March 1 Virtual Worship
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Worship Team: Sarah Haas, Marc Hayden
Music Ministry Team: Kristin Petty
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Key Notes from the reading & sermon:
Scripture Lesson
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Scripture Reading: Daniel 6:10-23
Sermon: Hearts Afire, Courage to Face Enemies
Daniel 6:10-23
10 Although Daniel knew that the document prohibiting prayer to anyone but the king had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three t imes a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. 11 Then those men watched and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. 12 Then they approached the king and said concerning the interdict, “O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that anyone who prays to any god or human, within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions?” The king answered, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they responded to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times a day.” 14 When the king heard the charge, he was very much distressed. He was determined to save Daniel, and until the sun went down he made every effort to rescue him. 15 Then the conspirators came to the king and said to him, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”
16 Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!” 17 A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet ring of his lords, so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no entertainment was brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then at dawn, the king got up and at first light hurried to the den of lions. 20 When he came near the den where Daniel was, he cried out anxiously to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Daniel then said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted in his God.
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Key Idea of the Sermon
Last Sunday we were inspired by Mary and her courage to say Yes to God’s call on her life. This Sunday we are inspired by Daniel, who lived a few centuries before Mary. Daniel, a Judean exile to Persia, rose to a position of prominence in the rule of Darius the Great. Other administrators were jealous of the success of this outsider and conspired against him by crafting a law that prohibited prayer to anyone other than Darius. Daniel chose to face a den of lions rather than deny his faith and practice to the one true God. Daniel’s trust in God alone saved him from the plot of his enemies.
Questions for Reflection
• Daniel’s practice of prayer created a strong connection with God, providing the courage to face his enemies. What faith practices keep you close to God and encouraged?
• Read Matthew 5:43-48. Jesus would not only have us face our enemies with trust in God, but even to love our enemies. Loving enemies does not mean we remain silent before evil, it means we resist evil with the greater power of good. How do you live this command of Jesus?
A Poem for Reflection
When we are deeply connected to God and each other,
We feel whole, alive, and unafraid.
There in the mingled light of many torches
Many hearts afire, uplifted
— see how the shadows of fear melt back. (From Drinking Pure Light by Tina Datsko de Sanchez)
