John Calvin Presbyterian Church

 

 

PRELUDE       Open the Eyes of My Heart       arr. Carol Tornquist

 

REFRAIN: Spirit, open my heart  to the joy and pain of living.
As you love may I love, in receiving and in giving.
Spirit, open my heart.

God, replace my stony heart  with a heart that’s kind and tender.
All my coldness and fear  to your grace I now surrender.

REFRAIN

Write your love upon my heart  as my law, my goal, my story.
In each thought, word, and deed, may my living bring you glory.

REFRAIN

May I weep with those who weep; share the joy of sister, brother.
In the welcome of Christ, may we welcome one another.

WORDS OF WELCOME 

ADORATION      

CALL TO WORSHIP Hebrews 13:16

ONE: Do good and share what you have,

MANY: for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 

                                                   

PRAYER OF THE DAY

O God, author and giver of all good things, plant in our hearts the love of your name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. 

 

HYMN [*Blue #335][GTG#693] Though I May Speak

1 Though I may speak with bravest fire, and have the gift to all inspire,

and have not love, my words are vain, as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

2 Though I may give all I possess, and striving so my love profess,

but not be given by love within, the profit soon turns strangely thin.

3 Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control; our spirits long to be made whole. Let inward love guide every deed; by this we worship, and are freed.

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God,

you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you. We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy. We have not loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God. Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving kindness. In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Do not cast us away from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON       

              

GLORIA PATRI [Blue#579[ [GTG581]     

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED

1st SCRIPTURE                     Mark 7:1-23

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God)— then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.”

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”

When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

2nd SCRIPTURE                           James 1:17-27

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 

  

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

SERMON     “Rules or Rulers?”      CP Ford Dieth

 RESPONSE     

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH         Apostles’ Creed 

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,  and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.    

 

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY   

             

DOXOLOGY [GTG#606]

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE 

THE LORD’S PRAYER 

HYMN [*Blue #XXX][GTG#295] Go to the World!

Go to the world! Go into all the earth.

 Go preach the cross where Christ renews life’s worth,

 baptizing as the sign of our rebirth.

 Alleluia. Alleluia.

Go to the world! Go into every place.

 Go live the word of God’s redeeming grace.

 Go seek God’s presence in each 

time and space. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Go to the world! Go struggle, bless, and pray;

 the nights of tears give way to joyous day.

 As servant church, you follow 

Christ’s own way. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Go to the world! Go as the ones I send,

 for I am with you till the age shall end, when all the hosts of glory 

cry “Amen!“ Alleluia. Alleluia.

PARTING PRAYER 

Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downward; give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give me an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow on me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

RESPONSE [*Blue #XXX][GTG#547] Go, My Children, with My Blessing

“Go, my children, with my blessing, never alone.
Waking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own.

In my love’s baptismal river I have made you mine forever.
Go, my children, with my blessing,
you are my own.”

       

POSTLUDE       Improvisation on WILD MOUNTAIN THYME       

                      

*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved. 

STAFF

Church Office: 504.888.1375 Playschool Office: 504.888.1378

Briana Mayfield – Church Office Assistant 

Kelly Cuppett – Music Director

Lauren Crisler  – Playschool Director

Stephanie Galliano – Playschool Admin. Asst.

Deacons

Bill Bottomley 504-885-3850 pslclerk@earthlink.net

Mary Antill 504-247-5720 buzz2moosetaco@gmail.com

Tony Hill 504-214-8095 rolandohill2003@yahoo.com

Laurie Hill 504-344-9079 la.tres@yahoo.com 

 

 

 

PRELUDE       Improvisation on CONVERSE

 

“Jesus out of every nation has redeemed us by his blood.”

2 Alleluia! Not as orphans are we left in sorrow now;

Alleluia! he is near us; faith believes nor questions how.

Though the cloud from sight received him, when the forty days were o’er,

shall our hearts forget his promise: “I am with you evermore”?

3 Alleluia! Bread of angels, here on earth our food, our stay;

Alleluia! here the sinful flee to you from day to day.

