Confirmation Sunday

June 2, 2024 | 10:00am

Rev. Jeremy Campbell, Temporary Pastor | Larry J. Carey, Director of Music

Thought for Worship: In truth, I have done nothing alone. God has called me and has been my pilot. The Holy Spirit has been my comforter, my guide, and my power source. | Reinhard Bonnke

GATHERING

Welcome

Prelude Give Your Heart to Jesus | Stairs

Call to Worship

Votum

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Amen

Opening Sentences

The God who has searched us and knows us, who is acquainted with all our ways, that God calls us each by name.

Speak, Holy One, your servants are listening!

The God who liberated slaves from Egypt, the Lord of the Sabbath who bids us rest, that God empowers us to make Jesus’ life visible in our very bodies.

Speak, Holy One, your servants are listening!

Let us sing aloud to God, our strength,

and shout for joy to the God of Jacob.

Salutation

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Amen.

Prayer of the Day

O God of Creation and Sabbath,

You know us better than we know ourselves.

You formed our inward parts

and wrote the book of all our days;

you made the Sabbath for us

and revealed to us your glory and our identity

in the face of Jesus Christ,

who healed and fed his people.

May we accept your invitation to Sabbath rest,

not a rest that comes

after all that we can accomplish,

but the rest of those who have been set free,

even as you bring about a world

in which all creation can cease from striving,

through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

*Hymn of Praise God Is Here!

Call to Confession

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Prayer of Confession

Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.

Holy, triune God, we confess

that we have not lived for your glory.

You call us to love and serve you,

but we do not heed your voice.

You offer us restoration in Christ,

but we turn away from your good gifts.

Forgive us, God of grace.

Reveal the treasure of heavenly life

hidden in our fragile human hearts,

so that your love may shine in us;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Assurance of Pardon

Now stand firm in your faith,

covered by the saving grace of God

and ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

Thanks be to God.

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

Anthem On Eagle’s Wings | Joncas/Kingsbury

Prayer for Illumination

Holy, Holy, Holy One, guide us by the Spirit of truth to hear the Word of life you speak, and to give all glory, honor, and praise to your threefold name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Listen to the word of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:6

First Reading: Mark 2:23 - 3:6

Keep these words in your heart.

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.

Thanks be to God.

*Hymn: I Danced in the Morning

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Listen to the word of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:6

Second Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-20

Keep these words in your heart.

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.

Thanks be to God..

Sermon: “Following the Word” | Rev. Campbell

Silent Reflection

Confirmation

Preparation and Presentation

Presentation

Profession of Faith

The minister addresses the candidates:

Beloved of God,
I ask you before God and Christ’s church
to reject evil,
to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, and
to confess the faith of the church.

Do you renounce sin and the power of evil
in your life and in the world?

I renounce them.

Who is your Lord and Savior?

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.

Will you be a faithful member of this congregation, and,
through worship and service,
seek to advance God’s purposes
here and throughout the world?

I will, and I ask God to help me.

The congregation shall rise; the minister or elder addresses the members of the congregation:

Do you promise to love, encourage, and support
these brothers and sisters
by teaching the gospel of God’s love,
by being an example of Christian faith and character, and
by giving the strong support of God’s family
in fellowship, prayer, and service?

We do.

The minister or elder addresses the candidates:

Do you promise
to accept the spiritual guidance of the church,
to walk in a spirit of Christian love with this congregation, and
to seek those things that make for unity, purity, and peace?

I do.

The congregation and the candidates shall join in confessing

the faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed. The questions may be omitted.

Do you believe in God the Father?

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

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 to judge the living and the dead.

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

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.

The congregation may be seated; the minister continues.

Defend, O Lord, this your servant
with your heavenly grace,
that he/she may continue yours forever, and
daily increase in your Spirit more and more,
until he/she comes to your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The minister invites the congregation to stand:

By the Holy Spirit all who believe and are baptized receive a ministry
to witness to Jesus as Savior and Lord, and
to love and serve those with whom they live and work.
We are ambassadors for Christ,
who reconciles and makes whole.
We are the salt of the earth;
we are the light of the world.

Welcome our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Joyfully we receive you.
Join with us as we give witness in the world to the good news,
for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
Alleluia.

The elders greet the new confessing members:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace. Amen.

THE RESPONSE TO GOD

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him all creatures here below;

Praise him above ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen!

Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

*Communion Hymn Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ

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 #581

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 and Invitation

One: The body of Christ is broken for you.

One: The blood of Christ is shed for you.

Prayer after Communion

Brothers and sisters,
since the Lord has now fed us at his Table,
let us praise God’s holy name with heartfelt thanksgiving!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him,
who did not spare his own Son,
but gave him up for us all,
and will also give us all things with him.
Therefore shall my mouth and heart show forth the praise of the Lord,
from this time forth forevermore. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession (ending with the Lord’s Prayer)

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 Here I Am!

Benediction

Congregational Response

Christ is alive! Let Christians sing. The cross stands empty to the sky.

Let streets and homes with praises ring. Love drowned in death, shall never die.

Christ is alive, and comes to bring, Good news to this and every age,

Till earth and sky and ocean ring. With joy, with justice, love and praise.

Postlude Crown Imperial | Walton

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.

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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, June 2 - gallon(s) whole milk

Sunday, June 9 - eggs

Sunday, June 16 - gallon(s) whole milk

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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