August 16, 2026
Prelude: Kyrie and Adagio
Boely/Muffat
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 51]
Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy, blot out our transgressions.
You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach us wisdom in our secret heart.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us.
Let us worship the LORD!
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing (Hymn 466)
Wesley/Gläser
O for a thousand tongues to sing my dear Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of God’s grace!
Jesus, the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease;
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears, ‘Tis life, and health, and peace.
Christ breaks the power of reigning sin, and sets the prisoner free;
Christ’s blood can make the sinful clean, Christ’s blood availed for me.
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad the honors of Thy name.
Confession
God who knows our sorrows and failings, you offer forgiveness indiscriminately. When we feel weighed down by our mistakes or stuck in unhelpful patterns, give us courage to come to you. Forgive us when we shy away from honesty. In our search for belonging and healthy living, forgive us when we create groups of insiders that exclude or condemn others. Help us recognize many ways to serve and be with each other. Grant us the grace to repent frequently and the freedom to move forward in love. Amen.
Silence
Have Mercy on Us, Living Lord
Anderson/Dykes
Have mercy on us, living Lord, remember not our sin.
According to Your steadfast love, come, cleanse us deep within.
Rebuild Your people with Your love, renew us every day;
With hearts renewed, in all our work, our lives shall sing Your praise.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Doxology (Hymn 592)
Ken/Genevan Psalter
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.
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Old Testament: Psalm 51:1-12
New Testament: Luke 7:36-48
Sermon: Strong Women of the Bible (Week 2)
Rev. Debbie Cato
Focus: Mary Magdalene – a new life made possible through a relationship with Jesus.
Response: I Then Shall Live
Gaither/Sibelius
I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am his child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive another;
The law of love I gladly will obey.
I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.
Your kingdom come around and through and in me,
Your power and glory, let them shine through me;
Your hallowed name, O may I bear with honor,
And may your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may you feed a hungry world through me.
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
Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
-Isaiah 1:17
Sending: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (Hymn 376)
Wesley/Prichard
Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down,
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, all Thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit, let us find the promised rest;
Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.
Finish, then, Thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: …all loves excelling…
HYFRYDOL/Barr
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