​MUSICAL OFFERING
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
August  8th
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
         Session has voted to open the church during the week once again from
Monday- Thursday; 9:30-1:30 PM.
Aug 8th Session Meeting
Aug 11th Ladies Lunch Bunch
Aug 11th Bible Study 
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
 Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez,  Annette Conzett,  Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Amy Jacobs, Cornell Family two deaths in the past week, Bonnie Pillers, Pawlik Family in the loss of an infant, the Wynn family at the loss of Lamette, Mike Niles, Harlen Marx had a knee replacement and Tom Kelly who is recovering from surgery
 
PRELUDE
 
 
WORDS OF WORSHIP (From Proverbs 15)
     LEADER: A soft answer turns away wrath,
     Response: but a harsh word stirs up anger.
     L: The tongue of the wise dispenses wisdom,
     R: but the mouths of fools pours forth folly.
     L: The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
     R: Keeping watch on the evil and on the good.
     L: A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
     R: But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
     
 
GATHERING PRAYER (Unison)
      Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
*HYMN                 How Firm a Foundation                                                        No. 361
                       
 CONFESSION AND PARDON   (Unison)   
                 Almighty and all-holy Father, we confess ourselves unworthy of Your unspeakable love. We have not loved You as we ought, nor have we been loving toward each other. We have lived in selfishness and worldly pride. We have not used the good gifts that You have given us to relieve the burdens of others. We pray that You would forgive our offenses through the incarnate life and willing sacrifice of Your holy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
            Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of Your great mercy has promised to forgive sins to all those who with true faith and hearty repentance will receive us unto Himself, we now commit our future days to Your service in obedience to Your Law. Amen.
 
 
*ANTHEM:                 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
                                   The Wittenberg Choir – loaned by Jon Ryner                             
 
*THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
ITHE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
    
OFFERTORY PRAYER
      We have made an offering of our finest gifts unto Almighty God. Now, we pray, send to each of us the power of Your Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts, to hallow our gifts, and to perfect the offering of ourselves to You, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. Amen.
 
INTERLUDE
 
 Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
      Master, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight. You are our strength and redeemer to open our perceptions of Your holy intent through the Holy Bible. Enable us to bring home at least one holy thought through what we hear and receive today. Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
 
 Habakkuk 2: 1-4
2 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.  2 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald [may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it;  will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness --
 
Mark 4: 35-41
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
 
Galatians 3: 5-14
5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before   God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
 
 
 
SERMON                                   You Gotta Believe !!                                          
      Normally I say something like “welcome to the morning worship service of the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa.” However, this week my Facebook account that we use to do the broadcast has been hacked and I am unable to broadcast any more.  I am still Rev. Dr. Dale Dykstra, the interim minister here, and I have served the Presbyterian Church (USA) for 49 years in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa.
 
     We live in a time in our own country where one of the biggest questions we can ask is:                            WHAT CAN I BELIEVE??
     As proof of that assumption, let me remind you that we are all to wear masks to prevent COVID-----WELL, no, now we don’t have to wear masks if we are Vaccinated,  WELL, no, maybe it’s up to you whether to wear a mask or not-  WELL no, maybe we should all wear masks again, WELL, no,  you MUST wear A MASK TO GO TO WORK,  Well-----JUST WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE??
 
     Try something else – what do we believe about the classic figures of our nation’s history? Were Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and so many others really patriotic heroes---or we they evil slaveowners who profited greatly from subjecting other humans to indignities? Should their statue still stand, or be taken down in protest?
WHAT SHOULD WE BELIEVE about all this??
 
     Well, what about the Olympic champions? Is it good to cheer for our American athletes or should we scorn them as if believing in American exceptionalism was an evil to be avoided at all costs?? HERE WE GO AGAIN ,  WHAT SHOULD WE BELIEVE??
 
     Another question --- what about our police departments and law enforcement and courts? Are they good and necessary for our society or are the sworn enemy of certain groups of people? Is the policeman truly your friend as you were taught in school or are they your enemy. Should we cheer for them as they arrest wrongdoers---or should we feel sorry for the “victim” perpetrator? WHAT SHOULD WE BELIEVE??
 
