250302-Worship Bulletin
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Morning Worship Service on The Lord's Day, March 2, 2025
Morning Worship Service on The Lord's Day, March 2, 2025
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
The Voluntary for Silent Prayer
*Call to Worship: Psalm 40:1-3, 16
Minister: I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
People: He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Minister: May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
People: As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer.
Unison: Praise the Lord!
*Hymn of Adoration: “O Come, My Soul, Bless Thou the Lord” (No. 6)
1 O come, my soul, bless thou the Lord thy Maker,
and all within me bless his holy name;
bless thou the Lord, forget not all his mercies,
his pard'ning grace and saving love proclaim.
Refrain:
Bless him forever, wondrous in might,
bless him, his servants that in his will delight.
2 Good is the Lord and full of kind compassion,
most slow to anger, plenteous in love;
rich is his grace to all that humbly seek him,
boundless and endless as the heav'ns above. [Refrain]
3 His love is like a father's to his children,
tender and kind to all who fear his name;
for well he knows our weakness and our frailty,
he knows that we are dust, he knows our frame. [Refrain]
4 We fade and die like flow'rs that grow in beauty,
like tender grass that soon will disappear;
but evermore the love of God is changeless,
still shown to those who look to him in fear. [Refrain]
5 High in the heav'ns his throne is fixed forever,
his kingdom rules o'er all from pole to pole;
bless ye the Lord through all his wide dominion,
bless his most holy name, O thou my soul. [Refrain]
*Prayer of Adoration and Congregational Prayer
Minister: Gracious Father, we praise you and thank you for sending your Son to be our Savior. Jesus, our brother and our king, thank you for humbling yourself and being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. But death could not hold you. You rose from the grave! And now you are highly exalted, and your name is above all other names. So at your name, Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that you are Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And all will cry out, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” In your mighty name we pray. Amen.
*Confession of Faith: Westminster Confession of Faith 8.5
Minister: What do you believe concerning Christ, our mediator?
People: The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself—which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God—has fully satisfied the justice of his Father. He purchased not only reconciliation but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given to him.
Unison: Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
*Gloria (Tune: “Mit Freuden Zart”)
All glory be to thee, Most High, to thee all adoration;
in grace and truth thou drawest nigh to offer us salvation;
thou showest thy goodwill to men,
and peace shall reign on earth again;
we praise thy name forever.
The Revelation of God’s Will: Romans 12:9-21
Minister: Let love be genuine.
People: Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Minister: Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
People: Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Minister: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
People: Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Minister: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
People: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Minister: Live in harmony with one another.
People: Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Minister: Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
People: If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Minister: Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
People: To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Unison: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Hymn of Confession: “We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought” ( No. 493, Tune: “St. Catherine”)
1 We have not known thee as we ought,
nor learned thy wisdom, grace and pow'r;
the things of earth have filled our thought,
and trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light thy truth to see,
and make us wise in knowing thee.
2 We have not feared thee as we ought,
nor bowed beneath thine awful eye,
nor guarded deed, and word, and thought,
remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know thee near,
and grant the grace of holy fear.
3 We have not loved thee as we ought,
nor cared that we are loved by thee;
thy presence we have coldly sought,
and feebly longed thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
to feel and own the love thou art.
4 We have not served thee as we ought;
alas! the duties left undone,
the work with little fervor wrought,
the battles lost, or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal, and give the might,
for thee to toil, for thee to fight.
5 When shall we know thee as we ought,
and fear, and love, and serve aright!
When shall we, out of trial brought,
be perfect in the land of light!
Lord, may we day by day prepare
to see thy face, and serve thee there.
Prayer of Confession
Unison: Gracious and loving Father, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name; what our hearts can no longer bear, what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future filled with hope, in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ our light and our life. Amen.
Silent Prayers
Pastoral Prayer
Words of Encouragement
Minister: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
*Hymn of Thanksgiving: “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners!” (No. 498)
1 Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! lover of my soul;
friends may fail me, foes assail me,
he, my Savior, makes me whole.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
he is with me to the end.
2 Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in him;
tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
he, my strength, my vict'ry wins. [Refrain]
3 Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o'er me roll,
even when my heart is breaking,
he, my comfort, helps my soul. [Refrain]
4 Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
storms about me, night o'ertakes me,
he, my pilot, hears my cry. [Refrain]
5 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. [Refrain]
Worship of God through Tithes and Offerings
*Doxology (Tune: “Old Hundredth”)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Reading of the Holy Scriptures: Matthew 17:24-27
Minister: This is the Word of God.
Unison: Thanks be to God for his Word!
The Prayer for Illumination
Sermon: “Free to Love” (Rev. Seth Wallace)
*Hymn of Response: “May the Mind of Christ My Savior” (No. 644)
1 May the mind of Christ my Savior
live in me from day to day,
by his love and pow'r controlling
all I do and say.
2 May the Word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour,
so that all may see I triumph
only through his pow'r.
3 May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort
sick and sorrowing.
4 May the love of Jesus fill me
as the waters fill the sea;
him exalting, self abasing,
this is victory.
5 May his beauty rest upon me
as I seek the lost to win,
and may they forget the channel,
seeing only him.
