Easter Sunday Order of Worship April 12, 2020

First Presbyterian Church

April 12, 2020

Easter Sunday Worship Service

Christ is Risen Indeed!!

 PRELUDE

RINGING OF THE CHURCH BELL

CALL TO WORSHIP

Christ our Savior was raised from the dead, hallelujah for death has no power over him!  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the resurrection life he lives, he lives to God!  He is Risen! He is risen indeed!  Let us worship the Living God!

*HYMN OF PRAISE #123 “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”

Jesus Christ is Risen today!  Our triumphant holy day. Who did once upon the cross, suffer to redeem our loss.  Hymns of praise then let us sing, unto Christ, our heavenly King, who endured the cross and grave, sinners to redeem and save.  But the pains which He endured, our salvation have procured, now above the sky, He’s King, Where the angels ever sing.  Alleluia.

    

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison)

Dear God, on this day, our forgiveness is made complete.  We praise your name that Jesus is Risen.  We thank you that in him the bonds of death and judgment are forever broken.  In the confidence of the resurrection, we confess to you our sins seen and unseen, all that separates us from you.  Forgive us.  Help us to forgive others as you forgive us.  Surround us with your grace and refresh us with the sweetness of your resurrection power.  Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Our assurance of pardon is the empty tomb!  Thanks be to God.

INVITATION

If you do not know Jesus as Your Lord and Savior, but you wish to share in the blessings of this wondrous day, you can do so with a simple prayer that goes like this:

“Dear Lord, I need you.  Please come into my life today.  Amen”

LESSON : Matthew 28 : 1-10 

SERMON:                           “Believing Is Seeing”                                      Rev. Peter Hofstra

*HYMN OF RESPONSE #108                 “Christ Is Alive”

Christ is alive! Let Christians sing, the cross stands empty to the sky.  Let streets and homes with praises ring.  Love, drowned I death, shall never die.

Christ is alive!  Ho longer bound to distant years in Palestine, but saving, healing, here and now, and touching every place and time.

JESUS IS HERE!  EVEN WITHIN THE QUARANTINE OF COVID-19, JESUS IS HERE INDEED!!

THE OFFERING OF OUR TITHES & GIFTS

Until we have other options open to us, please mail your tithes and offerings to:

            First Presbyterian Church of Perth Amboy

            45 Market St.

            Perth Amboy, NJ  08861

Please remember that the bills of the church do not stop even with this virus.

A PRAYER OF DEDICATION (To be prayed individually, out loud or in silence):

Father in heaven, from the bounty You have blessed me with, I give this gift back to You with joy and thanksgiving to further the work of Your church.  Amen.

SONG OF RESPONSE: #371 “Lift High The Cross”

Lift high the cross!  The love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore His sacred Name.

Come, Christians, follow where our Savior trod, the Lamb victorious, Christ the Son of God.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Pray for us as we continue to curtail our lives against the virus.

Pray for those in the Middlesex County nursing homes evacuated due to this virus.

Pray for our brothers and sisters in this congregation as we continue to worship together.

As you lift each request to God, the appropriate response is “Lord, Hear My Prayer”

THE LORD’S PRAYER (In Unison)

 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.

OUR BENEDICTION AND DEPARTURE (In Unison)

May the Lord bless us and keep us.

May the Lord make His face to shine upon us.

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.

Amen.

Easter Sunday's Scripture Lesson April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020               Easter Sunday Scripture Lesson

Matthew 28

28After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” ⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

A few things to note in this passage:

1.     Jesus was gone before the stone was removed.

2.      They put guards on the tomb to “keep” Jesus dead and see what happened to them. (read the following verses for more).

3.      The two Mary’s believed and went to tell the disciples BEFORE they saw Jesus.  Better record than the disciples.

4.      Jesus would not let them go without the love of his presence.  Believing IS Seeing.

Rev. Peter Hofstra

Good Friday Tenebrae Service April 10, 2020

Good Friday: Order of Worship Tenebrae Service April 10, 2020

First Presbyterian Church

April 10, 2019

Worship Service

 Good Friday Tenebrae Service

CALL TO WORSHIP

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and we loved darkness rather than light.

God is light, in whom there is no darkness.

For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light.  But all who do what is true come to the light.

Let us worship the Living God!

*OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray:

Most precious God, look with mercy upon your family gathered here for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed, given into sinful hands, and suffered death upon the cross.  Strengthen our faith and forgive our betrayals as we enter the way of his passion; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.  Amen.

DESCENT INTO SHADOWS

Luke 22: 24-38

First candle is extinguished

Luke 22: 39-53

Second candle is extinguished

Luke 22: 54-62

Third candle is extinguished

Luke 22: 63-71

Fourth candle is extinguished

Luke 23: 1-12

Fifth candle is extinguished

Luke 23: 13-25

Sixth candle is extinguished

Luke 23: 26-43

Seventh candle is extinguished

Luke 23: 44-56

Christ candle is hidden

Luke 24: 1-12

Christ candle is returned

HYMN OF RESPONSE: #98

“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down;
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
what bliss 'til now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.

 3 What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest Friend,
for this, thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love to thee.

OFFERING

OFFERTORY PRAYER

*         SONG OF THE SUFFERING SERVANT

Surely he has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,

And with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned everyone to their own way;

And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

Yet he opened not his mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

And like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

And as for his generation, who considered

That he was cut off out of the land of the living,

Stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked

And with a rich man in his death,

Although he had done no violence,

And there was no deceit in him mouth.

