The Order of Worship – April 12, 2026

This is the 112th Day of 2026.
There are 254 more days remaining in 2025.

Filled with the Holy Spirit,
we are a people of prayer
committed to love one another
and equipped to share Christ’s love throughout the world.

Prelude:

Welcome & Announcements:

This month’s mission focus is the Arms of Mercy
Bible Study is all new at afaithtalk.com on Tuesday!
Call to Worship: Surely the Presence of the Lord…#328 (D)

Responsive Reading: Responsive Reading: Psalm 16
Fullness of joy

¹ Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; 
I have no good apart from you.”

³ As for the holy ones in the land, 
they are the noble,
in whom is all my delight.

⁴ Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; 
their drink offerings of blood I will not 
pour out or take their names upon my lips.

⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion 
and my cup; 
you hold my lot.

⁶ The boundary lines 
have fallen for me in pleasant places; 
I have a goodly heritage.

⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; 
in the night also my heart instructs me.

⁸ I keep the LORD always before me; 
because he is at my right hand, 
I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, 
and my soul rejoices; 
my body also rests secure.

¹⁰ For you do not give me up to Sheol, 
or let your faithful one see the Pit.

¹¹ You show me the path of life. 
In your presence there is fullness of joy; 
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Praise the Lord

Opening Hymn: How Firm a Foundation…No. 529
Verse 1

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Verse 2

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

Verse 3

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

Verse 4

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

Verse 5

“The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose,
I will not,  I will not desert to its foes;”
“that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”. 

Affirmation of Faith:
The Apostle’s Creed..No. 881

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified,
dead,
and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Gloria Patri…Page 70

Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.

Praise Song: Refiner’s Fire  (E)

Purify my heart let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart let me be as gold pure gold
Refiner’s fire my heart’s one desire
is to be holy set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy set apart for You, my Master
ready to do Your will

Purify my heart cleanse me from within and make me holy
Purify my heart cleanse me from my sin deep within
Refiner’s fire my heart’s one desire
is to be holy set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will
(Pause)
Refiner’s fire my heart’s one desire
is to be holy set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy set apart for You, my Master
ready to do Your will
ready to do Your will
Yes, I’m ready to do Your will 

Pastoral Prayer
Contact us here to add your concern to our prayer list.

The Lord’s Prayer:

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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.

Anthem: The Summons…TFWS No. 2130 (F)

Offertory

Doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen

Children’s Moment
Children’s Song (Raise a Hallelujah)
Verse 1

I raise a hallelujah
in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah
louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah,
my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah,
Heaven comes to fight for me

Chorus

I’m gonna sing in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive 

Verse 2

I raise a hallelujah
with everything inside of me
I raise a hallelujah,
I will watch the darkness flee
I raise a hallelujah
in the middle of the mystery
I raise a hallelujah,
fear, you lost your hold on me

Chorus

I’m gonna sing in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive 

Ending

I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah 

Prayer for Illumination
Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31
Beholding the wounds of the risen Christ

¹⁹ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

²⁴ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”

²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

 Leader: The Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God

New Testament Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
New birth to a living hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith–being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

⁸ Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God 

Sermon Text:  Acts 2:14a, 22-32
God fulfills the promise to David

^14a But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know- ²³ this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.

²⁴ But God raised him up, having released him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. ²⁵ For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; ²⁶ therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will live in hope.

²⁷ For you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your Holy One experience corruption. ²⁸ You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ ³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”
Leader: This is the Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God

Sermon:  “Death Could Not Hold Him”

Closing Hymn: Because He Lives…No 364
Verse 1

God sent his Son, they called him Jesus;
he came to love, heal, and forgive;
he lived and died to buy my pardon,
an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Refrain

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow;
because he lives, all fear is gone;
because I know he holds the future,
and life is worth the living
just because he lives.

Verse 3

And then one day I’ll cross the river;
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
and then as death  gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory
and I’ll know he reigns.

Refrain

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow;
because he lives, all fear is gone;
because I know he holds the future,
and life is worth the living
just because he lives.

Filled Up and Poured Out

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