February 12, 2023
Prelude: Orison
Wagner
Introit: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
Anonymous
Leonard Byrne, tuba
Call to Worship
[Psalm 119]
O Lord, remember your word to your servants, in which you have made us hope.
This is our comfort in our distress, that your promise gives us life.
Make us understand the way of your precepts, and we will meditate on your wondrous works.
May your statutes become our songs, wherever we make our home.
Let us worship the LORD!
Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty (Hymn 482)
Neander/LOBE DEN HERREN
Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise ye the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise ye the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the amen sound from his people again;
Gladly for aye we adore him.
Confession
God of life, we often hear your commandments as judgment rather than as an opportunity for us to live into our true selves. Fearing judgment, we can find your law confusing or burdensome rather than empowering. Forgive us when we do not honor the boundaries needed for healthy relationships or take responsibility for our own inner states. Forgive us for the ways we turn away from you and from one another. Give us courage to pursue reconciliation, and help us find renewed hope and guidance in your Word. Amen.
Silence
Christ Above Me
Chisum/Searcy
(Refrain)
Christ above me, Christ beside me, Christ within me ever guiding;
Christ behind me, Christ before, Christ, my love, my life, my Lord.
Bread of life from heaven, lover of my soul;
Peace of God so ever present, I surrender my control to…(Refrain)
Mercy everlasting, tenderness divine;
Word of God so ever healing, I surrender heart and mind to…(Refrain)
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
Rise Up, O Saints of God!
Longfellow/Forness/Walter/FESTAL SONG
Rise up, O saints of God! Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.
Rise up, O saints of God! The Kingdom’s task embrace;
Redress sin’s cruel consequence; give justice larger place.
Give heed, O saints of God! Creation cries in pain;
Stretch forth your hand of healing now, with love the weak sustain.
Commit your hearts to seek the paths which Christ has trod,
And, quickened by the Spirit’s power, rise up, O saints of God!
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Betsy Hammond
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
New Testament: Matthew 5:17-26
Sermon: The Law of Love
Rev. Pamela Starbuck
Focus: The covenantal teachings of Jesus far exceed the expectations of the Pharisees. It is only by joining with Jesus that we can be transformed by his way of love.
Response: Christ of the Upward Way (Hymn 344)
Lomas/Mathams
Christ of the upward way, my guide divine,
Where you have set your feet may I place mine;
And move and march wherever you have trod,
Keeping face forward up the hill of God.
Give me the heart to hear your voice and will
That without fault or fear I may fulfill
Your purpose with a glad and holy zest,
Like one who would not bring less than the best.
Christ of the upward way, my guide divine,
Where you have set your feet may I place mine;
And when your last call comes serene and clear,
Calm may my answer be, “Lord, I am here.”
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
Betsy Hammond
Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
-Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Offering Our Gifts: I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
African-American Spiritual
Jill Cathey, bass clarinet
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: He Leadeth Me
Bradbury/Broughton
OneLicense# A-727502
CCLI# 283345
