HOPE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

www.hopewl.com

June 21, 2009

GATHERING

1. Prelude   “O Worship the King, All Glorious Above”

Ringing of the Bell – Lighting of the Candles

Call to Worship

Greeting (See Ruth 2:4)

The Lord be with you.                   And also with you.

Matt. 10:39 (Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Jesus said:

Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Call to Worship (responsive)

God is great and does wondrous things.

Teach us your way O God.

God helps and comforts us.

God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and mercy.

Come and worship God.

Prayer of the Day (all)

Pour out upon us, O God, the power and wisdom of your Spirit, that we may walk with Christ the way of the cross, ready to offer even the gift of our lives to show forth to the world our hope in your kingdom. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Amen.

2. Opening Hymn 105  “Holy, Holy, Holy”

Confession and Pardon

Call to Confession: Heb. 4:14-16

Remember that our Lord Jesus can sympathize with us in our weaknesses, since in every respect he was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with boldness approach the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Confession: Almighty God, you love us...

Almighty God, you love us, but we have not loved you.

You call, but we have not listened.

We walk away from neighbors in need, wrapped in our own concerns.

We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed.

God of grace, help us to admit our sin, so that as you come to us in mercy,

we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

Declaration of Forgiveness  Luke 12:1-3 (NRSV)
¹ Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy.
² Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.
³ Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.

The Peace: Phil. 4:7

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.   A sign of peace may be shared.

3. Gloria Patri

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.

THE WORD

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

First reading: 1 Sam. 17:1,4-11,19-23,32-49

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

1 Samuel 17:4-11

    And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:19-23

    Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

1 Samuel 17:32-49

    David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you!"

    Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

    The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand."

    When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Sermon

4. Hymn  “How Great Thou Art”

1.  O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
    Consider all the *worlds Thy hands have made,
    I see the stars, I hear the *rolling thunder,
    Thy power throughout the universe displayed;

 

   Refrain:
    Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
    Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

2.  When through the woods and forest glades I wander
    And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
    When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
    And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

(Refrain)

3.  And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
    Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
    That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,    He bled and died to take away my sin;
    (Refrain)

4.  When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
    And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
    Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
    And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
    (Refrain)

Affirmation of Faith Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living 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.

Prayers of the People

Offering

Scriptural Sentences: Acts 20:35b

Let us return to God the offerings of our life and the gifts of the earth.

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: It is more blessed to give than to receive.

5. Offertory “Guess the Hymn”

6. Doxology

Concluding prayer

Thanksgiving –(all)

Almighty and merciful God, from whom comes all that is good, we praise you for your mercies, for your goodness that has created us, your grace that has sustained us, your discipline that has corrected us, your patience that has borne with us, and your love that has redeemed us. Help us to love you, and to be thankful for all your gifts by serving you and delighting to do your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Lord's Prayer

SENDING

7. Closing Hymn

1.  O for a thousand tongues to sing
    My dear Redeemer's praise,
    The glories of my God and King,
    The triumphs of God's grace!

2.  Jesus, the name that charms our fears,
    That bids our sorrows cease;
    'Tis music in the sinner's ears,
    'Tis life, and health, and peace.

3.  Christ breaks the power of reigning sin,
    And sets the prisoner free;
    Christ's blood can make the sinful clean,
    Christ's blood availed for me.

4.  My gracious Master and my God,
    Assist me to proclaim,
    To spread through all the earth abroad
    The honors of Thy name.