::  Download the 1.29.2017 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 1.29.2017 Bulletin
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image :: Mother with Child, Honore Daumier (1865, French)

Preparation for Worship on January 29, 2017 :: A Son

“It is hard to have hope. It is harder as you grow old.” (Wendell Berry)

“I wavered back and forth, and You guided me. I wandered upon the broad way of the world, but You did not forsake me.” (Augustine)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for January 29 include ::

:: Praise to the Lord the Almighty (Joachim Neander, 1680) CHART [bandcamp track=3835971872 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: How High and How Wide (Mark Altrogge, 1990) CHART [bandcamp track=1890280234 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come All Ye Pining, Hungry, Poor (Anne Steele, 18th cent.) CHART [bandcamp track=2538870965 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Just As I Am (Charlotte Elliott, 1836) CHART

:: How Great Is Our God  (Tomlin, Reeves & Cash, 2004) CHART // AUDIOHow Great Is Our God::  How Great Is Our God  (Tomlin, Reeves & Cash, 2004

Call to Worship :: Psalm 113

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!

Confession of Sin

Heavenly Father, You have loved us with an everlasting love, but we have gone our own way and broken Your laws. We are sorry for our sins and turn away from them. For the sake of Your Son who died for us, forgive us, cleanse us, and change us. By Your Holy Spirit, enable us to live for You, and to please You more and more; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Words of Encouragement ::I John 4:10

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

New Testament Reading :: Galatians 3:26-29

In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Sermon :: Ruth 4:13-17

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. ¹⁴ Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! ¹⁵ He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. ¹⁷ And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

::  Download the 1.22.2017 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
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image :: Sneakers, Andy Warhol (20th century, American)

Preparation for Worship on January 22, 2017 :: Bought

“Discipleship does not come first, but grace…it begins with joy over being loved.” (Søren Kierkegaard)

“Satan is loath to part with a great sinner. He says… ‘Do you think that Christ will foul His fingers with you? It is enough to make angels blush to see one so vile knock at heaven’s gates for mercy.  Will you be so abominably bold to do it?’

Thus Satan dealt with me, when at first I came to Jesus Christ.

And what did you reply? Why, I granted the charge to be true.

And did you despair?

No.  I said, ‘I am Magdalene, I am Zaccheus, I am the thief, I am the harlot, I am the publican, I am the prodigal, and one of Christ’s murderers; yea, worse than any of these; and yet God was so far off from rejecting me, as I found afterwards, that there was music and dancing in His house for me, and for joy that I was come home unto Him.’

O blessed be God for grace!  Such a one is a continual spectacle in the Church, in whom to behold God’s grace and wonder.” (John Bunyan)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for January 22 include ::

:: Behold Our God (Baird & Altrogge, 2011) CHART [bandcamp track=4160179747 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Gloria Patri (2nd Century Hymn) CHART [bandcamp track=1717027862 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Heal Us, Emmanuel (William Cowper, 1799) CHART [bandcamp track=1545458693 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come to Jesus (Chris Rice, 2003) CHART [bandcamp track=584216513 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Jesus, Lover of My Soul (Charles Wesley, 1740) CHART [bandcamp track=1085610574 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Approach My Soul The Mercy Seat (John Newton, 1779) CHART
>>AUDIO 

Call to Worship :: from Psalm 105

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! He remembers His covenant forever, the word that He commanded, for a thousand generations, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” So He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones with singing. And He gave them the lands of the nations. Praise the Lord!

Confession of Sin

Our Father, You are our Creator, and we are the work of Your hands; You are our Shepherd, and we are Your flock; You are our Redeemer, and we are the people You have purchased; You are our God, and we are Your inheritance. Yet we have lived as a people cut off from the Lord who loved us: Hard, cynical, defensive, proud and skeptical. We confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. Purify for Yourself a people for Your own possession who are zealous for doing good. That the whole earth may see that You are our God and Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: I Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

New Testament Reading :: Ephesians 1:11-14

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,  so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.  In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Sermon :: Ruth 4:1-12

¹ Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” ⁵ Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” ⁶ Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

⁷ Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. ⁸ So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. ⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. ¹⁰ Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” ¹¹ Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, ¹² and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

::  Download the 1.15.2017 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 1.15.2017 Bulletin
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image :: Girl in a Blue Apron, Egon Schiele (1912, Austrian)

Preparation for Worship on January 15, 2017 :: Not Empty

“The life that [God] imparts is a life from the dead…. The death and the life are inseparable. All of the grace which Jesus the Saving One gives is given only in the path of fellowship with Jesus the Crucified One. Christ came and took my place; I must put myself in His place and abide there. And there is but one place which is both His and mine– that place is the Cross. His in virtue of His free choice; mine by reason of the curse of sin. He came there to seek me; there alone I can find Him….When He found me there, it was a place of cursing; this He experienced…He made it a place of blessing; this I experienced, for Christ has delivered us from the curse, being made a curse for us….He took my cross for His own; I must take His Cross as my own; I must be crucified with Him. It is as I abide daily, deeply in Jesus the Crucified One, that I shall taste the sweetness of His love, the power of His life, the completeness of His salvation.”  (Andrew Murray)

