Dear Friends,

Over this past year, we’ve been so grateful for those of you who have continued to worship faithfully with us using the online liturgy. Some of you are members of 14th Street, others are relationally connected to 14th Street in some way, and others have dipped your toes in as guests. We hope this weekly service has been a means of grace for you, and a source of God’s provision for you in this strangest of years.

If you haven’t received our recent communication, we wanted to let you know that beginning July 4 we will no longer be providing an online worship service. You can find the full update about our worship plans moving forward here. If you live locally, we’d love for you to come join us in person. If you’re not ready to worship inside yet, the service will be projected on a screen outside under our canopy as well (14 W. 14th Street). If you live farther away, we do hope you’re connected to and invested in a local church. If you’re not, please reach out to us (616.396.8182; info@14thstreetcrc.org). We’d love to help you connect with a church where you are.

Thanks again for your faithfulness in worshiping with us. Even though we never heard each other’s voices, our Father who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6) was glorified, and received our praise.

The Lord be with you,

14th Street CRC

Gathering

Call to Worship

Psalm 124:8;
2 Corinthians 13:14

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Our help is in the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen!

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Prayer of Adoration

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Confession and Assurance

Call to Confession 1 John 1:8-9

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let us confess our sins before almighty God.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon Romans 8:34; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Hear the good news!

Who is in a position to condemn?

Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us.
In Christ, you are forgiven.
The old life has gone;
a new life has begun.

May the God of mercy,
who forgives you all your sins,
strengthen you in all goodness,
and, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
keep you in eternal life.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

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Prayer for Illumination

Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from your mouth.
Make us hungry for this heavenly food,
that it may nourish us today in the ways of eternal life;
through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen. 

Scripture Reading

Matthew 4:12-17; 13:31-33

4 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
    on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
    light has dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

13 31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. 

Sermon

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done

Sung Prayer

At various points in the prayer below, you are invited to stop and sing a few verses of the song beneath the prayer, “Christ, Be Our Light.” After pausing the song, return to the prayer. Alternatively, feel free to pray the entire prayer first, and sing the song in response.

Our Father, who art in heaven, whose name is holy, and whose nature is always to provide what we need, we come to you in a world that is longing.

Many are poor and long for their most basic needs.
Others are lonely and long for friendship.
Still others are wandering and long for meaning.
All of us are longing for you—restless until we find our rest in you.

And so, we sing this song to you. (Sing stanzas 1-2: “Longing for light… Longing for peace”)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray for all peacemakers.
For those who bring peace in places of war,
for those who bring peace in conflicts at work,
for those who bring peace to fraying marriages,
for those who bring peace to troubled souls,
for all those who bring your peace, your kingdom, your will to troubled places,
we lift them up to you, O Lord.

And we sing this song to you. (Sing stanzas 3-4: “Longing for food… Longing for shelter”)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray for all who provide food, water, and shelter.
For the work of Community Action House, Holland Rescue Mission,
and the many other organizations in town that provide life’s most basic needs.
For all our fellow brothers and sisters who are served by these places:
may the bread you provide lead them to the Bread of Life;
may the water they drink bubble up to Living Water;
may the roof over their head be a sign of your Eternal Protection.

For them, we sing this song to you. (Sing stanza 5: “Many the gifts…”)

Lord Jesus Christ, sun of righteousness, in a world that so often seems cold and heartless, your kingdom breaks in with warmth and light. We are so grateful for the privilege of your call to us to reflect this warmth and light as mirrors of your kingdom. May we reflect this light so that many will see it and bring praise to you, the true light of the world.

We pray these things in the strong name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Southshore Youth Impact, Sister’s House I) through the Give button below.

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God’s Parting Words

Numbers 6:24-25

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.

Amen.

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