ORDER OF WORSHIP FOR
THE FAITH REFORMED CHURCH
215 MIDDLE ROAD, HAZLET, NJ 07730
(* indicates to stand if you are able)
Sunday, September 13; Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
VOTUM AND SALUTATION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from Psalm 103:1-8)
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul!
People: And all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul!
People: And do not forget all his benefits.
Leader: Who forgives all your iniquity;
People: Who heals all your diseases.
Leader: Who satisfies you with good as long as you live,
People: And works vindication and justice for those who are oppressed.
Leader: The Lord is merciful and gracious;
All: The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love!
PRAYER OF PRESENCE
All: Heavenly God of all life and being, we come to you with the knowledge that you are the source of all good things. We come to you in praise and thanksgiving, that you choose to show us your love and mercy. Be with us in our worship of you this morning. Bless us in our endeavors to honor and glorify your name. And continue to share your holy presence with us, today and all days. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
* HYMN OF PRAISE “O Bless the Lord, My Soul” (verses 1, 2, 3, & 6)
(hummed – not sung)
O bless the Lord, my soul! Let all within me join,
And help my tongue to praise his name who mercies are divine.
O bless the Lord, my soul! Let not his mercies lie
Forgotten in unthankfulness, from lack of praise to die.
For God forgives our sins, and God relieves our pain;
The Lord who heals our sicknesses renews our strength again.
His mighty works and ways, by Moses he made known,
But gave the world his truth and grace by his beloved Son!
PASSING OF THE PEACE
(Please remain in place, and greet your nearest neighbors with a wave and a blessing of peace)
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
All: Glorious God of all creation, you have made all of humanity to be as your children. And as children we can be fleeting in our devotion to you. We praise your name one day, and forget you the next. Yet through all our faltering you remain true. You bless us and love us though we do not deserve it. Continue to show us your love, and help us to love you better in return. We pray this through Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Responsive Hymn #817 – to be hummed, not sung) - Hear our prayer O Lord. Hear our prayer O Lord. Incline thine ear to us, and grant us Thy peace. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE (1 John 5:11b-13)
All: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life.”
*Gloria Patri: Glory be to The Father (hummed – not sung)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end, Amen, Amen.
SUMMARY OF THE LAW (Colossians 3:12-14)
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all of these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect harmony.”
HYMN FOR ILLUMINATION (seated) “Spirit of the Living God” Verse 1 (hummed – not sung) Hymn #297
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me;
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SERMON HYMN “Kind and Merciful God” (verses 1, 4, & 5)
Kind and merciful God, we have sinned in your sight,
We have all wandered far from your way;
We have followed desire, we have failed to aspire
To the virtue we ought to display.
Kind and merciful God, in Christ’s death on the cross
You provided a cleansing from sin;
Speak the words that forgive, that henceforth we may live
By the might of your Spirit within.
Kind and merciful God, bid us lift up our heads
And command us to rise from our knees;
May our hearts now be changed, and no longer estranged,
Through the power of your pardon and peace.
SCRIPTURE READINGS – Genesis 50:15-21; Matthew 18:21-35
THE MORNING MESSAGE - “Paying It Forward“
*OFFERTORY PRAYER AND 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.
*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.
JOYS & CONCERNS – MORNING PRAYER – THE LORD'S PRAYER
*CLOSING HYMN “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” (verses 1 & 3)
(hummed – not sung)
O the deep, deep love of Jesus; vast unmeasured, boundless, free,
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of his love,
Leading onward, leading homeward, to that glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best,
Vast the ocean of his blessing; sweet the haven of his rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus – for my heaven of heavens is he;
This is my everlasting glory – Jesus’ mighty love for me!
*CLOSING PRAYER & BENEDICTION
*CHORAL POSTLUDE: "Lord, Dismiss Us with your Blessing"
(hummed – not sung)
Lord, dismiss us with your blessing; fill our hearts with joy and peace;
Let us each, your love possessing, triumph in redeeming grace;
O direct us and protect us, traveling through this wilderness.
