A Service for the Lord’s Day
July 19, 2020
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude
Call to Worship – Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Opening Song
Prayer of Confession
God of grace, we confess that we have failed to be an obedient church: we have not done your will; we have broken your law; we have rebelled against your love; we have not loved our neighbors; we have ignored the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Silent confession)
Assurance of Pardon
While it is true that we have sinned, it is a greater truth that we are forgiven through the grace of God in Christ. To all who humbly seek the mercy of God, we say: in Jesus Christ your sin is forgiven. Thanks be to God!
Children’s Message
Affirmation of Faith – from The Heidelberg Catechism
Question: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Response: That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Prayers of the People
Heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us into being. You fashioned us from the dust and breathed your life into us. You made a covenant with us and called us your own. You sent your Son Jesus to forgive our sins and to establish your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. And you poured out your Spirit so that we might believe these things and live them out. We praise you and recommit ourselves to following you on this dusty road of discipleship.
As we wind our way through this season of uncertainty, we ask for your special guidance and help. Please stem the tide of the coronavirus. Please help us to do our part in mitigating infection. Please grant your comfort and care to all who are sick, all who love and support them, all who work in healthcare and other helping professions, and all whose lives are clouded by fear and anxiety. Please surprise us with joy in the midst of sorrow and hope in the midst of despair, that we might carry out the work you have given us with faith, hope, and love.
In humility and in hope, we also offer our prayers to you today for:
Creation and its care… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
The nations of the world… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Our nation, its leaders, and its people… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Our community, its leaders, and our neighbors… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
The church universal as it works on your behalf… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Our local church in its ministry… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Friends and family with particular needs… Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
We lift up these prayers, trusting that you hear us. And we pray now as Jesus taught us:
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Tithes and Offerings
With gratitude for the gospel, we share our time, talents, and resources with the Lord. (You may give financially by visiting www.sylvapres.org/giving, or by dropping a check off at the church or sending one to FPC at P.O. Box 2152, Sylva, NC 28779. Thank you!)
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.
Closing Song
Benediction
May the peace of the risen Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.