::  Download the 11.9.2014 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 11.9.2014 Bulletin
::  Download the 11.9.2014 Parent Bulletin
::  Download the 11.9.2014 Sermon Audio

image ::  The School Clock, Robert Doisneau (Paris, 1956)

Preparation for Worship :: Comfort and the Ends of the Earth

“The Gospel is the story of God covering His naked enemies, bringing them to the wedding feast, and then marrying them rather than crushing them.”  (Ed Welch)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  (II Corinthians 1:3-4)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for November 9 include:

:: Crown Him With Many Crowns (Matthew Bridges, 1851) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=430611362 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=92738205]
:: Calmer of My Troubled Heart (Charles Wesley, 1762)  [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=930978907 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=787838808]
::  Give Me Jesus (African-American Spiritual) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=549942375 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=893825801]
:: Every Ditch, Every Valley (Peter LaGrand, 2008) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2929548631 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=3354859726]
:: O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (Samuel Trevor Francis, c.1890)  [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2284543217 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=828526162]
:: Rejoice the Lord is King (Charles Wesley, 1744)

Call to Worship :: Psalm 98:1-4

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.  The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Confession of Sin

Heavenly Father, You created us in Your image that we might reflect Your righteousness, holiness and truth.  You gave You only Son, that we might have life. You poured out Your Holy Spirit upon the Church to grant us power to love and serve You.  But we have sinned.  Forgive our closed minds; We have denied Your truth.  Forgive our closed eyes; We have been blind to our calling.  Forgive our closed hands; We have hoarded Your gracious provision.  Forgive our closed hearts; We have limited our affections to ourselves and our own. Lord, have mercy on us and forgive us all of our sins.  Open our hearts to the truth and power of Your Spirit, that we may open our lives in awe of You and eagerly share in the joy of Your mission.

Words of Encouragement :: Colossians 1:12–14

The Father has qualified us 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.

New Testament Reading :: Romans 8:15-17

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.

Sermon  ::  Isaiah 52:1-10

¹ Awake, awake,
put on your strength, O Zion;
put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city;
for there shall no more come into you
the uncircumcised and the unclean.
² Shake yourself from the dust and arise;
be seated, O Jerusalem;
loose the bonds from your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.

³ For thus says the Lord: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” ⁴ For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. ⁵ Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised. ⁶ Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

⁷ How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
⁸ The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
⁹ Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.

::  Download the 11.2.2014 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 11.2.2014 Bulletin
::  Download the 11.2.2014 Parents Bulletin
::  Download the 11.2.2014 Sermon Audio

image :: The Village Choir, Anton Azbe (Slovenian, 1900)

Preparation for Worship :: Comfort and Song

“Who will comfort you?”  (Isaiah 51:19)

“I was powerfully moved at the sweet sound of Your Church singing. These sounds flowed into my ears, and the truth streamed into my heart.”  (Augustine)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for November 2 include:

::  In Tenderness (W. Spencer Walton, 1894) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2679071235 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=2677147876]
:: Beams of Heaven (Charles Tindley, 1916)  [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3165625088 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1471069642]
::  The House of God Forever/ Psalm 23 (Foreman, 2008)

::  Come Ye Sinners (Joseph Hart, 1759) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3401631397 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=4160694172]
::  On Jordan’s Stormy Banks (Samuel Stennett, 1787)  [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3572066182 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1174694383]

Call to Worship :: Psalm 96:1-3

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!

Praying the Psalms :: Psalm 23

The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Sermon  :: Isaiah 49:8-26

⁸ Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
⁹ saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
¹⁰ they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
¹¹ And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
¹² Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.”

¹³ Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.

¹⁴ But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
¹⁶ Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
¹⁷ Your builders make haste;
your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
¹⁸ Lift up your eyes around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, declares the Lord,
you shall put them all on as an ornament;
you shall bind them on as a bride does.

