Service for the Lord’s Day TRINITY SUNDAY JUNE 7, 2020 GATHER IN GOD’S NAME This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS PRELUDE PREPARE TO WORSHIP (To be Read Silently) Holiness, Word, Power, you reveal yourself as one God in three persons, a mighty, creative, life-generating giver of blessing who invites your creation to join you. Catch us up in your love and lead us into your world to call others to follow you with singing and rejoicing, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. CONGREGATIONAL INTROIT (GTG 41) (Sung in Unison) O worship the King, all glorious above! O gratefully sing God’s power and God’s love: Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise. CALL TO WORSHIP My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all day long. I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God, I will praise your righteousness, yours alone. O God, even from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Let us worship God. HYMN (GTG 409) “God is Here!” (See Screen) PRAYER OF CONFESSION Lord of all, you ask us to follow you, and yet we fail to do that in so many ways. We deny when we should proclaim. We doubt when we should believe. We ignore when we should be right in the thick of things. We seek guarantees when we should trust. We hurt and hate when we should love and accept. We hope in possessions and wealth when we should be grateful for mercy and grace. Forgive us, Lord. Help us believe how you desire of us. Help us stay on a solid path. Help us focus on the good and holy. Help us to be faithful followers of the one who makes all things possible, our savior, Jesus Christ. Through him we pray. Amen. SILENT CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE OF PARDON God is Spirit, and those who worship God must worship in Spirit and in truth. God is love. Those who hate people they have seen cannot truthfully say they love God whom they have not seen. Let us humbly share the love of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in faith in him. Believe the gospel! In Christ we are free to live and love God and all people! Let us live in the freedom with which Christ has set us free, to love God and others! Amen. CONFESSION RESPONSE (GTG 187) (Sung in Unison) You have promised to receive us, poor and sinful though we be; You have mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse, and power to free. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, early let us turn to you. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, early let us turn to you. PASSING OF THE PEACE Our search for peace is not endless—we receive it as God’s gift in the love of Jesus Christ. The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all! And also with you! LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD SONG FOR ILLUMINATION (GTG 722) (Sung in Unison) O fill me with your fullness, Lord, Until my very heart o'erflow In kindling thought and glowing word, Your love to tell, your praise to show. FIRST READING Psalm 8 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God! SPECIAL MUSIC “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” Scriven/Converse Hers & Hymns Quartet CHILDREN’S MOMENT Donn Vangsnes PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION SECOND READING Matthew 28:16-20 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God! SERMON “All Nations” Rev. Mike Ulasewich AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The 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, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. HYMN (GTG 625) “How Great Thou Art” (See Screen) PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND 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 debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. GIVE THANKS FOR GOD’S GOODNESS PRESENTATION OF GOD’S TITHES AND OUR OFFERINGS OFFERTORY “Day by Day” Oscar Ahnfeldt; arr. by Greg Howlett * DOXOLOGY (Sung in Unison) Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; Amen. PRAYER OF DEDICATION The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper INVITATION TO THE TABLE GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise... COMMUNION HYMN (GTG, page 9) (Sung in Unison) Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full, Are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes In the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. BREAKING THE BREAD, LIFTING THE CUP AND THE COMMUNION OF GOD’S PEOPLE PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION GO OUT TO SHARE GOD’S GOOD NEWS CHARGE AND BLESSING BENEDICTION (GTG 41) (Sung in Unison) Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, In you do we trust, nor find you to fail; Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. POSTLUDE _______________________________________________________________________________________ TODAY’S SCRIPTURES: Trinity Sunday, Year A Psalm 8 (Stek) . David speaks out of his present experience of reality (perhaps on a bright clear night when the vast host of the heavenly lights, stretching from horizon to horizon, erased from his musings small everyday affairs and engaged his mind with deeper thoughts. .) Two matters especially impressed him: (1) the glory of God reflected in the starry heavens, and (2) the astonishing condescension of God to be mindful of puny man, to crown him with glory almost god-like and to grant him lordly power over his creatures. Matthew 28:16-30 (Long) The very fact that the task is impossible throws the disciples immediately onto the mercy and strength of God. The work of the church cannot be taken up unless it is true that “all authority” does not belong to the church or its resources but comes from God’s wild investment of God in Jesus and the Son and the willingness of the Son to be present always to the church in the spirit. ++++++++++++ John H. Stek is associate professor of Old Testament (emeritus), Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He wrote the introduction and notes for the Book of Psalms in the Concordia Self-Study Bible, New International Version, 1984. Thomas Grier Long is the Bandy Professor of Preaching Emeritus at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. His remarks on Matthew 28:16-30 may be found on page 306 in Daily Feast: Meditations from Feasting on the Word, Year A.the Mediterranean basin (2:8-11). PCUSA HIGHLIGHT & PRAYER Dr. Shane A. Berg: I have the great privilege of working with the faithful team of Princeton Seminary leaders who are designing and implementing our plan for social distancing as a tool to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As we carry out this work, we are well aware there is something both sad and ironic about intentionally creating “social distance” between the members of our community. We want to draw closer together, not push ourselves apart. Social distancing strikes us as deeply wrong; it feels antithetical to fostering Christian community. But it is our care and concern for others that motivates us. While it feels counterintuitive, social distancing is the best way for us to respond to Christ’s call to protect the “least of these” in the human family. Lord, allow us to be wise enough to know we can always learn from each other and to be humble enough to do so. Amen. Mission Yearbook, June 8 FERNCLIFF CAMP-IN-A-BOX This summer Ferncliff is offering an alternative to face-to-face programming that brings the fun of a camp or VBS program to your doorstep: it's Camp-in-a-Box! Camp-in-a-Box is a new program for 2020 that's designed for elementary-aged children, and provides five days' worth of activities that are screen-free, encourage outdoor activity, and minimize demands on parents. Each day has a Scripture, theme, and lots of fun activities, plus all the instructions and supplies campers will need. The Camp-in-a-Box curriculum is Deep Roots, New Leaves. In their week-long experience, campers will discover that God is always doing a new thing while continuing to provide stability and security.