Ordinary 34 - Christ is King Sunday - Nov 20

Approaching God

Welcome and Announcements

Prelude

Call to Worship

Pastor:                 The LORD is worshiped across all the nations and is exalted throughout the heavens.

People:                 Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high?

Pastor:                  From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the Name of the LORD is to be praised. Amen.

First Hymn

               

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Guide:                  Loving Creator, whose mighty deeds have blessed Your people, and whose sacred power sustains our lives; we humbly gather in Your presence to joyfully praise Your Holy Name. Your compassionate ways cheer our hearts, and Your Word strengthens our spirits. We gladly place our lives into Your hands, to do Your bidding and serve Your Kingdom.

People:                Gracious Father, we try to do our best, but sometimes our sins diminish our faith and our selfish mistakes damage our souls. Forgive us for making choices that are wrong, as well as going against Your commands when we seek to fulfill our own desires. Hear us now as we humbly confess and inwardly pray.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide:                  Everlasting God, Your Holy Son Jesus has taken upon Himself the punishment due for our sins. Without His sacrifice, we would remain unforgiven; without His suffering, we would be unsaved. In His Name, we make our confessions and continue to pray, saying, “Our Father...THE LORD’S PRAYER” (debts/debtors).

               

Promise of the Gospel

Guide: Jesus judges us correctly because He knows us completely. We cannot make excuses before Him, nor can we ever justify our sinful choices. He alone stands with the Father, who sent Him to us. When we sincerely confess our sins to Christ and earnestly repent of our selfish ways, Jesus receives our prayers, reclaims our lost souls, and restores us to God's everlasting favor, both now and forever. Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung 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.

Gathering Song

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students, come forward)

Choir Anthem

Encountering God

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:                 King of all the nations, we come to You for healing and ask that You hear our prayers. In Your sacred presence, we pray that You will anoint us with Your Holy Spirit. Help us to cast off our worries and set aside our anxieties. Smile upon us and bless us with Your comfort; favor us with Your grace and mercy.

People:                 Loving Lord, heal the sicknesses in our hearts and minds, as well as the injuries of our bodies and souls. Install Your holiness within us and all our loved ones. Grant us recovery and remission, strength and sustenance; health and healing. Hear us now as we silently pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit.

Pastor:                  God speaks to us and calls us His children. He hears our prayers and remains our Loving Father forever. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

               

Singing of ‘Sanctuary.’

Prayer of Illumination

Reader:                Holy Spirit, help us to set aside our personal issues as we approach, read, and listen to God's sacred word.  Inspire us with Christ's teaching and then send us into our community with the gifts of faith, hope, and love. In Jesus' Name, we pray.  Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message

The Apostles' Creed (Traditional version – page 14 of Blue Hymn Book)

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison):      Lord Jesus, help us to embrace Your commands and joyfully apply Your teaching. You claim us as Your own and we are blessed to have You as our Sovereign and King. At this sacred moment, we give our tithes and offerings, asking for Your blessing, so that we may obediently use them for the continuing ministry of Your Church in this congregation and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn

Benediction (unison): May Christ send us out into the world to gladly share God’s love; may the Father strengthen our church so that we may serve Him faithfully; and may the Holy Spirit bind us together with all the saints, in Heaven and on Earth, to glorify, worship, and praise the One, Triune, and Living God, forever and ever. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude

Sunday Prayers: Christ is King Sunday - Nov 24

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Gathering Song

Call to Worship

Leader:                 Let us come before the Lord with our songs of gratitude and prayers of thanksgiving.

People:                 We will gratefully worship the God of all goodness and the Creator of all compassion.

Leader:                 O Living Lord, hear us as we praise You for the gifts of life and love in our lives. Amen.

Hymn

               

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Guide:                  Everlasting God, Whose powerful words of creation brought forth light and life, we adore You for being our Creator and we serve You for being our King. Throughout the world, people are gladly praising Your Holy Name and we rejoice with them at this holy and sacred time.

People:                 Almighty Lord, You have guided our paths and clarified our thoughts. You have given us peace in the midst of our troubles and protection during times of trial. You have sustained us by Your grace and love, so we are truly thankful for Your presence and influence in our lives.

Guide:                  Gracious Lord, we know that we have sinned. We confess to being shallow people at times and faithless Christians. We have hurt loved ones with words of anger and disappointed others with our mistakes. We have fallen into temptation too many times and have allowed sin to blemish our souls and character. Forgive us, Lord, for the misdeeds of our lives and for the good deeds we have neglected. Hear us now as we humbly pray.

- SILENCE -

Guide:                  Merciful God, we are eternally grateful for Your Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and our Savior. His blood has cleansed our souls; His broken body has painfully paid the price for our sins. We are thankful for His perfect obedience and almighty sacrifice. In Him, through Him, and by Him alone, we are saved and restored forever. Hear us now as we pray His wonderful words, saying, “Our Father….THE LORD’S PRAYER” (debts/debtors).

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:                  Jesus gathers us to Himself and fills us with His grace and love. He takes the broken pieces of our sinful lives and heals us of all our past and personal sins. Let us therefore rejoice and be truly thankful, for Jesus is our Savior, both now and forevermore. 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.

Children’s Sermon

Encountering God

Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:                  The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the Earth is full of His unfailing love. The plans of the LORD stand firm forever; the purposes of His heart are sustained through all generations.

People:                 O Living God, who formed the hearts, minds, and bodies of us all, consider our present troubles and provide for our personal needs. Your eyes are constantly on us; You know our worries and fears. We place our lives into Your hands and put our hopes in Your unfailing love.

Pastor:                  You are our help and shield, O Lord. We wait for Your mercy and ask that You heal us, our families, as well as our friends of all our hurts, harms, and hindrances. For we trust in Your Holy Name and we humbly ask that You hear our heartfelt petitions and       personal prayers.

                               

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor:                  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You and Jesus’ Name.                 Amen.

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 33)

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:                                Holy Spirit, descend upon us and open our hearts to God’s message. Grant us understanding of these scriptures and give us opportunities to apply these sacred words in our daily lives. For the sake of our Savior and in Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings                         

The Message and the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (in unison – led by pastor)                   Lord Jesus, through Your death, You made a new covenant with humanity, which we gratefully acknowledge and fully proclaim. We therefore freely give our lives to You in service of Your Everlasting Kingdom. Take these gifts that we offer, and bless them for the ministries and missions that You would have our church undertake, support, as well as fulfill to the glory of God and the preaching of His Word. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.  

Hymn                   

Benediction (unison):                    May Christ deliver us from God’s wrath and enable us to do His will; may the Father spare us from temptation and reclaim us as His own; and may the Holy Spirit continue to guide, counsel, and comfort us, both now and forevermore. Amen.

Doxology and Postlude