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Midweek Worship Service
April 15th, 2020
Call to Worship – Zach Zander
By God’s great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So, we gather, in that hope, believing that the peace that Christ offers us is worth more than all the false idols or empty promises that the world might give. We have gathered to worship God.
Glory to God Hymnal #234 “ Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain
Come, you faithful, raise the strain
of triumphant gladness!
God has brought forth Israel
into joy from sadness,
loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters;
led them with unmoistened foot
through the Red Sea waters.
’Tis the spring of souls today:
Christ has burst his prison,
and from three days’ sleep in death
as a sun has risen.
All the winter of our sins,
long and dark, is flying
from the Light, to whom we give
laud and praise undying.
Now the queen of seasons, bright
with the day of splendor,
with the royal feast of feasts
comes its joy to render;
comes to glad Jerusalem,
who with true affection
welcomes in unwearied strains
Jesus’ resurrection!
Neither could the gates of death,
nor the tomb’s dark portal,
nor the watchers, nor the seal
hold you as a mortal:
but today, among your own,
you appear, bestowing
your deep peace, which evermore
passes human knowing.
TEXT: John of Damascus, 8th cent.; trans. John Mason Neale, 1859, alt.
MUSIC (ST. KEVIN 7.6.7.6.D): Arthur Seymour Sullivan, 1872, alt.
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, even though we sing the songs of Easter, we dwell in our doubts and fears. We are uncertain about these times. We await Your action, believing somehow that it is up to You to save us from ourselves. We brood over our disappointments. We think endlessly of our fears and our worries. We spend much more time contemplating our anxiety than upon prayer or seeking Your presence. Remind us that this is the time of Your resurrection power. Free us from our self-centeredness and fear. Humbly we open our hearts to You. Amen.
Assurance of Hope and Forgiveness
Do not fear, dear friends. Jesus is here with us, offering us new life and hope. Nothing can prevent God’s love for us. Rejoice for we have been made new in Christ Jesus our Risen Lord. Amen.
The Presbyterian Hymnal #579 “Gloria Patri”
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.
Public Domain
Glory Be to the Father
TEXT: Trad. liturgical text. Composer: Henry W. Greatorex (1851)
Scripture:Jonah 1:1-17(NRSV)
1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ 3But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. 5Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6The captain came and said to him, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’
7 The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ 9‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ 10Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.
11 Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may quieten down for us?’ For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. 12He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’ 13Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. 14Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’ 15So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. 16Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
17 But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Music Duet: “On Eagles Wings” Carol Wetzel and Glen Navis
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
who abide in his shadow for life,
say to the Lord, “My refuge,
my rock in whom I trust!”
(chorus)
And he will raise you up on eagles’ wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm
of his hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
and famine will bring you no fear:
under his wings, your refuge,
his faithfulness your shield. (chorus)
You need not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day;
though thousands fall about you,
near you it shall not come. (chorus)
For to his angels he’s given a command
to guard you in all of your ways;
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone. (chorus)
TEXT: Michael Joncas, 1978, alt.; © 1979 Jan Michael Joncas (Published by OCP) Type: Words and Music; First Line: You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord
Text: Based on Psalm 91. Text and music © 1979, OCP. All rights reserved.
Contributors: Michael Joncas.
All rights reserved. First Presbyterian Church, FDL OneLicense #A-730666
Matthew 12:38-42 (NRSV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ 39But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
Message: “Waiting for Our Real Life to Begin”
Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer:
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.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Glory to God hymnal: #233 “In the Bulb there is a Flower”
In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise:
butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence,
seeking word and melody;
there’s a dawn in every darkness,
bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
In our end is our beginning;
in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing;
in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
TEXT: Natalie Sleeth, 1986; © 1986 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
MUSIC (PROMISE 8.7.8.7.D): Natalie Sleeth, 1986; © 1986 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved, First Presbyterian Church, FDL OneLicense.net License #A-730666
Benediction
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