*CLOSING HYMN: #102          “Were You There?”

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

4 Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

DISMISSAL

Go in peace.  May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto death, even death on the cross, keep you and strengthen you this night and forever more.

Amen

Tenebrae Service

The service of worship tonight is taken from an early Christian service called Tenebrae. The name Tenebrae is the Latin word for "darkness" or "shadows." Tonight we will experience only a small portion of Christ’s pain and suffering the day of His crucifixion. One of the most conspicuous features of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains. As it gets darker and darker we can reflect on the great emotional and physical pain that was very real for Jesus that evening. Toward the end of the service, the Christ candle is hidden, typifying the apparent victory of the forces of evil over good. At the very end, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake at the time of his death (Matthew 27) and his resurrection (Matthew 28:2). At the moment of the earthquake, the temple veil was torn apart, making the Holy of Holies exposed to public view. This is understood to represent God's change toward us with direct access to him, no longer requiring the ceremonial acts of the priests for our forgiveness of sin.  The hidden candle is then restored to its place, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. By this single light we all depart this service in silence.

Gearing Up For the Holy Services

Holy Week is upon us.  There is a lull before the final days.  I truly never knew what to do with Monday-Wednesday.  Yes, they are part of the week, after Lent, before the Big Day.  In the Gospel accounts, Jesus is having a tough go of it.  But considering just how much of the gospels is taken up by this week, Palm Sunday to Easter, it is hard to get my mind around it.

So, up and coming there will be uploads for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, as these are our traditional worship services during Holy Week.  Maundy Thursday will NOT be accompanied by written text but Good Friday will.  Our Tenebrae Service will be set for Good Friday.

We continue to work with the format for our services.  They are still being recorded on my laptop.  I hope it has not been too scary to watch.  One change has been to upload to YouTube instead of directly to Facebook.  That has given us flexibility to put the recordings not only onto Facebook, but to post them to the Blog as well.  The links will still be sent via email for those of us who are not on social media, but are online.

One thing about these remote videos, emails, and blog posts, they are not simply for our church community.  At this point, we have reconnected with members who are in other states and in other countries (Peru!!).  The family connections within this church and in the wider community are extensive.  I invite you to pass along links to what we are doing to those you believe could be a part of this community. 

I also invite questions.  Am I saying something you do not understand?  Do I talk like I am speaking to a college class?  Am I chattering too fast on the videos?  I need feedback to tweak the system and make it work better.  There are multiple places where you can get in touch with me.  The easiest is by email, pastorpeter@fpcperthamboy.org.

May God bless us as we continue to do God’s holy work.

Peace,
Pastor Peter

Palm Sunday Worship Service April 20, 2020

Order of Worship For Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020

First Presbyterian Church

Palm Sunday Order of Worship

April 5, 2020

                                                   CALL TO WORSHIP (In Unison)                         

Let us wave our Palms in Triumph as we welcome our King into the City.  May my Hosannas rise up with all of us to worship the King.  Bless us through Holy Week as we go from triumph to triumph, as triumphal King today, and in triumph over death on Easter.  Though we continue to worship apart, may our hearts ever gather as one, in You, for You, and through You, God Most High.

 AMEN

Hymn Today: “Jesus to You We Wave Our Palms” (Unison: Tune of Amazing Grace)

Jesus, to You we wave our palms,  

Hosanna to our King!

You saved us all from Satan’s power,

Now heaven’s bells shall ring.

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE OF PARDON (In Unison)

Father in Heaven, today we are called to look from the Mount of Olives, to see Jesus, though proclaimed King, on his way to die for our sakes.  May we be filled with thanksgiving in the knowledge that Jesus died for our sins.  To honor Him, lead us to confess all our sins and shortcomings that we may know again the refreshment of His forgiveness.  We praise You Lord for the gift of Your only begotten Son.  Amen.  

 INVITATION

If you do not know Jesus as Your Lord and Savior, but You would like to come to Him, or come to Him again, You can do wo with this simple prayer:

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

Scripture Lesson for Today, Palm Sunday

Matthew 21: 1-11 (Please take a moment to read it again.  It is a separate enclosure.)

SERMON:

“From Palm Sunday: What THE King Does”

THE OFFERING OF OUR TITHES & GIFTS

Until we have other options open to us, please mail your tithes and offerings to:

                First Presbyterian Church of Perth Amboy

            45 Market St.

            Perth Amboy, NJ  08861

Please remember that the bills of the church do not stop even with this virus.

A PRAYER OF DEDICATION (To be prayed individually, out loud or in silence):

Father in heaven, from the bounty You have blessed me with, I give this gift back to You with joy and thanksgiving to further the work of Your church.  Amen.

SONG OF RESPONSE: (In Unison; Tune of “Amazing Grace”)

You came into Jerusalem,

As prophecy foretold,

On a donkey with her foal,

Let us our king behold.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Pray for the families here and around the world who have lost loved ones to the virus.

Pray for our nation as we continue to work against this virus.

Pray for our brothers and sisters in this congregation as we continue to worship together.

As you lift each request to God, the appropriate response is “Lord, Hear My Prayer”

THE LORD’S PRAYER (In Unison)

 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.

OUR BENEDICTION AND DEPARTURE (In Unison)

May the Lord bless us and keep us.

May the Lord make His face to shine upon us.

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.

Amen.