supply chain issues. The advancements of technology that were meant to improve the quality of our lives (and in many ways it has) seems to have had the opposite effect more often than not. It’s not just our youth and children whose faces are plastered to their phones, but all generations. Instead of having more time to rest and relax, we are constantly pushed to do more in less time. We need sanctuary. Sanctuary from the frenetic pace of our culture, our lives, and our selves.

“Sanctuary” is defined as “a place of refuge or safety.” For thousands of years, the spaces we set aside for encountering God have been called a sanctuary. Even still today, we refer to these spaces as a sanctuary, and in those spaces we experience and do things that are different than any other place to which we go. A sanctuary is an inherently counter-cultural space, it is intrinsically different from anywhere else in our lives. Everywhere else we go is designed to meet some need or want in our lives. We want to go to those places because we expect them to do something for us. A sanctuary, though, is different. We do things in a sanctuary that is unlike anything else we do, anywhere else. The sanctuary provides refuge and safety because it enables us to look beyond ourselves, to see and experience God.

The fundamental flaw with the typical rhythms of our lives is that it all revolves around us. I structure my life in order to meet my wants and needs. “I” am the center of my life. While that’s somewhat obvious, it is also the primary problem, because “I” can not satisfy myself. “I” can not meet the deepest longings of my soul, as hard as I might try. And trying is exhausting. What we do in a sanctuary is designed and intended to move our eyes off our navels and onto the cross. Away from myself, and onto the Lord. In the sanctuary, we move from the familiar to the unfamiliar. From what we know to what we don’t. From what we want to Who we need. In the sanctuary, we are reminded that we are not the center of the universe, or even our lives. That it’s not always all about me, or you, but rather about Him.

Ultimately, sanctuary isn’t a particular place but rather a Person, Jesus Christ. And technically we can find sanctuary wherever we find Him, which is anywhere. But practically we need particular places of sanctuary, spaces intended for refuge and safety for our souls. Places where we do things differently than anywhere else in our lives, where we worship our God, confess our sins, receive His word, practice His sacraments. Come to the sanctuary, and find refuge and safety from the frenetic world in which we live.

But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. — Psalm 59:16

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison

Jun '23

Upcoming Sunday Morning Schedule Change

Posted on Jun 29, 2023 by David Garrison in Announcements, HomePage, News, Worship | 1

Jun '23

Beginning Sunday, August 27

Sunday School moves to 9:00 AM

Worship moves to 10:30 AM

Beginning on Sunday, August 27, we are changing the Sunday morning schedule. Sunday School will now start at 9 AM, and the worship service will start at 10:30AM. We believe this will enable us to be more effective in our discipleship, fellowship and worship.

Discipleship: With a Sunday school time of 9-10am, we are able to provide a full, unhurried hour of discipling opportunities. While we currently schedule an hour of Sunday school each week, practically speaking it’s usually 30-40 minutes. By spreading out the end of Sunday school and the beginning of the worship service, we will be able to focus more fully on our study and application of the Word of God to our lives.

Fellowship: With a “break” in the schedule from 10-10:30, we are able to offer a time of “purposefully unstructured” fellowship to the congregation. This provides time for those who attended Sunday school and those who are arriving for worship to visit together prior to the start of the worship service. This is separate from the regular fellowship receptions we offer, since with the earlier start time for worship, there will be ample opportunity for the receptions after the service without feeling like we need to dash off to lunch.

Worship: One of the challenges we face every Sunday is the transition from Sunday school to worship.Many of those attending Sunday school are also involved in leading the service, and often the transition is rushed and harried.By starting the service at 10:30, those who need to prepare for worship are able to do so without missing out on Sunday School and without feeling rushed. This also provides a better opportunity for us to be fully present in worship, knowing that the service will end earlier, leaving us with the sense that most of the day is still available to them.The service itself will also feel less harried as a result.

Sometimes when we settle into a routine, it becomes comfortable. This change provides us with an opportunity to think intentionally about the rhythms of how they seek to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). There are a lot of things in our lives that “compete” with Sundays — such as chores, sports, family gatherings, and the always important Sunday nap. Nevertheless, Sunday is meant to be given to the Lord and to worshipping Him first and foremost. Please let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you at 10:30am for worship on August 27!

