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image :: The Promise, Rene Magritte (1966, Belgium)

Preparation for Worship :: Power & Promises

“The purpose of the Gospel to make us sooner or later like God.” (John Calvin)

“The Son of God was made the Son of Man that the sons of men might be made sons of God.” (Augustine of Hippo)

“Since we are united to Christ, God regards us in the identical way He does Christ. The Father treats us in exactly the same way as He does His own eternal and beloved Son.” (Robert Letham)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday April 24 include ::

:: 10,000 Reasons (Redman & Myrin, 2011) CHART [bandcamp track=2659759028 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (Robert Robinson, 1758) CHART [bandcamp track=4015998502 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Jesus Whispers (Joseph Hart, 1759) CHART [bandcamp track=1346965301 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting (Jean S. Pigott, 1876) CHART [bandcamp track=104008922 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Before There Was Time CHART

Call to Worship :: Psalm 103:1-5,22

Bless the Lord, O my soul. All that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Old Testament Reading :: Isaiah 64:4

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Confession of Sin

Almighty and merciful Father, You live in Your people by Your Holy Spirit and have sealed us for the day of redemption. Yet we have not lived like we are one with You and Your people. Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice have gripped us. We have not loved one another as You have loved us. We have been slow to forgive as You have forgiven us. We have not honored one another as those in whom Christ dwells. Forgive us for our offenses against You, and go on to subdue everything in us that is contrary to Your purposes. By the power of your Spirit make us a tenderhearted church, longing to be transformed into Your likeness, eager to live for Your glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: from I John 3:1-2

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are… We know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

Sermon :: II Peter 1:1-4

¹ Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

² May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

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image :: Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich (1818, German)

Preparation for Worship :: Stand Firm

“God loves the church with a love too deep for human imagination: He loves her with all His infinite heart…You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is not so: He who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved. Approach Him and be at peace.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (Romans 5:2)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday April 17 include ::

:: Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923) CHART [bandcamp track=3717975761 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O The Deep Deep Love of Jesus (Samuel Trevor Francis, c.1890) CHART [bandcamp track=828526162 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]::  Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (Walter C. Smith, 1867) CHART [bandcamp track=3601257253 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Love’s Redeeming Work Is Done (Charles Wesley, 1739) CHART [bandcamp track=135949962 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O Church, Arise (Getty & Townend, 2005) CHART >>> AUDIO 

Call to Worship :: Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!  “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?” For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Old Testament Reading :: Psalm 89:1-5

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

Confession of Sin :: based on Isaiah 30:15,18

Sovereign Lord, You said that in repentance and rest is our salvation, in quietness and trust is our strength, but we would have none of it. Yet You long to be gracious to us; You rise to show us compassion.

Words of Encouragement :: Romans 5:9-11

Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

Sermon :: I Peter 5:12-14

¹² By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. ¹³ She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. ¹⁴ Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

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Call to Worship :: Psalm 144:1-2,5,9

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. He is my steadfast Love and my Fortress, my Stronghold and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in whom I take refuge. Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down! I will sing a new song to You, O God.

Old Testament Reading :: Jeremiah 20:11-13

The Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

Confession of Sin :: The Valley of Vision, “The Servant In Battle”

O LORD, I bless You that the issue of the battle between Yourself and Satan has never been uncertain, and will end in victory. Calvary broke the dragon’s head, and I contend with a vanquished foe, who with all his subtlety and strength has already been overcome. When I feel the serpent at my heel may I remember Him whose heel was bruised, but who, when bruised, broke the devil’s head. My soul with inward joy extols the Mighty Conqueror. Heal me of any wounds received in the great conflict; If I have gathered filth, if my faith has suffered damage, if my hope is less than bright, if my love is not fervent, if some creature-comfort occupies my heart, if my soul sinks under pressure of the fight. O LORD, whose every promise is balm, every touch life, draw near to Your weary warrior, refresh me, that I may rise again to wage the strife, and never tire until my enemy is trodden down. Give me such fellowship with You that I may defy Satan, unbelief, the flesh, the world, with delight that comes not from a creature, and which a creature cannot mar. Give me a draught of the eternal fountain that lies in Your immutable, everlasting love and decree. Then shall my hand never weaken, my feet never stumble, my sword never rest, my shield never rust, my helmet never shatter, my breastplate never fall, as my strength rests in the power of Your might.

Words of Encouragement :: Colossians 1:12-14

Give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Sermon :: I Peter 5:6-11

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

::  Download the 4.3.2016 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
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image :: The Good Shepherd, Henry Ossawa Tanner (1902-03, American)

Preparation for Worship :: Shepherd

“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

“O Lord teach me to seek You,
and reveal Yourself to me when I seek You.
For I cannot seek You unless
You first teach me,
nor find You unless
you first reveal Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in longing,
and long for You in seeking.
Let me find You in love,
and love You in finding.” (Ambrose of Milan, 4^th century)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday April 3 include ::

:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Gloria Patri (2^nd Century Hymn) CHART [bandcamp track=2010286176 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Poor Sinners, Dejected with Fear (William Gadsby,1838) CHART [bandcamp track=1797344181 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: I Need Thee Every Hour (Annie Hawks, 1872) CHART [bandcamp track=3567125128 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

:: Your Great Name (Natalie Grant, 2008) CHART

:: Rejoice the Lord is King (Charles Wesley, 1744) CHART

:: All The Way My Savior Leads Me (Fanny Crosby, 1875) CHART 
>>> AUDIO

Call to Worship :: Psalm 95:6-7

Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.