¹⁹ “Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
²⁰ The children of your bereavement
will yet say in your ears:
‘The place is too narrow for me;
make room for me to dwell in.’
²¹ Then you will say in your heart:
‘Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away,
but who has brought up these?
Behold, I was left alone;
from where have these come?’”

²² Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
²³ Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

²⁴ Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
²⁵ For thus says the Lord:
“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.
²⁶ I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
that I am the Lord your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Confession of Sin

Merciful God, You pardon all who truly repent and turn to You. We humbly confess our sins and ask Your mercy. We have not loved You with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with You, our God. Have mercy on us, O God, in Your loving-kindness. In Your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and sustain us with Your bountiful Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us; upon us.

Words of Encouragement :: Heidelberg Catechism 1 (1563)

What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

::  Download the 10.26.2014 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 10.26.2014 Bulletin
::  Download the 10.26.2014 Parent Bulletin
::  Download the 10.26.2014 Sermon Audio

image ::  Munich-Schwabing with the Church of St. Ursula, Wassily Kandinsky (Russian, 1908)

Preparation for Worship :: Restore Us To Yourself

“Somehow, we never see God in failure, but only in success—a strange attitude for people who have the Cross as the center of their faith.” (Cheryl Forbes)

“He spares not His Son, but sends Him in quest of the exiles. He comes into the land of banishment, lies in an exile’s cradle, becomes a banished man for them, lives a banished life, endures an exile’s shame, dies an exile’s death, is buried in an exile’s tomb. He takes our place of banishment that we may take His place of honor and glory in the home of His Father and our Father. Such is the exchange between the exile and the exile’s divine substitute.” (Horatius Bonar)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for October 26 include:

::  Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (Walter C. Smith, 1867) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2438982198 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=3601257253]
::  Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Robert Robinson, 1758) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=4120016334 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1902663909]
::  All Things New (Horatius Bonar, 1846) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=873132608 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=503053927]
::  His Love Can Never Fail (E.S. Hall, 1897) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3165625088 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1064820664]
::  In Christ Alone (Getty, 2002) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3360921683 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=957447859]

Call to Worship :: from Isaiah 35

Be strong, and do not fear! Your God will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Then will the wilderness rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice and shout for joy. And we, the ransomed of the Lord, will enter with singing. Everlasting joy will crown our heads. Open your eyes and see now the glory of the Lord, and the splendor of our God.

Confession of Sin

O Lord, no day of our lives passes that does not prove us guilty in Your sight. Our best services are filthy rags.  All things in us call for our rejection. However, all things in Christ plead our acceptance.  Grant us to hear Your voice assuring us that by Your stripes we are healed, that You were bruised for our iniquities, that You became sin for us, that we might be robed in Your righteousness. Grant that we might walk in newness of life as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: I Peter 2:24

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.

Praying the Psalms :: Psalm 13; Psalm 80:3 Refrain

Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? [Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!]

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. [Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!]

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. [Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!]

Sermon  ::  Lamentations 5:1-22

¹ Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
look, and see our disgrace!
² Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our homes to foreigners.
³ We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are like widows.
⁴ We must pay for the water we drink;
the wood we get must be bought.
⁵ Our pursuers are at our necks;
we are weary; we are given no rest.
⁶ We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria,
to get bread enough.
⁷ Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
and we bear their iniquities.
⁸ Slaves rule over us;
there is none to deliver us from their hand.
⁹ We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
because of the sword in the wilderness.
¹⁰ Our skin is hot as an oven
with the burning heat of famine.
¹¹ Women are raped in Zion,
young women in the towns of Judah.
¹² Princes are hung up by their hands;
no respect is shown to the elders.
¹³ Young men are compelled to grind at the mill,
and boys stagger under loads of wood.
¹⁴ The old men have left the city gate,
the young men their music.
¹⁵ The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning.
¹⁶ The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
¹⁷ For this our heart has become sick,
for these things our eyes have grown dim,
¹⁸ for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
jackals prowl over it.
¹⁹ But you, O Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures to all generations.
²⁰ Why do you forget us forever,
why do you forsake us for so many days?
²¹ Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!
Renew our days as of old—
²² unless you have utterly rejected us,
and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

