An Order of Worship for the Lord’s Day
April 19, 2020
Second Sunday of Easter
Prelude
“El Noi de la Mare” - performed by Michael Collings
Call to Worship – Psalm 16
Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Opening Prayer
God of grace, you are the strength of those who believe and the hope of those who doubt. May we, who have not seen, have faith and receive the fullness of the blessing of Christ, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Opening Song
“Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed”
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, you have raised Jesus from the today to conquer the powers of sin and death. Yet we confess that we remain in the dark, bound by the old ways of doubt and despair. In our selfishness, we turn from you and from those you have given us to love. Forgive us and set us free by your resurrection power, that we might live into the wonder of abundant life given through Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. (Silent confession)
Assurance of Pardon
Even so, we remember Thomas the disciple, who came to Jesus with his doubts and was not rejected but comforted and forgiven and filled with faith. This is a word of hope for us as well, for when we repent and cast our cares upon Jesus, he offers us his grace and peace so that we can cry out in faith: “My Lord and my God!”
Children’s Message
Scripture Reading
Sermon – Resurrection Peace
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 give you thanks for the hope we have in the risen Jesus, who meets with us to make us into his body, fill us with his breath, and offer us his blessing so that we might go out and be a blessing to others. Trusting in his all-sufficient grace, we offer you our lives as well as our prayers.
Please hear us as we say thank you for:
The beauty of springtime in the mountains…
Roofs over our heads, clothes on our back, food to eat, and friends and family members to share life with (even from afar)…
All who strive to bless, help, and care for others in this time of need, especially those on the “front lines”: healthcare workers, service industry staff, and many more...
Please hear us as we intercede for:
Our family, friends, and church family from whom we are separated this morning…
Our neighbors in need in Jackson County and Western North Carolina…
All who are hungry, hurting, grieving, depressed, anxious, and afraid…
Those who are infected and affected by the coronavirus, who find their lives upended…
Those in leadership in our community, county, state, and country…
Our fellow Christians across the globe who endeavor to share the gospel and bring healing, justice, and peace…
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!)
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
“Breathe On Me Breath of God”
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.