We're glad you joined us for ToGather.church! (Find out more about ToGather.) Today, in conjunction with our Verse of the Day, we give thanks for God's women in our lives and in the history of faith. Our songs for this ToGather are by Grammy or Dove award-winning singers who express their faith through song. We pray you are blessed and will join in each of these songs!

Opening with Praise in Word and Song:

We begin our ToGather worship with CeCe Winans and an anthem dedicated to the "Goodness of God":

Many have experienced the goodness of God through the influence of faithful women. These women helped shape us and mold us in our walk with Jesus. Our opening prayer is an adaptation of several of Paul's reminders to his son in the faith, Timothy, about the origin of his faith, his mother and grandmother, who taught him the Scriptures and demonstrated to him their courageous faith:

Father, many of us have a deep and sincere faith in Jesus because of the influence of faithful women — our grandmothers, mothers, Sunday school teachers, friends, and mentors. Their faith is alive in us because they taught and demonstrated the heart of Jesus to us.

So, dear Father, we ask that what we have learned from them will be alive in us. Their consistent care to live Jesus and teach us the Scriptures has enabled us to be wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. We pray that the legacy we pass on to those who follow us will be an ongoing tribute to these women and their faith passed down to us. We ask that the Spirit empower us to live this faith in the mighty name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Focusing on the Scriptures:

Our message for ToGather is on giving thanks for the women of faith in our personal stories and in the Scriptures, which is also our emphasis in the Verse of the Day:

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
(Proverbs 31:28-29)

In this ToGather, we choose to remember that Jesus highly values women of faith. He demonstrated their value by their constant presence in His ministry who remained faithful through the Passion when the male disciples did not. The early church advanced through the ministry and courage of such godly women. Many of us have faith because of the love, grace, and perseverance of faithful women in our lives. So, let's join Lauren Daigle and remind each of our women of faith of their value to us as we sing "You Say":

Phil's message is a blending together of our time of Thanksgiving (in North America), his own experience this week with his wife's loving preparation before her surgery, and the emphasis of our Verse of the Day:

Following on Phil's message, let's join with Mahalia Jackson's emotional presentation of the old hymn, "Precious Lord," as a personal prayer and a prayer for all women of faith, everywhere:

Sharing The Supper:

The beautiful song, "Forever," with by Kari Jobe, is a moving account of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and a joyous proclamation of His victory over sin, hell, and death. We love that a woman sings this song because only "the women" were faithful to Jesus throughout His Passion.NOTE We celebrate Jesus' victory in the Lord's Supper because Jesus is alive! We remember the Lord's death on the resurrection side of His Passion!

Robert Reagan reminds us of the victory we celebrate during the Lord's Supper:

Closing with Praise and Blessing:

We choose to remember, and give thanks, that women of faith are highly valued by Jesus.
Phil's prayer of blessing for you is from Romans 15:13:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Amen.]

We join with Tasha Cobbs Leonard and ask God to send "Your Spirit" LORD, upon us, and especially upon all the women in our lives:

Jan Reagan closes our time together with the following passage of praise and a personal blessing:

NOTE

All the men forsook Jesus and ran away when he was arrested (Mark 14:50). They hid behind locked doors because of fear (John 20:19). Meanwhile, "the women" who had supported Jesus and the disciples in His ministry (Luke 8:1-3) faithfully accompanied Him through everything. They were present with Him through His crucifixion agonies and were present on Resurrection Sunday (Matthew 27:55-61, 28:1-11; Mark 15:40-41, 16:1-8; Luke 23:27, 29, 49, 55, 24:1-10, 22-24; John 20:1-2, 11-18), as well being part of the proclamation on Pentecost that Jesus is Christ and Lord (Acts 1:14, 2:14-21).

Special thanks to The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images for images related to the ministry of Jesus.