Announcements

Opening Prayer:

*Opening Hymn ‘దేవుని వారసులం - ప్రేమ నివాసులము’ insert

Old Testament Lesson Genesis 12 1-8

Epistle Lesson James Hebrews 12 1-3

Worship Songs in English UECF Children & Youth

Special Song: ‘మార్గము చూపుము ఇంటికి నా తండ్రి ఇంటికి’ UECF Elderly Women

Intercessory Prayer & Lord's Prayer Pastor David Ravinder

Worship Songs in English & Telugu UECF Choir

Offertory

*Doxology

Offertory Prayer Pastor David Ravinder

Gospel Lesson Luke 7 1-10

Sermon ‘A Faith Based Life’ Pastor David Ravinder

HOLY COMMUNION

*Closing Songs UECF Children & Youth

6:55 PM *Closing Prayer & Benediction: Pastor David Ravinder

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Thanks to Rev. Dr. David Ravinder for ministering to us today.
• Next week, Rev. Joseph Theophilus will bring the Word of God.
• Congratulations to our TBQ team! UECF TBQ team came in 4th overall in meet 4 and under individual standings, Joan Mare came in 2^nd.
• Lenten Cottage Prayer meetings(Theme: The New Testament You Never Knew by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird; Preacher: Pastor David Ravinder) schedule for this year (Address: FUMC Fellowship Hall/Social Hall):

• Today’s Fellowship Hour is hosted by UECF.
• Please sign-up the Fellowship Roster if you would like to volunteer to host the Fellowship Coffee Hour.

Birthdays:

• Mr. Christopher Bandari 23^rd Feb
• Anisha Kelly Akunuru 27^th Feb
• Mrs. Sharon Chilaka 27^th Feb
• Mr. Manohar Pitta 28^th Feb
• Mr. Cecil Peram 28^th Feb

Visit us online at http://www.uecf.net   

దేవుని వారసులం

పల్లవి: దేవుని వారసులం - ప్రేమ నివాసులము

జీవన యాత్రికులం - యేసుని దాసులము 

నవ యుగ సైనికులం - పరలోక పౌరులము 

హల్లెలూయ - నవ యుగ సైనికులం - పరలోక పౌరులము

1. దారుణ హింస లలో - దేవుని దూతలుగా 

ఆరని జ్వాలలలో - ఆగని జయములతో 

మారని ప్రేమ సమర్పణతో  - సర్వత్ర యేసుని కీర్తింతుము

2. పరిశుద్దాత్మునికై - ప్రార్థన సలుపుదము 

పరమాత్ముని రాక - బలము ప్రసాదింప

ధరణిలో ప్రభువును జూపుటకై - సర్వాంగ హోమము జేయుదము 

3. అనుదిన కూటములు - అందరి గృహములలో 

ఆనందముతోను - ఆరాధనలాయే 

వీనుల వినదగు పాటలతో - ధ్యానము చేయుచు మరియుదము 

మార్గము చూపుము

పల్లవి: మార్గము చూపుము ఇంటికి నా తండ్రి ఇంటికి 
మాధుర్య ప్రేమ ప్రపంచము చూపించు కంటికి (2)

1.         పాప మమతల చేత పారిపోయిన నాకు ప్రాప్తించే క్షామము
పశ్చాత్తాపము నొంది తండ్రి క్షమ కోరుచు పంపుము క్షేమము (2)
ప్రభు నీదు సిలువ ముఖము చెల్లని నాకు పుట్టించే ధైర్యము (2)

..మార్గము.. 

2.         ధనమే సర్వంబనుచు సుఖమే స్వర్గంబనుచు తండ్రిని వీడితి 
ధరణి భొగములెల్ల బ్రతుకు ధ్వంసము చేయ దేహి నిను చేరితి(2)
దేహి అని నీ వైపు చేతులెత్తిన నాకు దారిని చూపుము(2)

..మార్గము.. 

