CALL TO WORSHIP
Our call to worship is from Psalm 100. Read it loud enough for your neighbor to hear or listen to it read.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
opening hymn
Our hymn today is “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”
Prayer of Confession
This prayer is from Psalm 51. Pray it aloud and placing your trust in God’s faithful love.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!
Wipe away my wrongdoings according to your great compassion!
Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean;
wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and celebration again;
let the bones you crushed rejoice once more.
Hide your face from my sins;
wipe away all my guilty deeds!
Create a clean heart for me, God;
put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!
We are forgiven in Jesus Christ. Sing along with this assurance of forgiveness.
We are forgiven. We are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.
We are forgiven. We are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.
THE WORD
We had several submissions for Psalms in our summer series on favorite passages of scripture. Today’s reading will include Psalm 100 from our call to worship, Psalm 46 (read below) and a sung paraphrase of Psalm 133 (the words are in the video and you are invited to sing along.)
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city;[b] it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 133
How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
Sermon
Quartet
Affirmation of Faith
Our affirmation of faith today is the Apostles’ Creed.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Welcome & Prayers of the People
Join us at 10:30 a.m. for a a time of gathering. This will include a brief commentary on Romans 8, prayer requests, and fellowship.
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/3577569746
Call-in: (312) 626-6799 and use meeting ID 357 756 9746.
Please join the prayer by responding to “to you, O God,” with “hear our prayer.”
Compassion Camp
Join us Wednesday night at 5:00 for Compassion Camp. Lisa Kaufer introduces Wednesday’s story. Here is the link to the Purple Table.
Benediction
Postlude & Offering
Contributions to the ministry of First Presbyterian Church may be made online by clicking the button below or mailed to First Presbyterian Church, 2910 Central Ave., Middletown, OH 45044.
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