Sunday, September 29, 2024 | Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Salutation :: God Greets Us in Christ
From 1 Timothy 1:2
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Lord be with you!
And also with you!
Silent Preparation for Worship
Call to Worship :: God Gathers Us to Praise
From Psalm 19
O may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight,
O God, our strength and our redeemer!
Let us worship God!
Song :: “Blessed Be God”
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
And blessed be his kingdom now and forever!
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open,
and all of our desires known.
No secret is hidden from you.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts, God!
Inspire us, O Spirit that we may love you perfectly
And honor your holy name!
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord: Amen!
Prayer of Invocation :: We Ask for God's Presence
Song :: “Sing, All Souls, with Joy and Wonder”
From Exodus 20:1-8
Sing, all souls, with joy and wonder! Sing your Father’s very heart!
Echo back his love and thunder; never from his words depart!
Sing! Your Lord for freedom saved you from the Pharaoh of your sin!
Sing! A way his grace has paved you—his own Promised Land to win!
Sing the song of none but Jesus; he’s the Father’s chosen King!
No one like our Lord has freed us: to no other praises bring!
Sing! And serve no graven idol—deaf and dumb: how can they save?
Sing! And serve alone your Sovereign: you’re his child and not a slave!
Sing his name with holy reverence; on your tongues its sweetness taste!
Taste and savor all his goodness; not a honeyed morsel waste!
Sing each day as dawn is breaking! Sing from morn to eventide!
Sing! The Sabbath not forsaking; in his house all day abide!
Prayer :: The Collect of the Day
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Song :: “More Love to Thee”
More love to Thee, O Christ, More love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee;
This is my earnest plea: more love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best;
This all my prayer shall be: more love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Let sorrow do its work; send grief and pain.
Sweet are thy messengers, sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me “More love, O Christ, to Thee!”
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry my heart shall raise;
This still its prayer shall be: more love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 19:7-14
The Torah of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever;
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold,
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.
By them also is your servant enlightened,
and in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can tell how often he offends?
cleanse me from my secret faults.
Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me;
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Prayers of the People
Jesus, Lord of the Church
In your mercy, hear our 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 also 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.
Song :: “Doxology”
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise him, all creatures here below!
Praise him above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen!
Passing of the Peace
The peace of the Lord be with you all!
And also with you!
Offering and Community Life
Epistle Reading
James 5:13-20
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Gospel Reading
Mark 9:38-50
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
The Gospel of our Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ!
Prayer for Illumination
Preaching of the Word :: “Why Follow the Way?”
Prayer of Repentance and Faith
Gracious God, we recognize that we suffer in large measure because we lack integrity and wholeness.
We do not live up to our own values, much less do we live lives of love in pursuit of the things your heart loves.
And so our prayers lack the quality of righteousness needed to be effective. Our only plea is the Righteous One, the Lord Jesus Christ.
May his favor rest on us, and may he pardon our sins, heal our disoriented and segmented hearts, and bring wholeness in place of our brokenness,
For we ask it for Christ’s sake.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Grace
Jesus Christ is the Righteous One whose life and loves mapped exactly onto the heart of God. While we were still sinners, he did all things well, and then died that we might live, and live in wholeness and abundance. He sent his Holy Spirit to inhabit our very bodies, and to guide us into all truth, that we might grow in the joy of contentment, experience the peace of integrity, and love with sincere hearts—as he first loved us.
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell!
Go—your sins are forgiven! Because he was broken, you have been made whole!
Amen! Thanks be to God!
Song :: “The Love of God”
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love, so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Approaching the Table with Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise!
It is truly good and right that we should praise and adore you, O Lord God, at every time and in every place, … And therefore with angels and archangels and with the whole company of heaven, we praise you, our triune God together, as we sing:
Song :: “Hosanna in the Highest”
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might:
Heaven an earth are full of your glory!
Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest!
And blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Invitation and Words of Institution
The Bread and the Cup
Song :: “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb”
I am Jesus little lamb,
Ever glad at heart I am;
For my Shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my need, and well provides me,
Loves me every day the same,
Even calls me by my name
Day by day, at home, away,
Jesus is my staff and stay.
When I hunger, Jesus feeds me,
Into pleasant pastures leads me;
When I thirst, He bids me go
Where the quiet waters flow.
Who so happy as I am,
Even now the Shepherd’s lamb?
And when my short life is ended,
By His angel host attended,
He shall fold me to His breast,
There within his arms to rest.
Benediction
Announcements
Congregational Meeting
Sunday, October 6. After worship. Update from Task Force.
City Group
Tuesday, Tue Oct 8, 6p. Location TBD.