This Week at Calvin

Calvin Christian Reformed Church ushers in the Lenten Season with a worship series on the book of Judges: Messy People, Merciful God. We will discover a merciful God who in Christ Jesus does not give up on his messy people.
In Judges there is an ongoing cycle of Israel's disobedience, God raising up a judge, then obedience, the judge's death, and then more disobedience. We, too, are a messy people. If we confess our mess and our brokenness, then God's mercy transforms and shapes us into people God means us to be.

This Sunday Pastor Rev. Dr. Nevada DeLapp will use Judges 1 for his text. The theme is how we get tired of fighting with the Canaanite part of who we are. Other scripture readings are: Psalm 82 to be read responsively between the Pastor and the congregation. The Gospel text will be from Matthew 4: 1 -11. Before and after the Gospel reading, the congregation will sing "I Will Exalt."
The prelude will be "Let Everything that has Breath Praise the Lord". The opening songs of praise will be "We Praise You, O God", "Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer". The Call to Confession for the First Sunday of Lent comes from Mark 1: 9 - 15. At this time the first candle of the Lenten Triad will be extinguished.
The Lenten Triad is similar to the Advent wreath where each Sunday is another candle is lit culminating in the lighting of the Christ Candle on Christmas Day. The Lenten Triad has 6 candles for the six Sundays of Lent. They are all lit this Sunday. Then after the call to Confession one purple candle will be extinguished each Sunday leaving only the white Christ candle burning. On Good Friday, when we remember Christ's death on the cross, the white candle will be extinguished leaving darkness. On Easter morning, we will light the Christ candle to symbolize Christ's resurrection.
The Song of Confession will be "Give Us Clean Hands."
Following the message from Judges 1,the congregation will respond with "The Battle Belongs to the Lord".
The Greeters this Sunday are Pete & Mary Attema, coffee servers are Gary & Glenda Habben, Usher is Lynda Bulthuis, Nursery supervised by Troy & Elisa Hughes, Sound System run by Steve Ver Mulm and Power Point by Jeremy Kamp. Thank you all for helping serve.
Next week Wednesday, March 4th, the Afternoon Women's Bible Study is meeting at 1:30 PM to continue the "Walking With God in the Desert". The lesson begins on page 285. Join us to view the DVD by Ray Vander Laan, have discussion and eat dessert.
Calvin is located at 326 7th St SE or on the web at calvincrclemars.org.