Grace Presbyterian Church
Serving people, through Christ, to meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the community and the world around us.
Welcome and Announcements
Prelude “Thirty Five Miniatures, No. 1” Flor Peeters, Op. 55A
Responsive Call to Worship (Response in Bold)
Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song!
This day is God’s gift to us.
Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song!
God has graciously gathered us together in this place.
Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song!
God is good and faithful. God is worthy of our praise!
Hymn 464* “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Lesson Romans 13:8-14
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Time with Children
Song* “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.
Chorus
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,
By our Love,
Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Call to Confession
Unison Prayer of Confession followed by Silent Personal Confession
Lord, we confess that, time-and-again, we find fault easily in others while ignoring our own shortcomings.
Assurance of Pardon
Passing of the Peace
Scripture Matthew 18:15-20
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Message: Change and Conflict 101 The Rev. Robin Miller Currás
Silent Meditation
Affirmation of Faith (in unison) from A Brief Statement of Faith
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.