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April 7, 2024
Resources and content for this Sunday.
*Call to Worship | Psalm 24:7-10 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
Pastor: Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
People: Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle!
Pastor: Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
People: Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory!
*Song of Adoration | The Sands of Time are Sinking
We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.
The sands of time are sinking,
The dawn of heaven breaks;
The summer morn I’ve sighed for -
The fair, sweet morn awakes:
Dark, dark had been the midnight
But dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel’s land.
The king there in His beauty,
Without a veil is seen:
It were a well-spent journey,
Though seven deaths lay between:
The Lamb with His fair army,
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel’s land
O Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I’ve tasted
More deep I’ll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel’s land.
The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He giveth
But on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Emmanuel’s land.
Music and Lyrics: Anne Ross Cousin
*Confession of Faith | Hebrews 10:5-7, 10
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
5 When Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
*Song of Confession | Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel
But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust
Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet
Music and Lyrics: Anne Steele, Kevin Twit
Confession of Sin | Kyrie Eleison
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.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Assurance of Pardon | Psalm 86:15; John 3:16 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
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.
Ps 86:15 You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Jn 3:16 God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
*Song of Response | Come Ye Sinners
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able;
He is willing; doubt no more.
Come ye needy, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry ’til you’re better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requires
Is to feel your need of Him.
This He gives you, this He gives you,
’Tis the Spirit’s rising beam.
Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended;
Pleads the merit of His blood.
Venture on Him; venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
None but Jesus, none but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.
Music and Lyrics: Joseph Hart, Brooks Ritter
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.
Song of Thanks | Thy Mercy, My God
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.
Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.
Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.
Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
Music and Lyrics: Keith Getty, Kristyn Lennox Getty, Stuart Townend
Prayer for Christ’s Church
We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.
*Reading of Scripture | 2 Samuel 6:1-15 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
12 And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult
“Glorifying the God of Love”
1 and 2 Samuel: Give Us a King
Pastoral Prayer
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.
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.
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.
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Words of Institution
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.
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.
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.
Communion Song | Come Boldly To The Throne Of Grace
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
Come boldly to the throne of grace
Ye wretched sinners come
And lay your load at Jesus' feet
And plead what He has done
"How can I come?" some soul may say
"I'm lame and cannot walk
My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth
I sign but dare not talk"
He makes the dead to hear His voice
He makes the blind to see
The sinner lost He came to save
And set the prisoner free
Come boldly to the throne of grace
Though lost and blind and lame
Jehovah is the sinner's Friend
And ever was the same
Poor bankrupt souls who feel and know
The hell of sin within
Come boldly to the throne of grace
The Lord will take you in
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: D. Herbert, Brian T. Murphy, and Clint Wells
Departing Song | Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
We begin to end in faith and song.
Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken, thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still my own.
Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
show Thy face and all is bright.
Soul, then know thy full salvation rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station, something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
child of heaven, canst thou repine.
Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
faith to sight, and prayer to praise.
Music and Lyrics: Henry Lyte, Bill Moore
*Benediction | Numbers 6:24-26 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
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.
24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kid’s Sunday School
Sundays, 9am, April 7-28
Children up to 4th grade are invited to join us for Sunday school at 9am each Sunday to learn classic Bible stories and what they tell us about our Unique God!
Youth Sunday Bible Study
Sundays, 9am, April 7-28
Youth 5th - 12th grade are invited to join us for Bible study at 9am each Sunday to learn what classic Bible stories have to tell us about our Unique God!
Bible Studies
Women’s Weekly Study: Wednesday, April 10
Our weekly women’s study of the Book of Hebrews takes place at 10am on Wednesdays at the home of Marion Wade.
Women’s Evening Study: Thursday, May 2
Monthly on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm at the home of Susan and Jeff Arnoult.
Men’s Morning Study: Friday, May 3
Monthly on the first Friday of each month, 7am at Bean and Bottle. 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 100.
Women’s Gathering
Tuesday, April 9, 7pm
All women are invited to join us on April 9 for our next women’s gathering at 7pm on April 9 at the home of Kim Willson. Friends are welcome!
Youth Gathering
Sunday, April 14, 11:30am
Our 5th-12th graders will be gathering together again directly after the worship service on April 14 at Cidercade for games and pizza!