HELPFUL LINKS

Blacknall Worship from Home
October 11, 2020

Invocation

Lord, when we sing, “Come all ye pining, hungry poor,” we are not singing to someone else. Lord, we do come to you pining, longing for the Bread of Life that satisfies our souls’ deepest hunger. Lord, we come to you confessing our poverty that no amount of money or education or hard work or friends can fill. Fill us with yourself so that we may go and tell other beggars where the Bread of Life is. Amen.

Song | “Come, All Ye Pining, Hungry Poor”

Lord, we adore Thy boundless grace,
The heights and depths unknown,
Of pardon, life, and joy, and peace,
In Thy beloved Son.

Come, all ye pining, hungry poor,
The Savior’s bounty taste;
Behold a never-failing store
For ev’ry willing guest.

O wondrous gifts of love divine,
Dear Source of ev’ry good;
Jesus, in Thee what glories shine!
How rich Thy flowing blood!

Here shall your num’rous wants receive
A free, a full supply;
He has unmeasured bliss to give,
And joys that never die.

Words by Anne Steele, mid1700s. Music by Brian Murphy, 2010.
© Red Mountain Music. CCLI #43066

Scripture Reading | Isaiah 40.25-31

“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Song | “Down in the River to Pray”

(choir only)
As I went down in the river to pray,
Studyin’ about the good old way,
And who shall wear the starry crown --
Good Lord, show me the way!

Oh sisters, let’s go down,
Let’s go down, come on down;
Oh sisters, let’s go down,
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray,
Studyin’ about that good old way,
And who shall wear the robe and crown --
Good Lord, show me the way!

Oh brothers, let’s go down,
Let’s go down, come on down;
Oh brothers, let’s go down,
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray,
Studyin’ about that good old way,
And who shall wear the starry crown --
Good Lord, show me the way!

(all sing)
Oh sinners, let’s go down,
Let’s go down, come on down;
Oh sinners, let’s go down,
Down in the river to pray.
(repeat)

Prayer of Confession

“Oh sinners, let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down…” down to our knees to pray and to confess our sins, our poverty, our rebellious hearts, and our need for our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Come, let us kneel in confession before the Lord. [silent confession]

Lord, we are constantly tempted to compare ourselves to other sinners and we confess we tend to compare ourselves who seem worse to us so that we fool ourselves into thinking that we are pretty good because we are not as bad as those other sinners. Lord, we bow to confess this foolishness. When we look at Jesus, we see how far we are from your purpose for us. We are confronted with our brokenness, our stubbornness; how cold our hearts are to you. And yet, when we go down to the river to pray, no matter how far we must go down, we find you there ready to lift us up. Lift us up into new life, with hearts reborn to love you and to love our neighbors. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Beloved, it is true--through Jesus Christ we all have access to the Father by one Spirit. 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

The sermon is provided above in audio and video format.

Ephesians 2.18-22

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Song of Response | “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down,
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling,
All Thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast;
Let us all in Thee inherit,
Let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning,
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

Finish then Thy new creation,
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee:
Changed from glory into glory,
‘Til in heaven we take our place,
‘Til we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Words by Charles Wesley, 1747. Music by John Zundel, 1870.

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. Your financial giving includes support of Charlie and Frauke, Lynerd Tillery, and StepUp Durham. Read their prayer requests here.

Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession | Prayer Requests

Lord, we are awed by the incomparable riches of your grace. We thank you that we are a part of your plan and that you have given us work to do. We thank you for calling us into a high and holy purpose; that your plan for us is that we might be your Temple, the people in whom your Spirit dwells.

We thank you for your promises to us. We thank you for the promise that you will renew our strength. Lord, we place our hope in you.

We thank you for the foundation you have given to us of the words of the Old Testament and the words of the apostles in the New Testament. We thank you, Sovereign Lord, that in these days of turmoil and anxiety you are our Rock and our Redeemer. We thank you that you will accomplish your purposes and we pray that we might participate with you in your Kingdom coming.

We pray this morning for your Church in Durham and around the world. We pray that our small body of believers at Blacknall might play our part in the coming of your Kingdom. May our life and work together be founded upon our One Foundation, Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray for brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering because of their faith in you. Renew their strength and help them to hold fast.

Lord, as one people, we bring to you in prayer those who are precious to you:

We pray for our children, in our congregation and in our city and in our world… (mention those by name)
We pray for those who are sick and in pain…(mention those by name)
We pray for those who are grieving… (mention those by name)
We pray for those who are working to make peace… (mention those by name)
We pray for the poor and the poor in spirit and for those who are meek, who cannot imagine that you would care about them… (mention those by name)
We pray for those who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness and may that be us. Give us hearts, minds, and bodies that long after you.
We pray this as your People whom you taught to 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 | “Salvation Belongs to Our God”

Salvation belongs to our God,
Who sits upon the throne,
And unto the Lamb....

Praise and Glory, Wisdom and Thanks,
Honor and Power and Strength
Be to our God forever and ever! (3x)
Amen!

And we the redeemed shall be strong
In purpose and unity,
Declaring aloud....