August 10, 2025

*Call to Worship | Isaiah 45:18 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

¹⁸ For thus says the Lord,

who created the heavens

    (he is God!),

who formed the earth and made it

    (he established it;

he did not create it empty,

    he formed it to be inhabited!):

“I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

‍

‍

*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

O praise Him, Alleluia

Thou burning sun with golden beams

Thou silver moon with softer gleam

‍

Oh praise him, Oh praise him

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

‍

Thou rushing wind that art so strong

Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along

O praise Him, Alleluia

Thou rising 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

Oh 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 Henry Draper}

‍

‍

*Confession of Faith | Psalm 118:24; Matthew 23:12

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

Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the Lord has made;

    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

‍

Matthew 23:12

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

‍

‍

*Song of Confession | Isaiah 43

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

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,

And the waves will not overcome you.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,

I have called you by name, you are Mine.

‍

For I am the Lord your God (I am the Lord your God),

I am the Lord your God (I am)

The Holy One of Israel

Your Savior

‍

I am the Lord (do not fear)

I am the Lord (do not fear)

I am the Lord (do not fear)

I am the Lord (do not fear)

‍

When you walk through the fire you’ll not be burned,

And the flames will not consume you.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,

I have called you by name, you are Mine.

‍

Chorus

‍

I am the Lord

_{Music and Lyrics: Anonymous}

‍

‍

Confession of Sin 

^{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.}

O Father, we are gathered before you, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, whose chosen dwelling place is with the broken and contrite, to confess that we have sinned in thought and word and deed; we have not loved you with all our heart and soul, we have not loved you with all our mind and strength; we have not even loved our neighbor as ourselves. In your mercy, deepen our sorrow for the wrong we have done and for the good we have left undone, so that we may hate our sin and turn from temptation. But, please Father, do not leave us in sorrow. With you, O Lord, there is forgiveness. In l your mercy, restore the joy of our salvation; so that we may love you with a holy love and look with hope to the day of your coming again. Amen.

‍

‍

Assurance of Pardon | Ephesians 2:8-9  | Rev. 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.}

 ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

‍

‍

*Song of Response | Dear Refuge Of My Weary Soul

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

Dear refuge of my weary soul,

On Thee, when sorrows rise

On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,

My fainting hope relies

To Thee I tell each rising grief,

For Thou alone canst heal

Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,

For every pain I feel

‍

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,

I fear to call Thee mine

The springs of comfort seem to fail,

And all my hopes decline

Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?

Thou art my only trust

And still my soul would cleave to Thee,

Though prostrate in the dust

‍

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,

And shall I seek in vain?

And can the ear of sovereign grace,

Be deaf when I complain?

No still the ear of sovereign grace,

Attends the mourner’s prayer

Oh may I ever find access,

To breathe my sorrows there

‍

Thy mercy seat is open still,

Here let my soul retreat

With humble hope attend Thy will,

And wait beneath Thy feet,

Thy mercy seat is open still,

Here let my soul retreat

With humble hope attend Thy will,

And wait beneath Thy feet

_{Music and Lyrics: Anne Steele, Kevin Twit}

‍

‍

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 | This Is My Father's World

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

This is my Father’s world, and to my list’ning ears,

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.

‍

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white,

Declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;

He speaks to me everywhere.

‍

This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,

The Beloved One, His Only Son,

Was giv’n to show God’s love.

This is my Father’s world: why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!

God reigns; let earth be glad!

‍

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world: The battle is not done;

Jesus who died shall be satisfied,

And earth and heav’n be one.

_{Music and Lyrics: Franklin Lawrence Sheppard, John Ribble, Maltbie Babcock}

‍

‍

Prayer for Christ’s Church

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

‍

‍

*Reading of Scripture | Zephaniah 1:1-4, 7-9, 12, 14-16; 3:8-9, 11-17 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

1¹ The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

‍

² “I will utterly sweep away everything

    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

³ “I will sweep away man and beast;

    I will sweep away the birds of the heavens

    and the fish of the sea,

and the rubble with the wicked.

    I will cut off mankind

    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

⁴ “I will stretch out my hand against Judah

    and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal

    and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,

‍

⁷ Be silent before the Lord God!

    For the day of the Lord is near;

the Lord has prepared a sacrifice

    and consecrated his guests.

⁸ And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice—

“I will punish the officials and the king's sons

    and all who array themselves in foreign attire.

⁹ On that day I will punish

    everyone who leaps over the threshold,

and those who fill their master's house

    with violence and fraud.

‍

¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

    and I will punish the men

who are complacent,

    those who say in their hearts,

‘The Lord will not do good,

    nor will he do ill.’

‍

¹⁴ The great day of the Lord is near,

    near and hastening fast;

the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;

    the mighty man cries aloud there.

¹⁵ A day of wrath is that day,

    a day of distress and anguish,

a day of ruin and devastation,

    a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness,

¹⁶     a day of trumpet blast and battle cry

against the fortified cities

    and against the lofty battlements.

‍

3⁸ “Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,

    “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

For my decision is to gather nations,

    to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them my indignation,

    all my burning anger;

for in the fire of my jealousy

    all the earth shall be consumed.

⁹ “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

    to a pure speech,

that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord

    and serve him with one accord.

‍

¹¹ “On that day you shall not be put to shame

    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;

for then I will remove from your midst

    your proudly exultant ones,

and you shall no longer be haughty

    in my holy mountain.

¹² But I will leave in your midst

    a people humble and lowly.

They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,

¹³     those who are left in Israel;

they shall do no injustice

    and speak no lies,

nor shall there be found in their mouth

    a deceitful tongue.

For they shall graze and lie down,

    and none shall make them afraid.”

‍

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;

    shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

    O daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵ The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

    he has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

    you shall never again fear evil.

¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Fear not, O Zion;

    let not your hands grow weak.

¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst,

    a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

    he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

‍

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

‍

‍

The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult

‍

“Zephaniah: The Day of the LORD”

Jesus in the Old Testament

‍

‍

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 | He Who Is Mighty

^{We celebrate our communion in faith and song.}

Oh, the mercy our God has shown

To those who sit in death's shadow

The sun on high, pierced the night

Born was the Cornerstone

Unto us a Son is given, unto us a Child is born

‍

He Who is mighty has done a great thing

Taken on flesh, conquered death's sting

Shattered the darkness and lifted our shame

Holy is His name

‍

Oh, the freedom our Savior won

The yoke of sin has been broken

Once a slave, now by grace

No more condemnation

Unto us a Son is given, unto us a Child is born

‍

Chorus

‍

Now my soul magnifies the Lord

I rejoice in the God Who saves

I will trust His unfailing love

I will sing His praises all my days

‍

Chorus

_{Music and Lyrics: Kate DeGraide, Rebecca Elliott}

‍

‍

Departing Song | Cornerstone

^{We begin to end in faith and song.}

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus' name

‍

Christ alone, Cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Savior's love

Through the storm

He is Lord, Lord of all

‍

When darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil

My anchor holds within the veil

‍

Chorus

‍

He is Lord

Lord of all

‍

Chorus

‍

When He shall come with trumpet sound

Oh may I then in Him be found

Dressed in His righteousness alone

Faultless, stand before the throne

_{Lyrics & Music: Edward Mote, Eric Liljero, Jonas Myrin, William Batchelder Bradbury}

‍

‍

*Benediction | Revelation 22:20-21 | Rev. 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.}

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

‍²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.