Visit us online at http://www.uecf.net   

Prayer Points:

• The Spiritual growth/revival of UECF so that many people will be added and mightily used in HIS Vineyard. Also pray for the UECF upcoming events.
• Pray for the President & Government of America, Prime Minister & Government of India and the other countries for God’s wisdom.
• Please pray for Pastor David Ravinder as he brings the Word of God today.
• Please continue to pray for UECF’s own Church building.
• Please continue to pray the speedy recovery of Hindu girl Shruti (8 years old) as she is goes through intense chemo therapies. Her mother is planning to attend our Church.
• Please pray for all the elderly people for their good health.
• Please pray for the people who are looking for new jobs.
• Please pray for pregnant woman: Mrs. Sapna Chettipalli
• Pray for the people who are looking for life partners and people who are longing for children.
• Pray for those who are celebrating their Birthdays (Mr. Christopher Bandari, Anisha Kelly Akunuru, Mrs. Sharon Chilaka, Mr. Manohar Pitta, Mr. Cecil Peram) that God may shower HIS blessings abundantly.
• Please pray for the protection of minor girls as they go through sexual abuse worldwide.
• Pray for Youth and Children to walk in the ways of the Lord.
• God's servants and Missionaries who are working in HIS vineyard.
• Please pray for the protection of new Christian converts from Muslim, Hindu and other religions.
• Persecuted Christians in India and other nations.
• The salvation of the perishing souls as we are in last days.
• Revival and Purification of different Churches all over the world.

The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty

Praise to the risen King

O what a Savior, wonderful Jesus (4X)

సిద్ధపడుదాం సిద్ధపడుదాం 

పల్లవి:   సిద్ధపడుదాం సిద్ధపడుదాం మన దేవుని సన్నిధికై 
            సిద్ధపరుచుదాం సిద్ధపరుచుదాం మన హృదయము ప్రభు కొరకై 
            సిద్ధపడుదాం సిద్ధపడుదాం మన దేవుని సన్నిధికై 
            సిద్ధపరుచుదాం సిద్ధపరుచుదాం మన హృదయము ప్రభుకొరకై 

            " సిద్ధమనస్సను జోడు తొడిగి సమాధాన సువార్త చాటెదం"  (2)
            సమాధాన సువార్త చాటెదం ...... 

సిద్ధపడుదాం సిద్ధపడుదాం మన దేవుని సన్నిధికై 
            సిద్ధపరుచుదాం సిద్ధపరుచుదాం మన హృదయము ప్రభు కొరకై .......  

హల్లెలూయ ....(4)  హోసన్నా.... హోసన్నా....హల్లెలూయ....  హోసన్నా...  

1.         ప్రతి ఉదయమున ప్రార్ధనతో నీ సన్నిధికి సిద్ధమవుదును 
           జీవము కలిగిన వాక్కులకై నీ సన్నిధిలో వేచియుందును 
           ప్రతి ఉదయమున ప్రార్ధనతో నీ సన్నిధికి సిద్ధమవుదును 
           జీవము కలిగిన వాక్కులకై నీ సన్నిధిలో  వేచియుందును 
           " సిద్ధమనస్సను జోడు తొడిగి సమాధాన సువార్త చాటెదం"  (2)
           సమాధాన సువార్త చాటెదం ..      

           సిద్ధపడుదాం సిద్ధపడుదాం  మన దేవుని సన్నిధికై 
           సిద్ధపరుచుదాం సిద్ధపరుచుదాం మన హృదయము ప్రభు కొరకై.......

           హల్లెలూయ ....(4)  హోసన్నా.... హోసన్నా....హల్లెలూయ....  హోసన్నా...  

2.        సత్కార్యముకై సిద్ధపడి పరిశుద్ధతతోనుందును 
           అన్నివేళలయందు  ప్రభుయేసుని  ఘనపరచి కీర్తింతును 
           సత్కార్యముకై సిద్ధపడి పరిశుద్ధతతోనుందును 
           అన్నివేళలయందు  ప్రభుయేసుని  ఘనపరచి కీర్తింతును     
           " సిద్ధమనస్సను జోడు తొడిగి సమాధాన సువార్త చాటెదం"  (2)
           సమాధాన సువార్త చాటెదం .. 
           సిద్ధపడుదాం సిద్ధపడుదాం  మన దేవుని సన్నిధికై 
           సిద్ధపరుచుదాం సిద్ధపరుచుదాం మన హృదయము ప్రభు కొరకై ....... 

హల్లెలూయ ....(4)  హోసన్నా.... హోసన్నా....హల్లెలూయ....  హోసన్నా...  

