March 10, 2024
Prelude: Delay Not, O Sinner, Draw Near
Welsh melody/Haan
Introit: Lift High the Cross
Nicholson/Burkhardt
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 107]
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble.
Let us thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Let us worship the LORD!
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer
Hughes/Williams
Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty; hold me with Thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.
Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through;
Strong deliver, strong deliverer, be Thou my strength and shield,
Be Thou my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction, land me safe on Canaan’s side;
Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee,
I will ever give to Thee.
Confession
God of the wilderness, we have seen your redemption in the past. Sometimes suffering gets our attention and reminds us that we need you. But sometimes it feels like too much. We are impatient. When life is hard, we doubt your purposes. Forgive us when we grumble about the evils in our world but do not actively work to address them. Forgive us when we would rather stay in the dark than address our sins. Help us to look to you and live, and heal us in the light of your grace. Amen.
Silence
Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Hernaman/American folk melody
And thro’ these days of penitence, and thro’ your Passiontide,
Forevermore, in life and death, O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us, that through this life of doubts and hope and pain
An Easter of unending joy we may at last attain!
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
Lift High the Cross (Hymn 371)
Nicholson/Kitchin
Refrain:
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
Till all the world adore his sacred name.
Come, Christians, follow where our Savior trod,
The Lamb victorious, Christ, the son of God. (refrain)
O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
Your death has brought us life eternally. (refrain)
So shall our song of triumph ever be:
Praise to the Crucified for victory. (refrain)
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Jill Cathey
Old Testament: Numbers 21:4-9
New Testament: John 3:14-21
Sermon: The Spiritual Diagnostic Scan
Rev. John Owen
Focus: Jesus heals our sin by forcing our gaze upon what life, undirected to Jesus, will do to God incarnate in Jesus.
Response: O God, Who Gives Us Life
Daw/English melody, arr. Sullivan
O God, who gives us life and breath, who shapes us in the womb,
Who guards our lives from birth to death, then leads us from the tomb:
Deliver us from fears that kill the life we have from you.
Help us to know your Spirit still is making all things new.
O God, who calls your people out to venture and to dare,
To plumb the bleak abyss of doubt and find you even there:
When we despair in wandering through wastes of empty lies,
Refresh us with the living spring of hope that never dies.
O God of covenant and law, revealed in cloud and flame,
Your mighty deeds evoke our awe; we dare not speak your name.
Yet we by faith are drawn to you and will your people prove,
As on our hearts you write anew the covenant of love.
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, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Call to Stewardship
Judy Stafstrom
If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. -Matthew 19:21
Offering: Praise the Name of Jesus
Hicks
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: Variation on Cwm Rhondda
Hughes/Haan
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