     There are many other questions just like these in our society right now, but you get the point---
                                HOW CAN WE BE CERTIN ABOUT ANYTHING NOW??
 
     The immediate answer is that we cannot be certain about very much in our world. Belief becomes a choice—we choose what we shall believe. That choice is what we call FAITH. There are many paths to find faith, but we have chosen the way of the one true God and his Son, Jesus Christ. We have extremely strong reasons for doing so--like the unanimous witness of the Holy Bible to the truth we espouse;                                                                                  BUT AT ITS ROOT, IT IS STILL A CHOICE WE MAKE.
 
     We come from a long line of patriarchs, prophets, and heroes of the faith! I took you to a little-known prophet – Habakkuk. (probably known as a rare word with 3 “k’s” in it!) How many of you have even READ Habakkuk? It is only three pages long, you know! In his time, Israel was facing one of the worst crises in its history. A string of sinful kings had led the nation farther and farther away from the worship of the one true God and into following the idols of their neighboring nations.
 
      Poor Habakkuk!  God spoke to him a message that was terrible for his peoplhear. God was finished with protecting those He had called His chosen people and was raising up an enemy which had His blessing to defeat and scourge the Hebrew nation. It was the new upstart on the world stage at the time—Babylon. It had just defeated the former world power of Assyria and was bent upon world conquest and domination. Habakkuk repeats that God described them as a “bitter and hasty nation.”
They would have God’s permission to punish Israel, destroy Jerusalem, and take the Jewish people captive back to their capital city. Surely those who heard and believed his prophesy thought that this was the end.
 
                                                         NOT SO FAST!!
 
     Habakkuk’s prophesy said for them to believe in the one true God’s love for His chosen people even in this most desperate of times! The prophet declared that this was God’s [punishment for their sins and was fully deserved, BUT THAT GOD WOULD RESTORE them in time. Could anyone reasonably believe this as the Babylonian army was standing at their gates? HABAKKUK DECLARED “the righteous SHALL LIVE BY FAITH despite how bad things looked.
 
                                               AND HE WAS RIGHT!!
 
     God DID restore Israel – even within the lifetimes of some of the younger ones taken into captivity.
 
     I brought you to the New Testament story recalling the scene in the boat. These were experienced, seasoned fisherman who would know every aspect of the Sea of Galilee. They were out among other boats when the squall came up suddenly. They KNEW that they were in serious trouble as they started bailing out the water that was coming in faster than they could bail it back out. They were swamping and in real danger of sinking---and they were far from any shore! That’s what they KNEW.
 
       Jesus, when they woke Him, called for them to have faith in Him even in this extreme time.
 
                              AND HE QUIETED THE STORM WITH A WORD
 
      “Why are you afraid?  Have you no faith?” Believe in me no matter what the situation looks like. You may say in your mind- ok, Dyke, that’s all good back then, but our time is really in peril—that’s what we know for sure!
 
     Paul addresses this in Galatians “Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the Law, or by the hearing with faith?” He mentions the faith of Abraham who believed God for a son when he and Sarah were far too old for childbearing. They knew their age for sure! But God made a promise that he kept in the birth of Isaac NO MATTER THEIR AGE! Paul declared that “men of faith” (and ladies too!)  are the “children of Abraham BY FAITH.”
 
     He goes on to talk about the mystery of the Gentiles – whom he was sent by God to minister to them. Now, if the Jews knew ANYTHING for certain, they knew that the Gentiles were lost in the eyes of God for they opposed the Jews and weren’t even circumcised! But God did a new thing in redeeming Gentiles by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ rather than by obeying the rules of the Law of the Jews.
 
     I might point out that WE are most probably Gentiles (the perhaps is because some folks might have Jewish blood as well) That means that God REQUIRES us to have faith and believe Him more than any other factors indicate. I know this is hard to understand. It has been hard to accept in all the examples I have given and many, many more.
 
     The truth for us to believe from God is our Rock. “God so loved the world (US!) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, bu have everlasting life.” This world and its troubles and confusion is not our permanent home. Our guarantee of eternal blessed life COMES BY FAITH in the God and Savior we cannot see, but certainly know. He will lead us in right paths if we seek His Will. Amen.
 
