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OPENING Song | Graves Into Gardens
Verse 1
I searched the world, but it couldn't fill me
Man's empty praise and treasures that fade
Are never enough
Then You came along and put me back together
And every desire is now satisfied here in Your love
Chorus
Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
Verse 2
I'm not afraid to show You my weakness
My failures and flaws
Lord, You've seen them all
And You still call me friend
'Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
And there's not a place
Your mercy and grace won't find me again
Bridge
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You're the only one who can
Bridge
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You're the only one who can
Brandon Lake | Chris Brown | Steven Furtick | Tiffany Hudson
© 2019 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
CCLI Song # 7138219 | License # 3056976
MORNING PRAYER
OPENING SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
ISAIAH 6:3
CONFESSION OF SIN
Dearly beloved, the Scriptures teach us to acknowledge our many sins and offenses, not concealing them from our heavenly Father, but confessing them with humble and obedient hearts that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.
We ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before Almighty God, but especially when we come together in his presence to give thanks for the great benefits we have received at his hands, to declare his most worthy praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things which are necessary for our life and our salvation. Therefore, draw near with me to the throne of heavenly grace.
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done;
and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare all those who confess their faults.
Restore all those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.
Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, desires not the death of sinners, but that they may turn from their wickedness and live. He has empowered and commanded his ministers to pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. He pardons and absolves all who truly repent and genuinely believe his holy Gospel. For this reason, we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that our present deeds may please him, and the rest of our lives may be pure and holy, and that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Lord, open our lips;
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise the Lord.
The Lord’s Name be praised.
VENITE | PSALM 95
O come, let us sing unto the Lord;
let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the depths of the earth,
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down,
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
PSALM 95:1-8
Psalm 92 (New Coverdale)
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,
and to sing praises unto your Name, O Most High,
To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning,
and of your faithfulness in the night season,
Upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the lute,
with the sound of melody upon the harp.
For you, Lord, have made me glad by your deeds,
and I will shout for joy because of your handiwork.
O Lord, how glorious are your works;
your thoughts are very deep.
The dull of heart does not consider this,
and a fool does not understand it:
Though the ungodly are as green as the grass,
and though all the workers of wickedness flourish,
they shall be destroyed for ever;
but you, Lord, are the Most High for evermore.
For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish,
and all the workers of wickedness shall be destroyed.
But my horn shall be exalted like the horns of wild bulls;
for I am anointed with fresh oil.
My eye also shall see its desire upon my enemies,
and my ear shall hear with joy the end of the wicked who rise up against me.
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
and shall spread abroad like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They also shall bring forth fruit in their old age,
and shall be green and full of sap,
That they may show how upright the Lord is,
my rock, in whom there is no unrighteousness.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
THE FIRST LESSON | Ezekiel 17:22-24 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”
This is the Word of The Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TE DEUM LAUDAMUS | We Praise You, O God
We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;
all creation worships you, the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all praise,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
govern and uphold them now and always.
Day by day we bless you;
we praise your Name for ever.
Keep us today, Lord, from all sin;
have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy,
for we have put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope;
let us never be put to shame.
THE SECOND LESSON | 2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-10 (ESV)
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened — not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the Word of The Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Benedictus | The Song of Zechariah
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
LUKE 1:68-79
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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.
Prayers & Collects
The Lord be with you;
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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 trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever. Amen.
O Lord, show Your mercy upon us;
And grant us Your salvation.
O Lord, guide those who govern us;
And lead us in the way of justice and truth.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
And let your people sing with joy.
O Lord, save Your people;
And bless Your inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord;
And defend us by your mighty power.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And take not your Holy Spirit from us.
The Collect of the Week | Second Sunday After Trinity
O Lord, from whom all good proceeds: Grant us the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may always think those things that are good, and by your merciful guidance may accomplish the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A COLLECT FOR PEACE
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A COLLECT FOR GRACE
O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Mission
Almighty and everlasting God, who alone works great marvels: Send down upon our clergy and the congregations committed to their charge the life-giving Spirit of your grace, shower them with the continual dew of your blessing, and ignite in them a zealous love of your Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE GOSPEL Lesson | MARK 4:26-34 (ESV)
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark, Chapter 4, beginning at the 26th verse.
Glory to you, O Lord.
And [Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON | Deacon Alan Arnold
OFFERTORY Hymn | Take my Life and Let It Be
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The Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him all creatures here below,
Praise him above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Concluding Prayers
A PRAYER OF GENERAL THANKSGIVING
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
A PRAYER OF St. John CHRYSOSTOM
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Let us bless The Lord.
Thanks be to God.
THE GRACE
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 CORINTHIANS 13:14
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Closing Song | Rise Up (Lazarus)
Verse 1
In the dark and all alone
Growing comfortable
Are you too scared to move
And walk out of this tomb?
Buried underneath the lies that you believed
Safe and sound, stuck in the ground
Too lost to be found
Pre-Chorus
You're just asleep
And it's time to leave
Chorus
Come on and rise up
Take a breath, you're alive now
Can't you hear the voice of Jesus calling us
Out from the grave like Lazarus?
You're brand new
The power of death couldn't hold you
Can't you hear the voice of Jesus calling us
Out of the grave like Lazarus?
Rise up, rise up, rise up
Out from the grave like Lazarus
Verse 2
When he said your name
The thing that filled your veins
Was more than blood
It's the kind of love that washes sin away
Now the door is open wide
And the stone's been rolled aside
The old is gone, the light has come so
Bridge
He's calling us to walk out of the dark
He's giving us new resurrected hearts
He's calling us to walk out of the dark
He's giving us new resurrected hearts
Ethan Hulse | Logan Cain | Madison Cain | Nick Schwarz | Taylor Cain
© All Essential Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
CCLI Song # 7146618 | License # 3056976
THE DISMISSAL
Now go in peace to love and serve The Lord.
Thanks be to God! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
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