Organ Prelude
Prelude on Nicaea
Peter Lutkin, 1908
Call to Worship
Leader: Friends in Christ, let us gather in the shelter of God’s presence.
Circle: Let us bless the Lord, for God has wondrously shown us steadfast love.
Leader: God is indeed our rock and our refuge.
Circle: God guides us and leads us.
Leader: Into God’s hands we commit our spirits, for God has redeemed us.
Circle: Abundant is the goodness that the Lord has stored up for those who gather to worship him.
Leader: Together, let us worship God!
Gathering Hymn
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
tune: Nicaea
(James Bacchus Dykes 1861)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns
around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name
in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity! Amen!
Reginald Heber, c. 1820, altered
Call to Confession
Leader: Let us turn to the one who brings light into darkness, confessing to God and one another the truth about our lives.
Prayer of Confession
All: Compassionate God,
you know the purposes of our hearts
and the will of all creation.
Hear with mercy our confession
that we have not cared for the Earth and all creatures as you meant for us to do;
we have not cared for one another as you have commanded;
we have not loved ourselves with the regard that honors wholeness and peace of mind.
All:
Be our guide, our judge, our joy.
Show us the way of your life abundant, and turn us always to that path
so that we may live and move in renewed commitment to what is just and good.
We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness
Leader:
People of God, servants of Christ,
enlightened by the Holy Spirit,
you are clothed, fed, and sheltered by the Holy One
who knows your every fiber.
Be assured of God’s desire that your prayers for mercy
are heard and have been answered.
In the name of the Holy Trinity and in the wisdom of God,
your sins are forgiven.
Anthem
O Thou, the Central Orb
Charles Wood, 1915
O Thou the central orb of righteous love,
pure beam of the most high,
eternal light of this our wintry world.
Thy radiance bright awakes new joy in faith,
hope soars above, above.
Come, quickly come, and let thy glory shine,
gilding our darksome heaven with rays divine.
Thy saints with holy lustre round thee move,
as stars about thy throne, set in the height
of God’s ordaining counsel, as thy sight
gives measur’d grace to each, thy power to prove.
Let thy bright beams disperse the gloom of sin,
our nature all shall feel eternal day,
in fellowship with Thee,
transforming clay to souls erewhile unclean,
now pure within, now pure within. Amen.
-Henry Ramsden Bramley
Pastoral Prayer and Intercessions
Good and gracious God…
O God, on this day we offer special intercessions for…
The Prayer Jesus taught
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
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Royal Oak
English Melody, 17th c.
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors;
God made their tiny wings.
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky.
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them every one.
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well.
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
-Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848
Invitation to the Offertory
Great and merciful God, who knows the sparrow and lily by name, tell us today the story of your knowledge of us.
Assure us that the hours we spend in this world
are lived in your sight and in your care, to free us from anxiety and striving and to rest in your benevolence.
Giving thanks, we open our hearts and share our possessions for your work in the world.
Let us pray:
Prayer of Thanksgiving
For all that you have given us, we thank you, Gracious God.
For day and night, evening and morning, for land and sea, fish and birds, plants and animals, for humankind, and for your Son, who came among us with the gift of life abundant.
Let your Holy Spirit abide in our midst and work through our gifts, that all people may have joy and peace, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Anthem
The Heavens are Telling
Joseph Haydn, The Creation, 1797
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
To-day that is coming, speaks it the day,
the night that is gone, to following night.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
In all the lands resounds the word,
never unperceived, ever understood.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise God all creatures here below,
Praise God above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1: 26-31
Reader: Nancy Kyler
Today's Sermon
“Four Words that Change Everything”
Genesis 1: 26-31
Lisa Sharon Harper, Preacher
Closing Hymn
Ellacombe
Gesangbuch de Herzogl, 1784
I sing the mighty power of God
that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad
and built the loft skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
the sun to rule the day.
The moon shines full at God’s command,
and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord
who filled the earth with food,
God formed the creatures through the Word,
and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how thy wonders are displayed,
where’er I turn my eye,
if I survey the ground I tread,
or gaze upon the sky!
There’s not a plant or flower below
but makes thy glories known.
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
by order from thy throne,
while all that borrows life from thee
is ever in thy care,
and everywhere that we can be,
thou, God, art present there.
-Isaac Watts, 1715
Benediction/Blessing
May God our Creator bless you so that you can be a blessing to others.
May Christ bless you so that you can be healers of a world that is hurting.
May the Holy Spirit bless you so that you can spread hope wherever you go.
Benediction Response
Postlude
Toccata in F, BWV 540
-J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
The flowers on the stage are given …
…… in loving memory of Dr. Noel A. Calhoun, Jr., and Cynthianne Say Calhoun, Dr. and Mrs. D.L. Say, Samuel Lester Say, and Anita Say Scherzer, by their families.
… in loving memory of Chautauqua Amphitheater Ushers Sandy Nolan and Connie Cash, by House Manager Jennifer Jansen and the Morning and Evening Ushers.
Support for this week’s Worship Services is provided by The Alison and Craig Marthinsen Endowment for the Department of Religion.
A Service of Blessing and Healing is held daily (weekdays) at 10:00 in Randell Chapel (just off Odland Plaza, between the Amp and Hultquist) after morning worship.