March 22, 2026
Prelude: Nothing Shall Divide Me From God
Bach
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 107]
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble.
Some wandered in desert wastes, hungry and thirsty, and their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Let us worship the LORD!
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
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!
The name of Jesus charms our fears, and bids our sorrows cease,
Sings music in the sinner’s ears, brings life, and health, and peace.
Christ speaks, and listening to his voice new life the dead receive;
The mournful waken to rejoice; the poor in heart believe.
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad the honors of Thy name.
Confession
God of the wilderness, we have seen your redemption in the past, in our own lives and others before us. Forgive us when we take your mercy for granted and go on sinning. Forgive us for grumbling about the evils in our world without actively working to address them. When we are tested, show us a way out that is within our strength. When we falter, help us to look to you and live, and heal us in the light of your grace. Amen.
Silence
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (Hymn 172)
Watts/Walker’s Southern Harmony
My Shepherd will supply my need; Jehovah is His name:
In pastures fresh He makes me feed, beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back, when I forsake his ways;
And leads me, for His mercy’s sake, in paths of truth and grace.
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.
Ordination & Installation of Elders
Introduction
Litany
There are different gifts,
but it is the same spirit who gives them.
There are different ways of serving God,
but it is the same Lord who is served.
God works through different persons in different ways,
but it is the same God who achieves His purpose through them all.
Each one is given a gift by the Spirit,
to use it for the common good.
Together we are the body of Christ,
and individually members of the body.
Though we have different gifts, together we are a ministry of reconciliation led by the risen Christ…and if any wants to be first among you, that one must become the slave of all!
Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to set others free.
Presentation of the Leaders Elect
Constitutional Questions
Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit? I do.
Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the church universal, and God’s word to you? I do.
Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God? I do and I will.
Will you fulfill your office in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture, and continually guided by our confessions? I will.
Will you be governed by our church’s polity, and will you abide by its discipline? Will you be a friend among your colleagues in ministry, working with them, subject to the ordering of God’s Word and Spirit? I will.
Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world? I will.
Do you promise to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church? I do.
Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love? I will.
Melody and Jim, will you be faithful elders, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture and service? Will you share in government and discipline, serving in governing bodies of the church, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ? I will.
Constitutional Questions to the Congregation
Do we, members of the church, accept Melody Eder and Jim Rose as elders, chosen by God through the voice of this congregation, to lead us in the way of Jesus Christ?
If so, answer, “We do.”
Prayer
Welcome
Great God of Every Blessing
Gambrell/Wesley
Great God of every blessing, of faithful, loving care,
You are the fount of goodness, the daily bread we share.
How can we hope to thank you? Our praise is but a start:
Sincerely and completely I offer you my heart.
Your Word is our salvation, the source of endless grace,
In death and life extending your covenant embrace.
In Christ we are one body; each member has a part:
Sincerely and completely I offer you my heart.
Your Spirit is our teacher, the light that guides our search,
Transforming broken people into the holy church.
For feeding us with mercy, for wisdom you impart:
Sincerely and completely I offer you my heart.
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Gary Guenther
Old Testament: Numbers 21:4–9
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13
Sermon: The Long Memory of Grace
Scott Starbuck
Focus: The wilderness warns against complacency while we trust in God’s enduring faithfulness to lead us forward.
Response: Give Thanks to God Who Hears Our Cries
Duck/Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music
Give thanks to God who hears our cries and saves in troubled days
With wondrous works to humankind that call for highest praise.
Let all who know God’s saving love sing grateful songs always.
If you have ever wandered where no human help was near,
And in your trouble cried to God, who rescued you from fear,
Then thank the God of steadfast love who dries your every tear.
If you drew near the gates of death, too sick to eat or dress,
And cried to God, who heard your voice and healed all your distress,
Then sing with sounds of holy joy; God’s wondrous works profess.
So praise the One whose love is great, whose kindness is well-known.
Consider well the healing hand and help you have been shown,
And tell the world what God has done. Praise God and God alone!
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
Shelly Owen
I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
-Philippians 3:8
Sending: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Hoffman/Showalter
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain:
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.
(Refrain)
What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.
(Refrain)
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: Great is Thy Faithfulness
Runyan
Ruth Seignemartin
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