John Calvin Presbyterian Church

CALL TO WORSHIP                                                              2 Thess. 1:3 

ONE: Thanks be to God for your abundant faith.

MANY: May the love of God continue to grow in us.                                                         

PRAYER OF THE DAY

The splendor of Solomon’s temple cannot compare to the majesty of your heart.

Show your heart in this place, that we might worship you with joy and gratitude. Amen.

HYMN                     “O God, Show Mercy to Us”

1 O God, show mercy to us, and bless us with your grace;

and cause to shine upon us the brightness of your face,

so that your way most holy on earth may soon be known,

and unto every people your saving grace be shown.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing;

in every land let praises and songs of gladness ring.

2 For you will judge the peoples in truth and righteousness,

and on the earth all nations will your just rule confess.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing.

Then earth in rich abundance to us its fruit will bring.

The Lord our God will bless us; our God will blessing send,

and all the earth will worship to its remotest end.

CONFESSION 

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 2:13-22

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.  He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN    “Showing God That We Love Him”

ANTHEM                               Holy Manna

Lord! Shower us with holy manna, Lord, shower us from above.

We gather here to sing hosanna, we gather to share your love. 

We have gathered here to worship and adore the Lord, our God.

Will you pray with all your power while we try to preach the Word?

All is vain unless the spirit of the Holy One comes down.

Christians pray, and holy manna will be showered all around.

Lord! Shower us with holy manna, Lord shower us from above. 

We gather here to sing hosanna, we gather to share your love.

Let us love our God supremely, Let us love each other too,

Let us love and pray for sinners, till our God makes all things new. 

Christ will call us home to heaven, at his table we’ll sit down;

Christ will gird himself and serve us with sweet manna all around. 

        

SECOND LESSON                                                   1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:1-13

Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram had always been a friend to David. Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, “You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’    

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. All the people of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the festival in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. So they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”

SERMON                 “A House for God”                      Rev. Aaron Ochart 

 RESPONSE     

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH             Confession of 1967 9.53-9.56

God’s redeeming work in Jesus Christ embraces the whole of man’s life: social and cultural, economic and political, scientific and technological, individual and corporate. It includes man’s natural environment as exploited and despoiled by sin. It is the will of God that his purpose for human life shall be fulfilled under the rule of Christ and all evil be banished from his creation. 

Biblical visions and images of the rule of Christ, such as a heavenly city, a father’s house, a new heaven and earth, a marriage feast, and an unending day culminate in the image of the kingdom. The kingdom represents the triumph of God over all that resists his will and disrupts his creation. Already God’s reign is present as a ferment in the world, stirring hope in men and preparing the world to receive its ultimate judgment and redemption. 

With an urgency born of this hope, the church applies itself to present tasks and strives for a better world. It does not identify limited progress with the kingdom of God on earth, nor does it despair in the face of disappointment and defeat. In steadfast hope, the church looks beyond all partial achievement to the final triumph of God.

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN PRESENTATION 

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY                   “Ode to Joy”                   Kate and David Russo

*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. 

HYMN 415                        “Come, Labor On” 

1.Come, Labor on. Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain

while all around us waves the golden grain?

And to each servant does the Master say, “Go work today.”

2. Come, labor on. Claim the high calling angels cannot share;

to young and old the gospel gladness bear.

Redeem the time; it’s hours too swiftly fly. The night draws nigh.

3. Come, labor on. Cast off all gloomy doubt and faithless fear!

No arm so weak but may do service here. 

Though feeble agents, may we all fulfill God’s righteous will. 

4. Come, labor on. No time for rest, till glows the western sky, 

till the long shadows o’er our pathway lie,

and a glad sound comes with the setting sun, “Well done, well done!”

PARTING PRAYER               Thomas Merton

Almighty God, we thank you for all the gifts You have given us: our lives, our loved ones, all that we have and all that we are. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer, who came among us to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus was the perfect steward of your gifts, showing that complete trust in You is necessary, and that giving of self is a most important part of following Him. May the offerings of our time, our talents, and our material resources be made in the same spirit of sacrifice that Jesus taught us by His life and death for us.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE   Fugue in G minor BWV 578 – J.S. Bach                

           

Many: And my mouth will declare your praise                

PRAYER OF THE DAY

God of strength, In David you chose a king with a big heart. Create clean and willing hearts in us, and choose us to do your work. Amen.

HYMN                     “O God, Show Mercy to Us”

1 O God, show mercy to us, and bless us with your grace;

and cause to shine upon us the brightness of your face,

so that your way most holy on earth may soon be known,

and unto every people your saving grace be shown.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing;

in every land let praises and songs of gladness ring.

2 For you will judge the peoples in truth and righteousness,

and on the earth all nations will your just rule confess.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing.

