Grace Presbyterian Church
Seeking to equip people to live as Christian disciples wherever God has placed them.
Welcome And Opening Prayer
Prelude Mass on the Eighth Tone Gaspard Corrette
Grand Plein Jeu
Fugue
Responsive Call to Worship Psalm 148
One: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
All: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
One: Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
All: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
One: Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
All: He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
One: Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
All: fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
One: Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
All: Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
One: Rulers of the earth and all peoples!
All: Young men and women alike, old and young together!
One: Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
Hymn Red 441* “Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling”
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Come home, come home,
ye who are weary, come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger
and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me?
O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned,
he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Opening Prayer and Prayer for Illumination
Surprising God, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ you make all things new. Long ago you called your church to a love beyond all social and cultural differences and gave them the gift of your Holy Spirit to open their hearts to enact such love. Give us that same spirit of openness, that we too might discern new directions in our day for your dream to reconcile and heal all creation. By the power of your Holy Spirit, may the word rise up this day like a gift from the spring of the water of life to refresh our thirsty souls. Amen.
First Scripture Reading (In Unison) Acts 11:1-18
Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’
Time with Children
Call to Confession
Confession of Sin
God of mercy, your command to love one another across all differences opens us to new horizons, yet we often respond with fear and judgment that hinders your goal for humanity. Forgive our sins, we pray, and give us a true repentance that leads to life for all creation. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Time for silent prayer and reflection.
Assurance of Pardon
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Second Scripture Reading John 13:31-35
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Sermon The Son of Man Has Been Glorified, but How? Rev. Robin Miller Currás
Hymn Red 436* “Jesu, Jesu, Fill us with your Love”
Jesu, Jesu,
fill us with your love, show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you.
Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.
Neighbors are rich and poor,
neighbors are black and white,
neighbors are near and far away.
These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love,
all these are neighbors to us and you.
Loving puts us on our knees,
serving as though we are slaves,
this is the way we should live with you.
Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet,
this is the way we should live with you.
Affirmation of Faith from The Confession of 1967
God ’s sovereign love is a mystery beyond the reach of the human mind. Human thought ascribes to God superlatives of power, wisdom, and goodness. But God reveals divine love in Jesus Christ by showing power in the form of a servant, wisdom in the folly of the cross, and goodness in receiving sinful men and women. The power of God’s love in Christ to transform the world discloses that the Redeemer is the Lord and Creator who made all things to serve the purpose of God’s love.
Offertory Mass on the Eighth Tone Gaspard Corette
Cromorne in the Tenor
Doxology
Prayer after the Offering
Pastoral Prayers/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 “We Are One in the Spirit”
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored
And they’ll know we are
Christians by our love, by our love;
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love!
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
And together we will spread the news,
That God is in our land
And they’ll know we are
Christians by our love, by our love;
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love!
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we’ll guard each human’s dignity,
And save each human’s pride.
And they’ll know we are
Christians by our love, by our love;
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love!
All praise to the Father,
from whom all things come,
and all praise to Christ Jesus,
God’s only Son,
and all praise to the Spirit,
who makes us one.
And they’ll know we are
Christians by our love, by our love;
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love!
Benediction
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