May 10, 2026
Peapack Reformed Church
May 10, 2026
Scriptures: Acts 17:22-31, John 14:15-21
“You Are Not Orphaned”
Rev. Mark Poyner
Larry J. Carey, Director of Music
Memory Verse for the week:
"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you." — John 14:18 (NRSV)
Gathering
*Please join in one voice when you see bold text.
Welcome Pastor Mark
Prelude Be Thou My Vision Carter
Call to Worship:
Votum
Our Help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Opening Statement: Based on Psalm 66
Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
Who has kept us among the living and has not let our feet slip.
For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as sil ver is tried.
You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs.
We went through fire and through water,
Yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
I will come into your house with offerings; I will pay you my vows — those that my lips uttered when I was in trouble.
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue. Truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
*Hymn How Majestic is Your Name
Prayer of Confession: (Unison)
Merciful God, we confess that we have measured your faithfulness by the size of our gatherings rather than the depth of your presence. The times that we have failed are the times when you were calling us to trust. We have allowed fear to quiet the witness you placed within us, forgetting that you are in us, and we are in you. We have overlooked the faithfulness of those who came before us, and the great cloud of witnesses that surround us still. Forgive us, restore us, and grant us the courage to go where you are already at work. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Hear the good news: the same Jesus who said “I will not leave you orphaned” speaks that word to us still today. The Spirit of truth abides with you — not because you have earned it, but because God is faithful and his steadfast love endures forever. In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Amen.
The Law of God
In a moment of being tested Jesus was asked, “Rabbi what is the greatest commandment?” He replied, “To love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the second commandment is like it. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. From these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.
Commitment to Peace keeping and Peace Seeking
One: May the peace of Christ be with you!
All: And also with you!
After sharing the peace, let us all sing together:
Together by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong. Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song.
We Listen to God’s Word
Anthem I Will Give Jubilant Thanks Barrett
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (Unison)
Guide us, O Lord, by your Word and Holy Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
New Testament Reading: Acts 17:22-31
Hymn: God is Here
Gospel Reading John 14:15-21
Sermon: “You Are Not Orphaned”
*Affirmation of Faith: Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church*, the communion of saints*, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
** holy catholic church stands for the universal church
** communion of saints stands for those that believe in Jesus Christ
We Respond to God’s Word
Offering Lord Most High Harris
Doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Blessing on the Offering
Gracious God. Bless these gifts we offer. May they be used to help bring Your kingdom on earth to our church and our community. In Jesus 'name we pray, Amen.
Congregational 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 glory forever. Amen
Hymn: We Walk by Faith
Charge and Blessing: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen! 2 Corinthians 13:13
Postlude Like a River Glorious Larson
Announcements
DEAR FRIENDS
Welcome to worship here at Peapack Reformed Church! If you are visiting with us, welcome! If you are a member, welcome back! Our mission is to be a congregation called by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world. This mission is the catalyst for all that we do, and is our aim for who we want to be.
If you are visiting with us via Facebook Live and would like more information about our church, send us a message on Facebook or email office@peapackreformed.org and we will be in touch with you. Even under these odd and anxious circumstances, we would love to be your church home. Our virtual doors are always open wide, and our hearts are always ready to welcome new faces into our fellowship.
Starting the third Thursday in May, and the third Thursday afterwards, the Peapack Reformed Church will be hosting the Peapack & Gladstone Branch of the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey “Memory Café.” This is a safe welcoming place for adults living with memory loss and their caregivers to connect to people like themselves as they socialize, work on crafts, play games, and more. Events will be held on the third Thursday of each month. To register visit sclsnj.org or call 908-458-8425,.
Food Pantry News
The Peapack-Gladstone Food Pantry continues to serve those in need of groceries on a weekly basis on Sundays from 4 PM to 5 PM. We thank all those that help the Food Pantry and we are always looking for volunteers. Email office@peapackreformed.org if you are interested.
PRAYER REQUESTS FOR CHURCH FAMILY
We believe that one of the most important things we do as a congregation is pray for one another. If you have a prayer request you would like included in the bulletin, please let Pastor Mark know. You may call or text him at 908-675-1498 or email him at pastor@peapackreformed.org. No request is too small — if it matters to you, it matters to us.
To help us pray with care and accuracy, prayer requests will be included in the bulletin for four weeks. If you would like a request to continue beyond that time, simply let Pastor Mark know and it will be renewed. This helps us honor each person by praying for them with current and attentive hearts.
This Week We Pray For:
Please pray for Jim and Barbara David as Jim recovers from illness at home. May they both feel the nearness of God and the support of this congregation surrounding them.
Pastor Mark has a special request for John, a beloved former congregant, who passed into the nearer presence of God this week. We give thanks for his life and hold those who loved him in our prayers.
We pray for all those who have recently entered the nearer presence of God, and for the families and friends who grieve and trust in the resurrection hope.
As the school year comes to a close, we pray for all the children and young people in our congregation and community — for rest, for joy, and for the road ahead. Congratulations to all who are graduating or moving forward into new chapters. May God go before you.
Activities this week:
Tuesday 6:30 p.m. our brothers and sisters for AA meet in the family room. At 7 p.m. we continue our lessons of Acts in Bible Study at our friends, Barbara and Jim David. Please let Pastor Mark if you are interested in attending. We have seven faithful members and are looking for more!
Friday this week our brothers and sisters for AA and Al Anon meet in the Family Room and Fellowship Hall.
The sanctuary rebuild continues. Our carpenter and HVAC people are working on the projects to bring the sanctuary back to new condition and provide heat and air conditioning for the entire building. We look forward to enjoying the cool summer months in our sanctuary. We will keep you posted on a timeline and celebration when we are back in the sanctuary.
Scripture Readings for Today: (The scripture lessons are provided for those that would like to read along as the scripture is being read)
Acts 17:22-31 Paul's message to the Athenians
17:22Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way. 17:23For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 17:24The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 17:25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 17:26From one ancestor he made all people to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 17:27so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for him and find him--though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 17:28For 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we, too, are his offspring.' 17:29"Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 17:30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 17:31because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
John 14:15-21 Christ our advocate
14:15"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 14:16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 14:17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. 14:18"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 14:19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 14:20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 14:21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."