February 4th, 2024
Quote
“Merely accepted, suffering does nothing for our souls except, perhaps, to harden them. Endurance alone is no consecration. True asceticism is not a mere cult of fortitude. We can deny ourselves rigorously for the wrong reason and end up by pleasing ourselves mightily with our self-denial.
“Suffering is consecrated to God by faith – not by faith in suffering, but by faith in God. To accept suffering stoically, to receive the burden of fatal, unavoidable, and incomprehensible necessity and to bear it strongly, is no consecration.
Some men believe in the power and the value of suffering. But their belief is an illusion. Suffering has no power and no value of its own….
“To believe in suffering is pride: but to suffer, believing in God, is humility. For pride may tell us that we are strong enough to suffer, that suffering is good for us because we are good. Humility tells us that suffering is an evil which we must always expect to find in our lives because of the evil that is in ourselves. But faith also knows that the mercy of God is given to those who seek him in suffering, and that by his grace we can overcome evil with good.” –Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island
Order of Service
Call to Worship: Psalm 8
How Great Thou Art — Hine
consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze
And when I think that God His Son not sparing
sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
and there proclaim “my God how great Thou art!”
Confession of Sin
Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry, and we humbly repent. In Your mercy forgive our sins, and grow us in Your grace as Your covenant people, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your holy name. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 118:8-9; Psalm 130:3-4
Leader: Know you are forgiven and be at peace.
All: Thanks be to God.Be Still my Soul von Schlegel
Bear patiently, the cross of grief or pain
Leave to your God to order and provide
In every change, He faithful will remain
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake
All now mysterious shall be bright at last
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears
Then shalt you better know His love, His heart
Who comes to soothe your sorrow and you fears
Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away
Be still, my soul; the hour is hast’ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still my soul; when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Annoucements
Passing of the Peace
Prayer of Illumination
Leader: Guide us, O God, by Your Word and Spirit.
All: That in Your light we may see light, in Your truth find wisdom, and in Your will discover Your peace,
Leader: Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
All: Amen
Reading of Scripture Genesis: 40:1-8
Sermon
Rev. Justin McLaury
Outline:
- Openness despite hardship (vv. 1-4)
- Compassion despite suffering (vv. 6-8)
- Faithfulness despite consequences (vv. 9-19)
- Patience despite insecurity (vv. 20-23)
Communion
Leader: Let us boldly proclaim the mystery of faith.
All: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Leader: Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us.
All: Dying He destroyed death. Rising He restored life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
Leader: The gifts of God for the people of God.
Abide With Me Lyte
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers, fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, abide with me.
Thou on my head, in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious, and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, though I oft left Thee,
On to the close Lord, abide with me.
I need Thy presence, every passing hour.
What but Thy grace, can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness
Where is thy sting death? Where grave thy victory?
I triumph still, abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross, before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.
Prayers of the People
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
By Faith Getty
In the light of creation’s grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the pow’r of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand
A place where peace and justice reign
Chorus
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the pow’r to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave
By faith the church was called to go
In the pow’r of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In ev’ry corner of the earth
By faith the mountain shall be moved
And the pow’r of the Gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name
Jesus DoesBergthold
colors the sky with the shades of His glory,
wakes us with mercy and love? Jesus does
Who holds the orphan, comforts the widow,
cries for injustice, feels every sorrow,
carries the pain of His children? Jesus does
Chorus
So we sing praise to the Father who gave us the Son
Praise to the Spirit who’s living in us
When I was a sinner He saved me from who I was
(‘Cause) that’s what Jesus does.
Who can command the heart of the sinner,
bid us come forth from the pit of disgrace,
and rescue us with His own blood? Jesus does.
Who sings the song of sweet forgiveness,
who stole the keys to hell and the grave,
who has the power to save? Jesus does.
Bridge
Oh what a Friend, oh what a Savior,
He’s always been good; He’s always been faithful.
He came to my rescue when I needed Him most,
and saved my soul