Old Testament Reading :: Ezekiel 34:25-31

“I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

Prayer of Confession :: from The Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone what we ought to have done,
and we have done what we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us. Yet, good Lord, have mercy on us: restore those who repent, according to Your promises declared to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. And grant, merciful Father, for His sake, That we may live a godly, righteous, and obedient life, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: I Peter 2:24-25

He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Sermon :: I Peter 5:1-5

¹ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

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image :: Soldiers Guarding Christ’s Tomb at the Resurrection (detail from the Isenheim Altarpiece), Matthias Grünewald (c.1516, German)

Preparation for Worship :: Risen

“We are dead and our lives are hid with Christ in God. Dead. Out of the causal nexus for good. Dead. Not on trial. Dead. Out of the judicial process altogether. Not indicted, not prosecuted, not bound over, not found guilty. Just dead. And the lovely thing of it is that we were dead even before they came to get us. We have beaten the system. In Christ, we have cheated the cosmos and slipped the bonds of every necessity the Old Party will ever wave in front of us. There is therefore now no condemnation… Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; and Jesus now is all your life. You are, therefore, free. If we are now in Christ, we are now in that new creation. For if we are now dead with him, we are also now risen with him; and if we are now judged by him, we are also reconciled in him…We are as good as home now.”  (Robert Farrar Capon)

“Rise up and come forth and sing praise to Him who has raised you from destruction.” (from the ancient Syrian Orthodox liturgy)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Easter Sunday March 27 include ::

:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Magnificat (Luke 1:46-49) CHART [bandcamp track=3475501751 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: In Christ Alone (Getty & Townend, 2002) CHART [bandcamp track=676321818 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Charles Wesley, 1739) CHART [bandcamp track=3406429762 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: He is Risen (Caroline Cobb, 2013) CHART [bandcamp track=2265250518 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

:: Thine is the Glory, Risen, Conquering Son (Edmond Budry, 1904) CHART >>> AUDIO

:: Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts and Voice Heavenward Raise (Christopher Wordsworth, 1862) CHART 

Call to Worship :: from I Corinthians 15:51-57 

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Death has been swallowed up in victory. ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Old Testament Reading :: Isaiah 65:17-25

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, by the power of Your Spirit  You have raised Jesus from the grave and crowned Him Lord of all. We confess that we have not bowed before Him or acknowledged His rule in our lives. We have often persisted in ways that lead to death, and failed to give Him glory. Forgive us and raise us from sin, that we may be Your faithful people, obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who rules the world and is Head of the Church, His Body.  Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: I Peter 1:3; II Corinthians 5:17

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Sermon :: Mark 10:45

⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

::  Download the 3.20.2016 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
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image :: Lord’s Entry Into Jerusalem, Andrei Rublev (1405, Russian)

Preparation for Worship :: Bear That Name

“When they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” (Acts 5:40-42)

“We cannot go to the Kingdom; it must come to us.” (Adolph Saphir)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Palm Sunday March 20 include ::

Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O Worship the King (Robert Grant, 1826) [bandcamp track=7651308 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Rock of Ages (Augustus Toplady, 1776) [bandcamp track=3911198643 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: When Trials Come (Keith and Kristyn Getty, 2005) [bandcamp track=1422816822 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: All Must Be Well (Mary Bowley-Peters, 1813-1856) [bandcamp track=3952867341 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Behold Our God (Baird & Altrogge, 2011) [bandcamp track=4160179747 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

Call to Worship :: Zechariah 9:9-10,16-17

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. His rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of His people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on His land. For how great is His goodness, and how great His beauty!

Prayer of Confession

King of Glory, You came to us as true Peace in the midst of our warfare, as true Freedom to release us from our bondage to sin, as true Refuge while we languished in a chaos of our own design. Though we know Jesus as Sovereign King, we have rebelled just as Israel did long ago, we have negotiated with the Enemy by our secret sins and proud skepticism, we have betrayed our Heavenly Father in our daily refusal of Peace, Freedom, and Refuge. For our treason, You died; For our restoration, You rose again. Draw us close to You in this week, that our eyes may catch the vision of Your tears, and our hearts, the wonder of Your grace. Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Words of Encouragement :: from Psalm 118

In my anguish I cried to the Lord; and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me. The Lord is my Strength and my Song; He has become my Salvation.

Praying the Psalms :: Psalm 31-:1-19; Psalm 86:1 (refrain)

Hear me Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Sermon :: I Peter 4:12-19

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.