Mar '23

March 2023 Pastor’s Corner — Stay Thirsty

Posted on Mar 1, 2023 by David Garrison in Christian Living, General, HomePage, Pastor's Corner, Reading the Bible, Spiritual Growth, Worship | 0

Mar '23

“As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?”

— Psalm 42:1–2

As many of you know, I am an avid coffee drinker. While medical tests have never proved it, there have been times I’ve been pretty sure there’s more coffee running through my veins than blood. It’s not so much about the caffeine (caffeine doesn’t really wake me up, it just keeps me from going to sleep), I just simply love the taste and the smell.

For no particular reason a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t drink any coffee for three or four days and instead drank several glasses of water. Just water, with nothing added. A few days later, I noticed that my quality of sleep had significantly improved and that some of the aches and pains that come with middle age had lessened. The only thing I had changed was decreasing the amount of coffee consumed each day. It’s not that I had been dehydrated; I was definitely getting plenty of fluids. There’s simply no substitute for a nice, cool glass of perfectly mixed dihydrogen monoxide.

I’ve often said that going to church for Christians is the air we breathe. I think that was the wrong analogy, because you can only go without air for a few minutes. However, one can live and exist just fine without water. As long as you’re still getting fluids (coffee, tea, your carbonated beverage of choice, so on and so forth), your body will continue to function, and probably fairly decently. But if you want your body to be at its best, then we need water. You don’t need water in order to be human (most any fluid will suffice), but the human body can’t be at its best without water. For the Christian, going to church isn’t the air we breathe, it’s the water we drink. Going to church won’t make you a Christian, but I don’t know how to be a Christian without going to church.

In the Psalm at the beginning, the psalmist is in exile in a far off land. He is unable to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem; he hasn’t been able to go to church for a very, very long time. As a result, his soul is drying up. Three times in the Psalm he says his soul is “cast down within me.” In addition to sleeping better and the aches and pains lessening as I drank more water, my mind also seems a bit sharper and clearer. Who knew that sometimes depression can be eased by drinking water? The same is true spiritually. We were created to worship God, together, with the other saints, on a regular basis. We need water daily. Our spirit needs corporate worship at least weekly.

If your spiritual life seems a bit dry lately or if you’ve found your soul “thirsting for the living God,” maybe it’s because you’ve “neglected meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25) with the saints in worship, prayer and Bible study. I didn’t realize how much my body was craving pure water until I started drinking more. Sometimes, we don’t even realize how thirsty our soul is until we gather together with other believers to worship the Lord and pray together. We drink best from the well of living water when we do so together with other believers.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” — John 4:13–14

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison

Dec '22

December 2022 Pastor’s Corner — Christmas Tradition

Posted on Dec 1, 2022 by David Garrison in Christian Living, Devotions, General, HomePage, Pastor's Corner, Spiritual Growth, Worship | 1

Dec '22

“The tradition I handed on to you in the first place, a tradition which I had myself received…”

— 1 Cor. 15:3

Of all of the seasons of our lives, the one most rooted and grounded in tradition is Christmastime. Every family does the Christmas season differently, and every family is convinced their way is the right way! There’s the right time to put the tree up, the right way to do the decorations, the right way to hang the lights, the proper time for Christmas dinner, and, of course, the correct way to open the stockings and the presents. For many of us, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless the traditions are maintained and practiced correctly. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!

In fact, “tradition” plays an important role in our lives, beyond just Christmas. Traditions help ground us in our lives; they provide a way to make sense of how the world works and where we fit into the world. Sociologists call this a metanarrative, a “big story.” That “big story” becomes explicit during the holidays, but is always there, whether we’re intentionally thinking about it or not. In fact, the Bible is very clear that the traditions of our faith are very important tools for helping us understand our faith, how to live out our faith, and how to pass our faith to others. The traditions aren’t the end in and of themselves. They are there to help us see the deeper life of faith to which Christ is inviting and calling us, signposts that remind us of what God has done in the past, is doing in the present and what He has yet to do in the future.

