LITURGY & SERMON

Follow the liturgy below for a complete service of worship, including the sermon, or click here to go directly to the sermon. You may also download a pdf of the liturgy.

GIVING

Online Giving: Information is available here.
Annual Mission Offering: This year’s offering will go to Durham ministry partners who are helping those most vulnerable to the impact of the Coronavirus. To give, select “Special Mission Offering” in the designation drop down box here.

Blacknall Online Worship
March 29, 2020

“Come, O Redeemer Come”
Father enthroned on high, holy, holy,
Ancient, eternal Light, hear our prayer.

Come, O Redeemer come, grant us mercy.
Come, O Redeemer come, grant us peace.

Lord, save us from the dark of our striving;
Faithless and troubled hearts, weighed down.

Refrain

Look now upon our need; Lord be with us.
Heal us and make us free from our sin.

Refrain

Invocation
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:1-4)
We greet You this day, Lord, thankful that You were awake while we slept.
We look to You for strength in these trying times.
Fill us with Your Spirit, that we might sing a new song, even praise unto our God.
Amen.

“Come, Thou Fount”
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.

Words by Robert Robinson, 1759. Traditional American tune.

Scripture Reading: from Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

“Good to Me”
I cry out for Your hand of mercy to heal me.
I am weak, and I need Your love to free me.
Oh Lord, my Rock, my strength in weakness,
Come rescue me, O Lord. (repeat)

You are my hope, Your promise never fails me;
And my desire is to follow You forever.

For You are good, for You are good,
For You are good to me.
For You are good, for You are good,
For You are good to me.

Prayers of Confession
Living God, we confess that our vision is blurred by the anxieties of our lives.
We are stressed; You invite us to trust. We are frantic; You call us to wait.
We are prone to despair; You remind us that You are our trustworthy.
Psalm 80 says that we are Your precious vine -- plant us our firmly in You, Lord, our Living Hope.
Grant us Your forgiveness, like a spring of living water.
You are our loving Lord; apart from You, we have nothing.
We wait for You to save us and heal us. In Your Son’s precious name, Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
Friends, it is true!
God has not cast us away – in Christ, we have been gathered together
and adopted as sons and daughters.
In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven – thanks be to God!

Passing the Peace

Affirmation of Faith: Apostles Creed
We 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 Spirit, 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 sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. We 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.

Children’s Blessing

Proclamation of the Word: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Allan Poole

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray
to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone
it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom,
to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits,
to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit,
and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.

Song of Response: “Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God”
Holy Spirit, living Breath of God,
Breathe new life into my willing soul.
Bring the presence of the risen Lord
To renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me;
Give me faith for what I cannot see;
Give me passion for Your purity.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.

Holy Spirit, come abide within;
May Your joy be seen in all I do –

Love enough to cover ev’ry sin
In each thought and deed and attitude,
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my striving into works of grace.
Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.

Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show your power once again on earth;
Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.
Lead us on the road of sacrifice
That in unity the face of Christ
Will be clear for all the world to see.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we praise you. You are united in your great love for the whole world. Today we are scattered physically, but we unite in prayer.

You, the risen Jesus, came through locked doors to speak peace to terrified and grief-stricken disciples. Thank you that you made a way for us to meet you now.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you give different gifts to each one among us. You are actively revealing these gifts at this time. Help us see more. As there is a need, give us courage to speak and act according to our gifts.

You urge us to cast our anxieties on you, because you care for us. You are always at work, and this situation does not overwhelm you. Whatever we are called to endure, you know, you see, and you have gone before us. You tell us you will use our suffering to strengthen us, and when we call on you and communicate your love, we can be an encouragement to others in times of suffering.

Lord, you are the God of our salvation. Make known to us your ways, teach us your paths, and lead us to your truth.

Give answer as we pray: Lord, have mercy.

For the Church, that it be a source of light for the world by announcing the good news of Jesus Christ. Lord, have mercy.
For all who are in agony of mind or body that by our friendship and our help your love be made present to them. Lord, have mercy.
For those in public office, that they use their authority to safeguard the well-being and dignity of human life. Lord, have mercy.
For those who are sick (especially ______________________), may they know your healing, comfort and care. Lord, have mercy.
For those who provide care (especially __________________) give them strength, courage, patience, and renewal and rest. Lord, have mercy.
For those who are grieving (especially ____________________), may they find joy in your love, for ever and ever. Lord, have mercy.
For all of us, called to new life in Christ, that our willingness to live for others bring hope to our world. Lord, have mercy

Let us pray as Jesus taught us:

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen.

“He Who Watches Over You”
He who watches over you will never slumber nor sleep;
He who watches over you will never slumber nor sleep.
O My child, lay your burdens down, lay them at My feet.
He who watches over you will never slumber nor sleep.