భాగ్యవంతుడా బహుప్రియుడా (F#m)

YESHU TU HAI MERAA JEEVAN (3)
MERAAA... JEEVAN
భాగ్యవంతుడా బహుప్రియుడా ... బలవంతుడా నా భాగ్యమా (2)
Yeshu tu hai mera jeevan (4)
యేసయ్యా నీవే నా జీవం ....యేసయ్యా నీవే నా ప్రాణం (2)

1. నా అంతరంగమందు విచారములు హెచ్చగా...నీ గొప్ప ఆదరణ నెమ్మదిచ్చుచున్నదయా
నేనేక్కలేని ఎత్తైన స్థలములకూ ... నన్నేక్కిన్చుటకు నా బలము నీవయ్యావు
నా అంతరంగమందు విచారములు హెచ్చగా...నీ గొప్ప ఆదరణ నెమ్మదిచ్చుచున్నదయా
నేనేక్కలేని ఎత్తైన స్థలములకూ ... నన్నేక్కిన్చుటకు నా బలము నీవయ్యావు
నీ కృప యే నన్నూ నడిపించు చున్నది. నా ప్రాణమునకు ప్రాణమై ఉన్నదయా(2)
Yeshu tu hai mera jeevan (4)
యేసయ్యా నీవే నా జీవం ....యేసయ్యా నీవే నా ప్రాణం (2)

2. సంకెళ్ళు వేసినా చెరసాలలో ఉంచినా .. నీవు నాకు తోడై విడిపించినావయ్యా
భూదిగంతములవరకూ నీ సువార్త ప్రకటింప,నీ సిలువ మోయుటకూ నన్నెన్నుకున్నావూ
సంకెళ్ళు వేసినా చెరసాలలో ఉంచినా .. నీవు నాకు తోడై విడిపించినావయ్యా
భూదిగంతములవరకూ నీ సువార్త ప్రకటింప, నీ సిలువ మోయుటకూ నన్నెన్నుకున్నావూ
నే పయనించే నా మార్గమంతటిలో.. జయము నిచ్చినావు స్తోత్రలయా (2)
Yeshu tu hai mera jeevan (4)
యేసయ్యా నీవే నా జీవం ....యేసయ్యా నీవే నా ప్రాణం (2) .. భాగ్య..
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart,

My glory and The lifter of my head
My glory and The lifter of my head
But thou, O Lord Are a shield for me
My glory and The lifter of my head

Lent

Lent, in Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent was also traditionally the term used to describe the period leading up to Christmas before the term of advent was officially recognized.

Conventionally it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the wilderness before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

This practice was virtually universal in Christendom until the Protestant Reformation. Some Protestant churches do not observe Lent, but many, such as Lutherans, Methodists, and Anglicans do.

In Western Christianity (with the exception of the Archdiocese of Milan which follows the Ambrosian Rite and therefore Lent begins exactly 4 weeks before Easter), Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at the Ninth Hour of Holy Thursday (44 days in the Catholic Church) or on Holy Saturday (46 days). The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.

In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of Lent, see the article Great Lent.

Amongst Oriental Orthodox Christians, there are various local traditions regarding Lent. The Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches observe a total of fifty-five days for Lent. Joyous Saturday and the week preceding it are counted separately from the forty day fast in accordance with the Apostolic Constitutions giving an extra eight days. The first seven days of the fast are considered by some to be an optional time of preparation.[citation needed] Others attribute these seven days to the fast of Holofernes who asked the Syrian Christians to fast for him after they requested his assistance to repel the invading pagan Persians.

The Lenten semi-fast may have originated for practical reasons: during the era of subsistence agriculture in the West as food stored away in the previous autumn was running out or had to be used before it went bad in store, and little or no new food-crop was expected soon (compare the period in Spring which British gardeners call the "hungry gap"). In its earliest Christian form Lent was an intense period of fasting and prayer for catechumens preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil.

The word "lent" came from the Anglo-Saxon lencten meaning "spring".

The number forty has many Biblical references: the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18); the forty days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); God made it rain for forty days and forty nights in the days of Noah (Genesis 7:4); the Hebrew people wandered forty years traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33); Jonah in his prophecy of judgment gave the city of Nineveh forty days in which to repent (Jonah 3:4).

Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2). Jesus overcame all three of Satan's temptations by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and he began his ministry. Jesus further said that his disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" (Matthew 9:15), a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fasted as they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted during the annual commemoration of his burial.

It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for forty hours in the tomb which led to the forty hours of total fast that preceded the Easter celebration in the early Church (the biblical reference to 'three days in the tomb' is understood as spanning three days, from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning, rather than three 24 hour periods of time). One of the most important ceremonies at Easter was the baptism of the initiates on Easter Eve. The fast was initially undertaken by the catechumens to prepare them for the reception of this sacrament. Later, the period of fasting from Good Friday until Easter Day was extended to six days, to correspond with the six weeks of training, necessary to give the final instruction to those converts who were to be baptized.

