Afternoon Worship Service

Welcome and Announcements

Prelude: Chanson and Pavane Fritz Kreisler Tom Jackson, violin; Bob Yang, piano

Call to Worship: Psalm 98:4–6

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!

With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

Doxology Lasst Uns Erfreuen

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; alleluia, alleluia!
Praise him above, ye heav’nly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Invocation

Hymn 32: Great Is Thy Faithfulness Faithfulness Text: Thomas O. Chisholm (1923)

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

there is no shadow of turning with thee;

thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

(Refrain)

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see:

all I have needed thy hand hath provided—Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,

join with all nature in manifold witness

to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. (Refrain)

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)

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.

Scripture Reading: John 8:21–30

21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Multilingual Prayer

Hymn 693: Blessed Assurance Assurance Text: Fanny J. Crosby (1873)

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain

This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long;

this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight, visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

angels descending, bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Refrain)

Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest;

watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love. (Refrain)

Offering Prayer

(In person offerings may be made via the oak boxes. Give online at tenth.org/give or mail checks to:
1701 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103)

Offertory: Brother James' Air arr. Larry Shackley Bob Yang, piano

Sermon Passage: Acts 8:26–40

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Sermon: The Ethiopian Eunuch Rev. John

Hymn 478: I Love to Tell the Story I Love to Tell the Story Text: Katherine Hankey (1866)

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story, because I know 'tis true;

it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

(Refrain)

I love to tell the story, 'twill be my theme in glory

to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems

than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.

I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;

and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee. (Refrain)

I love to tell the story; 'tis pleasant to repeat

what seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard

the message of salvation from God's own holy Word. (Refrain)

I love to tell the story; for those who know it best

seem hungering and thirsting to hear it, like the rest,

And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,

'twill be the old, old story, that I have loved so long. (Refrain)

Benediction

Postlude: Partita No 3: Preludio Johann Sebastian Bach Tom Jackson, violin