July 5, 2026
Prelude: O Beautiful, For Spacious Skies
Diemer
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 116]
We love the Lord, because he has heard our voice and our supplications.
He inclined his ear to us, therefore we will call on him as long as we live.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.
The Lord protects the simple; when we were brought low, he saved us.
Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Let us worship the LORD!
God of the Ages (Hymn 262)
Roberts/Warren
God of the ages, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past;
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast;
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay;
Thy word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never-ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
Confession
God who hears, we are often weary and burdened. We worry that changes in our country are going in the wrong direction. Sometimes we do not know what we can do, or who to trust. Forgive us when we do not recognize or believe messengers of your justice and peace. Forgive us when we hold so tightly to what we can control that we struggle to set down our burdens and trust you. Help us find rest as we learn from you, and give us courage to open ourselves to the surprise of your work in unexpected places and people. Amen.
Silence
As the Deer
Nystrom
As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee.
You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship Thee.
Chorus
You alone are my strength, my shield; to You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship Thee.
[Psalm 42:1]
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
O Beautiful for Spacious Skies (Hymn 564)
Bates/Ward
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness and every gain divine!
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Old Testament: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
New Testament: Matthew 11:16-30
Homily: Rest for the Weary
Rev. Debbie Cato
Focus: Jesus invites us to put our concerns and burdens on Him and offers us rest.
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Communion Music: Near to the Heart of God
McAfee
There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God,
A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
Refrain:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before thee, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God,
A place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.
(Refrain)
There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God,
A place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.
(Refrain)
Communion Prayer
Call to Stewardship
You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
-Exodus 22:21
Sending: Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun (Hymn 423)
Watts/Hatton
Jesus shall reign where-e’er the sun
Does its successive journeys run,
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Blessings abound where-e’er he reigns;
The prisoners leap to lose their chains,
The weary find eternal rest,
And all who suffer want are blest.
Let every creature rise and bring
Honors abounding to our King
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud Amen!
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: National Hymn
arr. Schack
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