March 12, 2023

*Call to Worship | Psalm 103:1-5 | Jaime Jimenez

God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.

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1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

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*Song of Adoration | O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does. 

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O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!

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Jesus! the name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears,

‘Tis life, and health, and peace.

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Sing your praise to the Lord all the earth!

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He breaks the power of reigning sin,

He sets the prisoner free;

His blood can make the foulest clean,

His blood availed for me.

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He speaks, and, listening to His voice,

New life the dead receive,

The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,

The humble poor believe.

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Sing your praise to the Lord all the earth!

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My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of Thy name.

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Glory to God, and praise and Love

Be ever, ever given,

By saints below and saints above,

The church in earth and heaven.

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Sing your praise to the Lord all the earth!

Music and Lyrics: Charles Wesley

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*Confession of Faith | Psalm 103:6-12

With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.

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6 The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

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*Song of Confession | Before The Throne Of God Above

Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.

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Before the throne of God above

I have a strong, a perfect plea;

A great High Priest, whose Name is Love,

Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,

my name is written on His heart;

I know that while in Heaven He stands

no tongue can bid me thence depart;

no tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,

And tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look, and see Him there

Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free;

For God, the Just, is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me.

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Halleluiah! Halleluiah!

Praise the One, Risen Son of God!

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Behold Him there, the risen Lamb!

My perfect, spotless Righteousness,

The great unchangeable I AM,

The King of glory and of grace.

One with Himself, I cannot die;

My soul is purchased by His blood;

My life is hid with Christ on high,

With Christ, my Savior and my God.

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: C.L. Bancroft

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Confession of Sin | based on Psalm 51 | Jaime Jimenez

We fight the temptation to hide our sin and instead acknowledge it openly to God, but we do so in light of the grace offered in Jesus.

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Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquities, and cleanse us from our sins. For we know our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us.   Against you, you alone, have we sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, we were born guilty, sinners when our mothers conceived us. Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and put new and right spirits within us. Do not cast us away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from us, we pray through him who loved us and gave himself for us, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Assurance of Pardon | 1 John 1:9 | Jaime Jimenez

The good news of the gospel is that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ. This assurance is based on God’s words of promise and it is therefore certain.

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9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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*Song of Response | Knowing You

We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.

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All I once held dear, built my life upon,

All this world reveres, and wars to own,

All I once thought gain I have counted loss,

Spent and worthless now, compared to this

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Knowing you, Jesus,

Knowing you, there is no greater thing!

You're my all, you're the best,

You're my joy, my righteousness,

And, I love you, Lord!

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Now my heart's desire is to know you more,

To be found in you and known as yours,

To possess by faith what I could not earn,

All-surpassing gift of righteousness.

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Chorus

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Oh, to know the power of your risen life,

And to know You in Your sufferings,

To become like you in your death, my Lord,

So with you to live and never die.

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Graham Kendrick

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Prayer of Thanksgiving

We offer our gratitude to God in prayer in response to his gifts and blessings to his people and ask that he make us faithful managers of these gifts.

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Song of Thanks | The Heart of Worship

As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.

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When the music fades,

And all is stripped away,

And I simply come;

Longing just to bring,

Something that's of worth,

That will bless Your heart

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I'll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within

Through the ways things appear

You're looking into my heart

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I'm coming back to the heart of worship

And it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus

I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it

When it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus

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King of endless worth,

No one could express,

How much You deserve.

Though I'm weak and poor,

All I have is Yours,

Every single breath.

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Matt Redman

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Prayer for Christ’s Church

We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.

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*Reading of Scripture | Mark 1:40-45 | Rev. Jaime Jimenez

God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.

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40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

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Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

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The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Jaime Jimenez

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“Welcome One Another”

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Pastoral Prayer

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Sacrament of Communion

Sacraments are visible signs of the invisible grace of God - what Christ does by his Holy Spirit within us. Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist), as the distribution of the elements of bread and wine, symbolizes a meal. Communion is a sign of fellowship. That sign signifies more than just the future heavenly fellowship that is to come. The outward sign signifies the inner reality that sinners already experience fellowship with God in the Spirit because of Jesus. Communion is not a meal for good people. It functions as a renewing seal to desperate sinners of that fellowship we have with our holy and gracious God.

