HELPFUL LINKS

Blacknall Worship from Home
September 6, 2020

Invocation

By Your Spirit, Lord, You have marked us as Your children.
Help us, Heavenly Father, to honor you.
To You we bring our energies, our affections, our concerns and the cares of this world.
As we worship together, enlarge our hearts to love You and to love our neighbors. Loosen our lips to sing Your praise.
We ask in the name of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Song | “All People that on Earth do Dwell” (Psalm 100 -- Doxology tune)

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Serve Him with joy, His praises tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice!

Know that the Lord is God indeed;
He formed us all without our aid;
We are the flock He surely feeds,
The sheep who by His hand were made.

O enter then His gates with joy,
Within His courts His praise proclaim!
Let thankful songs your tongues employ.
O bless and magnify His name!

Because the Lord our God is good,
His mercy is forever sure;
His faithfulness at all times stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him, all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen!

Scripture Reading | Hosea 11:1-11

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.

But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.

I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed them.

“Will they not return to Egypt
and will not Assyria rule over them
because they refuse to repent?

A sword will flash in their cities;
it will devour their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.

My people are determined to turn from me.
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.

“How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.

I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man—
the Holy One among you.
I will not come against their cities.

They will follow the Lord;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.

They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,”
declares the Lord.

Song | “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus”

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free;
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Thy love;
Leading onward, leading homeward
To my glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
Changeth never, nevermore;
How He watches o’er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own’
How for them He intercedeth,
Watcheth o’er them from the throne.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Love of every love the best;
‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
‘Tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
‘Tis a Heav’n of Heav’ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee!

Words by S. Trevor Francis, 1890. Music by Thomas Williams, 1890.

Call to Confession

The love of Jesus enables us to face the truth without despair: we are wayward children in a world beset by violence. Glimmers of goodness and beauty are fragile, tending towards chaos.

But God has not abandoned us--even in the violence and chaos of His own son’s death on the cross.

Christ’s death and resurrection have freed us to face truth with hope. With confidence in Him, let us confess our sins.

Prayer of Confession

In our heart of hearts, Oh Lord, we insist “our hands are clean” or “we are beyond repair.” But you resist us on both accounts. So we confess our flagrant sins: our disavowal of your name and our disrespect of our neighbors. We confess also our secret sins: all the ways we stray from your righteousness with hard hearts and no understanding. In all this, Lord, we ask for your mercy. We claim that in Christ, by Your Holy Spirit, we are not beyond repair. In your love, move us to rejoice in the truth and persevere in hope. We ask in Jesus’ name.

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 Pastor David Dunderdale

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 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Song of Response | “Before the Throne of God Above”

Before the throne of God above I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A Great High Priest, whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is written on His hands, my name is hidden in His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands no power can force me to depart,
No power can force me to depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there! The risen Lamb, my perfect, sinless Righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM, the King of glory and of grace!
One with my Lord I cannot die; my soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is safe with Christ on high, with Christ, my Savior and my God,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.

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 missionaries in Central Asia.

Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession | Prayer Requests

(You are invited to pause at each line and add your own intercessions.)

Heavenly Father, You have led us with cords of kindness. In Christ, You stooped down to us in love,

We come before you with thanksgiving.

We thank You for the wonder of knowing You and for the gift of Your Holy Spirit.
We thank you for the gifts of the Spirit that You have poured out on our congregation.
We thank you for the signs of your mercy and care in our life together this week, especially the good results for Jill French and (you may add your own intercessions).

We present to you our concerns.

Many in our midst need your comfort in illness and in grief. We pray for Julie W, Taylor B, Rick E and others…. (you may add your own intercessions).
We ask you to strengthen those who face trials in their work, especially teachers, students, and…. (you may add your own intercessions).
We pray for righteousness and peace in the city of Durham and in our nation.

We pray for your church.

We thank you for our missions partners who bring your good news near and far... (you may add your own intercessions).
We thank you for the greater church, especially the friendship of St. John’s Missionary Baptist and Iglesia Immanuel.
We pray for wisdom and courage for our congregation, as we seek to be faithul stewards of your gospel in this time.

Knit us together, in our one Lord, Jesus Christ, as we pray together

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 | “I Will Praise Him, Still”

When the morning falls on the farthest hill,
I will sing His name, I will praise Him, still.
When the dark trials come and my heart is filled
With the weight of doubt, I will praise Him, still.

For the Lord, our God, He is strong to save
From the arms of death,
from the deepest grave.
And He gave us life in His perfect will;
And by His good grace I will praise Him, still.

When my days are bright and my cup is filled
With all happiness, I will praise Him, still;
And when suffering in this world, until
You set all things right, I will praise Him, still.