November 29, Peace be with you. John 20:19

W

orship

O

rder

November 29, 2020

The Welcome and Announcements The House of Prayer

“Peace be with you.”

John 20:19

The Word

The Call to Worship*

Leader: Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!

People: His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Leader: The Lord has made known his salvation;

he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

People: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

(Psalm 98:1-3)

The Hymn of Praise*

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (#194)

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here,

until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

in ancient times didst give the law in cloud and majesty and awe. [Refrain]

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny; from depths of hell thy people save, and give them vict'ry o'er the grave. [Refrain]

O come, thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight. [Refrain]

O come, thou Key of David, come and open wide our heav'nly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery. [Refrain]

The Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 40:27-41:4

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD,

and my right is disregarded by my God”?

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;

let the peoples renew their strength;

let them approach, then let them speak;

let us together draw near for judgment.

Who stirred up one from the east

whom victory meets at every step?

He gives up nations before him,

so that he tramples kings underfoot;

he makes them like dust with his sword,

like driven stubble with his bow.

He pursues them and passes on safely,

by paths his feet have not trod.

Who has performed and done this,

calling the generations from the beginning?

I, the LORD, the first,

and with the last; I am he.

Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.

The New Testament Lesson: Revelation 5:5-14

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living

creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Then 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, 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!”

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!”

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

Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.

The Gospel Hymn*

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (#197)

Comfort, comfort ye my people, speak ye peace, thus saith our God;

comfort those who sit in darkness, mourning 'neath their sorrow's load.

Speak ye to Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them;

tell her that her sins I cover, and her warfare now is over. Yea, her sins our God will pardon,

blotting out each dark misdeed; all that well deserved his anger

he no more will see or heed. She hath suffered many a day now her griefs have passed away; God will change her pining sadness

into ever-springing gladness. For the herald's voice is crying

in the desert far and near, bidding all men to repentance, since the kingdom now is here.

O that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way; let the valleys rise to meet him, and the hills bow down to greet him. Make ye straight what long was crooked,

make the rougher places plain; let your hearts be true and humble,

as befits his holy reign. For the glory of the Lord now o'er earth is shed abroad; and all flesh shall see the token,

The Prayers of the People

Leader: We are tempted to believe that you aren’t watching, O God, or that you have forgotten us.

People: Yet you tell us that you are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth who does not faint or grow weary.

Leader: You give power to the faint and weak.

People: Whether we are young or old, weak or strong, we know that our strength comes from you and not ourselves.

Leader: You raise up and bring down kings and rulers. There is no event in our lives that is beyond your grasp.

People: With You, O God, there are no accidents. You are the first, and you are the last. You are He.

(Leader continues in prayer)

The Shorter Catechism: Questions 33-35

Question 33: What is justification?

Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Question 34: What is adoption?

Answer: Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the Sons of God.

Question 35: What is sanctification?

Answer: Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace,

The Hymn of Preparation*

Of the Father’s Love Begotten (#162)

Of the Father's love begotten ere the worlds began to be, he is Alpha and Omega,

he the Source, the Ending he, of the things that are, that have been,

and that future years shall see, evermore and evermore! O that birth forever blessed, when the Virgin, full of grace,

by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race; and the babe, the world's Redeemer,

first revealed his sacred face, evermore and evermore!

This is he whom heav'n-taught singers sang of old with one accord, whom the Scriptures of the prophets

promised in their faithful word; now he shines, the long-expected;

let creation praise its Lord, evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heav'n, adore him; angel hosts, his praises sing; all dominions, bow before him,

and extol our God and King; let no tongue on earth be silent,

ev'ry voice in concert ring, evermore and evermore! Christ, to thee, with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,

hymn, and chant, and high thanksgiving, and unwearied praises be,

honor, glory, and dominion,

The Word Preached

Sermon Text: Galatians 4:21-5:1 Sermon Title: “For Freedom”

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do

you not listen to the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave

woman and one by a free woman.

23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh,

while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are

two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.

25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the

present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;

break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the

flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman

and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.”

31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free

woman.

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and

Sermon Outline

Main Point: Believers are children of the free woman and should live in that freedom.

Outline:

1. Listen to the Law

2. Listen to the Sons

3. Listen to the Inheritance

The Sacrament

Leader: Let us prepare to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s

Supper by confessing our sins and weakness and by confessing our faith with the church of all ages.

The Confession of Sin

[From Augustine's Confessions]

O Lord, all that we are is laid bare before You. What could be hidden within us, even if we were unwilling to confess it to You? We would be hiding You from ourselves, not ourselves from You. And we make our confession not in words and sounds made by the tongue alone, but with the voice of our soul and in our thoughts which cry aloud to You. When we are evil, making confession to You is simply to be displeased with ourselves. When we are good, making confession to You is simply to make no claim on our own behalf, for without You, O Lord, we can do nothing. And so we make confession to You of our many sins of thought, word, and deed. We love You and so we are ashamed of ourselves and cast ourselves aside and, once again, choose You and your will. Forgive us and help us to seek no pleasure for ourselves except that which is also pleasure for you.

The Assurance of Pardon

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The Confession of Faith

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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living 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.

The Mysterium Fidei

Leader: Therefore, let us proclaim the mystery of faith.

People: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!

Leader: Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People: Therefore, let us keep the feast.

Leader: The gifts of God for the people of God!

The Fencing of the Table

The Giving of the Bread and Cup

The Communion Hymn*

Admist Us Our Beloved Stands (#427)

Amidst us our Beloved stands, and bids us view his pierced hands; points to the wounded feet and side,

blest emblems of the Crucified. What food luxurious loads the board,

when athis table sits the Lord! The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,

when Jesus deigns the guests to meet! If now, with eyes defiled and dim, we see the signs, but see not him; O may his love the scales displace, and bid us see him face to face! O glorious Bridegroom of our hearts, your present smile a heav’n imparts!

O lift the veil, if veil there be, let every saint your glory see!

The Doxology*

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen.