Called to Praise

 

⭻Prepare your heart and body for Worship

 

Greeting & Announcements
 

• We have ‘In-Person’ & ‘Online Worship’ on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 10am.

 

• You can join our Online Worship via YouTube or Facebook. Type “Little Falls United Methodist Church” in the search window on YouTube or Facebook. Please use the link below to join in Online Worship. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lfumc

 

• Prayer Concerns & Joys – If you would like to share your concerns and joys with the congregation, please email Pastor Jin (jkim@littlefallsumc.org) or complete the online form, www.littlefallsumc.org/prayer.

 

• Altar Flowers – If you would like to offer the altar flowers, please contact Janet (973) 896-8936 or ladyteddy@aol.com. 

 

• Fellowship Time after Worship – Let us enjoy a good fellowship time every Sunday after Worship. Please help us with hosting the coffee hour. The Sign-up board is on the table in the Narthex. Please contact Cheryle or Kathy F. if you have any questions about the coffee hour.

 

• Easter Worship Series – The Easter Worship Series, ‘Resurrection and Me’ will begin on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025 and continue to May 18, 2025. This series is based on the book, The Third Day, by Tom Berlin. Through the worship series, we will consider the meaning of Jesus’ Resurrection: What Jesus gives us through his resurrection in our life journey.

• May 18 – Resurrection and Paul

 

• Sunday Worship Highlights

  • May 25, 2025 – Paul Ossou will Preach.

  • June 1, 2025 – We will have the Holy Communion.

  • June 8, 2025 – Pentecost Sunday - Confirmation Sunday (three Confirmands), & Promotion Sunday (Students)

  • June 15, 2025 – Father’s Day – We will recognize Fathers.

 

• Treasured Memories –The next meeting will be held at 7 pm on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. “Treasured Memories” is a grief group for those who have lost their loved ones. The ongoing meeting gathers every 2nd Wednesday of the month in Lee Lounge at 7 pm. Contact Allison for details (973) 800-4152. 

 

• Church Spring Yard Sale – Thank all those who organized, helped, supported, and participated in!

 

• The Noisy Can Collection – We will have The Noisy Can Collection for Blanket donations to Church World Service to help people in need during Sunday Worship, on May 18, 2025. Bring Coins with you to Sunday Worship!

 

• Walk by Faith – We will post the church flyers on the doors of our neighbors at 10 am, on May 31, 2025! Please join us and let us share the Good News with others and invite them to the church for a faith journey.

 

• Online Donation – Online donation is available now. Please visit the church website and click ‘Donation.’ The link is https://www.littlefallsumc.org/donation.  Your financial support and generosity are greatly appreciated and essential for our church ministry and mission. Please consider sending your tithes and offerings to Little Falls UMC (139 Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424). You can send your offerings and tithes to the church every week. Or you can send offerings and tithes for a month with a check. Thanks again for your generosity!

 

• Shoprite Gift Card – To purchase a Shoprite gift card, contact Pete (973) 595-5765 or detroit50@aol.com.

 

• LFUMC FOOD PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED - Many families depend on the Food Pantry on a regular basis. The Pantry needs the following non-perishable items; canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, adult/children’s cereal, pasta & sauce, instant potatoes/rice, tuna, chicken, sardines, fruit, apple sauce, juice, and granola bars.

 

• SOCKS FOR SOULS - Do your feet get cold? Please help Unity Circle to provide new or gently used socks to the homeless. There is a constant need. Please drop off your socks in the large white sock in the Narthex. 

 

• Ongoing Collection - UMW collects postmarked stamps, can pull tabs, and the front of greeting cards (No Hallmark). Items are donated to different charities and organizations.

 

• Greater New Jersey Annual Conference – Greater New Jersey Annual Conference will be held from May 18th to 20th in Wildwood NJ. Paster Jin and Pete Dewes (a member of Annual conference) on behalf of the church will participate in the conference. Please pray for them and the conference!

 

†Call to Worship

 

Leader: Come, all who seek the way, the truth, and the life— draw near to the One who calls us by name.

People: We come with open hearts, ready for a new start. We come to encounter the risen Jesus!

Leader: Just as Saul’s life was changed through the light of Christ, so too can our lives be transformed by His grace.

People: We were once blind, but now we see. In Jesus, we find new direction and new life.

Leader: Let not your hearts be troubled— Believe in God, believe also in Christ.

People: He is the way, the truth, and the life. We come to worship the Risen Lord!

 

†Praise Song                      In the Garden                                   UMH 314

 

1. I come to the garden alone

while the dew is still on the roses,

and the voice I hear falling on my ear

the Son of God discloses.

 

[Refrain]

And he walks with me, and he talks with me,

and he tells me I am his own;

and the joy we share as we tarry there,

none other has ever known.

 

2. He speaks, and the sound of his voice,

is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

and the melody that he gave to me

within my heart is ringing. [Refrain]

 

3. I’d stay in the garden with him

though the night around me be falling,

but he bids me go; thru the voice of woe

his voice to me is calling. [Refrain]

 

Children’s Time                                                                                                   by Ken Griffin

 

Hymn of Prayer                           ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus                      UMH 462

 

1 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 
and to take him at his word; 
just to rest upon his promise, 
and to know, "Thus saith the Lord." 

[Refrain]
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! 
How I've proved him o'er and o'er! 
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 
O for grace to trust him more! 

2 O how sweet to trust in Jesus, 
just to trust his cleansing blood; 
and in simple faith to plunge me 
neath the healing, cleansing flood! [Refrain]

3 Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus, 
just from sin and self to cease; 
just from Jesus simply taking 
life and rest, and joy and peace. [Refrain]

I’m so glad I learned to trust thee,
precious Jesus, Savior, friend;
and I know that thou art with me,
wilt be with me to the end. [Refrain]

 

Pausing for Silent Prayer and Confession

 

Prayers of the People (Response: God, in Your Mercy, hear our prayers.)

Risen Lord Jesus, We give You thanks for meeting us where we are, just as You met Paul— transforming hearts, renewing faith, and giving new direction. Thank You for the joys we celebrate today— for moments of healing, milestones, and the love we share as a church family. We also lift up those in need of Your care: those who are sick, grieving, struggling, or seeking clarity. Shine Your light on every dark road and lead us in Your way. Help us to trust You as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Guide our church to be a place of hope and transformation through Your Spirit. We pray all this in Your holy name, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

Called to the Word

Prayer for Illumination   

 

Leader: Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. 

All: Amen

 

NT Lesson                                       Acts 9:1-8, 19b-22

9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

 

For several days he[Paul] was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

This ends the NT Lesson. 
Let us turn to the Gospel Lesson. Please stand, if able.

 

†Gospel Lesson                                         John 14:1-7

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

 

This is the word of God for the people of God. 

All: Thanks be to God.

 

Message                               Resurrection and Paul                         Rev. Jin Kook Kim

Good morning, Church Family! I hope you had a blessed week in God’s love and grace. May the joy and hope of Easter be with you! We are in the Easter season, and we are considering the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection through our worship series, Resurrection and Me. I hope all of us find the relevance between Jesus’ resurrection and our lives today through the worship series. Last Sunday, we considered Peter’s story, who had a second chance through the risen Jesus. Peter betrayed Jesus and didn’t follow Jesus’ will after Jesus’ death, but the risen Jesus came to him, giving him a second chance by forgiving him, embracing him, encouraging him, and guiding him. The same risen Jesus always comes to us to give us a second chance by forgiving, embracing, encouraging, and guiding us in our lives today. Let us have hope for Easter. God is not done with us!

 

Last week, I watched a TV show in which a professor at a university pointed out one of the potential hazards of internet social media, such as YouTube and Facebook. He pointed out that people can get wrong information from online social media because everyone creates a video and uploads it to the online social media platform, and shows their content to numerous people. However, unlike the official broadcast company, there are not enough restrictions for the creators of online social media, and the creators do not take responsibility for the results that are caused by the wrong information. It happens especially when the creators create provocative videos by blending truth and falsehood to attract attention. The problem is that we can be in trouble or make trouble when we have wrong information and believe it as truth. Falsehood or wrong information gives us the wrong direction. It happens not only through social media but also in all places in our lives. One time, I wasted my time because an employee led me to the wrong aisle at a store, although the employee meant no harm. Have you ever been in trouble or made trouble due to wrong information that you got from social media, other people, or any other sources? Have you ever changed your direction in your life because you found the truth?

 

For Paul, Jesus’ resurrection was to see the truth, and encountering the risen Jesus was encountering the proof of the truth. The truth changed his life by giving him a new direction. He heard the risen Jesus’ voice on the way to Damascus to arrest Christians. In fact, that was his passion and zeal for God and God’s glory. As a Jew who believed in God and a Pharisee who eagerly followed God’s will by keeping all the law of God, he wanted nobody to make God’s name dirty and spread out the wrong belief regarding Jesus. He didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior that God sent. His belief was that Jesus was not the Messiah and the Son of God, and his belief led him in the wrong direction in his life. His passion and enthusiasm in the wrong direction guided him to take the wrong way. He persecuted Christians by finding Christian communities, arresting them, and imprisoning them, and he thought those were ways that he made for God and God’s glory. For the same reason, he was on the way to Damascus.

