Lord’s Day Worship March 8, 2020 Second Sunday of Lent cpcburke.org WELCOME To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest; To all who mourn and long for comfort; To all who struggle and desire victory; To all who sin and need a Savior; To all who are strangers and want fellowship; To all who hunger and thirst after righteousness; and to whoever will come; This church welcomes you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. GATHERING OF GOD’S PEOPLE Prelude: “Lord from Sorrows Deep I Call” (Based upon Psalm 42) words and music by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell CALL TO WORSHIP: PSALM 95:6–7 Minister: Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! Church: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. HYMN OF ADORATION THE PRAYER OF ADORATION AND THE LORD’S PRAYER All: 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: NICENE CREED1 All: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who, for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets; And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 1 The Nicene Creed (AD 325 and AD 381) is one of the four ecumenical creeds accepted by Christian churches (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant) to define the essential teachings of the Bible. The Nicene Creed was adopted to affirm the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as co-equal and co-eternal persons inside the Trinity. OLD TESTAMENT READING: EXODUS 19:1–6 Minister: On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, Church: you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ PRAYER OF CONFESSION2 All: Father of mercy, You sent Christ to seek and save the lost. We confess that we stray from You, and we turn aside from Your way. We are misled by our hearts. We sometimes see ourselves as good when we are not. But when we see sin in our lives, we sometimes see ourselves as unloved and rejected, when we are not because your love is steadfast and unchanging. Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin. Return us to paths of righteousness through the power of Your Holy Spirit inside us. We ask in our Savior’s name, Amen. Adapted from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1946). ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 PETER 2:24 Minister: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 2 In our prayer of confession, we are honest with ourselves and each other about who God is and who we are, confessing to Him that He is holy, righteous, just, and loving; and that we are not; yet, we are trusting in His mercy and grace available in Jesus Christ. We then have the joy of hearing God’s Word say that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins when we confess (1 John 1:9). And we have the joy of responding in song. PSALM OF AFFIRMATION (VERSES 1–2, 6–7) GREET ONE ANOTHER As the Apostle Paul encouraged the churches in four different epistles, “Greet one another,” and introduce yourself to those whom you do not know (Romans 16:16, 1Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26). PRAYER OF INTERCESSION Christ intercedes for His church in prayer (John 17; Luke 23:34; Hebrews 7:25), and He gives His church the ministry of praying “with each other for each other” as well praying for the community in which our church is placed (1 Timothy 2:1–4). We also use this time to pray for the advancement of God’s kingdom in the world (Matthew 6:10). NEW TESTAMENT READING: 1 PETER 1:1–2 PREACHING OF GOD’S WORD A Message for Elect Exiles By Porter Harlow Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church Outline & Notes I. The Apostle Peter II. To Be Chosen III. To Be an Exile SACRAMENT OF THE LORD’S SUPPER The Lord Jesus Christ invites all of his followers to commune with Him at His table. If you have publicly professed your faith in Jesus Christ as your savior and come into His kingdom, then you are invited. The Lord’s Supper is a family meal. Each row will be invited to come together, put their hands out, and the pastor will put the bread in their hands. The group will partake together, then move to receive the cup. If you have children who are not yet communing members of a Christian church, you are invited to bring them with you so that our pastor may pray for them as members of the household of God. If you are not yet a follower of Christ, we are glad that you are here, but in 1 Corinthians 11 God’s Word says that you should not partake of this meal unless you become His follower. So instead, we invite you to remain in your seat during the meal. You could spend this time in quiet contemplation of what you have heard today. If you would like to become one of Christ’s followers and celebrate this meal with us in the future, please speak to the pastor after the service or send him a message during the week. Our pastor would love to hear your story. HYMN OF RESPONSE Prayer of Thanksgiving During our prayer of thanksgiving, we express our thankfulness for what the Lord has provided, and we ask him to use our tithes and offerings to advance his kingdom and provide for those in need. Our church has three opportunities to give: (1) over the internet, (2) the collection box on the back table, or (3) by mail. Please see the announcements page for details. HYMN OF THANKSGIVING BENEDICTION: EPHESIANS 3:20–21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. ANNOUNCEMENTS Giving. We do not take up a collection during worship. Instead, we may give our tithes & offerings in any one of the following three ways: • Internet. The link for electronic giving is available by clicking the box for “giving” at https://cpcburke.org/support or by going directly to the following link https://secure.subsplash.com/ui/access/DVJZPH. • Offering Box. The offering box is on the back table. Offering boxes were used in Old Testament synagogues, like the one in depicted in Luke 21:1–4, and they continued to be used in the first churches. During the Reformation, many churches recovered the tradition when they eliminated the offertory during the worship service and posted collection chests in their churches. With the increasing use of electronic giving, many churches are recovering the tradition again so that givers who want to give during worship may have the opportunity to place their gift in the box as the return to their seat after the Lord’s Supper or at any other time.