First Presbyterian Church
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Founded 1792
-“For Christ in the Heart of Knoxville,”
the First Presbyterian Church seeks
! to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ
! to nurture those within its influence
! to serve spiritual and human needs
LEADERS IN WORSHIP
The Rev. Dr. Jeff McCrory Jr., Transitional Pastor The Rev. Meredith Loftis, Associate Pastor Mr. Mark Pace, Organist/Choirmaster/Harpist
ORDER OF WORSHIP
FOURTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST
JUNE 13, 2021
d THE PREPARATION OF GOD'S PEOPLE d
PRELUDE Aria John Dixon
WELCOME AND CONCERNS OF THE CONGREGATION
CALL TO WORSHIP Revelation 21
Leader: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more.
People: And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Leader: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
People: “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them, they will be his peoples.”
Leader: Love divine, all loves excelling, the Alpha and the Omega is calling us worship.
^ OPENING HYMN 366 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling Hyfrydol 1. Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion; pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation; enter every trembling heart.
2. Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit Iinto every troubled breast;
Let us all in thee inherit; Let us find the promised rest. Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its beginning, Set our hearts at liberty.
3. Come, Almighty, to deliver; Let us all thy life receive; Suddenly return, and never, Nevermore thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee without ceasing, Glory in thy perfect love.
4. Finish then thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see thy great salvation Perfectly restored in thee: Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise. ^ PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Breathe, Holy Spirit, into our troubled breasts; take away our love of sinning. We confess our lack of vision, our fear of embracing your Kingdom. We have dwelled too long in tears and weeping when joy is present; when you, Jesus, are in our midst. Finish in us the new creation that we might be pure and spotless, changed from glory to glory to praise you. (silent confession)
^ ASSURANCE OF PARDON
^ MUSICAL RESPONSE 580 Glory Be to the Father Gloria Patri Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
^ PASSING OF THE PEACE
Since God has forgiven us, we are free to forgive one another. You are invited to reach out to your neighbors with a smile or peace sign, or at home through phone calls, texts, faxes, carrier pigeons, or social media and greet each other with a virtual sign of Christ’s peace.
^ MUSICAL RESPONSE 378 We Wait the Peaceful Kingdom (verse 2) Merle’s Tune Where is the peaceful kingdom? When will this new day start? We long for peace and comfort to reign within each heart. Yet not in our lives only, nor simply in our home: we pray that all creation will one day find shalom.
d THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD'S WORD d
FIRST SCRIPTURE LESSON Rev 22:1-5 Bill Butler (see insert) SPECIAL TIME WITH YOUNG DISCIPLES
(Children aged 3 - 2nd grade are welcome to join Children’s Church)
SECOND SCRIPTURE LESSON Psalm 126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. 4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. 5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
SERMON Shouts of Joy Rev. Dr. Jeff McCrory, Jr.
d THE RESPONSE OF GOD'S PEOPLE d
^ AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Nicene Creed (see insert)
^ HYMN OF RESPONSE 375 Shall We Gather at the River Hanson Place 1. Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod, With its crystal tide forever Flowing by the throne of God? Refrain:
Yes, we’ll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river; Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.
2. On the margin of the river, Washing up its silver spray, We will walk and worship ever, All the happy golden day. (Refrain) 3. Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down; Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. (Refrain) 4. Soon we’ll reach the shining river;
Soon our pilgrimage will cease; Soon our happy hearts will quiver With the melody of peace. (Refrain)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER Rev. Meredith Loftis 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.
RECEPTION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
You may place your offering in the offering plates on the side aisles or you are invited to mail in your tithes and offerings to the church office or give online at www.fpcknox.org/donate. OFFERTORY ANTHEM When God Revealed His Gracious Name Supply Belcher
Setting of a metrical paraphrase by Isaac Watts of Psalm 126, to the tune “Conversion.”
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION Invitation
Prayer of Consecration Words of Institution
Distribution of the Elements Prayer of Thanksgiving
Communion Music
Come Down, O Love Divine Arr. Charles Callahan Rachel McCord, Violin
^ SENDING HYMN 80 You Shall Go Out with Joy The Trees of the Field You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth before you;
There'll be shouts of joy, and all the trees of the field will clap, will clap their hands. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands;
The trees of the field will clap their hands;
The trees of the field will clap their hands while you go out with joy. ^ CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Processional of Joy Hal H. Hopson
^- Please stand if you are able
The rose on the chancel is in honor of the birth of Endeavor Drake Monteen Fox, son of Ethan and Kelly Fox, born on June 2, 2021. Proud grandparents are Alvin and Marie Fox.
Scripture and Affirmation of Faith for June 13, 2021
FIRST SCRIPTURE LESSON Rev 22:1-5 Bill Butler Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of
the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any
more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4
they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more
night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
^ AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Nicene Creed
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 the 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 us men, and 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 sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped 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.
