February 8, 2026
Prelude: Trio on “Jesus, Stand Among Us”
Canon on “My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
Interlude
Filitz/Barr
Mason/Freudenburg
Jones
Welcome
Congregational Meeting
Call to Worship
[Isaiah 40:28-31]
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Let us worship the LORD!
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Hymn 260)
Luther
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he,
Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo! His doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still, his kingdom is forever.
Confession
Creator God, we come to you not because we have it all together, but because you love us even when we are weary and confused. Forgive us when we are intimidated by earthly rulers or daunted by the tasks ahead of us. Forgive us when we lose sight of what matters most. We want to be more like your Son, who took time to speak with and heal those he encountered. Spirit of understanding, give us the mind of Christ, and renew our strength as we wait for you. Amen.
Silence
May the Mind of Christ My Savior
Wilkinson/Barham-Gould
May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day,
By his love and power compelling all I do and say.
May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph only through his power.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Doxology
LASST UNS ERFREUEN
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise God, all creatures here below. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, three in one. O praise God, Alleluia!
O praise God, Alleluia! Alleluia!
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Jill Cathey
Old Testament: Isaiah 40:21–31
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 2:12–16
Make Room Within My Heart, O God
Leech/Traditional English melody
Make room within my heart, O God, that you may form in me
The image you have shown in Christ, my very life to be.
Inspire my thought, O lofty One, to reach the highest plane,
That I may know the mind of Christ, and him as greatest gain.
Direct my will, O King of kings, subject it to your own,
That every impulse, action, word, may make your kingdom known.
Effect my prayer, great Trinity, eternal Three-in-One,
Combine each part of me to praise the Father, Spirit, Son.
Sermon: Seeing with Borrowed Eyes
Scott Starbuck
Focus: The Spirit forms the church to see the world through the cruciform wisdom of Christ rather than through human certainty.
Response: Sicilienne
Faure
Karen Bart, cello
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
Ann Hall
I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. -Psalm 3:4-5
Sending: God of Our Life (Hymn 275)
Kerr/Purday
God of our life, through all the circling years, we trust in Thee;
In all the past, through all our hopes and fears, Thy hand we see.
With each new day, when morning lifts the veil,
We own Thy mercies, Lord, which never fail.
God of the past, our times are in Thy hand; with us abide.
Lead us by faith to hope’s true promised land; be Thou our guide.
With Thee to bless, the darkness shines as light,
And faith’s fair vision changes into sight.
God of the coming years, through paths unknown, we follow Thee;
When we are strong, Lord, leave us not alone; our refuge be.
Be Thou for us in life our daily bread,
Our heart’s true home when all our years have sped.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: “A Mighty Fortress”
Luther/Johann Christoph Bach
(an uncle of J.S. Bach)
Helen will be teaching organ to young piano students through our local AGO’s Organ Academy from February through April. The Postludes for the next few Sundays are from the manual we are using, as Helen works her way through its material.
OneLicense# A-727502
CCLI# 283345
