July 13, 2025

PRELUDE

Call to Worship                From Psalm 23

 Pastor:  The Lord is my shepherd; I

  shall not want. He makes

  me lie down in green pastures.

 People: He leads me beside still

  waters; He restores my soul.

 Pastor: He leads me in paths of

  righteousness for His name's

  sake.

 People: You prepare a table before me

  in the presence of my

  enemies;

 Pastor: You anoint my head with oil;

  my cup overflows.

 People: Surely goodness and mercy

  shall follow me all the days

  of my life,

 All: And I shall dwell in the house

  of the Lord forever. Amen. ◆

 

PRAYER of INVOCATION  from Psalm 69:16-18

SONG of ADORATION   “A Mighty Fortress”   CH#151

 

Confession and Assurance

READING of GOD’S LAW

  Hear God’s Law, His Will for Your Life, from I John 3:13-24 . . .

 

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

 

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

 

PRAYER of CONFESSION Catherine Booth

 

 Pastor:  O God of holiness and fire,
  We confess our comfort and

  our cowardice.
  We have desired safety more

  than sanctity,
  Reputation more than

  righteousness,
  Approval more than

  obedience.

 

 All:  We confess that we have

  dimmed the light you

  gave us. We have been

  lukewarm where you

  called us to be ablaze.

 

 Pastor:  Forgive us, revive us, use us.
 

 All:  Let us not rest until the

  world is shaken by your

  Spirit. In the name of Jesus

  Christ, our Captain

  and King. Amen.◆

 

ASSURANCE of PARDON from Isaiah 53:1-5

Friends in Christ, receive these words of comfort from our God: Who has believed what they heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Brothers and sisters, receive the Good News with ears to hear and a heart made new by the Holy Spirit: everything required for our salvation was accomplished by Jesus Christ. He takes our sin and grants us His righteousness. Know, therefore, and believe that your sins are forgiven.  Amen. ◆ 

SONG of RESPONSE      “O Come Let Us Return to the Lord”

All we have like sheep gone astray

Each of us has turned our own way

But God laid all our wrongs

Our sins upon the sinless One

His only Son

 

Oh, come, let us return to the Lord

Come, now all His mercies remember

How wide His love that waits to welcome us

Oh, come, let us return to the Lord

 

All who feel the sting of your sin

Come and lift your eyes once again

How great a price was paid

To save the souls of those who strayed

Yet still we stray

 

God, we need Your merciful hand

Heal us from our pride, heal our land

As we turn from our ways

Oh, turn our hearts to You in praise

In endless praise

 

…Oh, come, let us return to the Lord

 

Cochren/Boswell/Papa ©2025 Getty Music Hymns and Songs (ASCAP), Messengers Hymns (BMI), Maison de Emack (admin by Essential Music) CCLI Song # 7255876  CCLI #3071858

 

Life of Worship

PROFESSION of FAITH    The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that exists—seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father before all worlds; Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten, not made, of One Being with the Father. Through Him, all things were made.

For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven.     By the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again, in accordance with the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, where he sits at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and from the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism unto the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen.◆

OFFERING

DOXOLOGY     CH#815

 

PRAYER of DEDICATION

CHILDREN’S CATECHISM

    Q48:  What is the church?

 

 A:  A community elected for eternal

  life and united by faith,

       who love, follow, learn from,

  and worship God together.

  From The New City Catechism for Kids, ©2018

  Crossway Books. Used with permission

PASSING of the PEACE

PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

 

Ministry of the Word

SONG         “I Hide Your Word Within My Heart”    CH #411

PRAYER for ILLUMINATION

God of mercy, you promised never to break your covenant with us. In the midst of the multitude of words in our daily lives, speak your eternal Word to us, that we may respond to your gracious promises with faithfulness, service and love. Amen. ◆

SCRIPTURE READING   John 5:1-16

SERMON     “The House of Mercy”  Pastor Zach

SONG of RESPONSE       “Glory Be to the Father”  CH#813

 

BENEDICTION

 

POSTLUDE