Worship

Prelude: Karen Holl, Piano

Gathering Hymn: THINE IS THE GLORY (122) vs. 1,3

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship: (from Isaiah 26)

One: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

All: Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

One: The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.

All: Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

One: My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

All: Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

One: But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

All: Let us worship Him!

PRAISE THE LORD YE HEAVENS ADORE HIM

Scripture Lesson: Luke 13:10-17 (p.1033)

Prayer of Confession & Assurance of Pardon (The Leonine Sacramentary and Zephaniah 3:14-15)

All: Holy Father, we come before you with humble hearts, confessing our sins. We have chased after the vanities of the world and have wandered from our heart’s true home; and, forgetful of you, the living God, we have burned the incense of the soul before false gods that cannot deliver. Deal not with us as we deserve but pardon our foolish and perverse ways. Of your clemency wash us clean from all sin, for no adversity shall harm us if no wickedness has dominion over us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

One: Hear this assurance of pardon from Zephaniah 3:14-15. “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.” Friends, hear and believe the good news of the gospel.

All: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and made righteous!

 PRAISE HIM! PRAISE HIM!

Sermon: “The Practice of Sabbath”

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11 (p.74)

Prayers of the People & THE LORD’S PRAYER

Anthem: “O Rest in the Lord” (solo)

Closing Hymn: LORD DISMISS US WITH THY BLESSING (538)

Benediction

• What are your current Sabbath practices, if any? What, if anything, is the result of your current Sabbath practice? What is a reasonable next step you could take toward a better practice of the Sabbath? How would you gauge the success of any Sabbath practice?
• In Exodus 20:8 we are told to “Remember the Sabbath day…” while in Deuteronomy 5:12 we are told to “Observe the Sabbath day…” Practically what is the difference between these two and how can you improve at doing both?
• How can you keep the Sabbath “holy?” Where and how does worship factor into keeping the Sabbath holy?
• Practically how can you not work nor cause others to work on the Sabbath?
• How can you practice Sabbath in a way that sets people, including ourselves, free? How does justice factor into the practice of Sabbath?