Approaching God
Welcome
& Church Announcements
Prelude
Gathering Song
Call to Worship
Herald: Show
us Your ways, O LORD, and teach us Your paths.
People: Guide us by Your truth and lead
us, for You are our God and Savior.
Herald: Our hope is in You all day long,
therefore we will worship and glorify You forever. Amen.
Hymn:
Prayer of Adoration and
Confession
Guide: Almighty Creator and Perfect
God, we gather in Your House of peace to praise Your Greatness and honor Your
Holiness. Your works and mighty acts have blessed our people for generations.
Your ways and special words have inspired our spirits across the centuries.
People: Gracious
Father, we are unworthy of Your blessings. You are righteous and we are sinful.
You are upright and truthful; we are weak and deceitful. Our lives are
imperfect because we allow pride, greed, and anger to tarnish our souls and
influence our choices. Forgive us for being shallow and selfish, faithless and
false, as well as hurtful and unholy. Hear us now as we confess our sins to You
alone.
- SILENCE -
Guide: Loving Lord, we thank You for
Jesus, Your Holy Son and our Eternal Savior, in whose Name we make our
confessions and continue praying in His words, “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER
(debts/debtors).
Promise of the Gospel
Guide: The
Christian life is never easy because we are expected to have higher and holier
standards than the rest of the world. When we fail to live up to Christ’s
teaching, we absolutely need to seek His forgiveness. When we confess our
faults and sincerely ask for pardon, Jesus immediately forgives us. So let us
rejoice and be glad for we have been shown great mercy and are restored to
God’s favor and love. In Christ’s Name. Amen.
Gloria Patri
(sung in unison): Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
As it was in
the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.
Family
Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come
forward)
Encountering God
Anthem
Prayers for Health and Healing
Pastor: Hear,
O LORD, our personal prayers and answer us, for we are poor in spirit and need
Your care.
People: Guard our lives and protect us
from illness or injury, for we are dependent upon Your grace.
Pastor: Have
mercy upon us, O Lord, for we implore You this day to sustain our health and
healing. Hear our prayers, O LORD; listen to our cries for help. Heal us and
each of our loved ones from all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and spirit.
Silent
Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit
Pastor: In
the day of our trouble we will call to You, O Living God, for we know that You
will answer us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. (Healing
Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 86)
Singing of ‘Sanctuary.’
Prayer for Illumination
Reader: Holy Spirit, encourage us through the living message
of these sacred scriptures and open our hearts to receive God’s word. Astonish
us with this teaching and enable us to take note of all that God fulfills in
the life of Christ. In Jesus’ Name, we read and pray. Amen.
Scripture
Readings
The Message
& the Apostles’ Creed
Serving God
Offering
& Offertory
Dedication
(in unison – led by pastor): Lord Jesus,
You have freely given us faith, hope, and love, while knowing that we can never
repay You for the sacred debts we owe. Through faith, we gather our offerings
and tithes. With hope, we ask for Your blessing on these tokens. In love, we
seek Your favor and pray for guidance to use these gifts for the preaching of
the gospel, the sharing of the scriptures, and the praising of our God. In Your
Name, we give and pray. Amen.
Hymn:
Benediction
(unison): May Christ help us to live faithful
lives which are worthy of His Name; may the Father keep us free from selfish
and sinful ways; and may the Holy Spirit grant us love and joy, both now and
evermore. Amen.
Doxology &
Postlude