 

However, the risen Jesus made him find the truth, the truth of Jesus as the Savior and the Son of God. Paul knew that Jesus died through execution. No one could rise again from death, but now he was listening to Jesus’ voice, who rose again from death. He knew that only God could make that, and God made that. Jesus’ resurrection made him believe that Jesus was not a false prophet but the Messiah and the Son of God, whom God sent to the world. The presence of the risen Jesus was the proof of God’s confirmation of Jesus’ identity. Encountering Jesus made him believe in Jesus as the Savior and led him to turn to truth, and the truth changed his life direction totally. He was a persecutor of Christians, but now he became a Christian who believed in Jesus as the Savior and an evangelist who shared the truth with people by traveling to many countries. Jesus was the truth, the way, and the life for him.

 

Church family, what do you believe? What truth do you have and hold to? What direction do you have in accordance with the truth that you hold to in your life? Paul had thought the truth was that Jesus was not a Messiah or the Son of God, following his own voices and the voices of religious authorities, priests, scribes, and Pharisees. However, the risen Jesus made him know what he believed was wrong, and the truth he held to was not the truth. The voice of the risen Jesus gave him truth, the truth of Jesus’ identity as the Savior and the Son of God.

 

Church family, there are a lot of voices in our lives. People in the world give us a lot of information and say that theirs is the truth and their information is correct. The world says that everything is done and you don’t have hope, so give up hope that you have.” However, God says to us through the risen Jesus, that God is not done with us; God will make a way for us, so don’t give up hope in God. The world says that there is no God or that God has forsaken you. However, God says to us through the risen Jesus, that God is with us and God will be with us forever. The world says that you will not have a second chance, but God says to us through the risen Jesus that God will give us a second chance and will lead us with encouragement, support, and guidance. The world says that your life is yours and you have the right to live out your life as you want and wish, but God says through the risen Jesus, that we are God’s and our lives are God’s and we are created and to live out our lives for God’s glory and Kingdom. What voices do you listen to and what truth do you hold to? The voices of the world or the voices of God?  I hope we listen to God’s voice and hold to God’s truth in our faith and life journey. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. The risen Jesus gives us the truth, the way, and the life. The truth helps us to set our direction in our lives and change our lives in a new direction.

 

After having the truth of Jesus’ identity, Paul completely changed his life direction from persecuting Christians to being a Christian and helping people to believe in Jesus as their Savior and be Christians. His passion and zeal for God’s will were the same, but with the truth and the new direction, he shared the Gospel and helped people believe in Jesus and have a new life not only in his country and other countries. His mission trip became the first step to spreading Christianity to the world, and we have faith now because of his work.

 

Church family, I pray that we consider what truth we have now and live out now. What truth does the risen Jesus give us to transform our lives? I pray the truth that the risen Jesus gives us today and our daily life, is hope, a second chance, care, love, grace, and mercy of God. So that we live out our lives with the truth and with the direction that God gives us. Beyond that, let us help people have the truth, the truth of the risen Jesus, the truth of God’s love and grace to all. Let us speak the Good News to others so that they may have the chance to listen to the Good News, the truth, through our church ministry, our worship, our study, our mission work to help those in need, our service to the community, and our walk for evangelism.

 

The risen Jesus gives us truth for our lives. Let us accept the truth, keep the truth, and live out the truth to transform our lives, others’ lives, and the world. Amen.

 

Called to Share

Response to Our Generous God 

 

 †Doxology                 Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow                   UMH 95

 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

 

†Prayer of Dedication

All: Gracious and Risen Lord, You met Paul on the road and gave him a new purpose. You meet us today and offer us new life, new faith, and new direction.

With grateful hearts, we bring these gifts to You— a sign of our love, our trust, and our desire to follow Your way. Use them, and use us, to share Your light with the world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

Called to the World

 

†Closing Hymn                             We Are Called                                  TFWS 2172

 

1. Come, live in the light

Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord

We are called to be light for the kingdom

To live in the freedom of the city of God

 

[Refrain]

We are called to act with justice

We are called to love tenderly

We are called to serve one another

To walk humbly with God

 

2. Come, open your heart

Show your mercy to all those in fear

We are called to be hope for the hopeless

So all hatred and blindness will be no more [Refrain]

 

3. Sing, sing a new song

Sing of that great day when all will be one

God will reign and we'll walk with each other

As sisters and brothers united in love united in love [Refrain]

 

†Benediction                                                                                             Rev. Jin Kook Kim

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.  Amen.