Order of Worship
Sunday, September 6, 2020
We extend a warm welcome to all our visitors this morning! Visitors, please complete the Welcome card in the pew rack and put it in the offering plate, so we may know how best to minister to/with you. Let’s prepare our hearts with silent Bible reading, meditation, and prayer before the service begins.
PRAISE (We Acknowledge God’s Majesty)
PRELUDE Praise Team
*HYMN 448 We Have Heard the Joyful Sound
*CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 65:1-4
Leader: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed.
All: O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.
Leader: When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.
All: Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
*PRAISE SONGS Let The Nations Be Glad
Lord Have Mercy
*INVOCATION
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The Apostle’s Creed (p. 845)
CONSECRATION (We Surrender Our Lives to Christ)
NEW FIRST GRADERS RECOGNIZED
*HYMN 654 O Jesus, I Have Promised
THE OFFERING Ecclesiastes 9:10a
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might….”
Doxology: Hymnal, p. 731
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Bert Hauver
SCRIPTURE TEXT Matthew 16:1-12
SERMON “Signs and Leaven” John Armstrong
COMMUNION (God Confirms His Promises to Us)
CORPORATE PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Leader: O King and Father, your Son died only to be raised. Now give us to die to our sin in repentance, so we may rise to new life and power.
All: Though you should guide us, we inform ourselves. Though you should rule us, we control ourselves. Though you should fulfill us, we console ourselves.
Leader: For we think your truth too high, your will too hard, your power too remote, your love too free. But they are not! And without them, we are of all people most miserable.
All: Now heal our confused minds with your word, heal our
divided wills with your law, heal our troubled consciences with your love, heal our anxious hearts with your presence, all for the sake of your Son, who loved us and gave himself for us.
SILENT CONFESSION
°SACRAMENT OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
*HYMN 429 Let Thy Blood In Mercy Poured
*BENEDICTION
*POSTLUDE Christine Kiewit
*Congregation standing if able
Prayers for those not taking the Lord’s Supper
Today we welcome all baptized Christians, who are willing to forsake their sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and who are members of congregations that believe the Bible and proclaim the gospel, to receive the Holy Communion with us. If you are not able to receive Communion, please use this time to meditate on the following prayers:
Prayer for those searching for Truth: Lord Jesus, you claim to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Grant that I might be undaunted by the cost of following you as I consider the reasons for doing so. If what you claim is true, please guide me, teach me, and open me to the reality of who you are. Give me an understanding of you that is coherent and convincing, and that leads to the life you promise. Amen.
Prayer of Belief: Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever dared admit, but through you I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt on the cross, taking what I deserved in order to offer me complete forgiveness. Knowing that you have been raised from the dead, I turn from my sins and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Amen.
For 2020, we are continuing to provide a basic Family Worship plan to help enable our families more regularly worship together during the week. In each weekly bulletin, we will provide a Daily Bible Reading plan from “M’Cheyne Daily Bible Reading Plan”, weekly questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and a hymn for you to learn together.
Week 36:
Weekly Hymn: 572 Onward, Christian Soldiers
https://youtu.be/vhiHoqp0neU
Shorter Catechism–
- Q71 What is the chief end of man? /
Answer: The seventh commandment requires the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior.
- Q72 What is forbidden in the seventh commandment? /
Answer: The seventh commandment forbids all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.
Bible Reading:
Mon- 9/7 – 2 Samuel 3, 1 Corinthians 14, Ezekiel 12, Psalm 51
Tue – 9/8 – 2 Samuel 4, 5, 1 Corinthians 15, Ezekiel 13, Psalm 52, 53, 54
Wed – 9/9 – 2 Samuel 6, 1 Corinthians 16, Ezekiel 14, Psalm 55
Thurs – 9/10 – 2 Samuel 7, 2 Corinthians 1, Ezekiel 15, Psalm 56, 57
Fri – 9/11 – 2 Samuel 8, 9, 2 Corinthians 2, Ezekiel 16, Psalm 58, 59
Sat – 9/12 – 2 Samuel 10, 2 Corinthians 3, Ezekiel 17, Psalm 60, 61
Sun – 9/13 – 2 Samuel 11, 2 Corinthians 4, Ezekiel 18, Psalm 62, 63
A Look at Next Week
Sermon Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Praise Music: Magnificent, Marvelous, Matchless Love
Psalm 29
Hymns: 347 The Church’s One Foundation
572 Onward, Christian Soldiers
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hearing assistance and large print pew Bibles are available during the worship service. Please contact an usher for assistance.
Women in the Church – All women in the church are invited to participate in an upcoming new Women’s Bible study on the book of I Peter – A Living Hope in Christ by Jen Wilkin. Our inheritance through Christ is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. In 1 Peter, a man of faith and flaws and eyewitness to the life of Christ challenges us to look beyond our current circumstances to a future inheritance. He shares his concerns on big picture issues for the early church, describes believers’ true identity in Christ, and ultimately helps readers discover what it means to experience the Living Hope they have in Christ.
We will utilize Zoom video conferencing to conduct the study. Our first study will be Monday, September 14th at 6:30 pm and will continue to meet the 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month. The study book is available on Amazon.
If you have any questions, please contact Christine Stalnaker (CStalnaker786@cs.com)
You are Invited! Small Groups for Fall – Our small groups will each be studying “The Small Group and the Vine: Foundational Training for Group Leaders.” You don’t have to be a small group leader to get a lot out of this great study. Learning what makes a good study will help make you a better student. These studies will begin in mid-September, meeting bi-weekly, and they will be done before Thanksgiving. We will be offering both in-person and online options as much as possible. The Armstrong group will begin 9/17 (Thursdays at 7:00 at the Armstrong’s). The Rochford group will begin 9/16 (Wednesdays at 7:00 at the Rochford’s). The Hauver group will begin 9/25 (Fridays at 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall). There will be no childcare provided. Sign up in the narthex or you can sign up by sending an email to Brittney or via Slack on the Small Groups channel.
Youth Group – We will kick off our Fall Youth program September 13th. Meet at the Armstrong’s from 5-7 PM. Please mark your calendar. More information will follow soon, it is a new beginning, with new people, and a new format.
Youth Group Meals – If you would like to provide a meal for the Youth Group beginning Sunday, September 20th, please sign up in the Narthex or send an email to: bwilson@faithreformed.org.
