Worship Service for September 25, 2022, at 11 AM

Welcome

Opening Song:  Father Abraham

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s just praise the Lord

Right arm

left arm

right foot

left foot

Chin up

turn around

sit down

Invocation

Confession and Forgiveness:

P: Come into the presence of the Lord our God.

C: Have mercy, O Lord. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand; but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(a time of silence to reflect and personally confess our sins)

P: I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Let us confess our sin before the Lord. Let us confess together.

C: Heavenly Father, we confess that we are sinners.  We have sinned against you and our neighbors. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your punishment.  For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name.  Amen.

P: The Lord is gracious and merciful. He promises to forgive our sins. Therefore, upon this, your confession, as a called and ordained servant of the Lord, in the stead and by the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

Song of Praise and Thanksgiving – By Grace I’m Saved

Verse 1:
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless;
My soul, believe and doubt it not.
Why stagger at this word of promise?
Has Scripture ever falsehood taught?
No! Then this word must true remain;
By grace, you too will life obtain.

Verse 3:
By grace God’s Son, our only Savior,
Came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of your own merit,
That Jesus died your soul to win?
No, it was grace, and grace alone,
That brought Him from His heav’nly throne.

Verse 4:
By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying;
In Jesus’ promise I rejoice;
For though I know my heart’s condition,
I also know my Savior’s voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown,
Since I am saved by grace alone.

Epistle Reading – Galatians 3:5-9

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading – John 8:56-59

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise be to You, o Christ.

Children’s Message

Sermon Hymn – Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

Verse 1:
Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found Was blind but now I see

Verse 2:
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed!

Chorus:
My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.
My God, My Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood his mercy reigns.
Unending love, amazing grace

Verse 3:
The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures.

Chorus x 2

Verse 4:
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below, Will be forever mine…
Will be forever mine… You are forever mine.

Sermon – “Navigating the Plan”

Genesis 12:1-5a, 13:14-18

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,..

…The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

Prayers: Text in prayer requests to (813) 602-1104

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 Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God
the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

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; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass 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 and ever.  Amen

Words of Institution

Peace

P: The peace of the Lord be with you all.
C: And also, with you.
P: We greet each other in the peace of Christ.

Distribution

Prayer

Benediction

Closing Song – I Will Follow

Intro Chorus:
Where You go, I’ll go Where You stay, I’ll stay
When You move, I’ll move I will follow…

Verse 1:
All Your ways are good All Your ways are sure
I will trust in You alone
Higher than my sight High above my life
I will trust in You alone

Chorus:
Where You go, I’ll go Where You stay, I’ll stay
When You move, I’ll move I will follow You
Who You love, I’ll love How You serve I’ll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow You, Yeah.
I will follow You

Verse 2:
Light unto the world Light unto my life
I will live for You alone
You’re the one I seek Knowing I will find
All I need in You alone, in You alone

Chorus

Bridge:
In You there’s life everlasting
In You there’s freedom for my soul
In You there’s joy, unending joy
and I will follow

Chorus 2x

Offering

Upcoming Events

Today, 1:30 pm, Greek Restaurant, and Arcade
Location – The Limani Restaurant and Replay Museum

September 29, 7 pm, Grow Watch Party
Zoom

Oct 2, 11 am – Everybody Come to Church for Pictures Sunday
Song and Dance