Grace Presbyterian Church
Seeking to equip people to live as Christian disciples wherever God has placed them.
Welcome And Opening Prayer
Prelude Fantasia in E minor Johann Jakob Froberger
Responsive Call to Worship
One: Do you seek Jesus?
Many: We do.
One: Do you wish to hear his word for you this morning?
Many: Yes, we do.
One: Do you want to be changed?
Many: …
One: Do you seek transformation?
Many: Ummm…
One: Welcome, children of God, with all your contradictions. You are welcome here.
Many: With all our contradictions, we come to worship God.
All: Amen!
Hymn Red 356 vv. 1,4&5 All Creatures of Our God and King
All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and with us sing:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
All ye who are of tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
sing his praises, Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
praise God and on him cast your care,
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, Allleuia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
and praise the Spirit, Three in One,
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Call to Confession
Confession of Sin
Lord of Truth, you see us. You see our hypocrisy. We see some of it. Not all. We see it in others. And surely, they see it in us. And still we judge. Forgive us. Set us right. Help us to find a way to live that seeks to walk in your truth without cursing others who are also trying to find their way. (Let us continue, personalizing this prayer for ourselves, in silent prayer.)
Assurance of Pardon
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Prayer for Illumination in Unison
Draw us close, Holy Spirit, as the Scriptures are read and the Word is proclaimed. Let the word of faith be on our lips and in our hearts, and let all other words slip away. May there be one voice we hear today–the voice of truth and grace. Amen.
First Scripture Reading James 1:17-27
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Second Scripture Reading Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23
Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’
You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”
For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Sermon “Actors With Masks” Rev. Robin Miller Currás
Hymn Red 437 Help Us Accept Each Other
Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us;
teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace.
Be present, Lord, among us and bring us to believe
we are ourselves accepted, and meant to love and live.
Teach us, O Lord, your lessons, as in our daily life
we struggle to be human and search for hope and faith.
Teach us to care for people, for all, not just for some,
to love them as we find them or as they may become.
Let your acceptance change us, so that we may be moved
in living situations to do the truth in love,
to practice your acceptance until we know by heart
the table of forgiveness and laughter’s healing art.
Lord, for today’s encounters with all who are in need,
who hunger for acceptance, for righteousness and bread,
we need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding on;
renew us with your Spirit, Lord, free us, make us one!
Affirmation of Faith Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.
Offertory Eden Church Mark Albrecht
Liz Mouthrop, violin
Doxology
Pastoral Prayer/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 and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Hymn Red Red 840 V. 1 God be with You
God be with you till we meet again,
by his counsels guide, uphold you,
with his sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Benediction
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