PRELUDE

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE

GREETINGS

CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Dear God, open our ears to hear what You are saying to us today.
People: Open our eyes, to see where Jesus’ healing love is needed in our world.
Leader: Open our hands, to do Your work and help where help is needed.
People: Open our lips, to bring comfort, joy and laughter to Your people.
Leader: Open our minds, to hear new truths and how You work in our world.
People: Open our hearts, to love You, our neighbors and ourselves as You love us.
Leader: With our whole being open to the leading and the presence of God.

HYMN:
“Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee”

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
In the triumph song of life.

INVOCATION: (Leader)
Almighty God,
who through the greatness of Your love
sent Your Son to suffer upon the cross for our sins; grant that we may have a Christ-like love for others and be able to bring them nearer to You. Help us also to be bound together into one common fellowship. Through the love of our Lord, and Savoir Jesus Christ. Amen.

CALL TO CONFESSION (Leader)
We have sinned against God and against each other and these sins caused broken relationship and fellowship. So in silence let us confess our sins and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.

MOMENT OF SILENT CONFESSION

SONG OF CONFESSION:
“Search Me, O God” [HFG 425]
Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked ways in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

THE PSALTER: Psalm 51:1-13
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.

5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PARDON:
1 John 1: 8-9 (TLB)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.

RESPONSE: “Search Me, O God”
I praise Thee Lord for cleansing me from sin
Fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

CHURCH CONCERNS

CHURCH IN PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING:

MESSAGE:

THE CALL TO OFFERING: Hebrews 13:15-16
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Offering Of Lives, Tithes, Pledges
& Other Offerings

DOXOLOGY

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING: (All)
Holy God of mercy, redemption and grace, we bring our gifts and pray that you will dedicate them to your work of love and reconnection with all your children. These gifts seem small when balanced against what Christ has given us and what you continue to give us through the Holy Spirit. In our giving, may we grow
in gratitude, trust, and faithfulness. In the name of Christ, who gave all for us, we pray. Amen. (1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

CLOSING HYMN:
“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art.
Visit us with thy salvation;
enter ev’ry trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into ev’ry troubled breast.
Let us all in thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be.
End of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty, to deliver,
let us all thy life receive.
Suddenly return, and never,
nevermore they temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation;
true and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love and praise.

CLOSING PRAYER

BENEDICTION