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Blacknall Worship from Home
March 7, 2021

Invocation

Heavenly Father, you sent John the Baptist to call your people to repentance and “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Is. 40: 3 ; Mark 1: 3 ).
By Your Holy Spirit, prepare the way in us: turn us towards You; Give us ears to hear You; help us to drop our preoccupations and respond to Your call.
For You, Oh Lord, are worthy of our praise and, indeed, our lives.
We bring them before You today, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Song | Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Wonderful merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh You rescue the souls of men

Chorus

You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh our hearts always hunger for

Counselor Comforter Keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way
Oh we hopelessly lost the way

Almighty infinite Father
Faithfully loving Your own
Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne
Oh we're falling before Your throne

Scripture Reading | Jeremiah 8:18-22

You who are my Comforter in sorrow,
    my heart is faint within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused my anger with their images,
with their worthless foreign idols?”

20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”

21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;
    I mourn, and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
    Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
    for the wound of my people?

Song | When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Words by Isaac Watts (1707), music by Lowell Mason (1824). Public Domain.

Call to Confession

Often, people do good to us, and we don’t even notice. But there are moments when you recognize the great kindness of someone—perhaps a parent, a colleague, or a friend—and you are eagerly searching for some way to say “thank you.”

Each week when we come to confession, we recognize—once again—God's great kindness to us. We say “Thank you” by offering to God our lives. Come let us kneel before Him and confess our sins.

Prayer of Confession

When we survey the wondrous cross, we see healing for our mortal wound, comfort for our sorrow, forgiveness for our sins. Thank you, Lord; Thank you, for Your great kindness to us. We give you what every one of us has to give—a life—but we confess that we are always withholding. We are unwilling to let You redeem the past, ensure the future, and direct our steps today. Forgive us, and show us what we may release to You now. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Friends, it is true: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Passing the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be with you.

Response: And also with you

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

With Leslie Petree.

Children’s Worship

If you would like to receive the Children’s Worship video email, please contact Beth Solie.

Proclamation of the Word | Pastor Allan Poole

Mark 1.21-34, 40-45

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Song of Response | At Even Ere the Sun was Set

At even, ere the sun was set,
the sick, O Lord, around thee lay;
O in what divers pains they met!
O with what joy they went away!

Once more 'tis eventide, and we
oppressed with various ills draw near;
what if thy form we cannot see?
we know and feel that thou art here.

Chorus

Thy touch has still its ancient power;
no word from thee can fruitless fall:
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
and in thy mercy heal us all.

And none, O Lord, have perfect rest,
for none are wholly free from sin;
and they who fain would serve thee best
are conscious most of wrong within.

O Saviour Christ, thou too art man;
thou hast been troubled, tempted, tried;
thy kind but searching glance can scan
the very wounds that shame would hide.

Presenting Our Gifts | Online Giving

You are invited to respond to God’s Word by giving to the mission God has called us to at Blacknall.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Would you like to share a prayer request? Submit your request here.

(As you pray the following petitions, you are encouraged to pause and lift to the Lord particular concerns or people or events. Read prayer requests from Blacknall members and ministry partners here.)

We praise you, Jesus, for You have come among us in our pain and sorrow.
You did not despise our broken bodies or twisted minds,
But You Yourself have known our weakness.
You have had mercy on us,
And in Your life and death You have done what no one of us may do — even at height of our strength—you have given us a sure and certain hope.

Strengthen us, in our weakness today, Lord.
We are weary, after a year pandemic; grief and illness, still, are all around us.
We pray for your healing in our midst.
Enable us to see Your power at work; may we help others who want to know who “What is this?” that Jesus brings.

We pray for the sick, the poor, and those who mourn.

We pray for the Holy, catholic church, for our particular church and our church partners, and for missionaries abroad and at home.

We pray for the world, which you made and which you have not given up on.

In particular, we ask you to guide the distribution of the vaccine and the ongoing efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Heal us, body and soul, as we pray...

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.

Benediction

Song | Lord Who Throughout These 40 Days

Lord, who throughout these forty days
For us did fast and pray,
Teach us to overcome our sins,
And close by You to stay.

As You with Satan did contend
And did the vict'ry win,
O give us strength in You to fight,
In You to conquer sin.

And through these days of penitence,
And through Your Passion-tide,
For evermore, in life and death,
O Lord, with us abide.

Text by Claudia Frances Hernaman (1873). Tune: St. Flavian (1562). Public Domain.

Blacknall Worship from HomeMarch 7, 2021