Approaching God
Welcome
& Announcements
Prelude
& Gathering Song
Call to Worship
Herald: We have gathered as one family
of faith and community of Christ to worship His glorious Name.
People: May we experience God’s love
and grace as we joyfully glorify and bless Him this day.
Herald: Let us come to the Lord, to
serve Him with our hearts and voices, in our prayers and praise. Amen.
Hymn:
Prayer of
Adoration, Confession, and Absolution
Guide:
Almighty
God and Everlasting Father, whose energetic words of Creation spoke our world
into being, we reverently approach Your throne of Grace and acknowledge You as
Sovereign of all that was, is, and ever shall be. You are our Almighty King and
we are Your humble servants. We have come here at Your bidding; we worship here
to Your glory alone.
People: Lord
Jesus, Savior of the World and Prince of Peace, we confess our sinful ways and
foolish choices to You. We have fallen short of God’s standards and we have
failed to perfectly follow You. Our sins are many and our mistakes are
constant. We often neglect to help those in need, and frequently disappoint our
loved ones. We use angry words to hurt other people, and permit our pride to
shape our sinful deeds. Forgive us, Lord, for yielding to temptation and surrendering
to our selfish ways. Hear us now, as we inwardly and privately confess our sins
to You alone.
-
SILENCE -
Guide:
Holy
Spirit, You have afflicted our consciences and confronted us to confess our
sins. We pray for absolution of all our past mistakes and ask that You
continually guide us to live according to Christ’s Way. We profess that He is
our only Savior, so we thankfully declare our allegiance to Jesus. In His
words, we unite our hearts and souls to Him, saying, “Our Father …THE LORD’S PRAYER”
(debts/debtors).
Promise of the
Gospel
Guide: Christ
is the Bread of Heaven, so as we feed upon His life and words, we are spiritually
regenerated and completely forgiven of all our past mistakes. We will rejoice
and be glad, for this is another glorious Sunday that the Lord has made, and we
are perfectly restored to His favor and love, both now and always. Amen.
Gloria
Patri: 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:
We
cry out to You, O God, for help; we call upon You to hear our heartfelt prayers.
In the midst of our distress, we seek Your grace; as we experience anxiety and
discomfort, we look to You for healing. We remember You, O God, and recall Your
great works. When we are weak or faint-hearted, be our strength and salvation. When
we are too troubled to speak, let us hear Your peaceful voice; when we are
tired and exhausted, bring rest to our bodies and comfort for our souls.
People:
Almighty Father, fill us
with Your love and heal us by Your grace. Rescue and restore our loved ones
from all that harms them in body, mind, heart, and spirit. May Your healing
mercy, gracious power, and loving compassion touch all those in need of freedom
from pain and recovery from illness. Hear us now as we silently pray.
Silent
Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit
Pastor:
Your
ways, O God, are both mysterious and holy. Your greatness is unequalled and
Your grace is never diminished. You are the God of Life and Light; You daily
reveal Your presence among all peoples and throughout the Earth. Hear our
prayers, given in Jesus’ Name. Amen. (Healing
Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 77)
Prayer for
Enlightenment
Reader:
Holy Spirit, enter our souls and challenge our
hearts with today’s Gospel message. Keep us focused on Christ’s words and
reveal to us effective ways with which we can apply His teaching, actions, and
ministry in our own lives, congregation, and community. Through Christ our Lord,
we pray. Amen.
Scripture
Readings
The
Message & the Apostles’ Creed
Serving God
Offering
& Offertory
Dedication
(unison – led by pastor): Lord
Jesus, You are always gracious and loving towards us, so we cheerfully and
thankfully offer You these gifts. May our tithes and offerings be effectively used
to enhance faith, inspire kindness, and enable our church to fulfill the
missions and ministries of encouragement, support, and charity that we seek to
complete in Your Holy Name. Amen.
Communion
Hymn:
Benediction
(unison): May the Everlasting Father be
near to us each and every day; may we constantly follow and humbly serve Christ
in our community and world; and may the Holy Spirit continually lead and
inspire us to the glory of the One, Triune, and Living God, both now and
forever. Amen.
Doxology
& Postlude
