April 21, 2024
Prelude: It Happened on that Fateful Night
Lewis, arr. Ore
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 107]
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
Their courage melted away in their calamity; they reeled and staggered...
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
Let us worship the LORD!
For the Beauty of the Earth (Hymn 473)
Kocher/Pierpoint
For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child
Friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
For Thy church that evermore lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore her pure sacrifice of love,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
Confession
God of sea and storm, we belong to you even when we are running away from your call. Forgive us when we stubbornly follow our own way, oblivious to the troubles and fears of those around us. Forgive us when we do not consider how readily others might turn to you and try to do good when given the opportunity. Thank you for your capacity to use even our failures for your purposes. Amen.
Silence
Be Not Afraid
Taizé Community/Berthier
Be not afraid; sing out for joy! Christ is risen, alleluia!
Be not afraid; sing out for joy! Christ is risen, alleluia!
(repeat)
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Gloria Patri (Hymn 579)
Greatorex
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,
Word without end. Amen, Amen.
Children’s Message
God of Earth and Altar (Hymn 291)
Chesterton/Welsh folk melody
O God of earth and altar, bow down and hear our cry;
Our earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die;
The walls of gold entomb us, the swords of scorn divide;
Take not your thunder from us, but take away our pride.
From all that terror teaches, from lies of pen and voice,
From all the easy speeches that make our hearts rejoice,
From sale and profanation of honor and the sword,
From sleep and from damnation, deliver us, good Lord!
Awaken us to action and forge us into one,
Defying sect and faction; O God, your will be done!
Oppressive systems snare us; our apathies increase.
Great God, in mercy spare us for justice and for peace!
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Jim Rose
Old Testament: Jonah 1:4–16
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 10:25–33
Sermon: And every man knew, as the captain did too
Focus: Often, true piety is found outside of the covenantal people of God.
Response: God Marked a Line and Told the Sea
Troeger/attr. Lewis
God marked a line and told the sea its surging tides and waves were free
To travel up the sloping strand but not to overtake the land.
God set one limit in the glade where tempting, fruited branches swayed,
And that first limit stands behind the limits that the law defined.
The line, the limit, and the law are patterns meant to help us draw
A bound between what life requires and all the things our heart desires.
But, discontent with finite powers, we reach to take what is not ours
And then defend our claim by force and swerve from life’s intended course.
We are not free when we’re confined to every wish that sweeps the mind,
But free when freely we accept the sacred bounds that must be kept.
Pastoral Prayer & 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, and deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Call to Stewardship
Shelly Owen
Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. -Romans 12:10
Offering: Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain
Sullivan/Burkhardt
“All the winter of our sins, long and dark, is flying
from the Light, to whom we give laud and praise undying.”
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: If You Will Trust in God to Guide You
Neumark/Bach
OneLicense# A-727502
CCLI# 283345