“He has filled the hungry with good things.”  (Luke 1:53)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for January 15 include ::

:: All Must Be Well (Mary Bowley-Peters, 1847) CHART [bandcamp track=2424243148 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: We Will Feast In the House of Zion (Sandra McCracken, 2015) CHART [bandcamp track=3987551429 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Psalm 147, Praise the Lord, O Zion (Wendell Kimbrough, 2015) CHART [bandcamp track=2951980805 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Better Is One Day In Your Courts (Matt Redman,2005) CHART //  AUDIO

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

Call to Worship :: Matthew 11:25, 28-30

Jesus declared… “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Confession of Sin

Almighty God, together we confess that our attitudes and actions often do not reflect You. We strive for recognition and acclaim from others, growing bitter if we do not get it. We are preoccupied with our own concerns, ignoring others except when it serves our purposes. And our worship of You recedes when circumstances turn difficult. Together we repent from our sins and turn to You alone for forgiveness. Father, be glorified as You claim us as Your people. Jesus, be glorified as Your death has atoned for our sin.  Spirit, be glorified as You conform us to the likeness of Christ.  Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: Acts 10:43

All the prophets testify about Jesus Christ that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.

New Testament Reading :: I Corinthians 1:26-31

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Sermon :: Ruth 3:14-18

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. ¹⁶ And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, ¹⁷ saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” ¹⁸ She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

::  Download the 1.8.2017 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
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image :: Wing, Albrecht Dürer (c.1501, German)

Preparation for Worship on January 8, 2017 :: Wings

“When the sun has come, darkness prevails no longer; any of it left anywhere is driven away. So also, now that the Divine epiphany of the Word of God has taken place, the darkness of idols prevails no more, and all parts of the world in every direction are enlightened by His teaching.” (Athanasius, On the Incarnation)

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Romans 16:20)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for January 8 include ::

:: 10,000 Reasons (Redman & Myrin, 2011) CHART [bandcamp track=2659759028 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: A Mighty Fortress (Martin Luther, 1529) CHART [bandcamp track=1521952589 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (John Newton, 1774) CHART [bandcamp track=3647467981 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Give Me Jesus (African-American Spiritual) CHART [bandcamp track=893825801 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923) CHART [bandcamp track=3717975761 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

Call to Worship :: Psalm 99:1-5

The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; He is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name! Holy is He! The King in His might loves justice. You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He!

Confession of Sin

Almighty God, Though You guide and protect us as our Shepherd, we flee from You. Though You rule heaven and earth as King, we give our all to our tiny kingdom. Though You justify us as the Prince of Peace, we console ourselves with our sins. Though Your Cross has graciously satisfied Divine wrath, we foolishly war against You and one another. Though You declare, “New Creation!”, we just prefer the old. Heavenly Father, have mercy upon us. Lord Jesus Christ, deliver us from our sins. Holy Spirit, renew us after the image of our Creator. Grant us Your peace. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: I Peter 2:9-10

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Gospel Reading :: Luke 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Sermon :: Ruth 3:6-13

⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. ⁷ And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. ⁸ At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! ⁹ He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”¹⁰ And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. ¹² And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. ¹³ Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”

::  Download the 1.1.2017 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
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image :: La Era (The Threshing Floor), Diego Rivera, (1904, Mexican)

Preparation for Worship & Communion on January 1, 2017 :: Go

“Faith must be taught correctly,
namely, that by it you are so cemented to Christ
that He and you are as one person,
which cannot be separated
but remains attached to Him forever and declares:
‘I am as Christ.’ And Christ, in turn, says:
‘I am as that sinner who is attached to Me, and I to him.’
And by faith we are joined together in one flesh and one bone.” (Martin Luther)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Jan 1 include ::

:: O Come, All Ye Faithful (Latin hymn; att. to John Francis Wade, c.1735) [bandcamp track=1750776856 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: In The Bleak Midwinter (Christina Rossetti, c.1872) [bandcamp track=4215802200 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: In the Name of the Father (Henry Allon, c.1850) CHART [bandcamp track=1335283037 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]:: All Things New (Horatius Bonar, 1846) CHART [bandcamp track=503053927 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

Call to Worship :: Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and His glory appears over you.
Nations will come to Your light,
and kings to the brightness of Your dawn.

Confession of Sin ::  John Wesley (1703-1791)

Forgive them all, O Lord;
Our sins of omission and our sins of commission;
The sins of our youth and the sins of our riper years;
The sins of our souls and the sins of our bodies;
Our secret and our more open sins;
Our sins of ignorance and surprise,
And our more deliberate and presumptuous sin;
The sins we have done to please ourselves,
And the sins we have done to please others;
The sins we know and remember,
And the sins we have forgotten;
The sins we have striven to hide from others
And the sins by which we have made others offend You;
Forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all for His sake,
Who died for our sins and rose for our justification,
And now stands at Thy right hand
To make intercession for us,
Jesus Christ our Lord.                                             

Words of Encouragement :: John 1:29

“Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!”

New Testament Reading :: Galatians 4:4-7

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Sermon :: Ruth 3:1-5

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? ² Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. ³ Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.”⁵ And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”