Sunday

February 26, 2023

Resources and content for this Sunday.

Order of Worship

February 26, 2023

*Call to Worship | Psalm 2:7-12 | Blake Arnoult

God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.

7 I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son

today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10   Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

*Song of Adoration | All Creatures of Our God and King

We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does. 

All creatures of our God and King, 

Lift up your voice and with us sing, 

Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Thou burning sun with golden beam, 

Thou silver moon with softer gleam, 

O praise Him! O praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong 

Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along, 

O praise Him!   Alleluia! 

Thou rushing morn in praise rejoice, 

Ye lights of evening find a voice, 

Chorus

Thou flowing water pure and clear 

Make music for Thy Lord to hear 

Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Thou fire so masterful and bright 

That givest man both warmth and light, 

Chorus

Let all things their Creator bless, 

And worship Him in humbleness. 

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son 

And praise the Spirit, Three in One 

Chorus

Music and Lyrics: St. Francis of Assisi, William H. Draper

*Confession of Faith | Heidelberg Catechism, Q.1

With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.

What is your only comfort in life and death?      

That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

*Song of Confession | All I Have Is Christ

Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.

I once was lost in darkest night

Yet thought I knew the way

The sin that promised joy and life

Had led me to the grave

I had no hope that You would own

A rebel to Your will

And if You had not loved me first

I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell bound race

Indifferent to the cost

You looked upon my helpless state

And led me to the cross

And I beheld God’s love displayed

You suffered in my place

You bore the wrath reserved for me

Now all I know is grace!

Hallelujah all I have is Christ

Hallelujah Jesus is my life

 

Now Lord I would be Yours alone

And live so all might see

The strength to follow Your commands

Could never come from me

O Father use my ransomed life

In any way You choose

And let my song forever be

My only boast is You

Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Jordan Kauflin

Confession of Sin | Romans 3:10-18 | Blake Arnoult

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.

10 None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Assurance of Pardon | Isaiah 53:4-5 | 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.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

*Song of Response | Abide With Me

We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, abide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;

And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,

Thou hast not left me, though I oft left Thee,

On to the close, Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?

Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness.

Where is thy sting death? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.

Music and Lyrics: Henry Francis Lyte, ‎William Henry Monk

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 | It Is Well With My Soul

As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way;

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say:

“It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

It is well (it is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come’

Let this blest assurance control;

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

Chorus

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;

My sin, not in part but the whole;

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!

Chorus

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

//Chorus//

Music and Lyrics: Philip Bliss, Horatio Spafford

Prayer for Christ’s Church

We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.

*Reading of Scripture | Romans 5:12-21 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult

“A Tale of Two Adams”

Romans: The Power of God for Salvation

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 | Grace and Peace

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

Grace and peace, oh how can this be

For lawbreakers and thieves, for the worthless, the least

You have said that our judgment is death

For all eternity without hope, without rest

Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery

That Your grace has come to me

Grace and peace, oh how can this be?

The matchless King of all paid the blood price for me

Slaughtered lamb, what atonement You bring!

The vilest sinner's heart can be cleansed, can be free

Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery

That Your grace has come to me

Grace and peace, oh how can this be?

Let songs of gratefulness ever rise, never cease

Loved by God and called as a saint

My heart is satisfied in the riches of Christ

Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery

That Your grace has come to me

Oh, what an amazing love I see, what an amazing love I see

That Your grace has come to me

Music and Lyrics: Joel Sczebel

Departing Song | Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go

We begin to end in faith and song.

O Love that will not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,

That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

Music and Lyrics: Robbie Seay, Taylor Johnson, Albert Peace, George Matheson

*Benediction | Romans 15:13 | Blake Arnoult

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.

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sunday School

March 5, 9:15-9:45am

Sunday school for all children through 12th grade has begun! Join us every Sunday morning at 9:15am!

Supper Clubs Underway!

February and March 2023

Spring supper clubs are underway! If you need assistance connecting to your supper club, contact Emily McEwin. 

Bible Studies

Men’s and Women’s spring Bible studies have begun! 

Women’s Morning Bible Study: 

Wednesday mornings, 9:30am at the Wade home

Women’s Evening Bible Study: 

Resuming on Thursday evening, March 2 at 7pm at the McEwin home

Men’s Bible Study: 

Friday mornings, 7am - Buffalo Grille at Voss and Woodway

Adult Teaching Series

Thursday, March 30, 7pm

This spring, adults will be meeting on Thursday evenings at the Wade home! Join us for our final teaching session on March 30 to hear about The Faith We Believe, Share, and Defend!

Youth Teaching Series - Today!!

Sunday, February 26, 11:30am

All 5th-12th graders are invited to join us at the Willson home on February 26 for our second session in our youth teaching series!

Connection Card

We'd love to say hi.

What we would like most is to connect with you. It can be intimidating to meet new people, so we want to make the process as easy as possible. Fill out the connection card and we will reach out!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.