::  Download the 10.19.2014 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 10.19.2014 Bulletin
::  Download the 10.19.2014 Parent Bulletin
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image ::  Wine Glasses, Patrick Caulfield (British, 1969)

Preparation for Worship :: The Cup Shall Pass

“The Originator of this cup is also one with Him who drank it.”  (Augustine)

“In all their affliction He was afflicted.”  (Isaiah 63:9)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for October 19 include:

::  This is My Father’s World [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=738638828 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1938979624]
::  Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3572066182 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=3508672184]
::  Jesus Lover of My Soul [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3165625088 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1026515912]
::  Jesus, I my Cross Have Taken [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3572066182 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1380076138]

Call to Worship :: Isaiah 33:2,5-6

O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for You. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.

Confession of Sin :: 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 left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But You, O Lord, have mercy upon us. And grant, O most merciful Father, for Jesus’ sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and joyful life, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mission Update ::  Bill & Joy Irwin; WGM, Tenwek Hospital, Kenya

Praying the Psalms :: Psalm 75; Psalm 10:12 Refrain

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted.

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” [Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted.]

For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. [Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted.]

But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. [Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted.]

Sermon  ::  Lamentations 4:1-22

¹ How the gold has grown dim,
how the pure gold is changed!
The holy stones lie scattered
at the head of every street.

² The precious sons of Zion,
worth their weight in fine gold,
how they are regarded as earthen pots,
the work of a potter’s hands!

³ Even jackals offer the breast;
they nurse their young,
but the daughter of my people has become cruel,
like the ostriches in the wilderness.

⁴ The tongue of the nursing infant sticks
to the roof of its mouth for thirst;
the children beg for food,
but no one gives to them.

⁵ Those who once feasted on delicacies
perish in the streets;
those who were brought up in purple
embrace ash heaps.

⁶ For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater
than the punishment of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment,
and no hands were wrung for her.

⁷ Her princes were purer than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies were more ruddy than coral,
the beauty of their form was like sapphire.

⁸ Now their face is blacker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets;
their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as wood.

⁹ Happier were the victims of the sword
than the victims of hunger,
who wasted away, pierced
by lack of the fruits of the field.

¹⁰ The hands of compassionate women
have boiled their own children;
they became their food
during the destruction of the daughter of my people.

¹¹ The Lord gave full vent to his wrath;
he poured out his hot anger,
and he kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed its foundations.

¹² The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor any of the inhabitants of the world,
that foe or enemy could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³ This was for the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed in the midst of her
the blood of the righteous.

¹⁴ They wandered, blind, through the streets;
they were so defiled with blood
that no one was able to touch
their garments.

¹⁵ “Away! Unclean!” people cried at them.
“Away! Away! Do not touch!”
So they became fugitives and wanderers;
people said among the nations,
“They shall stay with us no longer.”

¹⁶ The Lord himself has scattered them;
he will regard them no more;
no honor was shown to the priests,
no favor to the elders.

¹⁷ Our eyes failed, ever watching
vainly for help;
in our watching we watched
for a nation which could not save.

¹⁸ They dogged our steps
so that we could not walk in our streets;
our end drew near; our days were numbered,
for our end had come.

¹⁹ Our pursuers were swifter
than the eagles in the heavens;
they chased us on the mountains;
they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

²⁰ The breath of our nostrils, the Lord’s anointed,
was captured in their pits,
of whom we said, “Under his shadow
we shall live among the nations.”

²¹ Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
you who dwell in the land of Uz;
but to you also the cup shall pass;
you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.

²² The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished;
he will keep you in exile no longer;
but your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish;
he will uncover your sins.

