Order of Worship 09_19_21
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
17th Sunday after Pentecost
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA)
September 19, 2021 Ten Thirty in the morning
Minister: The Rev. Aaron Ochart
Please silence all cell phones.
Face masks must be worn while entering and exiting
Bold face indicates congregational participation
*Please Stand in body or spirit
GATHERING
WORDS OF WELCOME
PRELUDE Prayer – Jean Langlais
ADORATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
ONE: Live in a way that is worthy of the Gospel
MANY: Stand firm in the Spirit, side by side.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of abundance, you emptied yourself in order to serve us, and you ask that we make of ourselves a living sacrifice. Help us to let go of the things that hold us back from you. Help us to give cheerfully of ourselves for your glory. Amen.
HYMN “God of the Sparrow”
1.God of the sparrow God of the whale God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe How does the creature say Praise
2.God of the earthquake God of the storm God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature cry Woe How does the creature cry Save
3.God of the rainbow God of the cross God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace How does the creature say Thanks
- God of the hungry God of the sick God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care How does the creature say Life
5.God of the neighbor God of the foe God of the pruning hook
How does the creature say Love How does the creature say Joy
- God of the ages God near at hand God of the loving heart
How do your children say Joy How do your children say Home
CALL TO CONFESSION
SILENT CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
Merciful God, in your presence we confess our sin and the sin of this world. Although Christ is among us as our peace, we are a people divided against ourselves, as we cling to the values of a broken world. The profit and pleasures we pursue lay waste the land and pollute the seas. The fears and jealousies that we harbor set neighbor against neighbor and nation against nation. We abuse your good gifts of imagination and freedom, of intellect and reason, and have turned them into bonds of oppression. Lord, have mercy upon us; heal and forgive us. Set us free to serve you in the world as agents of your reconciling love in Jesus Christ. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
GLORIA PATRI 579
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.
PROCLAMATION
FIRST LESSON John 1:19-34
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN
ANTHEM “Lamb of God”
SECOND LESSON Genesis 21:1-3; 22:1-14
The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.
After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON “Here. For. It.” Rev. Aaron Ochart
RESPONSE
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Apostles’ Creed
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ [God’s] only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 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 Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
COLLECTION OF OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
REAFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM
Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-
Jews and Greek, slaves and free– and we were all made to drink of the one Spirit. …
Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world? I do.
Who is your Lord and Savior? Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his word and showing his love? I will, with God’s help.
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
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 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 the glory, forever. Amen.
SENDING
*HYMN 379 “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”
1 My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain: On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.
2 When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]
3 His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]
4 When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]
*PARTING PRAYER Clement of Rome (1st Century)
We pray to you, O God: be our helper and protector. Save the afflicted, have mercy on the lowly, raise up the fallen, help the needy, humble the proud, return the lost, feed the hungry, release the captive, heal the sick, revive the weak, and comfort those in fear. All this we ask for the sake of the world you love, and in the name of the one you sent to save us: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
*CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Carillon from 24 Pieces en style libre Louis Vierne
Order of Worship 09_12_21
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
16th Sunday after Pentecost
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA)
September 12, 2021 Ten Thirty in the morning (CST)
Virtual service of Worship
Minister: The Rev. Aaron Ochart
Liturgist:
GATHERING
WORDS OF WELCOME
PRELUDE – Morning Has Broken – Richard Blake
ADORATION
CALL TO WORSHIP (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV)
ONE: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
MANY: Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Spirit of God, just as you hovered over the deep darkness, you hover over our lives. Just as you brought light and love to the creation, you bring it into our lives as well. Fill us with your light and form us into a new creation, made in your image. Amen.
HYMN “God of the Sparrow”
1.God of the sparrow God of the whale
God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe
How does the creature say Praise
2.God of the earthquake God of the storm
God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature cry Woe
How does the creature cry Save
3.God of the rainbow God of the cross
God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace
How does the creature say Thank
- God of the hungry God of the sick
God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care
How does the creature say Life
5.God of the neighbor God of the foe
God of the pruning hook
How does the creature say Love
How does the creature say Joy
- God of the ages God near at hand
God of the loving heart
How do your children say Joy
How do your children say Home
CALL TO CONFESSION
SILENT CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
GLORIA PATRI 579
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.
PASSING THE PEACE
PROCLAMATION
FIRST SCRIPTURE LESSON – John 1:1-18 NRSV
The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own,[c] and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN
SCRIPTURE LESSON – Genesis 1:1-2:4a NRSV
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON “Over the Chaos” Rev. Aaron Ochart
RESPONSE
COLLECTION OF OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY “God So Loved the World”
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD’S PRAYER
SENDING
*HYMN “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”
1 Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration!
2 Praise ye the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
3 Praise ye the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
*PARTING PRAYER The Three Step Prayer- Jose Hobday (1929-2009)
First Step: Plant your feet firmly on the earth. Using your five senses, give thanks to our Creator God for the countless ways God comes to us through creation- for all the beauty that your eyes see, for all the sounds that your ears ear, for all the scents that you smell, the tastes that you taste, for all that you feel (the sun, wind, rain, snow, warm, or cold). Pray this day that you may be open and attuned to the countless ways that our Creator God comes to us through your senses, through the gifts of creation.
Second Step: Let go of all the pain, struggle, regret, failures, garbage of yesterday – step out of it – leave it behind- brush the dust of it from your feet.
Third Step: With this third and final step, step into the gift of the new day, full of hope, promise, and potential. Give thanks for the gift of this new day, which God has made!
Amen.
*CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Toccata – Belier