Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 17, 2024 | 10:00am
Rev. Jeremy Campbell, Temporary Pastor | Larry J. Carey, Director of Music
Thought for Worship: INSIDE THE HEART OF SIMON OF CYRENE
Some of the Roman soldiers have just grabbed you from the crowd of people who have been following Jesus. The soldiers force you to your knees. You can see other soldiers approaching you with the crossbeam that Jesus has been carrying. They want you to carry it! At first you struggle to resist, but then . . . what?
GATHERING
Welcome
Prelude Wondrous Love | arr. Owens
Call to Worship
Votum
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Amen
Opening Sentences
Let us join our voices with the saints whose lives inspire.
We are here today, aspiring to claim the life of faith with courage.
We are ready to worship and give thanks for whose we are.
In our worship, we share God’s message with the world.
Salutation
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Amen.
*Hymn of Praise Lift High the Cross
Call to Confession
Let us approach God with our confessions,
trusting that even before we speak,
God knows us and loves us.
Prayer of Confession
God of glory and righteousness,
we confess that we do not live as citizens
of your kin-dom.
We give allegiance to earthly thrones.
We ignore the neediest in our midst.
We discount our own worth.
We forsake the justice due your kin-dom.
Take from us the spirit of isolation, greed,
lust for power, and false pride.
Give us instead the spirit of interdependency,
generosity, humility, and love. Amen.
Silent Confession
Assurance of Pardon
Beloved in Christ, you are blessed by God
to inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
By the power of the Holy Spirit,
you are refashioned every day
to live according to God’s reign,
in the freedom of Christ Jesus.
Friends, know that you are forgiven
and be at peace.
Thanks be to God.
Invitation to Discipleship
Come and pray; search your heart.
In the stillness of this hour, Jesus is with us.
He is standing at the door knocking,
calling us not because of who we think we are
but because of whose we are
and who we can be, disciples of Jesus Christ.
Will we answer?
God has chosen us by grace.
We respond by choosing life in Jesus Christ.
Come and pray; search your heart.
Come and pray, saying together:
Triune God, we choose life;
we desire to abide in you.
All honor and thanks 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 Where Charity and Love Prevail | McNair
Prayer for Illumination
Gracious God, our way in the wilderness, guide us by your Word through these forty days, and minister to us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may reformed, restored, and renewed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Reading: Psalm 51
We proclaim Christ crucified—
the wisdom and power of God.
Thanks be to God.
*Hymn: As Moses Raised the Serpent Up
Second Reading: Mark 15:15-23
We proclaim Christ crucified—
the wisdom and power of God.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon: “The Torture and Humiliation of the King” | Rev. Campbell
Silent Reflection
THE RESPONSE TO GOD
*Affirmation of Faith (Apostles’ Creed)
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 The Tree of Life | arr. Biery
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!
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 Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun
Benediction
Congregational Response
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small;
love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
Postlude Moderato | Rinck
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, March 17 - eggs
Sunday, March 24 - gallon(s) whole milk
Sunday, March 31 - eggs
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