Then earth in rich abundance to us its fruit will bring.

The Lord our God will bless us; our God will blessing send,

and all the earth will worship to its remotest end.

CONFESSION 

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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                                                                 Psalm 51:10-14

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.                                                                                                                                                         

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN    

ANTHEM            “Create In Me A Clean Heart, O God”      Carl Mueller

Create in me a clean heart, O God;

 and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; 

and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; 

and uphold me, with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; 

and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Create in me a clean heart, O God!

SECOND LESSON                                                        1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

          

SERMON                         “Clean Heart”                    Rev. Aaron Ochart 

 RESPONSE     

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Theological Declaration of Barmen

Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.

As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with the same seriousness is he also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures.

The Christian Church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ acts presently as the Lord in Word and Sacrament through the Holy Spirit. As the church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance.

The various offices in the church do not establish a dominion of some over the others; on the contrary, they are for the exercise of the ministry entrusted to and enjoined upon the whole congregation.

The church’s commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people in Christ’s stead, and therefore in the ministry of his own Word and work through sermon and Sacrament.                     

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN PRESENTATION 

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND 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. 

HYMN                  My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

1. My shepherd will supply my need; Jehovah is his name.

In pastures fresh he makes me feed, beside the living stream.

He brings my wandering spirit back when I forsake his ways,

and leads me, for his mercy’s sake, and paths of truth of grace.

1. When I walk through the shades of death 

your presence is my stay;

one word of your supporting breath drives all my fears away.

Your hand, in sight of all my foes, does still my table spread;

my cup with blessings overflows; your oil anoints my head.

1. The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;

O may your house be my abode, and all my work be praise.

There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come;

no more a stranger, or a guest, but like a child at home. 

PARTING PRAYER     Thomas Merton

Almighty God, we thank you for all the gifts You have given us: our lives, our loved ones, all that we have and all that we are. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer, who came among us to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus was the perfect steward of your gifts, showing that complete trust in You is necessary, and that giving of self is a most important part of following Him. May the offerings of our time, our talents, and our material resources be made in the same spirit of sacrifice that Jesus taught us by His life and death for us.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE               Flourish by Alan Bullard     

CALL TO WORSHIP                                                          1 Thess. 1:2–3

ONE: Give thanks to God for the faith we share;

ALL:  be steadfast in hope through Jesus Christ.                 

    

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Beckoning God, In the stillness of the night you called Samuel into your service. Call us into service with a voice we are able to hear, and give us hearts to come when we are called. Amen.

HYMN                     “O God, Show Mercy to Us”

1 O God, show mercy to us, and bless us with your grace;

and cause to shine upon us the brightness of your face,

so that your way most holy on earth may soon be known,

and unto every people your saving grace be shown.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing;

in every land let praises and songs of gladness ring.

2 For you will judge the peoples in truth and righteousness,

and on the earth all nations will your just rule confess.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing.

Then earth in rich abundance to us its fruit will bring.

The Lord our God will bless us; our God will blessing send,

and all the earth will worship to its remotest end.

CONFESSION 

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 20:19-23

                                                           

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 

                                                                                                                                                          

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN     “Listen and Reply”

ANTHEM                        “I Am Sending You”              Mary McDonald

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

And with these words, He said to them, “Receive the Holy One;

Forgive them of their sins and lead them to the Risen Son!”

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

How shall they believe in whom they’ve not heard?

How shall they call upon His name?

How shall they preach unless you go there and share in Jesus’ name?

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Go ye therefore to the world and tell them of Good News!

Teach them to do as I command and know I’m there with you!

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

SECOND LESSON                                                          1 Samuel 3:1-21

 

SERMON                       “Listening”                             Rev. Aaron Ochart 

 RESPONSE     

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                        Westminster Shorter Catechism 

Q1. What is the main purpose for humanity?

1. The main purpose for humanity is to glorify and enjoy God forever.

Q2. What rule has God given to tell us how we may glorify and enjoy God?

1. The Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments is the only rule to tell us how we may glorify and enjoy God.

Q3. What do the Scriptures mainly teach?
A. The Scriptures mainly teach what we are to believe about God, and what duty God requires of us.

Q6. How many Persons are there in the Trinity?
A. There are three Persons in the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

Q14. What is Sin?

1. Sin is any lack of obedience to, or violation of, the law of God.

Q18. What does this state of sin mean for humanity?
A. This state of sin means that humanity: bears the guilt of Adam and Eve’s first sin, lacks the righteousness that God intended for us, and that human nature has been corrupted; along with all actual transgressions which result from our fallen nature.

Q21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continues to be, God and human, in two distinct natures, and one Person forever.

