251123: Worship Bulletin

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 106:1

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

The Voluntary for Silent Prayer

*Call to Worship: Psalm 100

Minister: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

People: Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Minister: Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

People: For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Unison: Come, let us sing to the Lord!

*Hymn of Adoration: “Now Thank We All Our God” (No. 98)

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 Adoration and Congregational Prayer

Unison: Blessed Father: For our joy you have given us a Redeemer, sent the Comforter, multiplied your promises, and assured us of our eternal home. You are preparing joy for us, and us for joy. If we weep at night, bring us joy in the morning. Let us rest in the thought of your love, your pardon for sin, our title to heaven, our future unspotted state. Grant us, as we worship you, a fresh understanding of your grace that our hearts might leap toward our eternal Sabbath, where the work of redemption, sanctification, preservation, and glorification is finished forever; and where you will rejoice over us with infinite joy. For the sake of Jesus your Son, we pray. Amen.

Adapted from “Joy” in The Valley of Vision

*Confession of Faith: Westminster Larger Catechism 185

Minister: How are we to pray?

People: We are to pray with an awe-filled apprehension of the majesty of God, and deep sense of our own unworthiness, necessities, and sins; with penitent, thankful, and enlarged hearts; with understanding, faith, sincerity, fervency, love, and perseverance, waiting upon him, with humble submission to his will.

Unison: Thanks be to God!

*Gloria (Tune: “Lauda Anima”)

Glory be to him who loved us,
washed us from each spot and stain;
glory be to him who bought us,
made us kings with him to reign!
Glory, honor, power, blessing
to the Lamb that once was slain!

New Testament Reading: Romans 5:1-11

*Hymn of Response: “My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness” ( SH No. 17)

1. My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again.
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness,
And clothed me with His light,
And wrote His law of righteousness
With power upon my heart.

2. My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

3. My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who reigns above;
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,
Whose every thought is love.
For every day I have on earth
Is given by the King.
So I will give my life, my all,
To love and follow Him.

Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving

Unison: We extol you, our God and King. Every day we will bless you, and we will praise your name forever and ever. For you are great and greatly to be praised.

Minister: One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. They will speak of the might of your awesome deeds, pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness, and sing aloud of your righteousness.

People: For you, Lord, are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. You are good to all, and your mercy is over all you have made.

Minister: You are faithful in all your words.

People: You are kind in all your works.

Minister: You are righteous in all your ways.

People: We thank you that you uphold us when we are falling and raise us up when we are bowed down.

Minister: We thank you for providing all we need.

People: We thank you for being near to us when we call on you in truth.

Minister: We thank you that you hear the cry of those who fear you and that you save them.

Unison: Therefore, our mouths will speak your praises, O Lord, and we will bless your holy name forever and ever. Amen.

From Psalm 145

Pastoral Prayer

Words of Encouragement

Minister: I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge . . . so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Corinthians 1:4-9

Unison: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

*Hymn of Thanksgiving: “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” ( No. 164)

1 O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace.

2 My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name.

3 Jesus, the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life and health and peace.

4 He breaks the pow'r of reigning sin,
he sets the pris'ner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean,
his blood availed for me.

5 He speaks and, list'ning to his voice,
new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice;
the humble poor believe.

6 Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosen'd tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Savior come;
and leap, ye lame, for joy.

Worship of God Through Tithes and Offerings

*Doxology (Tune: “Lasst Uns Erfreuen”)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
O Praise Him! O Praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication

*Reading of The Holy Scriptures: Psalm 98

*The Prayer for Illumination

Sermon: “Joyful Expectation” (Rev. Seth Wallace)

*Hymn of Response: “We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator” (No. 97)

1 We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
in grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before you, we kneel and adore you;
we bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.

2 We worship you, God of our fathers, we bless you;
through life's storm and tempest our Guide you have been.
When perils o'ertake us, escape you will make us,
and with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.

3 With voices united our praises we offer,
to you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.
Your strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
to you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.

*Benediction

Postlude

*Denotes congregational standing, if able.