Intercessor, friend of sinners, earth’s redeemer, hear our plea

where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal sea.

4 Alleluia! King eternal, Lord omnipotent we own;

Alleluia! born of Mary, earth your footstool, heaven your throne.

As within the veil you entered, robed in flesh, our great high priest;

here on earth both priest and victim in the eucharistic feast.

WORDS OF WELCOME 

ADORATION      

CALL TO WORSHIP John 6:68-69

ONE: Jesus has the words of eternal life;

MANY: he is the Holy One of God. 

                                                   

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God, you have taught us that all our deeds without love are worth nothing. Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts

HYMN [*Blue #403][GTG#465] What a Friend We Have in Jesus

1 What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit; O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer!

3 Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer!

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

REPENTANCE

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Eternal God,

in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults,

confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength;

through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON               

      

GLORIA PATRI [Blue#579[ [GTG581]     

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED

1st SCRIPTURE                     Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

2nd SCRIPTURE                           Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah

Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.

  

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

SERMON     “He Never Failed Me Yet!”      CP Ford Dieth

 RESPONSE    

 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH         Apostles’ Creed 

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY                 

DOXOLOGY [GTG#606]

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE 

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, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

HYMN [*Blue #420][GTG#307]     God of Grace and God of Glory

1 God of grace and God of glory, on thy people pour thy power;

crown thine ancient church’s story; bring its bud to glorious flower.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour,

for the facing of this hour.

2 Lo! the hosts of evil round us scorn thy Christ, assail his ways!

From the fears that long have bound us free our hearts to faith and praise. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

for the living of these days, for the living of these days.

3 Cure thy children’s warring madness; bend our pride to thy control;

shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal,

lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal.

4 Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore.

Let the gift of thy salvation be our glory evermore.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, serving thee whom we adore,

serving thee whom we adore.

PARTING PRAYER 

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

RESPONSE [*Blue #391][GTG#697] Take My Life    

Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store;

take myself and I will be ever, only, all for thee,

POSTLUDE      Better is One Day      arr.     Carol Tornquist                           

*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved. 

*Altar flowers for today’s service were made by Joan Albright as a thank you for all the friendships made through John Calvin Presbyterian Church.

STAFF

Church Office: 504.888.1375 Playschool Office: 504.888.1378

Briana Mayfield – Church Office Assistant 

Kelly Cuppett – Music Director

Lauren Crisler  – Playschool Director

Stephanie Galliano – Playschool Admin. Asst.

Deacons

Bill Bottomley 504-885-3850 pslclerk@earthlink.net

Mary Antill 504-247-5720 buzz2moosetaco@gmail.com

Tony Hill 504-214-8095 rolandohill2003@yahoo.com

Laurie Hill 504-344-9079 la.tres@yahoo.com 

 

Please stand, in body or spirit

PROCESSIONAL HYMN [GTG#276] Sing A New Song Unto the Lord  (Psalm 98)

 Refrain:

Sing a new song unto the Lord; let your song be sung 

from mountain’s high.

Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing hallelujah!

1)Shout with gladness! Dance with for joy! O come before the Lord. And play for God on glad tambourines, and let your trumpet sound. 

Refrain

2)Rise, O children, from your sleep; your Savior now has come. He has turned your sorrow to joy, and filled your soul with song. 

Refrain 

3)Glad my soul for I have seen the glory of the Lord. The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised. I know my Savior lives. 

WORDS OF WELCOME

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

     

ADORATION      

CALL TO WORSHIP Isaiah 56:1

ONE: Maintain justice, and do what is right.

MANY:  God our Savior is coming soon. 

                                                   

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God,

You have broken the tyranny of sin and sent the Spirit of             Your Son into our hearts. Give us grace to dedicate our freedom to Your service, that all people may know the glorious liberty

of the children of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

HYMN [GTG#522] I Am The Bread of Life

 1)I am the bread of life. You who come to me shall not hunger, and who believe in me shall not thirst. No one can come to me unless the Father beckons.

