October 22, 2023

*Call to Worship | Philippians 1:9-11 | Blake Arnoult

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

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9 It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

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*Song of Adoration | All Creatures of Our God and King

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

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All creatures of our God and King, 

Lift up your voice and with us sing, 

Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Thou burning sun with golden beam, 

Thou silver moon with softer gleam, 

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O praise Him! O praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

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Thou rushing wind that art so strong 

Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along, 

O praise Him!   Alleluia! 

Thou rushing morn in praise rejoice, 

Ye lights of evening find a voice, 

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Chorus

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Thou flowing water pure and clear 

Make music for Thy Lord to hear 

Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Thou fire so masterful and bright 

That givest man both warmth and light, 

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Chorus

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Let all things their Creator bless, 

And worship Him in humbleness. 

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son 

And praise the Spirit, Three in One 

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: St. Francis of Assisi, William H. Draper

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*Confession of Faith | Revelation 5:11-14

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

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11 I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and 

ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

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*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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Confession of Sin | Psalm 51:1-7

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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1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

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Assurance of Pardon | Ephesians 1:15-19 | 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.

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15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

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*Song of Response | Doxology

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

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Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

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Amen

Amen

Amen

Music and Lyrics: Thomas Ken

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Prayer of Thanksgiving | Colossians 1:9-12

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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9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

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Song of Thanks | How Sweet The Name

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

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How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds

In a believer’s ear!

It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.

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It makes the wounded spirit whole,

And calms the troubled breast;

Tis manna to the hungry soul,

And to the weary, rest.

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Dear Name, the rock on which I build,

My shield and hiding place,

My never failing treasury, filled

With boundless stores of grace!

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By Thee, my prayers acceptance gain,

Although with sin defiled;

Satan accuses me in vain,

And I am owned a child.

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Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,

My Prophet, Priest, and King,

My Lord, my life, my way, My end,

Accept the praise I bring.

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Weak is the effort of my heart,

And cold my warmest thought;

But when I see Thee as Thou art,

I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

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’Til then I would Thy love proclaim

With every fleeting breath,

And may the music of Thy name

Refresh my soul in death.

Music and Lyrics: Alexander Robert Reinagle, John Newton, Robert Critchley

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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 | Matthew 6:5-15 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

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5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

12 and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

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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. Blake Arnoult

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“On Praying”

Matthew: The Sermon on the Mount

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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 | Grace And Peace

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

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Grace and peace, oh how can this be

For lawbreakers and thieves, for the worthless, the least

You have said that our judgment is death

For all eternity without hope, without rest

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Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery

That Your grace has come to me

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Grace and peace, oh how can this be?

The matchless King of all paid the blood price for me

Slaughtered lamb, what atonement You bring!

The vilest sinner's heart can be cleansed, can be free

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Chorus

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Grace and peace, oh how can this be?

Let songs of gratefulness ever rise, never cease

Loved by God and called as a saint

My heart is satisfied in the riches of Christ

Chorus

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/Oh, what an amazing love I see, what an amazing love I see

That Your grace has come to me/

Music and Lyrics: Joel Sczebel

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Departing Song | Rock Of Ages

We begin to end in faith and song.

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Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save from wrath and make me pure.

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Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s commands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone,

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

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Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

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While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

Music and Lyrics: Augustus Montague Toplady, Thomas Hastings

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*Benediction | Ephesians 3:14-21 | 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.

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14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Bible Studies

Women’s Morning Study: Weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30am from August 23 - November 15 at the Wade home.

Men’s Morning Study: Monthly on the first Friday of each month, 7am at Bean and Bottle. 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 100. 

Women’s Evening Study: Monthly at 7pm on the first Thursday of each month at the home of Susan and Jeff Arnoult.

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Sunday School

Sunday mornings at 9am from October 15 - November 5!

Pre-K through 12th grades are invited to join us for Sunday school for the second half of our 8-week study in Eschatology! Children and youth will gather separately for age-appropriate lessons. 

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Adult Christmas Party

Sunday, December 3 at 7pm! 

Save the date for our adult Christmas party taking place on December 3 at the Plank home!

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Children’s and Youth Christmas Party

Sunday, December 10 at 11:30am!

Save the date for our children’s and youth Christmas Party taking place on December 10 at the Donovan home!

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