ORDER OF WORSHIP FOR
THE FAITH REFORMED CHURCH
215 MIDDLE ROAD, HAZLET, NJ 07730
Abbreviated Liturgy for Online Worship
Sunday, April 5; Palm Sunday
PRELUDE – “The Palms” Organist Ben Benfer
VOTUM AND SALUTATION
CALL TO WORSHIP (Adapted from Psalm 118)
Leader: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
People: His steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made;
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Leader: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,
People: We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Leader: O, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
All: For his steadfast love endures forever!
OPENING PRAYER AND CONFESSION
All: Most Holy and Gracious God, hear our prayer. We look to you at all times and in all places. From our greatest heights and lowest depths, we call on your holy name. Lord, be with all your people in our time of trial. Awaken us to your presence among us. And help us to confess our faith in your loving mercies. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE (Philippians 4:6-7)
All: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
SUMMARY OF THE LAW (Mark 12:28-31)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus gave a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS – Matthew 21:1-11
Pastor: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks Be to God.
THE MORNING MESSAGE – “Pandemic and Paradox”
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 Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried.
The third day he rose from the dead
He ascended into heaven
And sitteth at 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 Spirit,
The holy catholic church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting.
Amen.
CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
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 our thanks and praise.
Holy and right it is, and our joyful duty
to give thanks to you at all times and in all places,
O Lord our Creator,
almighty and everlasting God!
You created heaven with all its hosts and the earth with all its plenty.
You have given us life and being,
and preserve us by your providence.
But you have shown us the fullness of your love
in sending into the world your Son, Jesus Christ,
the eternal Word, made flesh for us and for our salvation.
For the precious gift of this mighty Savior who has reconciled us to you
we praise and bless you, O God.
With your whole Church on earth and with all the company of heaven
we worship and adore your glorious name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Most righteous God,
we remember in this Supper
the perfect sacrifice offered once on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ
for the sin of the whole world.
In the joy of his resurrection and in expectation of his coming again,
we offer ourselves to you as holy and living sacrifices.
Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Christ has died!
Christ is risen!
Christ will come again!
Send your Holy Spirit upon us, we pray,
that the bread which we break
and the cup which we bless
may be to us the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
Grant that, being joined together in him,
we may attain to the unity of the faith
and grow up in all things into Christ our Lord.
And as this grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf,
and these grapes from many hills into one cup,
grant, O Lord, that your whole Church
may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth
into your kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Brothers and sisters,
since the Lord has now fed us at his Table,
let us praise God’s holy name with heartfelt thanksgiving!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits--
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him,
who did not spare his own Son,
but gave him up for us all,
and will also give us all things with him.
Therefore shall my mouth and heart show forth the praise of the Lord,
from this time forth forevermore. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER, LORD’s PRAYER, & BENEDICTION
Almighty God,
Hear us in our time of distress.
We pray for the sick and the dying, that your healing and your comfort may be with them.
We pray for the caregivers, that you may shield and strengthen them against all harm.
We pray for the lonely, that they may know your love and the love of their neighbors.
We pray for ourselves, that you may preserve us by your providence,
and make us blessings to our neighbors, and beacons of your radiant light in the darkest night.
Make your love burn brightly in all your people, as we look forward to the day when we may once again gather together in joy under your holy name.
We pray these things in the name of our Holy Shepherd, Jesus Christ,
Who taught us to pray with the words,
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 sins,
As we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
THE FAITH REFORMED CHURCH
215 MIDDLE ROAD, HAZLET, NJ 07730
Abbreviated Liturgy for Online Worship
Sunday, April 5; Palm Sunday
PRELUDE – “The Palms” Organist Ben Benfer
VOTUM AND SALUTATION
CALL TO WORSHIP (Adapted from Psalm 118)
Leader: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
People: His steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made;
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Leader: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,
People: We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Leader: O, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
All: For his steadfast love endures forever!
OPENING PRAYER AND CONFESSION
All: Most Holy and Gracious God, hear our prayer. We look to you at all times and in all places. From our greatest heights and lowest depths, we call on your holy name. Lord, be with all your people in our time of trial. Awaken us to your presence among us. And help us to confess our faith in your loving mercies. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE (Philippians 4:6-7)
All: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
SUMMARY OF THE LAW (Mark 12:28-31)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus gave a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS – Matthew 21:1-11
Pastor: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks Be to God.
THE MORNING MESSAGE – “Pandemic and Paradox”
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 Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried.
The third day he rose from the dead
He ascended into heaven
And sitteth at 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 Spirit,
The holy catholic church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting.
Amen.
CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
- INVITATION
- COMMUNION PRAYER
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 our thanks and praise.
Holy and right it is, and our joyful duty
to give thanks to you at all times and in all places,
O Lord our Creator,
almighty and everlasting God!
You created heaven with all its hosts and the earth with all its plenty.
You have given us life and being,
and preserve us by your providence.
But you have shown us the fullness of your love
in sending into the world your Son, Jesus Christ,
the eternal Word, made flesh for us and for our salvation.
For the precious gift of this mighty Savior who has reconciled us to you
we praise and bless you, O God.
With your whole Church on earth and with all the company of heaven
we worship and adore your glorious name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Most righteous God,
we remember in this Supper
the perfect sacrifice offered once on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ
for the sin of the whole world.
In the joy of his resurrection and in expectation of his coming again,
we offer ourselves to you as holy and living sacrifices.
Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Christ has died!
Christ is risen!
Christ will come again!
Send your Holy Spirit upon us, we pray,
that the bread which we break
and the cup which we bless
may be to us the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
Grant that, being joined together in him,
we may attain to the unity of the faith
and grow up in all things into Christ our Lord.
And as this grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf,
and these grapes from many hills into one cup,
grant, O Lord, that your whole Church
may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth
into your kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
- WORDS OF INSTITUTION
- CELEBRATION OF COMMUNION
- PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Brothers and sisters,
since the Lord has now fed us at his Table,
let us praise God’s holy name with heartfelt thanksgiving!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits--
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him,
who did not spare his own Son,
but gave him up for us all,
and will also give us all things with him.
Therefore shall my mouth and heart show forth the praise of the Lord,
from this time forth forevermore. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER, LORD’s PRAYER, & BENEDICTION
Almighty God,
Hear us in our time of distress.
We pray for the sick and the dying, that your healing and your comfort may be with them.
We pray for the caregivers, that you may shield and strengthen them against all harm.
We pray for the lonely, that they may know your love and the love of their neighbors.
We pray for ourselves, that you may preserve us by your providence,
and make us blessings to our neighbors, and beacons of your radiant light in the darkest night.
Make your love burn brightly in all your people, as we look forward to the day when we may once again gather together in joy under your holy name.
We pray these things in the name of our Holy Shepherd, Jesus Christ,
Who taught us to pray with the words,
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 sins,
As we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.