Hymn                   My Hope Is Built                                                                                           379
 
                          
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in 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,
for ever. Amen.
 
Sending
 
 HYMN                                 My Faith Looks Up to Thee                                   No. 383                                             
 
                                                                                                                                                
                                             
  CHARGE & BLESSING
And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide within us, now and forever more.
 
POSTLUDE
*Stand as you are able.
 
 
 
 
 

​MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr. Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
         Session has voted to open the church during the week once again from
Monday- Thursday; 9:30-1:30 PM.
Aug  2nd Karla is out of the office
Aug 8th Session Meeting
Aug 11th Ladies Lunch Bunch
Aug 11th Bible Study
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
           Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez,  Annette Conzett,  Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Amy Jacobs, Cornell Family two deaths in the past week, Bonnie Pillers, Pawlik Family in the loss of an infant, the Wynn family at the loss of Lamette, Mike Niles, and Harlen Marx had a knee replacement
 
PRELUDE
 
WORDS OF WORSHIP  (from Psalm 145)
     LEADER: The Lord is gracious and merciful.
     Response: Slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.
     L: The Lord’s compassion is over all that He has made.
     R: All Your works shall give thanks to You, o Lord.
     L:  And all Your faithful shall bless You,
     R:  The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in His deeds.
 
GATHERING PRAYER (Unison)
      Eternal God, our Father, who is from everlasting; You have made us and not we ourselves. You have set us a hands breadth from You, so that we, Your children, may learn the ways of freedom and choose You with all of our hearts. Grant us now Your Holy Spirit so that we may worship You with gladness and become as little children before You. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
*HYMN                 Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah                                No. 281
                       
 CONFESSION AND PARDON   (Unison)   
           .      Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all mankind, we acknowledge and confess our manifold sins which we continuously do commit by thought, word, and deed. We do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry for these misdoings. It is painful for us to remember them before You. For the sake of Your dear Son, we ask You to have mercy upon us and forgive all that is past. Grant that we may hereafter serve and please You in newness of life. All to the honor and glory of Your name through Jesus Christ, our Master. Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
     Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in Your great mercy has promised the forgiveness of sins to all who truly repent and turn to Him in true faith, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to life eternal, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
*ANTHEM:  
 
THE ORDINATION TO THE RULING ELDERHOOD
 
*THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
ITHE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
     
OFFERTORY PRAYER
     Glory be to You, o God, for all Your goodness to us and to all mankind. We give thanks for the world in which You have placed us with all its wonder and beauty. We thank You for life and health, for food and clothing, for friends and homes and for Your care, which guards us always. For all these blessings, we return to You our best gifts, for they have all come from You. Amen
 
INTERLUDE
 
 Word
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
      Eternal God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden; cleanse now the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love and magnify Your Holy Word. Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Exodus 16:1-4
16 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
 
Exodus 16:9-15
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. 11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning, you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat
 
   John 6:25-35
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
 
Psalms 78:25-29
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.  26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow.  27 He rained meat down on them like dust,  birds like sand on the seashore.  28 He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents 29 They ate till they were gorged— he had given them what they craved..
 
 
SERMON                         Peace With God                                            
 
     We welcome you to our Facebook broadcast of the morning worship service of the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa. We recently adopted a new motto for our church that we think describes us very well. We are “The Stone Church with a Warm Heart.”
     I am Rev. Dr. Dale A. Dykstra and I have been privileged to serve as the interim minister at this church family for the past several months. I have served as a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister of Word and Sacrament for 49 years, serving in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Iowa.
 
    Today is a doubly special day in the ongoing life of our congregation. new are honored to conduct the service of ordination as a Ruling Elder of the Session for Tom Fullerton. We also celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion together. Speaking of Communion, we invite all of you who love Jesus, are sorry for your sins, and seek to walk in newness of life to join us as we receive the elements. Take time now to assemble a piece of bread (or cracker) and juice or wine to use as we partake together. The Lord will bless your elements at home as surely as He does ours here,
 
     Speaking of the Lord’s Supper, today’s sermon seeks to be following the importance of BREAD in the Holy Bible. Everyone has heard the old saying “Bread is the staff of life” and to many degrees it is really true! Go to any nation or even continent and you will find some sort of bread. It may be rice cakes in the Orient. It may be Tacos and other forms of corn meal in Latin America. Europeans and Americans prefer rye or wheat for their bread. African tastes gravitate toward yams, mashed beans, cassava, and millet.
 