*The Benediction
Postlude
*Denotes congregational standing, if able.
Morning Worship Service on The Lord's Day, March 2, 2025
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
The Voluntary for Silent Prayer
*Call to Worship: Psalm 40:1-3, 16
Minister: I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
People: He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Minister: May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
People: As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer.
Unison: Praise the Lord!
*Hymn of Adoration: “O Come, My Soul, Bless Thou the Lord” (No. 6)
1 O come, my soul, bless thou the Lord thy Maker,
and all within me bless his holy name;
bless thou the Lord, forget not all his mercies,
his pard'ning grace and saving love proclaim.
Refrain:
Bless him forever, wondrous in might,
bless him, his servants that in his will delight.
2 Good is the Lord and full of kind compassion,
most slow to anger, plenteous in love;
rich is his grace to all that humbly seek him,
boundless and endless as the heav'ns above. [Refrain]
3 His love is like a father's to his children,
tender and kind to all who fear his name;
for well he knows our weakness and our frailty,
he knows that we are dust, he knows our frame. [Refrain]
4 We fade and die like flow'rs that grow in beauty,
like tender grass that soon will disappear;
but evermore the love of God is changeless,
still shown to those who look to him in fear. [Refrain]
5 High in the heav'ns his throne is fixed forever,
his kingdom rules o'er all from pole to pole;
bless ye the Lord through all his wide dominion,
bless his most holy name, O thou my soul. [Refrain]
*Prayer of Adoration and Congregational Prayer
Minister: Gracious Father, we praise you and thank you for sending your Son to be our Savior. Jesus, our brother and our king, thank you for humbling yourself and being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. But death could not hold you. You rose from the grave! And now you are highly exalted, and your name is above all other names. So at your name, Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that you are Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And all will cry out, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” In your mighty name we pray. Amen.
*Confession of Faith: Westminster Confession of Faith 8.5
Minister: What do you believe concerning Christ, our mediator?
People: The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself—which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God—has fully satisfied the justice of his Father. He purchased not only reconciliation but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given to him.
Unison: Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
*Gloria (Tune: “Mit Freuden Zart”)
All glory be to thee, Most High, to thee all adoration;
in grace and truth thou drawest nigh to offer us salvation;
thou showest thy goodwill to men,
and peace shall reign on earth again;
we praise thy name forever.
The Revelation of God’s Will: Romans 12:9-21
Minister: Let love be genuine.
People: Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Minister: Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
People: Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Minister: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
People: Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Minister: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
People: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Minister: Live in harmony with one another.
People: Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Minister: Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
People: If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Minister: Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
People: To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Unison: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Hymn of Confession: “We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought” ( No. 493, Tune: “St. Catherine”)
1 We have not known thee as we ought,
nor learned thy wisdom, grace and pow'r;
the things of earth have filled our thought,
and trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light thy truth to see,
and make us wise in knowing thee.
2 We have not feared thee as we ought,
nor bowed beneath thine awful eye,
nor guarded deed, and word, and thought,
remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know thee near,
and grant the grace of holy fear.
3 We have not loved thee as we ought,
nor cared that we are loved by thee;
thy presence we have coldly sought,
and feebly longed thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
to feel and own the love thou art.
4 We have not served thee as we ought;
alas! the duties left undone,
the work with little fervor wrought,
the battles lost, or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal, and give the might,
for thee to toil, for thee to fight.
5 When shall we know thee as we ought,
and fear, and love, and serve aright!
When shall we, out of trial brought,
be perfect in the land of light!
Lord, may we day by day prepare
to see thy face, and serve thee there.
Prayer of Confession
Unison: Gracious and loving Father, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name; what our hearts can no longer bear, what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future filled with hope, in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ our light and our life. Amen.
Silent Prayers
Pastoral Prayer
Words of Encouragement
Minister: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
*Hymn of Thanksgiving: “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners!” (No. 498)
1 Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! lover of my soul;
friends may fail me, foes assail me,
he, my Savior, makes me whole.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
he is with me to the end.
2 Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in him;
tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
he, my strength, my vict'ry wins. [Refrain]
3 Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o'er me roll,
even when my heart is breaking,
he, my comfort, helps my soul. [Refrain]
4 Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
storms about me, night o'ertakes me,
he, my pilot, hears my cry. [Refrain]
5 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. [Refrain]
Worship of God through Tithes and Offerings
*Doxology (Tune: “Old Hundredth”)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Reading of the Holy Scriptures: Matthew 17:24-27
Minister: This is the Word of God.
Unison: Thanks be to God for his Word!
The Prayer for Illumination
Sermon: “Free to Love” (Rev. Seth Wallace)
*Hymn of Response: “May the Mind of Christ My Savior” (No. 644)
1 May the mind of Christ my Savior
live in me from day to day,
by his love and pow'r controlling
all I do and say.
2 May the Word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour,
so that all may see I triumph
only through his pow'r.
3 May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort
sick and sorrowing.
4 May the love of Jesus fill me
as the waters fill the sea;
him exalting, self abasing,
this is victory.
5 May his beauty rest upon me
as I seek the lost to win,
and may they forget the channel,
seeing only him.
*The Benediction
Postlude
*Denotes congregational standing, if able.
February 27, 2025
