The Order of Worship – April 19, 2026

This is the 119th Day of 2026.
There are 247 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: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Responsive Reading: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
I will call upon God

¹ I love the LORD, because he has 
heard my voice and my supplications.
² Because he inclined his ear to me, 
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

³ The snares of death encompassed me; 
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; 
I suffered distress and anguish.

⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD: 
“O LORD, I pray, save my life!”

¹² What shall I return to the LORD 
for all his bounty to me?
¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation 
and call on the name of the LORD,

¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the LORD 
in the presence of all his people.
¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the LORD 
is the death of his faithful ones.

¹⁶ O LORD, I am your servant; 
I am your servant, 
the child of your serving girl. 
You have loosed my bonds.

¹⁷ I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice 
and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the LORD, 
in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Opening Hymn: Christ is Alive…No. 318
Verse 1

Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
His cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
His love in death shall never die.

Verse 2

Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
he comes to claim the here and now
and dwell in every place and time.

Verse 3

Not throned afar, remotely high,
untouched, unmoved by human pains,
but daily, in the midst of life,
our Savior in the God-head reigns.

Verse 4

In every insult, rift, and war,
where color, scorn, or wealth divide,
he suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, though ever crucified.

Verse 5

Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and all creation ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise. 

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: Revelation Song

Worthy is the, Lamb Who
was slain
Holy, holy is He
  Sing a new song,
to Him Who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty
  Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing:
praise to the King of kings
You are my everything,
And I will adore You,
🎶
Clothed in rainbows,
of living color
Flashes of lightning,
rolls of thunder
  Blessing and honor,
strength and glory
and power be
To You, the only wise King
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty
  Who was and is and is to come
  With all creation I sing:
praise to the King of kings
You are my everything,
And I will adore You
🎶
Filled with wonder,
awestruck wonder
  At the mention of Your name
  Jesus, Your name is power, breath and living water
  Such a marvelous mystery, yeah
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty
  Who was and is and is to come (Yeah)
With all creation I sing:
praise to the King of kings
  You are my everything,
And I will adore You
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
 With all creation I sing:
praise to the King of kings
  You are my everything,
And I will adore You 

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: Just a Closer Walk with Thee..TFWS #2158

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.

Acts of the Apostles: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Receiving God’s promise through baptism

^14a But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ³⁶ “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”

⁴⁰ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

⁴¹ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

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

New Testament  Reading:  1 Peter 1:17-23
Born anew

¹⁷ If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸ You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

²⁰ He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹ Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

²² Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.

²³ You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

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

Sermon Text: Luke 24:13-35
Eating with the risen Christ

¹³ Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷ And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.

¹⁸ Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”

¹⁹ He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.

²² Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”

²⁵ Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!

²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”

²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. ²⁸ As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.

²⁹ But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

³³ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴ They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Leader: This is the Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God

Sermon:  “Seven Miles to Know”

Closing Hymn: Lord I Want to be a Christian…No. 402
Verse 1

Lord, I want to be a Christian
in my heart, in my heart;
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

Verse 4

Lord, I want to be like Jesus
in my heart, in my heart;
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.

Filled Up and Poured Out

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