A Service for the Lord’s Day
July 26, 2020
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude
Call to Worship – Psalm 107:1-9
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
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 Theological Declaration of Barmen
As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with the same seriousness is he also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures. We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords... Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body is joined and knit together.
Prayers of the People
Heavenly Father, you are worthy of our confidence. Through your Son and by your Holy Spirit, you created us. You have redeemed us. And you sustain us. We praise you for being our solid rock and our firm foundation, and we recommit ourselves to you.
As the world continues to shake beneath us and around us, we ask that you continue to care for us and lead us in the way we should go. Please grant us protection against the coronavirus. Please grant us wisdom and discernment as we make decisions for ourselves, our church family, our businesses, our schools, and our community. Please grant us courage to engage difficult issues of race and politics, and to do so with grace. Please grant us energy and creativity to love and serve our neighbors, that we might play our part in your kingdom come.
In humility and in hope, we 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.