Worship
for the Lord’s Day
January
3, 2021
Announcements:
· I
continue to be on vacation through January 6, but have posted a service below,
as well as a sermon from our Associate Executive Presbyter, Ralph Lowe.
·
West
Elizabeth Food Bank Delivery is on Friday, January 8 at 9:30/10:00am
Let’s begin our worship
service together:
Call to Worship
Darkness is
banished! God’s light has come to us and
the brightness of the Star leads us. We
celebrate God’s abiding love for the whole world. Glory be to God in the highest Heaven and on
earth, peace forevermore. AMEN.
Hymn: We Three Kings
Prayer of Confession
O God of perfect light, lead
us as we proceed through life. Forgive
us when, like Herod, selfish ambition makes us willing to hurt others. Forgive us when, unlike the magi, we refuse
to follow the light You give us. Shine
in our lives through the light of Your Christ, in whose name we pray. AMEN. (Silent prayers are offered) AMEN.
Words of Assurance
This is the good news in Jesus Christ: God loves us more than
we love ourselves. God forgive us,
encourages us, and frees us to love others.
Thanks be to God. AMEN
Affirmation of Faith –
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son
our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended
into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall
come to judge the quick and the dead. I
believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life
everlasting. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer:
Eternal Creator and
Redeemer of all, we praise Your name above all other names, giving You thanks
for the gifts of this life and for eternal love. Though we were born children of earth, we
have a spiritual connection with You through the Holy Spirit. You have taken us up in Your own arms and
made us children of heaven. Let Your
spark of divine love glow within us once more.
Allow the Star of Bethlehem to guide us to the center of light, that
though our lives others will come to know Your grace, peace, and love.
You are the author and
source of our lives. You spread before
us many pathways in this wilderness, and we are free to choose our own. In the process of our choosing, lend us guidance. In our moments of despair, encourage us and
broaden our perspective. In our moments
of failure, empower us with strength to try again. In our moments of victory, teach us
humility.
Lord, help us be agents
of care and concern.
Open our ears that we
may hear each other.
Warm our hearts that we
may care for one another and enlighten our minds that we may be about the tasks
You set before us.
This day we pray for
all those in need….
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. 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: Go, Tell It On the Mountain
Scripture Readings – Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to
Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, 2“My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan,
you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the
Israelites. 3Every place
that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised
to Moses. 4From the
wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all
the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your
territory. 5No one shall
be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so
I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in
possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in
accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from
it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you
go. 8This book of the law shall not depart out of
your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful
to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make
your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be
frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Sermon
– given by Ralph Lowe from our Presbytery
Staff. You can click either option
below. The first (highlighted sermon
title) goes to my YouTube channel to listen to it, as you normally do. The second (the direct link) goes to the
Presbytery page that his sermon is on.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rb18n7jevfbiahc/2021%20-%20The%20Promise%20Land%3F%20%28HQ%29.mp4?dl=0
Hymn: Joy to the World
Benediction
Go forth in the light of God’s star. Go forth committed to a journey of faith and
courage. Go forth to give the precious
gift of your life to Christ. AMEN.
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