August 31, 2025
Prelude: Andante from Violin Sonata No. 6
Handel
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 2]
Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
Kings and rulers of the earth take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed.
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.
Be warned, O rulers of the earth, and serve the Lord with fear. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
Let us worship the LORD!
Come Sing, O Church, in Joy! (Hymn 430)
Dill/Darwall
Come sing, O church, in joy! Come join, O church, in song!
For Christ the Lord has led us through the ages long!
In bold accord, come celebrate the journey now and praise the Lord!
Long years have come and gone, and still God reigns supreme,
Empowering us to catch the vision, dream the dream!
In bold accord, come celebrate the journey now and praise the Lord!
Let courage be our friend, let wisdom be our guide,
As we in mission magnify the Crucified!
In bold accord, come celebrate the journey now and praise the Lord!
Confession
God of power and glory, in the chaos of our world, many people and rulers seem set against you and your ways. When we feel threatened, we want you to confound and terrify our enemies. Forgive us when we lose confidence in you when you do not respond as we expect. Forgive us when we, in turn, wish to cast aside the restraint and accommodation necessary for relationships. When we are afraid, help us take refuge in you. Amen.
Silence
Be Thou My Vision (Hymn 339)
Irish ballad/Ancient Irish poem
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
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.
Prayer for Illumination
Old Testament Reading: Psalm 2
John Lemm
Solo: Why Do the Nations Rage? (Psalm 2)
Daw/Shipp
Carollen Ryan
Why do nations rage together? Why do they conspire in vain?
Let us break their bonds asunder; let us cast from us their chains!
Let us cast and break their chains, break their chains!
But the Lord in the heavens, he laughs to hear their claim.
“I have set my king on my holy hill; Son of David is his name,
And the son of God the same. Ask of me the nations, they are your inheritance.”
How blest are those who trust in you; you will be their sure defense, you will be their confidence.
New Testament Reading: Acts 4:23-31
John Lemm
Sermon: Being Schooled
Scott Starbuck
Response: O God of Earth and Space (Hymn 274)
Huber/Hebrew melody
O God of earth and space, of sea and fire and air,
Your providence surrounds us here and everywhere.
In fruit and grain and tree, in shelter from the cold.
In cooling breezes, flowing wells, now as of old.
Wherever freedom reigns, where sin is overthrown,
Where justice fused with mercy rules, there You are known.
Give us the courage clear to make the earth a home
For all to live in harmony in Christ’ shalom.
Your word commands response and summons us to life.
We follow, strengthened by Your grace, in calm or strife.
Our ever-present help, our challenge and our prod,
We praise You now and to life’s end, Eternal God.
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
Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of a gift never given. -Proverbs 25:14
Sending: Eternal God, Whose Power Upholds (Hymn 412)
English folk melody/Tweedy
Eternal God, whose power upholds both flower and flaming star,
To whom there is no here nor there, no time, no near nor far,
No alien race, no foreign shore, no child unsought, unknown:
O send us forth, Thy prophets true, to make all lands Thine own!
O God of love, whose Spirit wakes in every human breast,
Whom love, and love alone, can know, in whom all hearts find rest:
Help us to spread Thy gracious reign till greed and hate shall cease,
And kindness dwell in human hearts, and all the earth find peace!
O God of truth, whom science seeks and reverent souls adore,
Who lightest every earnest mind of every clime and shore:
Dispel the gloom of error’s night, of ignorance and fear.
Until true wisdom from above shall make life’s pathway clear!
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: Prelude in F Major
attr. Bach
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