Worship Bulletin: 250622

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Romans 9:15

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

The Voluntary for Silent Prayer

*Call to Worship: Psalm 136:1-4, 23-26

Minister: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

Men: for his steadfast love endures forever.

Minister: Give thanks to the God of gods,

Ladies: for his steadfast love endures forever.

Minister: Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

Youth: for his steadfast love endures forever;

Minister: to him who alone does great wonders,

Men: for his steadfast love endures forever.

Minister: It is he who remembered us in our low estate,and rescued us from our foes,

Ladies: for his steadfast love endures forever.

Minster: he who gives food to all flesh,

Youth: for his steadfast love endures forever.

Minister: Give thanks to the God of heaven.

Unison: for his steadfast love endures forever.

*Hymn of Adoration: “Give to Our God Immortal Praise” (No. 3)

1 Give to our God immortal praise;
mercy and truth are all his ways:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

2 Give to the Lord of lords renown;
the King of kings with glory crown:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when lords and kings are known no more.

3 He built the earth, he spread the sky,
and fixed the starry lights on high:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

4 He fills the sun with morning light;
he bids the moon direct the night:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when suns and moons shall shine no more.

5 He sent his Son with pow'r to save
from guilt and darkness and the grave:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

6 Through this vain world he guides our feet,
and leads us to his heav'nly seat:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when this vain world shall be no more.

*Prayer of Adoration and Congregational Prayer

People: Eternal God, we praise you for your surpassing greatness, your unspeakable goodness, and your super-abundant grace. We can more easily count the sands on the seashore than number your mercies to us. We know but a part of all you have done for us, but that part exceeds our ability to praise. And so, as we mourn our sin, we fly repenting to your outstretched arms, for we know you will not cast us off. Because we are in your Son, you will draw us near. And you will not condemn us, for Jesus died in our place. In his precious name we pray. Amen.

Adapted from “Divine Mercies” in The Valley of Vision

*Confession of Faith: Westminster Larger Catechism 180

Minister: What is it to pray in the name of Christ?

People: To pray in the name of Christ is, in obedience to his command, and in confidence on his promises, to ask mercy for his sake; not by bare mentioning of his name, but by drawing our encouragement to pray, and our boldness, strength, and hope of acceptance in prayer, from Christ and his mediation.

*Hallelujah (Tune: “Lauda Anima”)

Glory be to him who loved us, washed us from each sinful stain;
Glory be to him who made us priests and kings with him to reign;
Glory, worship, laud and honor to the Lamb who once was slain.

Commissioning of the Backus Family

New Testament Reading: Romans 9:14-26

*Hymn of Response: “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place” ( No. 469)

1 How sweet and awesome is the place
with Christ within the doors,
while everlasting love displays
the choicest of her stores.

2 While all our hearts and all our songs
join to admire the feast,
each of us cries, with thankful tongue,
"Lord, why was I a guest?

3 "Why was I made to hear your voice,
and enter while there's room,
when thousands make a wretched choice,
and rather starve than come?"

4 'Twas the same love that spread the feast
that sweetly drew us in;
else we had still refused to taste,
and perished in our sin.

5 Pity the nations, O our God,
constrain the earth to come;
send your victorious Word abroad,
and bring the strangers home.

6 We long to see your churches full,
that all the chosen race
may, with one voice and heart and soul,
sing your redeeming grace.

The Prayers of Intercession

Minister: Lord Jesus, you were a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We thank you that for our sake, you suffered and were crucified, that you bore our sins in your body, that you took the wrath we deserved. You told your followers that we should expect to be reviled and persecuted for your sake, that in this world we should expect tribulation. But you also gave us hope, for you promised that you have overcome the world. Today we pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are experiencing the ravages of war, the oppression of evil regimes, and persecution for their faith.

People: We pray that having the eyes of their hearts enlightened, they may know the hope to which you have called them, the living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Minister: We pray that according to the riches of your glory, you may grant them to be strengthened with power through your Spirit in their inner being.

People: We pray that being rooted and grounded in love, they may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Minister: We pray that words may be given to them to boldly proclaim the gospel.

People: We pray for the rulers and authorities over them, that you would change their hearts and that their decisions would allow these believers to lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way.

Unison: And in all things, we pray that your name may be glorified. In the mighty name of Jesus we ask this. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Words of Encouragement

Minister: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:3-7)

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

*Hymn of Thanksgiving: “O Father, You Are Sovereign” (No. 75)

1 O Father, you are sovereign
in all the worlds you made;
your mighty word was spoken
and light and life obeyed.
Your voice commands the seasons
and bounds the ocean’s shore,
sets stars within their courses
and stills the tempests’ roar.

2 O Father, you are sovereign
in all affairs of man;
no pow'rs of death or darkness
can thwart Your perfect plan.
All chance and change transcending,
supreme in time and space,
you hold your trusting children
secure in your embrace.

3 O Father, you are sovereign
the Lord of human pain,
transmuting earthly sorrows
to gold of heav'nly gain.
All evil over-ruling,
as none but Conqu'ror could,
your love pursues its purpose —
our souls’ eternal good.

4 O Father, you are sovereign!
We see you dimly now,
but soon before your triumph
earth’s every knee shall bow.
With this glad hope before us
our faith springs up anew:
our sovereign Lord and Savior,
we trust and worship you!

CCLI 3036374

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 heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; Amen

*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication

*Reading of The Holy Scriptures: Matthew 20:1-16

Minister: This is the Word of God.

Unison: Thanks be to God for his Word!

*The Prayer for Illumination

Sermon: “Don’t Envy God’s Mercy” (Rev. Seth Wallace)

*Hymn of Response: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (SH No. 457)

1 Come, thou fount of ev'ry blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of God's unchanging love.

2 Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wand'ring from the fold of God:
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

3 O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be;
let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander – Lord, I feel it –
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

*The Benediction

Postlude