Grace Presbyterian Church
Meeting in the Chapel at Union Congregational Church
Serving people, through Christ, to meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the community and the world around us.
Welcome
Prelude “Jesus, Priceless Treasure” Melody by J. Cruger Harmonized by J.S.Bach
- Call to Worship Psalm 5
One: O Lord in the Morning you hear our voices
All: Through the abundance of your steadfast love – we enter your house with praise
One: We bow down in Awe of you – Lead us oh Lord in your righteousness
All: All who take refuge in you- let us rejoice, let us sing for joy
Opening Prayer
- Hymn 564 “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies”
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Lesson (in Unison) Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
One: This is the word of the Lord All: thanks be to God
Time With Children
Call to Confession
Unison Prayer of Confession
Lord we come to you with a mind, body and spirit full of distractions.
We carry heavy burdens that were meant to be given to you Guilt, fear, shame, worry to name a few…
We are proud and try to live our lives and fix our problems by ourselves. And then we wonder why we are so weary and heavy laden. Let us lay our burdens, our bad choices , our pride and our fear and our exhaustion before you this day, honestly and humbly.
Assurance of Forgiveness
* Praise Be To God in Song “Gloria Patri”
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.
Passing of the Peace
Scripture Included in Message Isaiah 43:22-25, Exodus 20:3-4, Hebrews 12:1-3
Message The Things They Carried The Rev. Cynthia Wilcox
*Hymn “I Surrender All”
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now. (refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine. (refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.(refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name! (refrain)
*Affirmation of Faith The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Call to Offering
Offertory “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” John Bacchus Dykes
*Doxology Lasst Uns Erfreuen
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below;
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Pastoral Prayers concluding 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 and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Announcements and Benediction
*Hymn 467 “How Great Thou Art”
Notice is hereby given of a SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CONGREGATION of Grace Presbyterian Church to be held in the chapel at Union Congregational, 176 Cooper Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey, on Sunday, June 1, 2025, immediately following the 10:00 AM. service for the purpose stated below:
To dissolve the Pastoral Nominating Committee and to hear updates on the church rebuilding project.
Interested in learning how to become a member of Grace? Please contact Pastor Cindy at PastorCindy@gracemontclair.org to learn more.
Greetings!
As we see the light at the end of the rebuilding tunnel getting brighter and brighter, it is time to gather in small groups and revisit the question:
How is Christ calling Grace Presbyterian Church to meet the needs of the community and the world?
Let us prayerfully and faithfully gather over supper at the Manse and discuss this critical question. God did not rebuild this church structure to be on the historical tour or to be a community show piece, but instead to be a place that facilitates encounters with Jesus Christ: where spiritual, physical, and emotional needs are met.
We hope you will come to one of the Prayer, Listening and Supping sessions which will be held:
Wednesday June 4th, 11th and 18th, 5-7 PM at the Manse, 63 Tuxedo Rd. It will be a Pot Trust Dinner.
Please sign up on the sheets in the back foyer of the church or on the coffee hour table; sign up on the signup genius link; or email PastorCindy@GraceMontclair.org to reserve a seat for a day and time that works for your schedule. We will add other sessions as needed. Children and youth are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Summer Wisdom Challenge starts this week!
THE MISSION- if you dare…
- in June: read Proverbs
- in July: read Ecclesiastes
- in August: read Job
with the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED all participants are invited to the celebration
Monday, August 25th
4-5 PM walk on the Spring Lake boardwalk (or sit on a bench)
5-7 PM BBQ and discussion of the wisdom books back at Pastor Cindy and Dennis’ home, 72 Willow Lane, Spring Lake Heights, NJ for more information or to sign up, please contact pastorcindy@gracemontclair.org
Mark your calendars:
Monday, May 26, Memorial Day, Church Office is closed
Wednesday, May 28, 10:00 AM, Norma’s Bible Study in the Learning Center at Union Congregational
Thursday, May 29, 10:00 AM, Church Rebuilding meeting on Zoom
Thursday, May 29, 7:30 PM, Choir Rehearsal in the Chapel at Union Congregational
Daily Devotionals online Monday-Friday 9:00 AM. Check out www.gracemontclair.org for more information.
The next Friends of Grace community dinner is this Sunday, June 22, 5 – 6:30 at St John’s Episcopal. If you can provide salad, an appetizer or an entree to feed 30 guests, please let the church office know.
Food for the Little Pantry: Please consider picking up non-perishables on your next grocery trip. Food may be dropped off at the Manse or placed in the basket as you enter or leave the chapel on Sunday.