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You will be invited to come forward. If you are not a Christian we encourage you to spend this time in reflection on what you’ve seen and heard in the worship. Children who have not received their first communion are welcome and encouraged to come forward with their families to witness their partaking. We invite children who are ready to make a public profession of faith in Christ to arrange a meeting with the elders, and thus become “communicants” at the Lord’s Table. 

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Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Lift up your hearts!

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

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Prayer of Thanksgiving and Words of Institution

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Pastor: Let us proclaim the mystery of the faith: 

People: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Hallelujah! 

Pastor: Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. Hallelujah! 

People: Therefore, let us keep the feast. 

Pastor: The gifts of God for the people of God.

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Please let an usher know if it is difficult for you to come forward. We would be happy to serve you at your seat. All communion bread is gluten-free. All communion wine is made from  grape juice.

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A communion prayer for those searching for the truth:

Lord Jesus, you claim to be the way, the truth and the life. If what you claim is true, please guide me, teach me, and open to me the reality of who you are. Give me the ability to follow you no matter what it might cost me. Give me an understanding for you that is coherent, convincing, and leads to the life that you promise. Amen.

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Communion Song | Praise To The Lord, The Almighty

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

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Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;

Praise Him in glad adoration.

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Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,

Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!

Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth?

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/Alleluia, Alleluia/

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Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;

Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

If with His love He befriend thee.

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Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,

Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,

Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,

Saints with His mercy surrounding.

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/Alleluia, Alleluia/

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Praise to the Lord, oh, let all that is in me adore Him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him;

Let the Amen sound from His people again,

Gladly for aye we adore Him.

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/Alleluia, Alleluia/

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Departing Song | Grace Alone

We begin to end in faith and song.

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I was an orphan lost at the fall;

Running away when I'd hear your call.

But Father, you worked your will.

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I had no righteousness of my own.

I had no right to draw near your throne

But Father, you loved me still.

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And in love before you laid the world's foundation,

You predestined to adopt me as your own.

You have raised me up so high above my station.

I'm a child of God by grace and grace alone.

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You left your home to seek out the lost;

You knew the great and terrible cost.

But Jesus, your face was set.

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I worked my fingers down to the bone;

Nothing I did could ever atone.

But Jesus, you paid my debt.

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By your blood I have redemption and salvation.

Lord, you died that I might reap what you have sown.

And you rose that I might be a new creation.

I am born again by grace and grace alone.

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I was in darkness all of my life.

I never knew the day from the night.

But Spirit, you made me see.

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I swore I knew the way on my own,

Head full of rocks, a heart made of stone.

But Spirit, you moved in me.

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At your touch my sleeping spirit was awakened;

On my darkened heart the light of Christ has shone;

Called into a kingdom that cannot be shaken;

Heaven's citizen by grace and grace alone.

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So, I'll stand in faith by grace and grace alone.

I will run the race by grace and grace alone.

I will slay my sin by grace and grace alone.

I will reach the end by grace and grace alone.

Music and Lyrics: Dunstin Kensrue

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*Benediction | Jude 1:24, 25 | Jaime Jimenez

God sends us out with his blessing. A benediction is not a prayer. We don’t bow our heads. We lift them up and even lift up our hands to receive his blessing as we are sent out as participants in his mission to the city of man.

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24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Nursery Unavailable

March 19

Cornerstone’s nursery will be unavailable on Sunday, March 19. 

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Info Session with Allison Burns and Interserve

March 25, 3-5pm

Join us on March 25 at the home of Jeff and Susan Arnoult as we learn about Allison Burns’ mission to Central Asia and Interserve, her sending organization! 

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Sunday School

Sunday school will resume on April 16!

We are taking a brief break from Sunday school though Easter. Join us again in April every Sunday morning at 9:15am!

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Supper Clubs Underway!

February and March 2023

Spring supper clubs are underway! If you need assistance connecting to your supper club, contact Emily McEwin. 

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Bible Studies

Men’s and Women’s spring Bible studies will resume after Spring break!

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Adult Teaching Series

Thursday, March 30, 7pm

This spring, adults will be meeting on Thursday evenings at the Wade home! Join us for our final teaching session on March 30 to hear about The Faith We Believe, Share, and Defend!

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Youth Teaching Series

Sunday, March 26, 11:30am

All 5th-12th graders are invited to join us at the Willson home on 

March 26 for our third session in our youth teaching series!

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Palm Sunday Gathering

Sunday, April 2, 4-6pm

Join us at the Erwin home on Palm Sunday for our annual gathering!

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