Order of Worship – February 25, 2024
Sunday, February 25, 2023
This is the 56th Day of 2024.
There are 310 days remaining in 2024.
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.
Second Sunday of Lent
Prelude:
Welcome & Announcements:
This month’s mission focus is the Church Improvement Fund
Bible Study Tuesdays & Thursdays at afaithtalk.com
Call to Worship: Be Still My Soul
Responsive Reading: Psalm 22:23-31
23You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me
but heard when I cried to him.
25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
May your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
28For dominion belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.
30Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord
31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
Praise the Lord!
Opening Hymn: Lift High the Cross…No. 159
Refrain
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
Verse 1
Come, Christians, follow this triumphant sign.
The hosts of God in unity combine.
Refrain
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
Verse 2
Each newborn servant of the Crucified bears on the brow
the seal of him who died.
Refrain
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
Verse 3
O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, as thou has promised,
draw the world to thee.
Refrain
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
Verse 4
So shall our song of triumph ever be:
praise to the Crucified for victory!
Refrain
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
Affirmation of Faith:
The Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version..No. 882
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe 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, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living 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: The Wonderful Cross
Verse 1
When I survey the wondrous Cross
on which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
and pour contempt on all my pride
Verse 2
See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’re such love and sorrow meet
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Chorus
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name
Verse 3
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Chorus
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name
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
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 & Song (I’ve Got the Joy Joy Joy Joy)
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
down in my heart,
down in my heart,
down in my heart,
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
down in my heart
down in my heart to stay.
And I’m so happy,
so very happy
I have the love of Jesus
in my heart.
And I’m so happy,
so very happy
I have the love of Jesus
in my heart.
I’ve got the peace that passeth understanding,
down in my heart,
down in my heart,
down in my heart;
I’ve got the peace that passeth understanding,
down in my heart,
down in my heart to stay.
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus,
down in my heart,
down in my heart,
down in my heart;
I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus,
down in my heart,
down in my heart to stay.
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
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.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you….
15God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Leader: The Word of God, for the people of God!
People: Thanks be to God.
Sermon Text: Mark 8:31-38
31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34He called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Leader: This is the Word of God for the people of God
People: Thanks be to God.
Sermon:“What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul”
Closing Hymn: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus…No. 2129
Verse 1
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
no turning back, no turning back.
Verse 2
The world behind me, the cross before me;
the world behind me, the cross before me,
the world behind me, the cross before me;
no turning back, no turning back.
Verse 3
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
though none go with me, still I will follow;
though none go with me, still I will follow;
no turning back, no turning back.
Filled Up and Poured Out
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