Q30. How does the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY               “Merry-Go-Round of Life”                 Caleb Hebert        

*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

HYMN 525                         “Here I Am, Lord”       

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.

All who dwell in dark and sin My hand will save.

I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.

Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord? I have heard you calling in the night I will go Lord, If you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.

I have wept for love of them, They turn away.

I will break their hearts of stone, Give them hearts for love alone.

I will speak my words to them. Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord? I have heard you calling in the night I will go Lord, If you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame.

I will set a feast for them, My hand will save.

Finest bread I will provide ‘Til their hearts be satisfied.

I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.   

PARTING PRAYER     Thomas Merton

Almighty God, we thank you for all the gifts You have given us: our lives, our loved ones, all that we have and all that we are. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer, who came among us to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus was the perfect steward of your gifts, showing that complete trust in You is necessary, and that giving of self is a most important part of following Him. May the offerings of our time, our talents, and our material resources be made in the same spirit of sacrifice that Jesus taught us by His life and death for us.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE            

CALL TO WORSHIP                                                         Hebrews 1:3

ONE: In Jesus Christ we know the glory of God;

MANY: He sustains all things by his mighty word.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

God of all people, You remembered your children who were enslaved in Egypt, and by the power of your name you set them free. Remember us and free us from slavery to sin by the power of your name. Amen.

HYMN                     “O God, Show Mercy to Us”

1 O God, show mercy to us, and bless us with your grace;

and cause to shine upon us the brightness of your face,

so that your way most holy on earth may soon be known,

and unto every people your saving grace be shown.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing;

in every land let praises and songs of gladness ring.

 

 

2 For you will judge the peoples in truth and righteousness,

and on the earth all nations will your just rule confess.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing.

Then earth in rich abundance to us its fruit will bring.

The Lord our God will bless us; our God will blessing send,

and all the earth will worship to its remotest end.

CONFESSION 

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 8:48-59

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN     “Willing to Serve”

ANTHEM  

“When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land/ The God of Abraham Praise”

When Israel was in Egypt land; Let my people go!

Oppressed so hard they could not stand; Let my people go!

Go down, Moses, way down to Egypt land

Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go

 

The God of Abraham praise, Who reigns enthroned above;

The ancient of eternal days, The God of love!

The Lord, the Great I Am, By earth and heaven confess,

We bow before your holy name, Forever blessed.

 

You have eternal life implanted in the soul;

Your love shall be our strength and stay, While ages roll. 

We praise you, living God! We praise your holy name;

The first, the last, beyond all thought, and still the same!

                       

SECOND LESSON                          Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-15; 4:10-17

SERMON                 “Call Me By Your Name”         Rev. Aaron Ochart 

 RESPONSE     

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                      Scots Confession: BOC 3.01

We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed, and to the manifestation of his own glory.    

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY            “Open the Eyes of My Heart”

*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. 

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

   The Lord be with you.

       And also with you.

   Lift up your hearts.

        We lift them to the Lord.

   Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise…

…Therefore with all creation we sing your praise:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest…

According to Christ’s commandment:

We remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming glory.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION  

HYMN 517               “We Come as Guests Invited”

1 We come as guests invited when Jesus bids us dine,

his friends on earth united to share the bread and wine;

the bread of life is broken; the wine is freely poured

for us, in solemn token of Christ our dying Lord.

2 We eat and drink, receiving from Christ the grace we need,

and in our hearts believing on him by faith we feed;

with wonder and thanksgiving for love that knows no end,

we find in Jesus living our ever-present friend.

PARTING PRAYER     Thomas Merton

Almighty God, we thank you for all the gifts You have given us: our lives, our loved ones, all that we have and all that we are. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer, who came among us to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus was the perfect steward of your gifts, showing that complete trust in You is necessary, and that giving of self is a most important part of following Him. May the offerings of our time, our talents, and our material resources be made in the same spirit of sacrifice that Jesus taught us by His life and death for us.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE      Allegro maestoso  from Handel’s “Water Music”          

PRELUDE          Prelude in g BWV 558      

ADORATION

CALL TO WORSHIP                                                         Phil. 2:11 

ONE: Let every tongue confess the good news: 

MANY: Jesus Christ is Lord; glory to God!                          

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Loving God,  You have covenanted to be with us and for us, not because of what we have done, but because of what you have done. Give us a glimpse of your goodness and grace, and help us to share that grace with others.  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

4. 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

6. 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 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”                

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN              

ANTHEM                         “Wrestling Jacob”                  

SECOND LESSON                                            Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God. 

SERMON                    “Unmerited Grace”                  Rev. Aaron Ochart

RESPONSE 

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                            Nicene Creed: BOC 1.1-3

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.                                                          

COLLECTION OF OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY            “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)”