The Order of Worship – May 18, 2025

This is the 138th Day of 2025.
There are 227 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.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Prelude:

Welcome & Announcements:

This month’s mission focus is the Recent Storm Victims
Bible Study is at afaithtalk.com
Five Loaves tonight.

Call to Worship: O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee…430

Responsive Reading:Psalm 148
God’s splendor is over earth and heaven

¹ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!

² Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

³ Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!

⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.

⁶ He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!

⁹ Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!

¹⁰ Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

¹¹ Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹² Young men and women alike, old and young together!

¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.

¹⁴ He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

Opening Hymn: Love Divine all Loves Excelling…385 (Ab)
Verse 1

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven to earth come down;
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure un-bounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Verse 2

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit; let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.

Verse 3

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

Verse 4

Finish, then, thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, 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: All Creatures of Our God and King…62 (D)

All creatures of our God and King
lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him alleluia

Thou burning sun with golden beam
thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him
O praise Him
Alle-luia, alle-luia, alle-lu-ia

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
ye clouds that sail in Heav’n along
O praise Him alleluia

Thou rising morn in praise rejoice
ye lights of evening find a voice
O praise Him
O praise Him
Alle-luia alle-luia alle-lu-ia

Let all things their Creator bless
and worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him alleluia

Praise praise the Father praise the Son
and praise the Spirit three in One
O praise Him
O praise Him
Alle-luia alle-luia alle-lu-ia
Alle-luia alle-luia alle-lu-ia
Alle-luia alle-luia alle-lu-ia
Alle-luia alle-luia alle-lu-ia

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: Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

Refrain

I will arise and go to Jesus;
he will embrace me with his arms;
in the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms. 

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 (Jesus Loves Me Alleluia)
Verse 1:

Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so. 
Little ones to him belong.
They are weak but he is strong.

Chorus:

Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, alleluia
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
All: Alleluia.

Verse 2:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I’m found,
was blind but now I see.

Chorus:

Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, alleluia
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
All: Alleluia.

Verse 3:

Jesus loves me, he who died,
heaven’s gates to open wide.
He will wash away my sin.
let his little child come in.

Chorus:

Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, alleluia
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
Boys: Alleluia. Girls: Alleluia, allelu.
All: Alleluia.

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 13:31-35
Love one another

³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³² If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³ Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

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

Acts of the Apostles: Acts 11:1-18
God saves the Gentiles

¹ Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, ³ saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

⁴ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. ⁶ As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

⁸ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’

¹⁰ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were.

¹² The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.

¹³ He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; ¹⁴ he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

¹⁷ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

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

Sermon Text: Revelation 21:1-6
New heaven, new earth

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; ⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” ⁵ And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”
Leader: The Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God

Sermon:  “To the Thirsty I Will Give Water”

Closing Hymn: Lead On, O King Eternal…580 (C)

Verse 1

Lead on, O King eternal, the day of march has come;
henceforth in fields of conquest thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation thy grace has made us strong;
and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song.

Verse 3

Lead on, O King eternal, we follow, not with fears,
for gladness breaks like morning where’re thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted o’er us, we journey in its light;
the crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might.

Filled Up and Poured Out

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