Sunday, April 26, 2020
The Third Sunday of Eastertide

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Notes:

• The order of worship offered below is for you to use however you wish.
  • While there is much to be gained from moving through the service as we might on a typical Sunday morning, please feel free to read/pray through it slowly or quickly, to read parts of it multiple times, to start where you like and to finish where you like.  
• As you begin, as the Spirit to help you notice aspects of the service that particularly resonate with you, and ask for insight about why certain things stand out to you today.
• Beneath the hymn titles are links to online renditions.
  • As is always the case, you probably won’t feel like very song is for you; hopefully everything here is for somebody. Again, feel free to avail yourself of them, to find other versions, to look up the words and skip the music (or vice versa), or to just move on to the next part of the service.
• God bless you, God bless us all, as we give ourselves and this time as an offering to Christ.

 
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Call to worship                     Psalm 135:1-2, 13, 19-20
 
Praise the LORD!
 
Praise the name of the LORD;
      give praise, O servants of the LORD
 
You that stand in the house of the LORD,
      in the courts of the house of our God,
 
Praise the name of the LORD;
      give praise, O servants of the LORD
 
Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
 
Your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages
 
O house of Israel, bless the LORD!
 
You that fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
 
 
Hymn of praise                                I Sing the Mighty Power of God
(I like this because it is actually a congregation singing; of course it helps that there is an orchestra [!]           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmhgaERoGXg
 
I sing the mighty power of God
that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad
and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
the sun to rule the day.
The moon shines full
at God's command,
and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord
who filled the earth with food.
God formed the creatures through the Word,
and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how thy wonders are displayed,
where'er I turn my eye,
if I survey the ground I tread,
or gaze upon the sky!

There's not a plant or flower below
but makes thy glories known.
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
by order from thy throne,
while all that borrows life from thee
is ever in thy care,
and everywhere that we can be,
thou, God, art present there.

 
Scripture Reading                    Psalm 135:3, 5-7
 
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
 
Sing to his name, for he is gracious
 
I know that the LORD is great;
      our LORD is above all gods.
 
Whatever the LORD pleases he does,
       in heaven and on earth,
   in the seas and all deeps
 
He it is who makes the clouds rise
      at the end of the earth;
He makes lightnings for the rain
      and brings out the wind
   from his storehouses.
 
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
      sing to his name, for he is gracious
 
 
Prayer of Praise
 
We give you thanks, great God,
for the hope we have in Jesus,
who died but is risen and rules over all.
We praise you for his presence with us.
Because he lives, we look for eternal life,
knowing that nothing past, present, or yet to come
can separate us from your great love
made known in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
 
 
Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness
 
Call to Confession                 
 
Song                          How Deep the Father’s Love for Us                  
 
Fernando Ortega performance. The lyrics are provided on the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLDGVl8D5UU
 
Scripture Reading     Galatians 6:14-16
 
May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!  For those who will follow this rule—peace and mercy be upon them.       
 
Silent prayers of confession  
 
Assurance of God’s pardoning grace    
 
from Ephesians 2:8-10
 
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
by grace, you have been saved
through faith,
 
And this is not our own doing;
it is the gift of God--
not the result of works,
so that we may not boast.
 
In the name of Jesus Christ,
be assured that we are forgiven.
 
Thanks be to God.
Let us walk in newness of life.
 
For we are what he has made us,
 
We have been created in Christ Jesus
 for good works,
­ which God prepared beforehand
 to be our way of life.       
  
 
Celebration of Forgiveness                      
                                   
Song                          All Right Now
 
Performed by The Soul Stirrers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqqtB0RyURo
 
Chorus:
Well you know I'm alright now
Yes I am, I am all right now
since I fisted up with Jesus
I'm all right now
he taught me how to walk
and he taught me how to talk
since I fixed it up with Jesus
you know I'm alright now
once I was a stranger
but the savior came on to me
I was burdened down in sin
for the savior came on to me
said sinner come on in
then he saved a soul from dying
ever since that day
I've been crying
since I fixed it up with Jesus
then I'm all right now
 
Chorus:  …
when I was in trouble
I didn't have no Lord on my sight
but Jesus spoke on to me
said I am truth to the lie
if you take me by my hand
you'll pull me home
send out to the promised land
since I fixed it up with Jesus
I'm all right now
you know I am all right now
let me tell you
tell you the reason I am
all right now
I've been to the water,
been baptized
I feel alright, I feel alright
feel all right, all right now
stepped into the water
water was cold
pure the body, but not the soul
and I said father, O father
father, father,
yes I'm alright now
Chorus:  …
when I was in trouble
I didn't have no God on my side
But then Jesus came up unto me
He said I am the truth
and the life
If you would take me
by my hand
We're going home
Down to the promised land
 
Chorus, etc.,   …

 
Prayers of the People
           

• pray for your loved ones, for our church, for our community, our country, our world.
• pray especially for those who are suffering because of the Coronavirus:
• pray for the sick and their families; for medical personnel; for researchers; for administrators and leaders;
• pray for healing; for justice; for wisdom about how to respond personally and locally

 
Closing Hymn           Go Now In Peace               
 
A little bittersweet perhaps, and also encouraging:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_KSLqIAcM
 
The Peace of Christ
 
May the peace of Christ be with you.
 
And also with you.
 
 
*Phone/text/email a few people
   and share the peace of Christ with them.