THE FAITH REFORMED CHURCH
215 MIDDLE ROAD, HAZLET, NJ 07730
(* indicates to stand if you are able)
Sunday, September 13; Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
VOTUM AND SALUTATION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from Psalm 103:1-8)
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul!
People: And all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul!
People: And do not forget all his benefits.
Leader: Who forgives all your iniquity;
People: Who heals all your diseases.
Leader: Who satisfies you with good as long as you live,
People: And works vindication and justice for those who are oppressed.
Leader: The Lord is merciful and gracious;
All: The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love!
PRAYER OF PRESENCE
All: Heavenly God of all life and being, we come to you with the knowledge that you are the source of all good things. We come to you in praise and thanksgiving, that you choose to show us your love and mercy. Be with us in our worship of you this morning. Bless us in our endeavors to honor and glorify your name. And continue to share your holy presence with us, today and all days. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
* HYMN OF PRAISE “O Bless the Lord, My Soul” (verses 1, 2, 3, & 6)
(hummed – not sung)
O bless the Lord, my soul! Let all within me join,
And help my tongue to praise his name who mercies are divine.
O bless the Lord, my soul! Let not his mercies lie
Forgotten in unthankfulness, from lack of praise to die.
For God forgives our sins, and God relieves our pain;
The Lord who heals our sicknesses renews our strength again.
His mighty works and ways, by Moses he made known,
But gave the world his truth and grace by his beloved Son!
PASSING OF THE PEACE
(Please remain in place, and greet your nearest neighbors with a wave and a blessing of peace)
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
All: Glorious God of all creation, you have made all of humanity to be as your children. And as children we can be fleeting in our devotion to you. We praise your name one day, and forget you the next. Yet through all our faltering you remain true. You bless us and love us though we do not deserve it. Continue to show us your love, and help us to love you better in return. We pray this through Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Responsive Hymn #817 – to be hummed, not sung) - Hear our prayer O Lord. Hear our prayer O Lord. Incline thine ear to us, and grant us Thy peace. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE (1 John 5:11b-13)
All: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life.”
*Gloria Patri: Glory be to The Father (hummed – not sung)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end, Amen, Amen.
SUMMARY OF THE LAW (Colossians 3:12-14)
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all of these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect harmony.”
HYMN FOR ILLUMINATION (seated) “Spirit of the Living God” Verse 1 (hummed – not sung) Hymn #297
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me;
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SERMON HYMN “Kind and Merciful God” (verses 1, 4, & 5)
Kind and merciful God, we have sinned in your sight,
We have all wandered far from your way;
We have followed desire, we have failed to aspire
To the virtue we ought to display.
Kind and merciful God, in Christ’s death on the cross
You provided a cleansing from sin;
Speak the words that forgive, that henceforth we may live
By the might of your Spirit within.
Kind and merciful God, bid us lift up our heads
And command us to rise from our knees;
May our hearts now be changed, and no longer estranged,
Through the power of your pardon and peace.
SCRIPTURE READINGS – Genesis 50:15-21; Matthew 18:21-35
THE MORNING MESSAGE - “Paying It Forward“
*OFFERTORY PRAYER AND 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.
*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.
JOYS & CONCERNS – MORNING PRAYER – THE LORD'S PRAYER
*CLOSING HYMN “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” (verses 1 & 3)
(hummed – not sung)
O the deep, deep love of Jesus; vast unmeasured, boundless, free,
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of his love,
Leading onward, leading homeward, to that glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best,
Vast the ocean of his blessing; sweet the haven of his rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus – for my heaven of heavens is he;
This is my everlasting glory – Jesus’ mighty love for me!
*CLOSING PRAYER & BENEDICTION
*CHORAL POSTLUDE: "Lord, Dismiss Us with your Blessing"
(hummed – not sung)
Lord, dismiss us with your blessing; fill our hearts with joy and peace;
Let us each, your love possessing, triumph in redeeming grace;
O direct us and protect us, traveling through this wilderness.