Prelude

As the Deer/Fairest Lord Jesus arr. Mark Hayes

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee; You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship Thee.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man, Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, Thou my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Be Thou My Vision arr. Ovid Young

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.

Call to Worship

•Doxology (Trinity Hymnal 731) Old Hundredth

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow; praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

•Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against You and against other people in thought and word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, Who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may serve You in newness of life to the glory of Your name. Amen.

•The Gospel’s Assurance of Pardon: Isaiah 1:18

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

•Invocation

•Hymn 167: When Morning Gilds the Skies Laudes Domini

Responsive Reading: Psalm 60 (page 478)

•Gloria Patri (Trinity Hymnal 734) Meineke

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.

•Apostles’ Creed

I 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 Ghost, 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 sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Announcements

Living Church: Children’s Ministry Judd Van Dervort

•Hymn 457: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Nettleton

(In the 11am service, Praisemakers, ages 4–5, may go to B2 & B3; KLICK, grades 1–2, may go to B1)

•Offering Prayer

Offertory: If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee arr. Stephen Nielson

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:22–24 (page 1009)

Sermon: The City of the Living God Dr. Liam Goligher

•Hymn 345: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken Austrian Hymn

•Benediction

Postlude: Allegro in D Major William Boyce

Serving this morning:
Rev. Enrique Leal & David Schuman, 9am platform
Rev. Deryck Barson & Tim Merkel, 11am platform
Colin Howland, organ

About Worship

Singing Hymns

The singing of hymns dates back to biblical times. The gospels of Matthew and Mark both testify that Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples the evening of the Last Supper. More than likely, this would have been one of the Psalms which was typically sung during the Passover feast. Indeed, the Psalms serve as the biblical pattern for congregational song throughout the history of the church. The types of sung prayer found in the Psalter are robust and wide–ranging: praise, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and imprecation are all included. Many hymns focus on praise, which is especially appropriate for corporate worship. The best hymns mimic the method the Psalmists use to praise God. That is, the truths about God which He has revealed through His Word are sung back to Him in worshipful devotion: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth” (Psalm 8:1). Hymns of praise mimic the Psalms in another way; they exhort the worshiping assembly to praise God. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:1–2).