     The point is that ALL cultures and societies determine that bread IS ESSENTIAL to promote health and life. I began our walk through Scripture with a return to Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel as slaves in Egypt. Life had been pretty much the same for nearly 400 years for them. After Joseph and his Pharaoh died, the Hebrew people were treated increasingly as slaves to be used in the massive building projects of the day.
 
​     A Pharaoh’s status was greatly enhanced by building a great temple or public building. To do that they needed a huge amount of forced labor. In the land of Goshen  and beyond these came to be the Jewish people.  God, through Moses and Aaron, led the Israelites out into the wilderness after sending 10 plagues upon the Egyptians.
 
     But soon, what did the children of Israel do after getting their freedom?
 
                                        THEY COMPLAINED!!
 
     They regretted leaving the “fleshpots” of Egypt and eating their fill of BREAD. They accused Moses of leading them out into the wilderness to starve to death! There were even some of the people who were willing to return to Egypt and their slavery—undoubtedly to be made even more severe—OVER BREAD!!
 
     God told Aaron and Moses that He would provide an abundance of bread for them and even send meat! We know the story of the Manna sent by God. It was a flaky substance that appeared on the rocks in the desert in the early morning—much the way dew appears here in our age. The Bible describes it “as fine as frost” on the ground. It tasted like wafers made with honey—a sweet treat to nourish God’s chosen people!
 
     There were rules about Manna. It was to be harvested every day early in the morning. There was a certain amount- an omer – that was to be gathered for each person. The people were charged to NOT try to keep it overnight for the next day because it would spoil and get wormy and foul. On Fridays, a double portion of Manna – 2 omers – was to be gathered. It would not spoil overnight like it did every other day. That would give the people food for the Sabbath when they were not allowed to do the work of harvesting.
 
     Predictably, the Bible records that some of the Hebrew people went about breaking every one of these directions –only to discover that the penalties God had declared came true!
 
     Most of us also miss the fact that God told Moses and Aaron that they would receive meat to eat. That very night a flock of quail flew into the camp in such numbers that they fairly COVERED the ground. They did not attempt to startle and fly away to escape the way that any other flock of birds would do.
 
     NOW HOW MANY FLOCKS OF BIRDS GO FLYING TOWARD PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT WILDERNESS? This was no natural phenomenon! God provided for Israel’s basic needs for BREAD and added blessings of meat for nutrients and balance. I also read to you from David’s Psalm 78 that celebrates God’s goodness of the Manna. Do you know what the word Manna actually MEANS in Hebrew? The Holy Bible gives us the translation – “What is it??”
 
      God is praised for sending “the bread of angels” to eat and even more for causing a southeast wind to blow the birds into camp. (Because of the earth’s rotation, the prevailing winds there are from the West!!!) The birds soaring on that wind “rained flesh upon them”. The Psalm tells us that they “ate and were well-filled. God not only gave them food, but BETTER food! The Godly food strengthened them MORE than the diet in Egypt would have done.
 
     You probably remember that soon after this the Hebrew children began to COMPLAIN again—this time over a lack of water---causing Moses to strike a rock with his staff----but that is another story for another day.
 
     I took you to the New Testament to the Gospel of John for the precious words about Jesus as “the living BREAD.” He had just performed the miracle of feeding 5000 men and their families with BREAD and fish from the little boy’s lunch on the day before. Understandably, the crowd followed Him wherever he went after that—a point that Jesus makes as He accuses them of being more interested in BREAD than in the words He spoke and the healings that He did.
 
      The crowd asked for yet another miracle to show that Jesus had the power of God. The crowd were the ones who raised the story of the Exodus and the Manna. The Lord responded that the olden days were completed and God had sent a NEW FOOD –the BREAD OF LIFE.
 
     He said, and I repeat today as we approach His Holy Table ,”whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” What happened then?
 
                      THE JEWS COMPLAINED AGAIN !!
 
