Everything you need for September 26 online worship.
Preparations for Worship:
- Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
- Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
- This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
- Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
- Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
“Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”
INVOCATION
O Lord, open my lips. And my mouth shall declare your praise.
Hasten to save me, O God. O Lord, come quickly to help me.
The glory of Christ is revealed: let us worship him.
Grant, O merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
LESSON – ISAIAH 50:4-10
4The Lord God gave me a tongue like the learned, an instructed tongue, so I know how to sustain the weary with a word. He wakes me up morning by morning. He wakes up my ears so that I listen like the learned. 5The Lord God opened my ear, and I myself was not rebellious. I did not turn back. 6I submitted my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from disgrace and from spit. 7The Lord God will help me, so I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have made my face hard like flint. I know that I will not be put to shame. 8The one who will acquit me is near! Who can accuse me? Let us take our stand. Who can pass judgment on me? Let him approach me. 9Look, the Lord God will help me. Who then can declare me guilty? Look, all of them will wear out like a garment. A moth will consume them. 10Who among you worships the Lord and listens to the voice of his servant? Anyone who walks in darkness and who has no bright light—let him trust in the name of the Lord, and let him lean on his God.
LESSON – JAMES 1-5, 8-10, 14-18
My brothers, have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism. 2For example, suppose a man enters your worship assembly wearing gold rings and fine clothing, and a poor man also enters wearing filthy clothing. 3If you look with favor on the man wearing fine clothing and say, “Sit here in this good place,” but you tell the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit down here at my feet,” 4have you not made a distinction among yourselves and become judges with evil opinions? 5Listen, my dear brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him?
8However, if you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you show favoritism, you are committing a sin, since you are convicted by this law as transgressors. 10In fact, whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of breaking all of it.
14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says that he has faith but has no works? Such “faith” cannot save him, can it? 15If a brother or sister needs clothes and lacks daily food 16and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but does not give them what their body needs, what good is it? 17So also, such “faith,” if it is alone and has no works, is dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
DEVOTION – MARK 8:27-35
OFFERING
Offerings may be given on-line at tithe.ly/risensavior, mailed to the church, or dropped off at the church.
Our members have joined together in faith and love to do the Lord’s work in this community and around the world. Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
O Lord of hosts, You oppose the proud and give grace to the humble.
Help us by Your Spirit to submit ourselves to You and resist the devil, that he would flee from us.
Lord of hosts, pacify our passions by Your Spirit.
Let us not be ruled by the jealousy and selfish ambition that give rise to disorder and every vile practice.
Lord of hosts, uphold this world in Your order. Preserve the Church and the preaching of Your Word against all enemies. Bless our homes, that parents and children may serve one another faithfully and grow in instruction and faith until life’s end.
Give health and wisdom to all who serve in public office, that their authority may be exercised for the benefit of our people.
Lord, you call to yourself people from every nation, tribe, people, and language. We thank you for the fruit that you have produced in the Roma community as the Bulgarian national pastor shares the gospel with them.
As our national church body’s Christian Aid and Relief and our Bulgarian church collaborate to feed the physical needs of the people in these poor villages, may many more people also feast on the spiritual food of your saving Word.
Lord of hosts, look with kindness on the sick and those in any need especially Moe and Cindy Morales’ neighbor who is experiencing health issues, as well as friend of Andrea Schweim who suffered a stroke this past week and is recovering
In your mercy watch over all those we lift up to you in prayer. Grant them healing and recovery in your time and under your grace.
O Lord of hosts, grant that what we ask from You may not be squandered after our passions, but sought rightly in faith, that we may receive them and put them to service for You and our neighbors; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who taught us to pray…
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to this new day. Defend us with your mighty power, and grant that this day we neither fall into sin nor run into any kind of danger; and in all we do, direct us to what is right in your sight, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Let us praise the Lord. Thanks be to God.
THE LORD’S BLESSING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.