February 18, 2024
Prelude: Melody
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
John Bodinger
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 25]
To you, O Lord, we lift up our hearts. In you we trust; do not let us be put to shame.
Make us to know your ways, O Lord; teach us your paths.
Good and upright is the Lord; instructing sinners in the way,
leading the humble in what is right.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant.
Let us worship the LORD!
God of the Sparrow (Hymn 272)
Schalk/Vajda
God of the sparrow, God of the whale, God of the swirling stars,
How does the creature say Awe, how does the creature say Praise
God of the earthquake, God of the storm, God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature say Woe, how does the creature cry Save
God of the rainbow, God of the cross, God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace, how does the creature say Thanks
God of the hungry, God of the sick, God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care, how does the creature say Life
God of the neighbor, God of the foe, God of the pruning hook
How does the creature say Love, how does the creature say Peace
God of the ages, God near at hand, God of the loving heart,
How do your children say Joy, how do your children say Home
Confession
Loving God, you have made a covenant with every living creature. You have chosen to stay in relationship with us no matter how far we stray from you. Forgive us when we are impatient with each other's mistakes and imperfections. Forgive us when we use power to our own advantage, at the expense of others. Help us turn from shaming voices and destructive impulses to gentleness and understanding. Keep us close, that we may rest in the knowledge that we belong to you, and follow faithfully in the ways of Jesus. Amen.
Silence
Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Hernaman/American folk melody
Lord, who throughout these forty days for us did fast and pray,
Teach us with you to mourn our sins and close by you to stay.
As you with Satan did contend, and did the victory win,
O give us strength in you to fight, in you to conquer sin.
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
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (Hymn 379)
Bradbury/Mote
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging race;
In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. (refrain)
His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. (refrain)
When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found,
Dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. (refrain)
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Nadia Grieves
Old Testament: Genesis 9:8-17
New Testament: Mark 1:9-15
Sermon: Covenant of Grace
John Yoder
Focus: In the face of evil and hatred, God unilaterally disarms human ways of responding and chooses, instead, to bind Godself to a covenant of grace.
Response: Let Us Raise Our Voice
Gilmurray/Idle
Carollen Ryan
Let us raise our voice for the sake of the planet,
for the earth we love to be free from fear;
We will take a stand for our friends and neighbors:
neither bomb nor gun shall infect us here.
Let us join the march for the sake of our children,
and a future hope that can still be theirs;
we will walk the miles with a mind to make it;
we will sing our songs, we will breathe our prayers
Let us set our goals for the sake of the needy;
let us persevere though the road seems long;
we reject all faith in the stockpiled weapons;
we will speak the truth to the rich and strong.
Let us plead our cause for the sake of the nations;
with the Lord's great love still at large today;
we will wear the badge of our clear commitment
as we tread the path on the pilgrim way.
Let us trust in God for the sake of the Kingdom;
let us take the cross into every place.
We will look to Christ for his fruitful Spirit,
building peace on earth by his boundless grace.
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
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
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: Cotillion
Francis Johnson
OneLicense# A-727502
CCLI# 283345
