Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
From Psalm 113 (CSB17)
Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of the Lord be praised.
The Lord is exalted above all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God—
the one enthroned on high,
Who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap
in order to seat them with nobles—
with the nobles of his people.
He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah!
Our Sung Call to Worship
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Merciful Father,
We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean.
We have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We justly deserve your present and eternal punishment.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy upon us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways
to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
Time of Silent Confession
Our Sung Confession
I Am Ashamed
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
From 1 John 1:6-2:2 (CSB17)
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
and yet we walk in darkness,
we are lying and are not practicing the truth.
If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We have no sin,”
we are deceiving ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and righteous
to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say, “We have not sinned,”
we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
If anyone does sin,
we have an advocate with the Father
—Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,
and not only for ours,
but also for those of the whole world.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
Thanksgiving and Petition
We Give Thanks in Prayer and Offer Petitions to God
We express our gratitude to God our Father for Christ’s work on the cross for us and bring our requests before him. In bringing our requests, we confess that we believe God truly is a good father, who cares about our needs and gives us what he knows is best.
We Give Thanks by Giving
We give financial offerings to support the work of the church because of our gratitude to God. By giving we confess we are trusting in God’s provision for us as well.
On the first Sunday of each month we have two offerings—one for the general fund and a second one for the benevolence ministry of our church.
We Give Thanks in Song
Show Us Christ
Scripture Reading
Ecclesiastes 10:1-20(ESV)
1Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off
a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and
honor.
2 A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks
sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not
leave your place, for calmness will lay great
offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as
it were an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 folly
is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a
low place. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, and
princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will
bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he
who splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen
the edge, he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.
11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,
but the lips of a fool consume him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is
foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil
madness.
14 A fool multiplies words, though no man knows
what is to be, and who can tell him what will
be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know the way to the city.
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a
child, and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the
son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the
proper time, for strength, and not
for drunkenness!
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter, and wine
gladdens life, and money answers everything.
20 Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,
nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.
This is the Word of the Lord.
The grass withers
and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen!
Sermon
Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20 – “Here Was A Man” – Pastor Eric Schumacher
Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in both song and spoken word.
Sending Song
By Faith
Blessing
From Psalm 131 (CSB17)
Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I do not get involved with things
too great or too wondrous for me.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like a weaned child.
Go, and put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever!