Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 2, 2023 | 10:00am
Rev. Lillian Hines, Guest Minister | Larry J. Carey, Director of Music
GATHERING
Welcome
Prelude I Need Thee Every Hour | Lowry/McDonald
Call to Worship
Votum
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Amen
Opening Sentences
The Lord be with you.
And also with you!
Come before your God with praise and thanksgiving.
The joy of God is our strength.
Join with the heavens and the earth
in telling the goodness of our God.
The joy of God is our strength.
Come let us worship God, who revives our souls.
Salutation
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Amen.
*Hymn of Praise: Nearer My God to Thee
Call to Confession
When our lives remain hidden, when are hearts are shuttered, when our souls are fill with fear because of all we have done and said, God comes, breathing new life, blowing away our failings, restoring us to new hope. Please join me, as we pray together, saying...
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God,
Ever present One, you call us to be your presence, your body in this world, but too often we get caught up in being a hand or a foot and lose sight of the overarching mission you set before us. We fracture into pieces. We go our separate ways, forgetting we need each other to be whole. You have given us your law to be our guide, but we turn our backs on what we see as rules and restrictions, fearful that we will not live up to your expectations. Help us see with new eyes, and hear with the ears of our heart, the liberating spirit of the law that strengthens and revives and enables us to be and do all you call us to be and do. O God of liberation and justice, help us be faithful witnesses to your law of love and unity. Amen.
Silent Confession
Assurance of Pardon
The Spirit of God is upon us. God has called us to bring good news and liberation to the poor, to the marginalized, and to all who are in need anywhere. God's joy is our strength. Through God we can do all things. God's Spirit surrounds us with forgiveness and love.
The Law of God:
*Gloria Patri | #579
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.
*Commitment to Peace Keeping and Peace Seeking
One: May the peace of Christ be with you!
All: And also with you!
Share a sign of peace with one another. After sharing the peace, let us all sing together:
Together, by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong. Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song.
THE WORD OF GOD
Children’s Message
Prayer for Illumination
May the words of my mouth,
and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, our Rock and our Redeemer.
First Reading: Psalm 86:1-10 (The Message Bible)
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Hymn: Lead Me, Guide Me
Second Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3; 5-6; 9-12 (The Message Bible)
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Sermon: "It’s Already Alright!" | Pastor Hines
Silent Reflection
THE RESPONSE TO GOD
*Affirmation of Faith
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come 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.
Offering Jesus the Very Thought of Thee | Thiman
Prayer of Dedication
CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
Communion Hymn: We Come as Guests Invited
Prayer of Great Thanksgiving
One: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Lord.
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
One: 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!...
With your whole Church on earth and with all the company of heaven we worship and adore your glorious name.
Sanctus Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
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!
Remembering the Work of Christ
One: 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. ... Together we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Memorial Acclamation
All: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Invocation of the Spirit
One: So send your Holy Spirit upon us we pray... Even so, come Lord Jesus we pray.
All: Amen
Holy Communion
Words of Institution
One: The bread which we break is our communion with the body of Christ. The body of Christ is broken for you.
One: The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ is shed for you.
Prayer of Dedication
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession (ending with Lord’s Prayer)
In sure and certain hope of God’s faithfulness, let us come to God in prayer, praying:
Incline your ear to us; hear our prayers and supplications.
We pray for a world that is still so far from God’s good creation. We see the devastating evidence of our failure to care for the earth and everything in it. Wars rage, and siblings take up arms against siblings. We pray especially for those who are most impacted by environmental devastation, war, and lack of basic resources.
Incline your ear to us; hear our prayers and supplications.
After Juneteenth and before the Fourth of July, we recognize that so many people still cry out for liberation. We operate in and perpetuate unjust systems built on the scaffolding of oppression of people, based on skin color, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender and more. Freedom and emancipation have been proclaimed throughout the land, but many are still in bonds today: in a broken justice system, in the prison industrial complex, and in child labor and sex trafficking that thrive under broken immigration policies and social support systems. Our lips cry out for justice, but the climb is steep, and our comfort often gets in the way. Make your justice roll down like water, we pray.
Incline your ear to us; hear our prayers and supplications.
We pray for those who suffer in mind, body, and spirit. For all who struggle with mental illness, and addiction, and the impacts of trauma, we pray. We pray for the lonely, the hurt, and the estranged. We pray for all who live in chronic sickness or pain. Give us compassion in our relationships and encounters with others, who are fighting battles we don’t know.
Incline your ear to us; hear our prayers and supplications.
We pray for the church, the world, and the whole human family, adding the prayers and supplications of your people… Incline your ear to us; hear our prayers and supplications. Loving God, we offer these prayers to you, including those that remain on our hearts, and those known only to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying
In Jesus’ Name, we pray as you taught us…
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 debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.
SENDING
Hymn: Our God is an Awesome God
Benediction
Postlude Once to Every Man and Nation | Williams /Hayes
DEAR FRIENDS
Welcome to worship here at Peapack Reformed Church! If you are visiting with us, welcome! If you are a member, welcome back! Our mission is to be a congregation called by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world. This mission is the catalyst for all that we do, and is our aim for who we want to be.
If you are visiting with us via Facebook Live and would like more information about our church, send us a message on Facebook or email office@peapackreformed.org and we will be in touch with you. Even under these odd and anxious circumstances, we would love to be your church home. Our virtual doors are always open wide and our hearts are always ready to welcome new faces into our fellowship.
FOOD PANTRY NEWS
Many thanks for all those who have shared their abundance with neighbors in need.
Our church refrigerators have plenty of space to hold even more!
Mark your calendars now to pick up these important items
and bring to church by the dates listed:
Sunday, July 2 - gallon(s) whole milk
Sunday, July 9 - eggs
Sunday, July 16 - gallon(s) whole milk
Peapack Reformed Church is a congregation called by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
CALLED • EMPOWERED • COMMITTED