Refrain:

And I will raise you up, and I will raise you up, and I will raise you up on the last day.

2)The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world, and if you eat of this bread, you shall live forever; you shall live forever.

Refrain

3)Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of his blood, and drink of his blood, you shall not have life within you.

Refrain

4) I am the resurrection; I am the life. If you believe in me, even though you die, you shall live forever.

Refrain

 5) Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world. 

Refrain

   

REPENTANCE

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God,

we confess that we have not loved You with our whole heart.

We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done Your Will, we have broken Your law, we have rebelled against Your love.

We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON     

                

GLORIA PATRI [Blue#579[ [GTG581]     

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED

1st SCRIPTURE                                         1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14                           

Then David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David. The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”

2nd SCRIPTURE                                         John 6:51-58                           

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

 RESPONSE     

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                       Apostles’ Creed

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,  and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY               Improvisation on SLANE 

DOXOLOGY [GTG#609]

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

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE 

THE LORD’S PRAYER 

HYMN [*Blue#479][GTG#619] Praise My Soul, the God of Heaven (Psalm 103)

Praise, my soul, the God of heaven; glad of heart your carols raise; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who, like me, should sing God’s praise? 

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the Maker all your days!

Praise God for the grace and favor shown our forebears in distress; God is still the same forever, slow to chide, and swift to bless.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Sing our Maker’s faithfulness!

Like a loving parent caring, God knows well our feeble frame,

gladly all our burdens bearing, still to countless years the same.

Alleluia! Alleluia! All within me, praise God’s name!

Angels, teach us adoration; you behold God face to face.

Sun and moon and all creation, dwellers all in time and space:

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace!

PARTING PRAYER 

RESPONSE [*Blue#391][GTG#697] Take My Life and Let it Be Verse. 5 

Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne,

POSTLUDE     Lord I Lift Your Name on High by Rick Founds                

          

*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved. 

STAFF

Church Office: 504.888.1375 Playschool Office: 504.888.1378

Briana Mayfield – Church Office Assistant 

Kelly Cuppett – Music Director

Lauren Crisler  – Playschool Director

Stephanie Galliano – Playschool Admin. Asst.

Deacons

Bill Bottomley 504-885-3850 pslclerk@earthlink.net

Mary Antill 504-247-5720 buzz2moosetaco@gmail.com

Tony Hill 504-214-8095 rolandohill2003@yahoo.com

Laurie Hill 504-344-9079 la.tres@yahoo.com 

 

 

 

 

PRELUDE    

 

Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good

2 All who hunger, never strangers; Seeker, be a welcome guest

Come from restlessness and roaming. Here in joy we keep the feast

We that once were lost and scattered in communion’s love have stood

Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good

3 All who hunger, sing together; Jesus Christ is living bread

Come from loneliness and longing. Here in peace we have been led

Blest are those who from this table; Live their days in gratitude

WORDS OF WELCOME 

ADORATION   

CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 34:8

ONE: Taste and see that the Lord is good.

MANY: Happy are those who trust in God.

                                                   

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Grant us, O Lord, the grace always to do and think what accords with Your purpose; that we, who cannot exist without You, may be enabled to live according to Your Will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

HYMN [GTG#498] Loaves Were Broken, Words Were Spoken

Loaves were broken, words were spoken by the Galilean shore.

Jesus, Bread of Life from heaven, was their food forevermore.

By your body broken for us, by your wine of life outpoured,

Jesus, feed again your people. Be our Host, our Life, our Lord.

Loaves were broken, words were spoken in a quiet room one night.

In the bread and wine you gave them, Christ, you came as Light from Light.

By your body broken for us, by your wine of life outpoured,

Jesus, feed again your people. Be our Host, our Life, our Lord.

Loaves are broken, words are spoken, as in faith we gather here.

Jesus speaks across the ages: “I am with you; do not fear!”

By your body broken for us, by your wine of life outpoured,

Jesus, feed again your people. Be our Host, our Life, our Lord.

