John Calvin Presbyterian Church

CALL TO WORSHIP                                                         Hebrews 1:3

ONE: In Jesus Christ we know the glory of God;

MANY: He sustains all things by his mighty word.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

God of all people, You remembered your children who were enslaved in Egypt, and by the power of your name you set them free. Remember us and free us from slavery to sin by the power of your name. Amen.

HYMN                     “O God, Show Mercy to Us”

1 O God, show mercy to us, and bless us with your grace;

and cause to shine upon us the brightness of your face,

so that your way most holy on earth may soon be known,

and unto every people your saving grace be shown.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing;

in every land let praises and songs of gladness ring.

 

 

2 For you will judge the peoples in truth and righteousness,

and on the earth all nations will your just rule confess.

Let all the peoples praise you; let all the nations sing.

Then earth in rich abundance to us its fruit will bring.

The Lord our God will bless us; our God will blessing send,

and all the earth will worship to its remotest end.

CONFESSION 

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 579 

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.

PROCLAMATION

FIRST LESSON                                                               John 8:48-59

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN     “Willing to Serve”

ANTHEM  

“When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land/ The God of Abraham Praise”

When Israel was in Egypt land; Let my people go!

Oppressed so hard they could not stand; Let my people go!

Go down, Moses, way down to Egypt land

Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go

 

The God of Abraham praise, Who reigns enthroned above;

The ancient of eternal days, The God of love!

The Lord, the Great I Am, By earth and heaven confess,

We bow before your holy name, Forever blessed.

 

You have eternal life implanted in the soul;

Your love shall be our strength and stay, While ages roll. 

We praise you, living God! We praise your holy name;

The first, the last, beyond all thought, and still the same!

                       

SECOND LESSON                          Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-15; 4:10-17

SERMON                 “Call Me By Your Name”         Rev. Aaron Ochart 

 RESPONSE     

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                      Scots Confession: BOC 3.01

We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed, and to the manifestation of his own glory.    

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY            “Open the Eyes of My Heart”

*DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

   The Lord be with you.

       And also with you.

   Lift up your hearts.

        We lift them to the Lord.

   Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise…

…Therefore with all creation we sing your praise:

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…

According to Christ’s commandment:

We remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming glory.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION  

HYMN 517               “We Come as Guests Invited”

1 We come as guests invited when Jesus bids us dine,

his friends on earth united to share the bread and wine;

the bread of life is broken; the wine is freely poured

for us, in solemn token of Christ our dying Lord.

2 We eat and drink, receiving from Christ the grace we need,

and in our hearts believing on him by faith we feed;

with wonder and thanksgiving for love that knows no end,

we find in Jesus living our ever-present friend.

PARTING PRAYER     Thomas Merton

Almighty God, we thank you for all the gifts You have given us: our lives, our loved ones, all that we have and all that we are. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer, who came among us to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus was the perfect steward of your gifts, showing that complete trust in You is necessary, and that giving of self is a most important part of following Him. May the offerings of our time, our talents, and our material resources be made in the same spirit of sacrifice that Jesus taught us by His life and death for us.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE      Allegro maestoso  from Handel’s “Water Music”          

PRELUDE          Prelude in g BWV 558      

ADORATION

CALL TO WORSHIP                                                         Phil. 2:11 

ONE: Let every tongue confess the good news: 

MANY: Jesus Christ is Lord; glory to God!                          

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Loving God,  You have covenanted to be with us and for us, not because of what we have done, but because of what you have done. Give us a glimpse of your goodness and grace, and help us to share that grace with others.  Amen.

HYMN                          “God of the Sparrow”

1.God of the sparrow God of the whale God of the swirling stars

How does the creature say Awe How does the creature say Praise

2.God of the earthquake God of the storm God of the trumpet blast 

How does the creature cry Woe How does the creature cry Save

3.God of the rainbow God of the cross God of the empty grave

How does the creature say Grace How does the creature say Thanks

4. God of the hungry God of the sick God of the prodigal

How does the creature say Care How does the creature say Life

5.God of the neighbor God of the foe God of the pruning hook

How does the creature say Love How does the creature say Joy

6. God of the ages God near at hand God of the loving heart

How do your children say Joy How do your children say Home

CALL TO CONFESSION        

SILENT CONFESSION                                                          

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)

Merciful God, in your presence we confess our sin and the sin of this world. Although Christ is among us as our peace, we are a people divided against ourselves, as we cling to the values of a broken world. The profit and pleasures we pursue lay waste the land and pollute the seas. The fears and jealousies that we harbor set neighbor against neighbor and nation against nation. We abuse your good gifts of imagination and freedom, of intellect and reason, and have turned them into bonds of oppression. Lord, have mercy upon us; heal and forgive us. Set us free to serve you in the world as agents of your reconciling love in Jesus Christ. Amen. 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON               

GLORIA PATRI 579         

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.

PROCLAMATION

FIRST LESSON                                                John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”                

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN              

ANTHEM                         “Wrestling Jacob”                  

SECOND LESSON                                            Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God. 

SERMON                    “Unmerited Grace”                  Rev. Aaron Ochart

RESPONSE 

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                            Nicene Creed: BOC 1.1-3

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.                                                          

COLLECTION OF OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY            “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)”