Call to Worship: Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Prayer of Adoration:
Song: Come Thou Fount (link)
Song: His Mercy Is More (link)
The Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Prayer of Confession:
O Lord, I am deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state, of the vanity of creatures, but also of the sufficiency of Christ. When You would guide me, I control myself. When You would be sovereign, I rule myself. When You would take care of me, I suffice myself. When I should depend of Your provision, I supply myself. When I should submit to Your providence, I follow my will. When I should study, love, honor, and trust You, I serve myself. I fault and correct Your law to suit myself. Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite and lustful heart, then take me to the cross and leave me there.
Assurance of Pardon: Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
New Testament Lesson: 1 Peter 2:21-25
Confession of Faith: From Colossians 1:15-20
We believe that Our Lord is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.
And we believe that in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. Amen!