Forcing God's Hands

Today’s guest speaker is Rev. Dave Mason.
 
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

PRELUDE                                
INTROIT                                CHOIR
ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP
LEADER:      Give credit to the Lord, O heavenly beings.
MEN:        Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
WOMEN:    Give credit to the Lord the glory of His name.
ALL:        Let us worship the Lord in Holy splendor.
LEADER:    The voice of the Lord is over the waters.
MEN:        The God of glory thunders.
WOMEN:    The voice of the Lord is powerful.
ALL:        The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.  Come, let us worship the Lord. - based on Psalm 29

INVOCATION                            Rev. Mason
        
HYMN    “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation”            Page 557

CALL OF CONFESSION:  We turn to God in prayer, In that Spirit, we offer this prayer of confession.                        

PRAYER OF CONFESSION: Searcher of hearts, You know us from the beginning. You see in us more good and beauty than we have dared to believe.  You beckon us to do more than we have dared to try.  Forever You call our names.  But we have filled our ears with the sounds of the world; we have timidly spoken of Your great love; we have doubted the gifts hidden within each of us, and so we don’t hear Your voice.  On this Sunday we remember the baptism of our Lord, help us to see how the Holy Spirit descends on us.  Give us the direction we need, and forgive us our hesitancy fo follow Your way.  
*Time of silent prayer.  Amen

ASSURANCE OF PARDON - Friends believe the Good News of the Gospel.  In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.  Thanks be to God!    

Passing the Peace
    L.  The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
    P.  And also, with you.

Response - Gloria Patri

CHILDREN’S MOMENT

ANTHEM                                    CHOIR

The Word of God

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE LESSON       Acts 8: 4 - 17

Philip in Samaria
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

L:  The Word of the Lord
P.  Thanks be to God!

SERMON:              “Forcing God’s Hands”

“Responding to the Word”

HYMN:          “Have Thine Own Way Lord”            Page 400            
APOSTLE’S CREED   (found inside the back cover of the hymnal)

Presentation of Tithes and Offering
OFFERTORY                                 CHOIR
DOXOLOGY     (Hymnal Page 382)  
PRAYER OF DEDICATION

CHURCH JOYS AND CONCERNS 

BIRTHDAYS        Christine Welling, Mary Ann Durila, Barb O’Hara
                    
ANNIVERSARIES      Kevin & Cathy Moore

JOYS AND CONCERNS -   Added to our prayer chain this week was Andrea Gregor, she is in a diabetic coma at Ruby Memorial.  

SYMPATHY        To the Family of Nancy Rhoades McDowell
            To the Family of Bob Sipes
            To the Family of Nancy Clutter Spenser
            To the Family of Elmer Doman

Continued prayers for Susan Schively, Melissa Pedigo, Aaron Blake, Chuck Dicks,  June and Keith McGill, Glenn Miles,  Roger Riggs, Tim Knabenshue, Frank Huffman, Nellie and Frank Baker, Michael Durila Sr., Justin Hagon, Tom Westfall, Mary Ann Durila, Elaine Belcastro, Lisa Marshall, Sandy Stone, Diane Bednarski, Matt Petrola, Ray Dyson, Diana Donaldson, Laura Davis, Nancy Hepinger, Betsy Martin, Ed Horne, Sarah Wilson, and Amy Wigner.  

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN   564    
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
“Holy, Holy, Holy”
     Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Hosts!
    Heaven and earth are full of Thee!
    Heaven and earth are praising Thee,
    O Lord Most High!
THE COMMUNION
THE RESPONSE - “Alleluia”
*HYMN      565        

BENEDICTION - God has called us by name, inviting us into new holy living in Jesus Christ.  We are a people of faith and of calling.  We have been baptized in Christ and now we are to share and live the Good News in all the world.  Go now from here with Christ.  Go into the world to live with Christ.  Amen 

POSTLUDE                                                 CHOIR

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We welcome all who have come to join us in the worship of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Please come again.  If you are visiting with us today, please let us know that we might welcome you into our church family.

Remember our Food Collection.  - And Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.”  Mark 6:37.  Please let Betty Fisher know if you are aware of anyone within the community that may be in need at this time.   Also remember our clothing collection for the City Mission. 

Envelopes for 2022 are in the vestibule.  There are names with new numbers.  We are using boxes from this past year, so we don’t need to buy new ones.  The DATES will be WRONG.  If you have any questions, please ask Garnet. 

Women’s Missionary Group will meet this Tuesday, January 11th at 9:30 AM.  We are hoping some new faces would like to join us. Maybe there has been some changes in your life that would enable you to come enjoy the fellowship and help our little group to grow active once again.  Hoping to see you there.