Service for June 29, 2025

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Welcome

Prelude

Call to Worship

Praise the Lord!

Praise the name of the Lord;

Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!

2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,

In the courts of the house of our God,

3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.

Psalm 135:1-3

Hymn # 12 Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim

1 Exalt the Lord, his praise proclaim;

all ye his servants, praise his name,

who in the Lord's house ever stand

and humbly serve at his command.

The Lord is good, his praise proclaim;

since it is pleasant, praise his name;

his people for his own he takes

and his peculiar treasure makes.

2 I know the Lord is high in state,

above all gods our Lord is great;

the Lord performs what he decrees,

in heav'n and earth, in depths and seas.

He makes the vapors to ascend

in clouds from earth's remotest end;

the lightnings flash at his command;

he holds the tempest in his hand.

3 Exalt the Lord, his praise proclaim;

all ye his servants, praise his name,

who in the Lord's house ever stand

and humbly serve at his command.

Forever praise and bless his name,

and in the church his praise proclaim;

in Zion is his dwelling place;

praise ye the Lord, show forth his grace.

Call To Confession

And God spoke all these words, saying:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image...5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

12 Honor your father and your mother.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 You shall not desire...anything that is your neighbor’s.

I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I have not hidden.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You

In a time when You may be found.

Psalm 32:5–6 (NKJV)

Confession of Sins

Let us, therefore, confess our sin, saying together:

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me... Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” through Jesus your Son. Amen.

Word of Assurance

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,

So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:11–13 (NKJV)

Song of Renewal

Gracious God my heart renew,

Make my spirit right and true;

Cast me not away from thee,

Let thy Spirit dwell in me;

Thy salvation's joy impart.

Steadfast make my willing heart.

#486, stanza 5 (Ps 51:10-11)

Scripture Lesson: Ephesians 4:7-16

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Sermon

Hymn # 532 Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Holy Way

1 Teach me, O Lord, thy holy way

and give me an obedient mind;

that in thy service I may find

my soul's delight from day to day.

2 Guide me, O Savior, with thy hand,

and so control my thoughts and deeds,

that I may tread the path which leads

right onward to the blessed land.

3 Help me, O Savior, here to trace

the sacred footsteps thou hast trod;

and, meekly walking with my God,

to grow in goodness, truth, and grace.

4 Guard me, O Lord, that I may ne'er

forsake the right, or do the wrong:

against temptation make me strong,

and round me spread thy shelt'ring care.

5 Bless me in ev'ry task, O Lord,

begun, continued, done for thee:

fulfil thy perfect work in me;

and thine abounding grace afford.

Prayer of the Church and 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.”

Hymn # 598 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty;

hold me with thy pow'rful hand;

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,

feed me till I want no more,

feed me till I want no more.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,

whence the healing stream doth flow;

let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through;

strong Deliv'rer, strong Deliv'rer,

be thou still my strength and shield,

be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of death, and hell's Destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side;

songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to thee,

I will ever give to thee.

Benediction