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Blacknall Worship from Home
June 28, 2020

Invocation

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens. Lord, when we look at the stars, when we see the pictures of the universe, the nebulae, the galaxies, the swirling vastness of the universe, we wonder, with the psalmist, who are we that you are mindful of us? Who are human beings that you even care about us? And yet, you have crowned us with glory. You have created us for relationship with yourself. Our glory and worth and significance is given to us by you and so we pause this day to worship you, to praise you, to thank you. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Amen.

Song | “In Christ There Is No East or West”

In Christ there is no east or west, in Him no pride of birth;
The chosen family God has blessed now spans the whole wide earth.

Oh, we are God’s family,
Oh, we are God’s family,
Oh, we are God’s family,
In Jesus we live as one!

For God in Christ has made us one from every land and race;
Has reconciled us through His Son and met us with His grace.

In Christ there is no east or west – He breaks all barriers down;
By Christ redeemed, by Christ possessed, in Christ we live as one.

Words by Michael Perry, 1979. Refrain by Dave Stuntz, 2010.

Scripture Reading | Deuteronomy 4:32-40

32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.

39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.

Song | “O Worship the King”

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunder clouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In You do we trust, nor find You to fail;
Your mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!

Words based on Psalm 104, by Robert Grant, 1833. Music attributed to Johann Michael Haydn, 18th Century.

Call to Confession

Our scripture calls us to, “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” Therefore, “Keep his decrees and commands.” We are broken people living in a broken world because we fail on both counts. We fail to acknowledge and take to heart that the LORD is God and there is no other and we fail to keep his decrees and commands. Let us kneel in humility and confess our sins to Almighty God, our Father.

Prayer of Confession

O, our Papa, we confess to you that we live impoverished lives. We are a stiff-necked and near-sighted people who do not look beyond what we can touch and grasp. We, who claim to know you, live so much of our lives as if you did not exist. We spend much of our time assuming that everything depends on us. And we are anxious and stressed and when we reach the end of ourselves, we cry out to you to bless our efforts. We are forgetful. We forget all that you have done for us in Jesus Christ. We forget that we are in relationship with you who is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

O, our Papa, we confess to you that we fail to keep your decrees and commands. We have not loved you with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We have followed, rather, the devices and desires of our own hearts. And we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have been silent when we should speak. We have ignored and walked on by the neighbor in need. We have spoken words that have cut and maimed those around us instead of words that bless and heal. Lord, forgive us and make us whole and holy. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Beloved, it is true: our God is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, who dwells in the high and holy place and also with those who are contrite and humble in 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 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 Goodie Bell

Matthew 6:5-13
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

Song of Response | “Be Thou My Vision”

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word,
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I in Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all!

Traditional Irish hymn, trans. Mary Byrne, 1905.

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 Jonathan and Rocio Mikes and Housing for New Hope.

Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession | Prayer Requests

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is, and is to come.
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being (Rev.4: 8,11).

Lord Jesus, you came to show us your way of love, and you were crucified. You rose. In this crisis moment for our country, the power of brokenness and evil are in plain sight. Help us to bear our griefs and differences together with respect, because you will have the last word on all of it. You rose to show us a new way to move into the world, so renew our confidence that there’s always enough of your love and your power. Because of all you have done for us in Christ, we can rise to repent, to receive forgiveness and to forgive.

Holy Spirit, build your church. Show us our parts to play with the gifts you pour out. Help us to follow you with humility, grace and hope.

Give answer as we pray: Lord have mercy.

For our civic leaders, that they would use their authority to safeguard the well-being and dignity of all. Lord, have mercy.
For those who are sick and alone (especially ________), may they know your healing, comfort and care. Lord, have mercy.
For those who provide care (especially ________), give them strength, courage, and rest. Lord, have mercy.
For those who are grieving (especially ________), may they lament and receive hope because of you. Lord, have mercy.
For the church, that our willingness to love others as neighbors would witness to your love and power in us. Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray as Jesus taught us: Our Father...

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 | “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood His mercy reigns,
Unending love, amazing grace!