August 8, 2021 Order of Worship

 

First Presbyterian Church

August 8, 2021

10:00 AM

Order of Worship

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

We wait for the Lord, our soul waits,

and in God’s word we hope.

Our soul waits for the Lord

more than those who watch for the morning,

more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with God is great power to redeem.

Let us worship the Living God.

 

Hymn of Praise: “O Jesus, I Have Promised”

1. O Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end; be thou forever near me, my Master and my friend. I shall not fear the battle if thou art by my side, nor wander from the pathway if thou wilt be my guide.

2. O let me feel thee near me! The world is ever near; I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear; my foes are ever near me, around me and within; but Jesus, draw thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.

3. O let me hear thee speaking in accents clear and still, above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will. O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control; O speak, and make me listen, thou guardian of my soul.

4. O Jesus, thou hast promised to all who follow thee that where thou art in glory there shall thy servant be. And Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end; O give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

      PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)

If we say we have no sin, we are not being honest, and the truth is not in us. Therefore we confess our true selves: that we have often ignored our own privilege even as we benefit from it. That we have not listened to the pain of others, but have instead dismissed it to keep ourselves comfortable. That we have not done the hard work of belonging to each other. We also confess that we are better than this: our sin is not all we are. With your help, God, we can change. We can listen. We can heal, and bring healing to others. We confess this possibility, in the name of the One who makes all things possible. Amen.

*SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

We belong to God. We belong to each other. God does not look at us and see only sin; God sees belovedness. Believe that in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, in ways we may never fully understand. This is good news.

*THE 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.

INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I need You, please come into my life today.  Amen”

LESSON: Psalm 104
¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great.  You are clothed with honor and majesty, ²wrapped in light as with a garment.  You stretch out the heavens like a tent, ³you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, ⁴you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.

⁵ You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.  ⁶ You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.  ⁷At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.  ⁸ They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.  ⁹You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, ¹¹giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.  ¹²By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. ¹³ From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
   the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

¹⁴ You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, ¹⁵and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart. ¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.  ¹⁷In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees.  ¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys. ¹⁹You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. ²⁰You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out. ²¹The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. ²²When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens. ²³People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. ²⁵ Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. ²⁶ There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

²⁷ These all look to you to give them their food in due season; ²⁸ when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. ²⁹ When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. ³⁰ When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—³² who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. ³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. ³⁵ Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

SERMON:                         “God Does Not Create But God Makes”                            Rev. Peter Hofstra

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Belhar Confession)

We believe that this unity of the people of God must be manifested and be active in a variety of ways in that we love one another; that we experience, practice and pursue community with one another. We believe that we together know and bear one another’s burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ; we need one another and upbuild one another, admonishing and comforting one another. We believe that we suffer with one another for the sake of righteousness; pray together; together serve God in this world; and together fight against all which may threaten or hinder this unity. We believe that this unity can be established only in freedom and not under constraint.

PASSING OF THE PEACE

THE OFFERING OF OUR TITHES & GIFTS (Ephesians 4:28)

Labor and work honestly with your hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Give, not as payment for a grace you could never afford, but as gratitude to the God who re-creates the world in love.

 

*DOXOLOGY

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

Use these gifts, God, to do more than we could believe or imagine, building a world of justice, healing and enough for all. Amen.

 JOYS AND CONCERNS

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

God of compassion and courage, Hear our prayers for the grieving: Those who have lost loved ones to disease, Those who have lost loved ones to hatred, Those who have lost loved ones to indifference and injustice. Bring comfort, solace and even joy. Hear our prayers for the struggling: Those who face addiction, Those who face financial hardship, Those who face painful relationships and loss of purpose. Bring the equitable distribution of wealth, and a path forward. Hear our prayers for the comfortable: Those who think they’ve earned what they have, Those who need to make a name for themselves, Those who believe they are perfect. Bring humility, generosity and honesty. Hear our prayers for your church: Those churches who are dwindling, Those churches who are thriving, Those many who are somewhere in between. Your pastors who are weathered, worn, exhausted. Bring vision beyond a building, and bring a true concern for others, and sabbath rest. Hear our prayers for ourselves: Those who feel enlivened by worship, Those who feel very little, Those who feel dread, or anxiety, or worry, Those who feel hope, or peace, or love. Bring a sharing of burdens and a sharing of joys. Bring a real relationship between us. And hear us as we pray with one voice as you have taught, saying

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen.

*CLOSING HYMN: “My Faith Looks Up To Thee”

1. My faith looks up to thee, thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine! Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away, O let me from this day be wholly thine!

2. May thy rich grace impart strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire! As thou hast died for me, O may my love to thee pure, warm, and changeless be, a living fire!

3. While life's dark maze I tread, and griefs around me spread, be thou my guide; bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow's tears away, nor let me ever stray from thee aside.

4. When ends life's transient dream, when death's cold, sullen stream shall o'er me roll; blest Savior, then in love, fear and distrust remove; O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!

*BENEDICTION

*THREE FOLD AMEN

 Elements of Order of Worship Liturgy written by Whitney Wilkinson Arreche, PC(USA) minister in Texas.