Welcome
Call to Worship (responsively)
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with mercy and tender compassions
Hymn # 53 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
1 Praise to 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, join me in glad adoration.
2 Praise to 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 e'er have been granted in what he ordaineth?
3 Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee! Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee; ponder anew what the Almighty will do, if with his love he befriend thee.
4 Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee, decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee. How oft in grief hath not he brought thee relief, spreading his wings to o'ershade thee!
5 Praise to 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 fore'er we adore him.
Call To Confession
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
“Whoever would love life and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:8–12 citing Psalm 34:12-16 (NIV):
Confession of Sins
Let us pray to the Lord confessing our sin, saying together:
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
Be pleased to save me, Lord;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.
Psalm 40:11–13 (NIV)
Word of Comfort
As we are weary and burdened by our sin and and our troubles, our Lord Jesus says to us:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV)
Song of Renewal
Jesus! I do now receive him, more than all in him I find; he hath granted me forgiveness, I am his, and he is mine.
Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, he is with me to the end.
Trinity Hymnal # 498, stanza 5
Scripture Lessons:
Sermon
Hymn #98 Now Thank We All Our God
1 Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices; who from our mothers' arms, hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
2 O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, with ever-joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us; and keep us in his grace, and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills in this world and the next.
3 All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given, the Son, and him who reigns with them in highest heaven– the one eternal God, whom earth and heav'n adore; for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
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.”
Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn # 427 Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands (1-2)
1 Amidst us our Beloved stands, and bids us view his pierced hands; points to the wounded feet and side, blest emblems of the Crucified.
2 What food luxurious loads the board, when at his table sits the Lord! The wine how rich, the bread how sweet, when Jesus deigns the guests to meet!
The Lord's Supper
Hymn # 427 Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands (3-4)
3 If now, with eyes defiled and dim, we see the signs, but see not him; O may his love the scales displace, and bid us see him face to face!
4 O glorious Bridegroom of our hearts, your present smile a heav’n imparts! O lift the veil, if veil there be, let every saint your glory see!
Benediction