Song

PSALM 84

How lovely is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts, to me;
my soul is longing, fainting, the courts of God to see.
The beauty of your dwelling will bring me joy anew.
My heart and flesh are crying, O living God, for you. 

Beneath your care the sparrow finds place for peaceful rest;
to keep her young in safety the swallow finds a nest.
So, Lord, my King Almighty, your love will shelter me;
beneath your wings of mercy my dwelling place will be. 

Blest they who love and serve you, whose joy and strength you are.
Forever they will praise you, your ways are in their heart.
Though tried, their tears like showers shall fill the springs of peace,
and all the way to Zion their strength shall still increase. 

Text: Psalter, 1912, alt., P.D.Tune (ST. EDITH): Justin H. Krecht, 1799, rev. Edward Husband, 1871, P.D. 

Greeting & Call to Worship

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

God is King: let the earth be glad!
Christ is victor: his rule has begun!
The Spirit is at work: creation is renewed!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

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

Song

Confession and Assurance

Call to Confession: Isaiah 30:15; Psalm 139:23-24

In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Prayer of Confession

Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more in your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Romans 8:34

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, we are forgiven,
and our life is hidden with Christ in God.

The Peace

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

Psalm 106:1-6, 44-48

Praise the LORD!
    O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord,
    or declare all his praise?
Happy are those who observe justice,
    who do righteousness at all times.

Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
    help me when you deliver them;
that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
    that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
    that I may glory in your heritage.

Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
    we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.

Nevertheless he regarded their distress
    when he heard their cry.
For their sake he remembered his covenant,
    and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
He caused them to be pitied
    by all who held them captive.

Save us, O LORD our God,
    and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say,
“Amen.” Praise the Lord!

Time with Children: The Biggest Story

Affirmation of Faith

Join us in confessing our common faith, together with the church around the world and through the ages, using the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living 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.

Prayer of Illumination

Living God,
help us so to hear your holy Word
that we may truly understand;
that, understanding, we may believe,
and, believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience,
seeking your honor and glory in all that we do;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading

Genesis 2:18-25

2 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” 19 So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
    for out of Man this one was taken.”

24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

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

Sermon

Danger & Resolution

Song

Prayers of the People

God of all glorious grace,

We want to bring you glory, to glorify you, in our lives, our homes, our church, and in our world.
We want to glorify you in our prayers.

Father, trusting that you are indeed the healer of the body, we lift into your hands Linda, Bill, Margo, and Lydia, and ask you to restore them to full health.

Trusting that you are indeed the healer of the spirit, we lift into your hands all who are lonely and despairing, all who suffer from mental illness and for whom life feels like a dark room from which they can’t escape, all who hate their work and all who can’t find work, all who grieve the recent death of Kristen DeWitt: in still, small, slow ways, shine the light and peace of your presence in dark places.

Trusting that you are indeed the healer of the soul, we lift into your hands all those who do not know you, all those who have walked away from you, all those who despise you. We lift all of these into your hands, for they are yours. You created them and know them: open darkened eyes, soften hardened hearts, and loosen clenched fists, by the power of your Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ.

God of all glorious grace, extend your glory in and through us to the places in which you have planted us.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

O glorious Master,

Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

So until that day eternal, we will wait, seeking to be instruments of your peace, and praying the prayer that our Savior taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
now and forever. Amen.

Offering

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Doxology

We invite you to sing the Doxology with just the voices in your home. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1).

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Text Words: Thomas Ken, 1709, P.D. Tune: (OLD HUNDREDTH): Louis Bourgeois, 1551, P.D. 

God’s Parting Words

May God the Father bless you,
God the Son heal you,
God the Holy Spirit give you strength.
May God the holy and undivided Trinity
guard your body, save your soul,
protect his church, extend his shalom,
and when he returns, bring us safely to his heavenly country,
where he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.