Approaching God
Prelude
Welcome and announcements
Gathering song
Call to worship
Pastor: Let us praise the LORD among the nations; let us sing of Him among our people.
People: For great is God's love, higher than the heaven. His faithfulness reaches beyond the skies.
Pastor: We will exalt our God above the heavens. We will declare His glory over all the Earth.
First Hymn:
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
Guide: Everlasting Lord of the Universe, whose Name remains holy forever and whose works declare Your almighty power, we humbly approach You as servants who seek to praise Your ways. Your will sustains our planet and Your words strengthen our souls. We hope to praise and adore You by trying to live our lives according to Your commands.
People: Loving Father, sometimes we are obstinate and stubborn, selfish and sinful. We allow ourselves to be overcome by fear and anxiety, temptation and desire. Forgive us for carrying out plans that do not have Your blessing and for choices that are sinful. Hear us now as we confess our failings to You alone.
- Silent Confessions -
Guide: Merciful God, through Your Son Jesus Christ, we are restored to Your love and favor. Through His supreme sacrifice and by the power of His atoning blood, we are forgiven. Hear our prayers, given to You in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, in whose words we continue to pray, saying, "Our Father, Who art in Heaven...THE LORD’S PRAYER" (debts/debtors)
Promise of the Gospel:
Guide: Jesus came from God to bring us the Good News. He laid down His life, so that we could be raised up above our sinful nature and be restored to God's holiness. So let us rejoice in His coming among us, both in the past and in the Sacred Day yet to come. In Jesus' Name, we pray. 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.
Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward. Children leave for Enrichment and Planet Worship programs)
Encountering God
Choir Anthem
Prayers for Health and Healing
Pastor: We praise You, O Lord, that we are living in a time when more people are becoming aware of breast cancer and are seeking to prevent it from progressing among us. We glorify You for the many women of the past who, through their courage and goodness, their sacrifice and persistence, have given us much medical knowledge and specialized treatments that are helping our people to turn the tide and win the battle against this disease.
People: O Lord, through our cancer treatment centers, support organizations like Susan G Komen, educational programs and medical specialists, You have brightened the hopes and lengthened the years of those who have breast cancer. Each day, You bring us one step nearer to finding a cure and defeating this disease. We thank You for the dedicated women and men who have devoted their minds and hearts, bodies and souls to this important cause. We ask that You will bless their efforts and bring fruit to their labors.
Pastor: O Lord, we thank You for the great things that are presently being accomplished in this field of medical science, treatment and cure. We lift up to You those among us who are breast cancer survivors and we praise You for their important part in discovering new ways to treat this disease and overcome it forever. In silence, we also remember our sisters and brothers from the past who have pioneered many programs and given us much knowledge from their own experiences of this cancer. Hear us now as we honor them in our hearts and recall them in our minds.
Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A pink candle is lit.
Pastor: We remain confident, Lord, in the blessings yet to come and the cures that are soon to be discovered. We place all of our lives, our families and friends, our supporters and survivors into Your precious hands of care, compassion, and cure. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen
Singing of “Jesus Draw Me Close.”
Prayer of Illumination
Reader: Holy Spirit, help us to look and listen intently at these scriptures, so that we may receive them gladly in our minds. Let us find the face of Christ in these holy words and reflect upon the challenges He makes to our lives. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.
Scripture Readings
The Message & the Apostles' Creed
Serving God
Offering & Offertory
Dedication (unison): Lord Jesus, You ask us to submit to Your ways and to place our lives into Your hands. You speak to our hearts in mysterious ways, and prompt us to give our tithes and offerings to Your Church. Take these tokens of our devotion and gratitude, so that we may turn them into gospel deeds of preaching, teaching and healing, both in our community and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.
Closing Hymn:
Benediction (unison): May Christ establish His Gospel within our hearts, so that we may proclaim His work each day; may the Father reveal to us His purposes and help us devote our lives to Him; and may the Holy Spirit grant us the courage to publicly profess our faith in the One, Triune and Living God, both now and forever. Amen.
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