::  Download the 10.12.2014 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 10.12.2014 Bulletin
::  Download the 10.12.2014 Parent Bulletin
::  Download the 10.12.2014 Sermon Audio

image ::  Simplon Pass, Valais, Swiss Alps, Photochrome print (c.1890)

Preparation for Worship :: Hope for the Afflicted

“But please: Don’t say it’s not really so bad. Because it is. Death is awful, demonic. If you think your task as comforter is to tell me that really, all things considered, it’s not so bad, you do not sit with me in my grief but place yourself off in the distance away from me. Over there, you are of no help. What I need to hear from you is that you recognize how painful it is. I need to hear from you that you are with me in my desperation. To comfort me, you have to come close.   Come sit beside me on my mourning bench.” (Nicholas Wolterstorff)

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:4)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for October 12 include:

:: We Are Not Overcome [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2938636901 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=3830598251]
::  A Mighty Fortress Is Our God [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3283416963 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=1521952589]
::  Calmer of My Troubled Heart [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=930978907 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=787838808]
::  O Day of Rest and Gladness [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=637168784 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=2456210230]
::  Great Is Thy Faithfulness [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=800299714 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=3717975761]

Call to Worship :: Psalm 77:11-15

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your might among the peoples. With Your mighty arm You redeemed Your people.

Confession of Sin :: Psalm 90. Refrain from verses 12 & 2.

Teach us to number our days; From everlasting You are God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

Teach us to number our days; From everlasting You are God.

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

Teach us to number our days; From everlasting You are God.

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

Teach us to number our days; From everlasting You are God.

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

Words of Encouragement :: Titus 3:3-5

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Sermon  :: Lamentations 3:1-66

::  Download the 10.5.2014 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes

::  Download the 10.5.2014 Bulletin

::  Download the 10.5.2014 Sermon Audio

image :: Tiger in a Tropical Storm, Henri Rousseau (French, 1891)

Preparation for Worship :: Like an Enemy

“Jesus dies on the Cross, but not of the Cross. The Cross was the means by which He died, but not the reason why He died. He died through being crucified, but not because He was crucified. He was nailed to the tree, but that wasn’t the cause of His dying. The cause of His dying is precisely because He is there as the substitutionary atonement for the sins of His people. He dies bearing my sins in His body to that tree, so that I might live; so that through His condemnation at Calvary, the Judge in heaven will say to the sword of justice as it hangs over my head for my sins, ‘Do not slay my son. Jesus has been crucified. He has been put to death’; and I am now pardoned through His dying, justified by His blood, saved from the wrath to come.” (Iain D. Campbell)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for October 5 include:

:: Father Long Before Creation  (Chinese Hymn, c.1951) CHART [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2817376614 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=165182312]
:: Be Thou My Vision  (8th Century Irish Hymn)  CHART  [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3401631397 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=3137703094]
::  None Other Lamb  (Rossetti, b.1830)  CHART [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1038326589 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=798046000]
:: How Great Thou Art  (Boberg, 1885) CHART [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3199896197 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none track=424269682]

Call to Worship :: Daniel 6:26

He is the living God, enduring forever; His Kingdom shall never be destroyed, and His dominion shall be to the end.

Gospel Reading  :: Luke 13:31-35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Praying the Psalms :: Psalm 74:1b-2, 3-5, 6-7, 20-21; Psalm 74:22a refrain

O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. [Arise, O God, defend Your cause.]

Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. [Arise, O God, defend Your cause.]

And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. [Arise, O God, defend Your cause.]

Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name. [Arise, O God, defend Your cause.]

Confession of Sin

Our gracious Father, You sent Your Son to die and rise to new life in order that death might be brought to an end and that we, too, might live a new life. Yet we often chosen death over life. In our thoughts, words, and deeds we have rebelled against You and Your intentions for us. We have broken our fellowship with You, whose love is better than life and whom to know is life itself. We have sinned against others, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes deliberately, and have diminished their lives. We have invited Your wrath, who were created to reflect Your glory. Father, forgive us our sin for Jesus’ sake. And grant that the same Spirit that raised Christ might convict and renew us,  that we might walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us; upon us.