     They could not understand the meaning when He said “I am the BREAD that came down from heaven.” He highlights the difference for us today – “I am the bread of life that came down from heaven. WHOEVER EATS OF THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER. “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. The one who eats this BREAD will live forever!”
 
As we approach the Table, BREAD is still the staff of life ---OF ETERNAL LIFE in Christ. Thanks be to God! Amen.
 
 
 
*Hymn                                     What a Friend           403
 
 
                          
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
      The Lord be with you.
      And also with you.
      Lift up your hearts.
      We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Holy God…we lift our hearts in joyful praise.
 
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.                                          Hymnal #581
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.
We praise you…together, we proclaim the mystery of our faith.
 
Dying, you destroyed our death; rising, you restored our life.                    Hymnal #582
 
Gracious God… all glory and honor are yours,
Almighty God, now and forever.  Amen.
 
SERVING OF THE ELEMENTS
 
 
 
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in 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,
for ever. Amen.
 
Sending
 
 
*HYMN                   Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoke                                No. 446
 
                                                                                                                                               
                                              
  CHARGE & BLESSING
And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide within us, now and forever more.
 
POSTLUDE
*Stand as you are able.
 
 
 
 
 

​MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr. Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
         Session has voted to open the church during the week once again from
Monday- Thursday; 9:30-1:30 PM.
July 28th Bible Study
Aug 8th Session Meeting
Aug 11th Ladies Lunch Bunch
Aug 11th Bible Study
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
     Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez,  Annette Conzett,  Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Amy Jacobs, Cornell Family two deaths in the past week, Bonnie Pillers, Pawlik Family in the loss of an infant, the Wynn family at the loss of Lamette, Mike Niles, Tom Kelly, and Harlen Marx had a knee replacement
 
PRELUDE
 
WORDS OF WORSHIP (from Psalm 46)
     LEADER: God is our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble.
     Response: Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth should change.
     L: Though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.
     R: Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble
     L:  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.
     R:  The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
 
 GATHERING PRAYER (Unison)
            Almighty God, from whom every good prayer comes and who pours out the Spirit of grace and supplication on all who desire them, deliver us from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind when we come near to You.  May we worship You in spirit and in truth with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
*HYMN                 Crown Him with Many Crowns                                           No. 151
                       
 CONFESSION AND PARDON   (Unison)   
                Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge and confess before You our sinful nature prone to evil and slothful in good with all of our offenses and shortcomings. You alone know how often we have sinned, in wandering from Your ways, in wasting Your gifts, and in forgetting Your love. May You, o Lord, have mercy upon us. We are ashamed and sorry for of our acts that have displeased You. Teach us to hate our errors and cleanse us from our secret faults according to the commandments of Jesus Christ, our Master. Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
Search us, o God, and test our hearts to see what faithfulness lies there towards You. Try us, and know our thoughts and desires. See if there be any wicked way in us. We implore You to lead us in the way everlasting. Amen.
 
*ANTHEM:  
 
*THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
ITHE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
    
OFFERTORY PRAYER
     O God, the Fountain of all good, we bring to You our gifts, according as You have prospered us. Enable us, with our earthly things to give You the love of our hearts and the service of our lives. Let Your favor and loving-kindness be upon us now and always, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
      Almighty God, who has placed into our ears the saving truth of Your Holy Bible, enlighten our minds to the full understanding of what we will hear spoken. May You deepen every serious impression, that we may be not only hearers of good words, but l do doers of good deeds, striving to lead blameless lives to the glory of Your Name. Amen.
 
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Isaiah 26: 1-4
26 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city;   God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. 2 Open the gates  that the righteous nation may enter,  the nation that keeps faith. 3 You will keep in perfect peace   those whose minds are steadfast,  because they trust in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
 
     Romans 5: 1-5
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us
 
     Colossians 3: 12-17
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
 
 
SERMON                         Peace With God                                            
 
      Boy! It is hard to believe that this is the last Sunday in the month of July already! Pretty soon our kids and grandkids will learn how to return to school again and all the Labor Day festivities will begin. Welcome to the Facebook broadcast of the First United Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa’s morning worship for July 25th.
 