Over the course of Advent this year, we’ll be looking at the various parts of our Christmas Tradition. While the details are different for everyone, in general we all have particular traditions to help us prepare for the season, to get into the spirit of the season, lights that brighten the season for us, songs that carry the season into our hearts, ways of celebrating and rejoicing in the season, and the joy of presents given and received. All of these traditions help us delight in all that Christmas offers, but are also meant to point us past the holiday itself in order to remind us that, just as Jesus Christ took on human flesh 2,000 years ago in his First Advent, He will just as surely return for his Second. Celebrate how the world and history changed 2,000 years ago. But don’t lose sight of that for which we all deeply long: His imminent and certain return.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. — Rev. 22:16–17

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison

Apr '22

April 2022 Pastor’s Corner – The Son Rises

Posted on Apr 1, 2022 by David Garrison in Christian Living, General, HomePage, Pastor's Corner, Worship | 0

Apr '22

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matt. 28:1–8)

They say that it’s always darkest just before the dawn. I’ll be honest, I’m rarely up early enough to find out if that’s true, but I’m glad to trust those who are early risers. It was certainly true for the disciples the weekend Jesus died. Never had they experienced so dark a night as they did after Jesus died on Good Friday. I imagine that Saturday was spent in a grey fog of shock, fear, dismay and denial, with probably very little sleep. Their hopes had risen so high over the past three years, and in just a few hours, the heights of hope were replaced with the depths of despair.

I wonder if the two Marys had slept at all that weekend. Perhaps getting up and going to the tomb was something like, “well, we’re not asleep so we might as well go to the tomb” kind of moment. Luke tells us they took spices to place on Jesus’ body (Luke 24:1). It was the beginning stage of reluctant acceptance. But as they arrived at the tomb, just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, their world was shaken once again — literally, this time. A thundering earthquake, the piercing brightness of light — not the sun rising, but the Son rising! This light came from inside the tomb, not the sky.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) The darkness of night can not stand against the light of the sunrise. The darkness of our souls can not stand against the light of God’s love and forgiveness. The darkness of this world can not stand against the light of God’s power and might (Ephesians 6:12).

You’re invited to join us as we celebrate the Light of Jesus Christ rising and pushing back the darkness of our lives this Easter Sunday. Rev. Bob Mills will lead us in an Easter Sunrise service at 7:30am, and we’ll have a full Easter Celebration at 11am. Join us for both, or just one. Let’s celebrate the Light of the World together this Easter.

Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison

Jun '21

June 2021 Pastor’s Corner – The Air We Breathe

Posted on Jun 1, 2021 by David Garrison in Christian Living, Devotions, General, HomePage, Pastor's Corner, Spiritual Growth, Worship | 4

Jun '21

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. — Hebrews 10:23–25

I’ve been thinking about breathing lately. If you cease to breathe, do you cease to be human? Certainly you cease to be alive, but you are still a human being… just not a living human being. Air is necessary for life, but it does not define us as human beings. When we have problems with our breathing due to illness, allergies or something else, it affects how well our bodies function, but still does not change what we are. Breathing is essential for living, but not for making us human.

This directly relates to the importance of gathering with other believers for worship, what we commonly call “going to church” (that’s an important distinction – bear with me). For a long time, many thought that if they simply “went to church” regularly, that would make them a Christian. But that isn’t true. Just “going to church,” no matter how active or “good” you are, isn’t going to save your soul. Only placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can do that. “Going to church” doesn’t make you a Christian, just like breathing doesn’t make you a human being.

However, just like breathing is essential for living, gathering together with other believers for worship, fellowship, encouragement and mutual discipleship is essential for our faith. That’s what happens when we “go to church” each Sunday, and, honestly, I don’t know a better time during the week when that happens. Does it only happen when we go to church? No, it happens whenever and wherever believers gather for worship, fellowship, etc., but it most commonly happens at church. And it is essential for the health of our faith and our souls that we are intentional in doing so. As a friend of mine said, “We were MADE to worship together, collectively. We were made to practice the liturgy; to pray, to sing, to confess, to rejoice in our pardon, to hear the word preached, and to engage with one another. Literally, we were made for this. And not participating can really disrupt the Lord’s desire to fine-tune our hearts.”

Breathing doesn’t make us human, but it’s really hard to keep living without breathing. Worshipping together with other believers regularly (ideally weekly) is the air we breathe as Christians. Breathe deeply the breath of God this week, whether you do so by joining us at Northminster or another church. Your soul needs its air, just as your body needs to breathe.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! —Psalm 150:6

Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison

AT HOME WORSHIP GUIDE

February 1, 2026

The Fourth Sunday of Epiphany

Beginning Sunday, August 27

Sunday School moves to 9:00 AM

Worship moves to 10:30 AM

The Fourth Sunday
of Epiphany