April 23, 2023
Prelude: Open Our Eyes, Lord/Be Thou My Vision
Cull/trad. Irish melody, arr. Hayes
Introit: In the Presence of Your People
Chambers
In the presence of your people I will praise your name,
for alone you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Let us celebrate your goodness and your steadfast love;
may your name be exalted here on earth and in heaven above.
(repeat)
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 116]
We love the Lord, because he has heard our voice and our supplications.
He inclined his ear to us, therefore we will call on him as long as we live.
What shall we return to the Lord for all his bounty to us?
We will call on the name of the Lord and pay our vows in the presence of all his people.
Let us worship the LORD!
Christ Is Alive! (Hymn 108)
Williams/Wren
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing. The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring. Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
Christ is alive! No longer bound to distant years in Palestine,
But saving, healing, here and now, and touching every place and time.
In every insult, rift and war, where color, scorn or wealth divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more, and lives, where even hope has died.
Christ is alive, and comes to bring good news to this and every age,
Till earth and sky and ocean ring with joy, with justice, love, and praise.
Confession
O Lord, Giver of life and breath, we confess that we often do not recognize your presence with us. Looking at events through the wrong pattern, we watch our hopes fall short. Forgive us for running away from the empty tombs of our lives in despair. Forgive us when we do not know or understand the breadth and length and depth of your Word and fail to grasp your gift of new life. In your mercy, speak to our clouded minds, that we may see you with new eyes and share your peace with others. Amen.
Silence
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Mason/Palmer
My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine;
Bid darkness turn to day, Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Gloria Patri (Hymn 579)
Greatorex
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
Word without end. Amen, Amen.
Children’s Message
Open Our Eyes, Lord
Cull
Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus,
to reach out and touch Him, and say that we love Him.
Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen,
open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus.
(repeat)
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Katriel Starbuck
Old Testament: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
New Testament: Luke 24:13-35
Sermon: Eyes Opened
Focus: Today we need an "Emmaus road" experience in reverse. The disciples knew Moses and the Prophets but could not conceive how they might relate to Jesus the Christ. The modern church knows Jesus the Christ, but it is fast losing any grasp of Moses and the Prophets. Without the foundation of the Old Testament, we are like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. The house fell with a great crash. —Philip Yancey
Response: How Firm a Foundation
American folk melody/Bodinger
Manito Ringers
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord's Prayer
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.
Call to Stewardship
Shelly Owen
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. -Romans 12:13
Offering Our Gifts: What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Converse, arr. Bisbee
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: How Firm a Foundation
American folk melody, arr. Paxton
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