250824: Worship Bulletin

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

The Voluntary for Silent Prayer

*Call to Worship: Psalm 59:16-17

Minister: I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.

People: For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

Minister: O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress,

People: the God who shows me steadfast love.

*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

Unison: O God, full of compassion and steadfast love, we commit ourselves to you, in whom live and move and have our being. You are the goal of our pilgrimage and our rest by the way. Under the shadow of your wings our souls take refuge from the crowding turmoil of this world. In your presence our hearts find peace in the midst of life’s storms. From your bounteous hand we receive refreshment and provision for all our needs. O Well-spring of Life and Light of Eternal Brightness, we worship you and give you thanks. Amen.

*Confession of Faith: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1

Minister: What is your only comfort in life and death?

People: That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Unison: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him!

*Gloria (Tune: “Truro”)

All glory to our Lord and God
for love so deep, so high, so broad—
the Trinity whom we adore
forever and forevermore.

Psalter Reading: Psalm 3

*Hymn of Approach: “How Firm a Foundation” (No. 94)

1 How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2 "Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed;
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

3 "When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.

4 "When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply;
the flame shall not hurt you; I only design
your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

5 "E'en down to old age all my people shall prove
my sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
and when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

6 "The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake."

The Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving

Unison: Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, You have brought us in safety to this day, protecting us from dangers and uncertainties, both known and unknown. Preserve us with your mighty power that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity. Drive from this place, O Lord, all snares of the enemy and, in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose. In the name and by the power of Him who lay down in the grave and rose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Redeemer and Friend. Amen.

Minister: Father, we thank you for your works in Creation, for the beauty, splendor, and majesty of the world in which we live.

People: We praise you for your works of Providence by which we are sustained, preserved, provided for, and blessed.

Minister: We praise you specifically for the gifts of food, friendship, family, and health.

People: We praise and thank you for your marvelous works in Redemption—that in the Lord, Jesus Christ, you have sought us, found us, saved us, and brought us safely home to yourself.

Minister: For all your surpassing goodness to us, especially for the hope of your certain return, of eternal life, and of the new heaven and the new earth, we worship and adore you.

Unison: Lord, hear our prayers of thanksgiving.

Pastoral Prayer

Words of Encouragement

Minister: O taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack.

People: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

*Hymn of Preparation: “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.

Worship of God through Tithes and Offerings

*Doxology (Tune: “Lasst Uns Erfreuen”)

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him, alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One;
O praise Him, O praise Him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication

*Reading of The Holy Scriptures: Matthew 21:18-22

Minister: This is the Word of God.

Unison: Thanks be to God for his Word!

*The Prayer for Illumination

Sermon: “The Fruit of Faith” (Rev. Seth Wallace)

*Hymn of Response: “O Church, Arise” (SH No. 2)

1 O Church, arise, and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth,
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;
An army bold, whose battle-cry is Love,
Reaching out to those in darkness.

2 Our call to war, to love the captive soul
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole,
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on every side
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died,
An inheritance of nations.

3 Come see the cross, where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This victory march continues till the day
Every eye and heart shall see Him.

4 So Spirit, come put strength in every stride,
Give grace for every hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.

*The Benediction

Postlude

*Denotes congregational standing, if able.