July 9, 2023
Throughout our worship series focused on a single psalm each week that becomes part of the New Testament playlist, our regular order of worship has been changed from a linear progression to a kaleidoscopic experience centering on the psalm.
Key changes and new elements include:
Embodiment: the Psalm becomes a spoken Word through deeper congruence with the emotional self.
Meditation: a five-minute moment of silence for reflection and note-taking after the Embodiment which ends with the Passing of the Peace. Please note your feelings and memories in the space provided in the bulletin.
Reflection: a homily suggesting the emotional and theological connection of a section of the psalm with a New Testament writer.
Engagement: a layperson shares how the particularities of the psalm connect, challenge, trouble, or liberate their own soul. The Engagement continues after worship in Discussion in the Gathering Place where others are invited to share their notes and “ah ha’s.” Look for a group gathering at the big table near the stained-glass windows in the Gathering Place.
Prelude: Prelude in C# Major
Bach
Introit: There is the Song of God
Cherwien/Schwoebel
Eliana Starbuck
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 94]
O Lord, God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth;
give to the proud what they deserve!
O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They crush your people and say,
“The Lord does not see.”
The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
The Lord will not forsake his people;
For justice will return to the righteous, and the upright in heart will follow it.
Let us worship the LORD!
Praise, My Soul, the God of Heaven (Hymn 479)
Lyte
Praise, my soul, the God of heaven, glad of heart your carols raise;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who, like me should sing God’s praise?
Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the Maker all your days!
Praise God for the grace and favor show our forebears in distress;
God is still the same forever, slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Sing our Maker’s faithfulness!
Angels, teach us adoration, you behold God face to face;
Sun and moon and all creation, dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace!
Confession
God of justice, we know that you care about the vulnerable. When people in power oppress, exploit, and hurt others, we cry out, “How long?” When they think they can get away with these evils, we want to see them proven wrong. Forgive us when we take vengeance into our own hands and respond to violence with more violence. Forgive us when we do not trust you to see and respond. When we suffer, help us find refuge in you, and when we witness suffering, help us understand and act on your teaching. Amen.
Silence
How Long, O God?
Barbara Hamm
How long, O God, will my prayers be in vain?
Why must I languish in sorrow and pain?
Do not abandon a child you have made;
You are my shelter, my solace and shade.
When evil prospers and hope is long gone,
do not forsake me, your presence withdrawn.
Shield and protect those who call on your name;
You are my God, and your blessing I claim.
Early and late will my tongue sing your praise;
You will uphold me the length of my days.
You are a stronghold for all the oppressed;
hear us, O God! Let your people be blessed.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Children’s Message
Psalm 94: Shine Forth, O God of Vengeance
Showalter & Somervell/Bassford
Shine forth, O God of vengeance; bring judgment on the proud.
They overflow with boasting and shout their crimes aloud.
They slay the helpless orphan, the stranger in the land,
and say, “He does not see us and cannot understand”.
Give heed you foolish people who mock at his decrees.
He made the ear and hears you! He formed the eye and sees!
The judge of all will punish; his grasp of truth is sure.
All plots are plain before him, and they cannot endure.
How blest are those you chasten, who learn your law, O Lord!
Through trial you sustain them and grant a just reward.
You hear my cry for justice and hold me when I fall.
When troubles overwhelm me, you keep me through them all.
Can you support corruption when wicked laws arise
that work against the righteous and slay the just with lies?
The Lord has been my fortress, the refuge of my joys,
but all who trust in evil he frustrates and destroys.
Embodiment: Psalm 94
Meditation (Five Minute Silent Reflection & Note-Taking)
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.
Reflection on New Testament Shared World
of Psalm 94: 1 Corinthians 3:16-22
Scott Starbuck
Response: O God, to Whom Revenge Belongs (Psalm 94)
Watts/KINGSFOLD
O God, to whom revenge belongs, "Proclaim thy wrath aloud;
Let sovereign power redress our wrongs, let justice smite the proud.”
They say, "The Lord nor sees nor hears:" When will the fools be wise?
Can he be deaf who formed their ears? Or blind, who made their eyes?
He knows their wicked thoughts are vain, and they shall feel his power;
His wrath shall pierce their souls with pain in some surprising hour.
But if thy saints deserve rebuke, Thou hast a gentler rod;
Thy providences and thy book shall make them know their God.
Blest is the man thy hands chastise, and to his duty draw;
Thy scourges make thy children wise when they forget thy law.
But God will ne'er cast off his saints, nor his own promise break
He pardons his inheritance for their Redeemer's sake.
Engagement
John Lemm
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
Scott Starbuck
Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor. -Proverbs 14:21
Offering Our Gifts: “Think, my heart, on Jesus now”
Bach
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: Christ, Who Is My Life
Vulpius, arr. Pepping
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