Afternoon Worship Service

Welcome and Announcements

Prelude: The Swan Camille Saint-Saëns Tom Jackson, violin; Bob Yang, piano

Call to Worship: Psalm 104:1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot;

he rides on the wings of the wind;

he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.

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 40: God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength Bethlehem Text: The Psalter (1912)

God is our refuge and our strength, our ever-present aid,

and therefore though the earth remove, we will not be afraid;

though hills amidst the seas be cast, though foaming waters roar,

yea, though the mighty billows shake the mountains on the shore.

A river flows whose streams make glad the city of our God,

the holy place wherein the Lord Most High has his abode.

Since God is in the midst of her, unmoved her walls shall stand,

for God will be her early help, when trouble is at hand.

The nations raged, the kingdoms moved, but when his voice was heard,

the troubled earth was stilled to peace before his mighty word.

The Lord of Hosts is on our side, our safety to secure;

the God of Jacob is for us a refuge strong and sure.

O come, behold what wondrous works Jehovah's hand has wrought;

come, see what desolation great he on the earth has brought.

To utmost ends of all the earth he causes war to cease;

the weapons of the strong destroyed, he makes abiding peace. (continued on next page)

"Be still and know that I am God, o'er all exalted high;

the subject nations of the earth my name shall magnify."

The Lord of Hosts is on our side, our safety to secure,

the God of Jacob is for us a refuge strong and sure.

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 9:13–23

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

Multilingual Prayer

Hymn 181: We Come, O Christ, to You Darwall Text: E. Margaret Clarkson (1957)

We come, O Christ, to you, true Son of God and man,

by whom all things consist, in whom all life began:

in you alone we live and move, and have our being in your love.

You are the Way to God, your blood our ransom paid;
in you we face our Judge and Maker unafraid. Before the throne absolved we stand,
your love has met your law’s demand.

You are the living Truth! All wisdom dwells in you,

the Source of every skill, the one eternal TRUE!

O great I AM! In you we rest, sure answer to our every quest. (continued on next page)

You only are true Life, to know you is to live

the more abundant life that earth can never give:

O risen Lord! We live in you: in us each day your life renew!

We worship you, Lord Christ, our Savior and our King,

to you our youth and strength adoringly we bring:

so fill our hearts, that all may view your life in us, and turn to you!

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: Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee arr. Tedd Smith Bob Yang, piano

Sermon Passage: Galatians 2:1–10

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Sermon: Preserving Your Freedom Dr. Enrique Leal

Hymn 468: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place Landas Text: Lidie H. Edmunds (1891)

My faith has found a resting place, from guilt my soul is freed;

I trust the ever-living One, his wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain

I need no other argument, I need no other plea,
it is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves, this ends my fear and doubt;

a sinful soul I come to him, he’ll never cast me out. (Refrain)

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God:

salvation by my Savior’s name, salvation thro' his blood. (Refrain)

My great Physician heals the sick, the lost he came to save;

for me his precious blood he shed, for me his life he gave. (Refrain)

Benediction

Postlude: Sonata No. 3: Allegro Assai Johann Sebastian Bach Tom Jackson, violin

Sermon Notes