By the loaves you break and give us,

send us in your name to share bread for which 

the millions hunger, words that tell your love and care.

By your body broken for us, by your wine of life outpoured,

Jesus, feed again your people. Be our Host, our Life, our Lord

REPENTANCE

CALL TO CONFESSION 

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION 

Almighty God, You love us, but we have not loved You. You call, but we have not listened. We walk away from neighbors in need, wrapped in our own concerns. We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed. God of grace, help us to admit our sin, so that as You come to us in mercy, we may repent, turn to You, and receive forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our redeemer. Amen.

GLORIA PATRI [Blue#579[ [GTG581]  

                                                                

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.  

 

THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED

1st SCRIPTURE                       Ephesians 4:25-5:2        

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

2nd SCRIPTURE                                                  John 6:35, 41-51

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

                          

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

 RESPONSE     

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH         Apostles’ Creed 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again;he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

DOXOLOGY [GTG#606]

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

THE GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

ONE: The Lord be with you.

MANY: And also with you.

ONE: Lift up your hearts.

MANY: We lift them to the Lord.

ONE: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

MANY: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

ONE: …Therefore with all creation we sing your praise:

MANY: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

ONE: … Praise to you, Lord Jesus:

MANY: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory…

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, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.  Amen

ONE: … The gifts of God for the people of God.

HYMN [*Blue #476][GTG#41]
O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!

1 O worship the King, all glorious above!

O gratefully sing God’s power and God’s love:

our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

2 O tell of God’s might; O sing of God’s grace,

whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,

whose chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form;

and bright is God’s path on the wings of the storm.

3 The earth with its store of wonders untold,

Almighty, your power has founded of old;

established it fast by a changeless decree,

and round it has cast, like a mantle, the sea.

4 Your bountiful care what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air; it shines in the light;

it streams from the hills; it descends to the plain,

and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

5 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

in you do we trust, nor find you to fail;

your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,

our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

PARTING PRAYER 

RESPONSE [GTG#697] Take My Life

POSTLUDE         

*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved. 

STAFF

Church Office: 504.888.1375 Playschool Office: 504.888.1378

Briana Mayfield – Church Office Assistant 

Kelly Cuppett – Music Director

Lauren Crisler  – Playschool Director

Stephanie Galliano – Playschool Admin. Asst.

Deacons

Bill Bottomley 504-885-3850 pslclerk@earthlink.net

Mary Antill 504-247-5720 buzz2moosetaco@gmail.com

Tony Hill 504-214-8095 rolandohill2003@yahoo.com

Laurie Hill 504-344-9079 la.tres@yahoo.com 

 

 

PRELUDE       Open the Eyes of My Heart       arr. Carol Tornquist

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED

1st SCRIPTURE                     John 6:24-35

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

2nd SCRIPTURE                           Ephesians 4:1-16

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

  

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

SERMON     “Miracle or Red Herring?”      CP Ford Dieth

 RESPONSE     

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH         Apostles’ Creed 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.  

  

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

DOXOLOGY [GTG#606]

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE 

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, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

HYMN [*Blue #341][GTG#839] Blessed Assurance

1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain(x2):
This is my story; this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.

2 Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above,
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

PARTING PRAYER 

RESPONSE [*Blue #391][GTG#697] Take My Life    

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.         

      

POSTLUDE        Standing in the Need of Prayer arr. Jason Krug 

                             

*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved. 

STAFF

Church Office: 504.888.1375 Playschool Office: 504.888.1378

Briana Mayfield – Church Office Assistant 

Kelly Cuppett – Music Director

Lauren Crisler  – Playschool Director

Stephanie Galliano – Playschool Admin. Asst.

Deacons

Bill Bottomley 504-885-3850 pslclerk@earthlink.net

Mary Antill 504-247-5720 buzz2moosetaco@gmail.com

Tony Hill 504-214-8095 rolandohill2003@yahoo.com

Laurie Hill 504-344-9079 la.tres@yahoo.com