Converts to Christianity followed a strict catechumenate or period of instruction and discipline prior to baptism. In Jerusalem near the close of the fourth century, classes were held throughout Lent for three hours each day. With the legalization of Christianity (by the Edict of Milan) and its later imposition as the state religion of the Roman Empire, its character was endangered by the great influx of new members. In response, the Lenten fast and practices of self-renunciation were required annually of all Christians, both to show solidarity with the catechumens, and for their own spiritual benefit. The less zealous converts were thus brought more securely into the Christian fold.

Traditionally, on Easter Sunday, Roman Catholics may cease their fasting and start again whatever they gave up for Lent, after they attend Mass on Easter Sunday. Other Western denominations have also followed this general principle to a greater or lesser degree, although some do not practice Lent and see it as an obscure tradition without Biblical merit.

Fasting and abstinence

Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates Scholasticus reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, believers abstained from food for an entire day; others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o'clock. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without meat or alcohol was eaten. Even now, the Orthodox Churches continue the practice of avoiding all animal products including fish, eggs, fowl and milk sourced from animals (e.g. goats and cows as opposed to the milk of soy beans and coconuts) for the entire fifty-five days of their Lent.

During the early Middle Ages, meat, eggs and dairy products were generally forbidden. Thomas Aquinas argued that "they afford greater pleasure as food [than fish], and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust."

However, dispensations for dairy products were given, frequently for a donation, from which several churches are popularly believed to have been built, including the "Butter Tower" of the Rouen Cathedral. In Spain, the bull of the Holy Crusade (renewed periodically after 1492) allowed the consumption of dairy products and eggs during Lent in exchange for a contribution to the conflict.

Giraldus Cambrensis in his Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales reports that "in Germany and the arctic regions," "great and religious persons," classified the tail of beavers as "fish" because of its superficial resemblance to a fish and their relative abundance.

In current Western societies the practice is considerably relaxed, though in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches abstinence from the above-mentioned food products is still commonly practiced, meaning only vegetarian meals are consumed during this time in many Eastern countries. Lenten practices (as well as various other liturgical practices) are more common in Protestant circles than they once were. In the Roman Catholic Church it is tradition to abstain from meat from Ungulates (meaning roughly "being hooved" or "hooved animal") every Friday for the duration of Lent, although dairy products are still permitted. On Ash Wednesday it

is customary to fast for the day, with no meat, eating only one full meal, and if necessary, two small meals also.

In some years, there have been exceptions to abstainence on Friday's during the Lenten Season. If Saint Patrick's Day March 17 falls on a Friday during Lent, the Bishop can dispense with the rules and Catholics can eat meat, especially the Irish, who on St. Patrick's day eat corned beef.

Contemporary legislation is rooted in the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He also allowed that fasting and abstinence might be substituted with prayer and works of charity.

Pursuant to Canon 1253, days of fasting and abstinence are set by the national Episcopal conference. On days of fasting, one eats only one full meal, but may eat two smaller meals as necessary to keep up one's strength. The two small meals together must sum to less than the one full meal. Parallel to the fasting laws are the laws of abstinence. These bind those over the age of fourteen. On days of abstinence, the person must not eat meat or poultry. According to canon law, all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday and several other days are days of abstinence, though in most countries, the strict requirements of abstinence have been limited by the bishops (in accordance with Canon 1253) to the Fridays of Lent and Ash Wednesday. On other abstinence days, the faithful are invited to perform some other act of penance. A custom that developed later was to also give up something a person “enjoyed” receiving or doing for the duration of Lent. Although it is not required or part of any rule, many Christians today will also choose to give up something during the Lenten period.

Many modern Protestants consider the observation of Lent to be a choice, rather than an obligation. They may decide to give up a favorite food or drink (e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g., going to the movies, playing video games, etc.) for Lent, or they may instead take on a Lenten discipline such as devotions, volunteering for charity work, and so on. Roman Catholics may also observe Lent in this way in addition to the dietary restrictions outlined above, though observation is no longer mandatory under the threat of mortal sin. Many Christians who choose not to follow the dietary restrictions cite 1 Timothy 4:1-5 which warns of doctrines that "forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."

When observing fasting or abstinence during Lent, regard must be paid to the fact that Sundays are Feast Days, so there is no fast or abstinence. The days from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday, excluding the Sundays, are forty, corresponding to the number of days Christ spent in the wilderness.