Words of Encouragement ::  Colossians 2:13-14

You were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh. God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Sermon  :: Lamentations 2:1-22

¹ How the Lord in his anger
has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!
He has cast down from heaven to earth
the splendor of Israel;
he has not remembered his footstool
in the day of his anger.

² The Lord has swallowed up without mercy
all the habitations of Jacob;
in his wrath he has broken down
the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
he has brought down to the ground in dishonor
the kingdom and its rulers.

³ He has cut down in fierce anger
all the might of Israel;
he has withdrawn from them his right hand
in the face of the enemy;
he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob,
consuming all around.

⁴ He has bent his bow like an enemy,
with his right hand set like a foe;
and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes
in the tent of the daughter of Zion;
he has poured out his fury like fire.

⁵ The Lord has become like an enemy;
he has swallowed up Israel;
he has swallowed up all its palaces;
he has laid in ruins its strongholds,
and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah
mourning and lamentation.

⁶ He has laid waste his booth like a garden,
laid in ruins his meeting place;
the Lord has made Zion forget
festival and Sabbath,
and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.

⁷ The Lord has scorned his altar,
disowned his sanctuary;
he has delivered into the hand of the enemy
the walls of her palaces;
they raised a clamor in the house of the Lord
as on the day of festival.

⁸ The Lord determined to lay in ruins
the wall of the daughter of Zion;
he stretched out the measuring line;
he did not restrain his hand from destroying;
he caused rampart and wall to lament;
they languished together.

⁹ Her gates have sunk into the ground;
he has ruined and broken her bars;
her king and princes are among the nations;
the law is no more,
and her prophets find
no vision from the Lord.

¹⁰ The elders of the daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence;
they have thrown dust on their heads
and put on sackcloth;
the young women of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground.

¹¹ My eyes are spent with weeping;
my stomach churns;
my bile is poured out to the ground
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because infants and babies faint
in the streets of the city.

¹² They cry to their mothers,
“Where is bread and wine?”
as they faint like a wounded man
in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
on their mothers’ bosom.

¹³ What can I say for you, to what compare you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your ruin is vast as the sea;
who can heal you?

¹⁴ Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes,
but have seen for you oracles
that are false and misleading.

¹⁵ All who pass along the way
clap their hands at you;
they hiss and wag their heads
at the daughter of Jerusalem:
“Is this the city that was called
the perfection of beauty,
the joy of all the earth?”

¹⁶ All your enemies
rail against you;
they hiss, they gnash their teeth,
they cry: “We have swallowed her!
Ah, this is the day we longed for;
now we have it; we see it!”

¹⁷ The Lord has done what he purposed;
he has carried out his word,
which he commanded long ago;
he has thrown down without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you
and exalted the might of your foes.

¹⁸ Their heart cried to the Lord.
O wall of the daughter of Zion,
let tears stream down like a torrent
day and night!
Give yourself no rest,
your eyes no respite!

¹⁹ “Arise, cry out in the night,
at the beginning of the night watches!
Pour out your heart like water
before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint for hunger
at the head of every street.”

²⁰ Look, O Lord, and see!
With whom have you dealt thus?
Should women eat the fruit of their womb,
the children of their tender care?
Should priest and prophet be killed
in the sanctuary of the Lord?

²¹ In the dust of the streets
lie the young and the old;
my young women and my young men
have fallen by the sword;
you have killed them in the day of your anger,
slaughtering without pity.

²² You summoned as if to a festival day
my terrors on every side,
and on the day of the anger of the Lord
no one escaped or survived;
those whom I held and raised
my enemy destroyed.