Downloads for Service:
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Psalm 24 (CSB)
The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the LORD;
for he laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not appealed to what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD of Armies,
he is the King of glory.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Lament
We lament our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Lament
Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, hear to our prayer.
How long will this pandemic plague the earth?
How long will news of sickness and death escalate?
How long will we be cut off from gathering together?
How long will the economy fall and unemployment rise?
How long will uncertainty and confusion strain our days?
O, Father, this virus has shown us the limitations of our power.
We are not all-knowing. We are not all-wise. We are not all-powerful.
We turn our eyes to you, the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and power.
On all who are sick
Lord, have mercy!
On all who mourn the death of family and friends
Lord, have mercy!
On all who have lost income, savings, and provision
Lord, have mercy!
On those working to produce and distribute a vaccine
Christ, have mercy!
On those on the frontlines of medical care
Christ, have mercy!
On government leaders at all level, seeking to care for their people
Christ, have mercy!
On those who are healthy
Lord, have mercy
On the poor and vulnerable in places without medical care
Lord, have mercy
On the church as it learns to be salt and light in a pandemic
Lord, have mercy
We groan with all creation, longing to be set free from the bondage to decay
into the glorious freedom of resurrection, the redemption of our bodies.
We cry to you, our Creator and Redeemer, for we know
that neither death nor life, nor virus nor poverty, nor uncertainty nor anxiety
will be able to separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Sung Lament
Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Colossians 1:13-20
What has the Father done for us in our need?
He has rescued us from the domain of darkness
and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Who is this Son?
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor
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.
“A Liturgy for Those Flooded By Too Much Information,” Every Moment Holy by Doug McKelvey. (Download prayer PDF.)
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.
You may give electronically at gabcames.org/giving.
You may also send a check by mail.
We Give Thanks in Song
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Scripture Reading
John 17:13 (ESV)
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Sermon
John 17:13 – The Secret of Joy – Michael Felkins (Manuscript PDF; mp3)
Audio
Video
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
Before the Throne of God Above
Blessing
from “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” (Cecil F Alexander, 1889)
May Christ be with you, Christ within you,
Christ behind you, Christ before you,
Christ beside you, Christ to win you,
Christ to comfort and restore you.
Christ beneath you, Christ above you,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love you,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.