Sunday, September 10 2023

 

LOVELY LANE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

10:15 A.M.

* Stand as you are able

Organ Prelude

 

Welcome and Announcements     John Strawbridge, Lay Leader

 

Choral Introit     “Lord, We Come To Ask Your Blessing”     Landes

Lord, we come to ask your blessing

On the love that makes us one;

Here, as Christians, to acknowledge

You are Lord, and You alone.

Lord, we come to ask your blessing

In the presence of our friends:

Grant us joy that blesses others,

Grant us love that never ends.

*Call to Worship

L: Praise the Lord, O congregation of the faithful!

P: Let our voices rise like incense before the Almighty.

L: Sing to the Lord a new song, in the assembly of the saints!

P: Let our melodies exalt the Lord’s name with joyous hearts.

L: For the Lord takes pleasure in the people;

P: The Lord adorns the humble with salvation’s crown.

L: Let the high praises of God be in our mouths,

P: As we rejoice and glorify our Lord, our Savior!

L: Praise the Lord, O congregation of the faithful!

P: Let our voices rise like incense before the Almighty.

*Opening Hymn     “I Am Thine, O Lord”     UMH 419 (1-2; 4)

I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice, and it told thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee.

REFRAIN: Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine;

let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, and my will be lost in thine. REFRAIN.

There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross the narrow sea;

there are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest in peace with thee. REFRAIN.

Old Testament Lesson     Exodus 12:1-14     NRSV

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

The word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

 

 

Call to Confession

As we gather in worship today, we recall when God’s deliverance was celebrated through the Passover. Let this reminder of God’s mercy prompt us to examine our own lives and hearts. In humility, let us approach the throne of grace, confessing our sins before our loving and forgiving God.

 

Prayer of Confession

Almighty and merciful God, we come before you with open hearts, acknowledging our shortcomings and sins. Just as the Israelites were once in need of deliverance, we too stand in need of your saving grace. We confess the times we have strayed from your path, the moments we have acted without love, and the words we have spoken in haste. Forgive us, O Lord, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Grant us the strength to turn away from our sins and return to you with wholehearted devotion.

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the good news of our faith: God’s love and mercy are boundless. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. In His sacrificial love, we find assurance of forgiveness and reconciliation with our Heavenly Father. Know that you are forgiven, and your sins are remembered no more. In Christ, we are made new creations.

With hearts filled with gratitude, we give thanks for God’s unwavering love, for the hope that springs eternal, and for the promise of new beginnings. May our lives be a living testimony of Your grace, as we seek to walk in the path of righteousness You have laid before us. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Passing of the Peace

 

Sharing Joys and Concerns

Pastoral Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

 

Choral Response

I cast all my cares upon You

I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet

And anytime that I don’t know what to do

I will cast all my cares upon You

 

*Gospel Lesson     Matthew 18:15-20     NRSV

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

The Gospel of our Lord.  Praise be to You, O Christ.

 

Sermon      “Finding Redemption in Community”     Rev. Levon D. Sutton, Pastor

 

Invitation to Offering

 

Offertory

Day by day, day by day,
O, dear Lord, three things I pray:
to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly,
follow thee more nearly, day by day.

 

Offering Prayer

Heavenly God, as we come together in worship and fellowship, we offer our gifts with grateful hearts. We thank you for your abundant blessings in our lives. May our offerings be used to further your kingdom, bringing hope, love, and light to those in need. Bless the cheerful givers and multiply the impact of these contributions. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

*Closing Hymn     “Bind Us Together”     TFWS 2226

REFRAIN: Bind us together, Lord, Bind us together

with cords that cannot be broken

Bind us together, Lord, bind us together, Lord

Bind us together in love.

There is only one God,

There is only one King:

There is only one body,

That is why we sing. REFRAIN

 

*Benediction

May the God of reconciliation and forgiveness be with you as you journey together in community.

We go striving to live out the principles of Jesus of our Lord, with hearts open to healing and restoration, our words filled with love and grace, and our actions guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

May the bonds of unity grow stronger among you, and may you always seek to find redemption not only in your individual lives but also in the beautiful tapestry of your community.

And now, we go forth, remembering that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of us. May His presence be our strength, His love our motivation, and His peace our constant companion.

Go in the assurance that God’s grace is sufficient, and the Lord’s power is made perfect in weakness. Amen.

 

*Choral Benediction     “Go Ye, Go Ye, into the World”     Sleeth

Go ye, go ye into the world, and make disciples of all the nations,

Go ye, go ye into the world, and I will be with you there.

Go ye now and tell the story to all believers. Go ye now, and I will be with you there.

Ringing the Bicentennial Bell

 

 

Organ Postlude