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*Call to Worship | Genesis 1:1 | Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
*Song of Adoration | Arise O God
We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.
Arise, O God, and shine in all Thy saving might,
And prosper each design to spread Thy glorious light
;Let healing streams of mercy flow
That all the earth Thy truth may know
Bring distant nations near to sing Thy glorious praise;
Let every people hear and learn Thy holy ways
Reign, mighty God, assert Thy cause,
And govern by Thy righteous laws
Put forth Thy glorious power, that everyone may see
And earth present her store in converts born to Thee
God, our own God, His church will bless,
And fill the world with righteousness
To God, the only Wise, the one immortal King,
Let hallelujahs rise from every living thing;
Let all that breathe, on every coast,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Music and Lyrics: William Hurn, Chris Miner
*Confession of Faith | Colossians 1:15-20
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
*Song of Confession | Jesus, I Come
Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come
.Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress into jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward forever on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Music and Lyrics: Greg Thompson, William Sleeper
Confession of Sin | based on Romans 1:18-32
We fight the temptation to hide our sin and instead acknowledge it openly to God, but we do so in light of the grace offered in Jesus.
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of humankind, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to us, because God has shown it to us. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So we are without excuse. We are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. We are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. We are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though we know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, we not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Assurance of Pardon | Romans 1:16 | Blake Arnoult
The good news of the gospel is that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ. This assurance is based on God’s words of promise and it is therefore certain.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
*Song of Response | Jesus, Thank You
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend
The agonies of Calvary
You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son
Who drank the bitter cup reserved for me
Your blood has washed away my sin
Jesus, thank You
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table
Jesus, thank You
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near
Your enemy You’ve made Your friend
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace
Your mercy and Your kindness know no end
Chorus
/ Lover of my soul
I want to live for You /
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: Pat Sczebel
Prayer of Thanksgiving
We offer our gratitude to God in prayer in response to his gifts and blessings to his people and ask that he make us faithful managers of these gifts.
Song of Thanks | Have Mercy
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
Have mercy on me O God
Remember not my sin
Have mercy O Lord of love
Cleanse me from within
By Your mercy clean my heart
And I’ll proclaim how great Thou art
Deliver me from guilt and shame
And I’ll sing out, “Praise His name”
Wash me and I shall be Whiter than snow
Mold me and make me whole
All to You I owe
Chorus
/ Let these broken bones rejoice
Give me gladness give me joy
Hide your face from all my sin
Renew this spirit once again /
/ Chorus /
Music and Lyrics: Rivan Bennevendo
Prayer for Christ’s Church
We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.
*Reading of Scripture | Genesis 1:26-31 | Dr. Richard Lints
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Dr. Richard Lints
“Safety and Significance in a Different Key”
Pastoral Prayer
Sacrament of Communion
Sacraments are visible signs of the invisible grace of God - what Christ does by his Holy Spirit within us. Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist), as the distribution of the elements of bread and wine, symbolizes a meal. Communion is a sign of fellowship. That sign signifies more than just the future heavenly fellowship that is to come. The outward sign signifies the inner reality that sinners already experience fellowship with God in the Spirit because of Jesus. Communion is not a meal for good people. It functions as a renewing seal to desperate sinners of that fellowship we have with our holy and gracious God.
You will be invited to come forward. If you are not a Christian we encourage you to spend this time in reflection on what you’ve seen and heard in the worship. Children who have not received their first communion are welcome and encouraged to come forward with their families to witness their partaking. We invite children who are ready to make a public profession of faith in Christ to arrange a meeting with the elders, and thus become “communicants” at the Lord’s Table.
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts!
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Words of Institution
Pastor: Let us proclaim the mystery of the faith:
People: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Hallelujah!
Pastor: Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. Hallelujah!
People: Therefore, let us keep the feast. Pastor: The gifts of God for the people of God.
Please let an usher know if it is difficult for you to come forward. We would be happy to serve you at your seat. All communion bread is gluten-free. All communion wine is made from grape juice.
A communion prayer for those searching for the truth:
Lord Jesus, you claim to be the way, the truth and the life. If what you claim is true, please guide me, teach me, and open to me the reality of who you are. Give me the ability to follow you no matter what it might cost me. Give me an understanding for you that is coherent, convincing, and leads to the life that you promise. Amen.
Communion Song | The Sands of Time Are Sinking
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
The sands of time are sinking,
The dawn of heaven breaks;
The summer morn I’ve sighed for -The fair, sweet morn awakes:
Dark, dark had been the midnight
But dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel’s land.
The king there in His beauty,
Without a veil is seen:
It were a well-spent journey,
Though seven deaths lay between:
The Lamb with His fair army,
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel’s land
O Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I’ve tasted
More deep I’ll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel’s land.
The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He giveth
But on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Emmanuel’s land.
Music and Lyrics: Anne Ross Cundell Cousin, Phillip Palmertree
Departing Song | Revelation Song
We begin to end in faith and song.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Holy, holy is He.
Sing a new song to Him who sits on Heaven's Mercy Seat.
Holy, Holy, Holy is The Lord, God Almighty. Who was and is and is to come.
With all creation I sing, "Praise to The King of Kings,
You are my everything. And I will adore You".
Clothed in rainbows, of living color. Flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder.
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be,
To You, the only wise King.
Chorus
Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder,
At the mention of Your Name.
Jesus, Your Name is power, breath and living water.
Such a marvelous mystery.
/ Chorus /
Music and Lyrics: Jennie Lee Riddle
*Benediction | Romans 12:2 | Dr. Richard Lints
God sends us out with his blessing. A benediction is not a prayer. We don’t bow our heads. We lift them up and even lift up our hands to receive his blessing as we are sent out as participants in his mission to the city of man.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
January 2024 Dates
Women’s Gathering
January 23, 7pm
Ladies, gather with your cornerstone sisters on January 23 at the home of Kim Willson to discover how we can grow together in God's grace through intergenerational relationships.
Youth Gathering
January 28, 11:30am
Cornerstone Students (5th - 12th), join us for a lunch out after the service at Himalaya, one of Houston’s must eat restaurants! Food and Fellowship, friends welcome!
Bible Studies
Women’s Weekly Study: Wednesday, January 24 at 10amOur weekly women’s study of the Book of Hebrews will begin at 10am on January 24 at the home of Marion Wade.
Men’s Morning Study: Friday, February 2Monthly on the first Friday of each month, 7am at Bean and Bottle. 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 100.
Women’s Evening Study: Thursday, February 1Monthly on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm at the home of Susan and Jeff Arnoult.