     I am Rev. Dr. Dale Dykstra, the interim minister here for the past four months. We are busy seeking to re-grow this wonderful congregation! I have served for forty nine years as a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Iowa.
 
There are so many troubles and distresses in our world today. We are in the process of recovering from the global pandemic—though the Delta variant is stirring those fears again. The global situation seems to have our enemies strengthening and our allies in difficulties. All our personal information is more and more easily hacked; so that we have no peace about our privacy. Cities are dissolving with violence. There is rarely a day’s news broadcast without at least one shooting –usually more! Races are more at odds than during the past 50 years.
 
     What do we need? We need to find PEACE in all these situations. And people have chosen a large selection of options to find peace in their lives—mostly to their ruin. Far too many try to find peace in the use of marijuana and ever more strong drugs. This se4ems to help them find peace temporarily; but soon leads to dependence and addiction—certainly NOT makers of peace. Another addictive “solution” is in the consumption of alcohol to excess---and addiction.
 
     Others use physical discipline and exercise in pursuits like yoga. That can easily be related to meditation in some form or another. These are not as destructive as the chemical attempts at solution, but they lead people to withdraw from the existing world into their own thoughts and understandings.
 
     Withdrawal from society is tried as a possible solution, but it doesn’t make the world any more peaceful. This person simply IGNORES what is happening around them. It seems that everywhere we look, we, and our area, and our country need to find PEACE.
 
     Besides in the dictionary, where can we find or develop peace? I brought you to the prophesy of Isaiah in his 26th chapter. Now Isaiah lived during one of the most stressful and dangerous times in the history of Israel---when weak kings were making alliances with powerful enemies—especially Babylon. He saw the nation’s vulnerability as the consequence of its unrighteous living and disobedience to the laws of God.
 
       Though very unpopular in his day, his message proved to be the correct one as many Hebrews were taken back to Babylon as slaves after Jerusalem and all Israel was destroyed in battle. It is heart-rending still to read the book of Lamentations- written by Jeremiah-and some of the later-written psalms speaking of Israel weeping beside her destroyed city and  Temple.
 
      Isaiah offered an alternative for them—and for us. There is another way to live and to discover peace in our lives. “Those of a steadfast mind You keep in PEACE.” He declares that God will open his gates of heaven for those people in the nation that are righteous and keep the faith.He goes on to say “in the Lord you have an everlasting Rock.”  Here are the keys to finding and keeping the peace.
 
     Is it any wonder that America is finding less and less PEACE in our lives? God’s standard is KEEPING THE FAITH—yet we cannot pray or read the Bible in our schools. Children are forbidden to pray there as well. How are they to learn of the way of God’s righteousness? Perhaps by going to Sunday School and church the way we used to? Not the younger generations! They have children’s athletic contests or practices to go to instead. Perhaps they feel like they deserve a rest after a busy week of work?
hopelessly out of date. Athletes or performers are ridiculed if they declare their faith.  Is it any wonder that average citizens are shy about speaking about their faith and the principles of moral living it has taught them? In the interest of individual rights, no one has the right to criticize another person’s lack of peace or faith---that is their right to believe that way---EVEN IF IT WILL LEAD THEM TO HELL!!!
 
      Violence is becoming commonplace not only in the big cities, but in towns like Kewanee, Davenport, and Clinton! The Bible clearly says that God himself will “lay the city low” for its sinfulness. What can we do? Verse 7 starts Isaiah’s answer to the dilemmas of his day. “The way of righteousness is level. The path of the righteous is smooth.”
 
     We are called to be agents of righteous living in a rampantly sinful age and place. Can we, as a group of a few dozen change the whole world? OF COURSE NOT but we CAN change our part of the world. We can also influence others to stop sinful ways and encourage them to live in righteousness as well. As a result, “God will ordain PEACE for us. We can know that we are leading godly, moral lives and that we are seeking to expand that influence into our personal worlds.
 
     I took you into Chapter 5 of my favorite book of the Bible. Paul starts out saying “Since we are justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ. It will not be easy, folks. We are to trust in our salvation by the grace of God through faith. But hat will lead to suffering!
 
We don’t want to suffer being made fun of as being hopelessly old fashioned.
Having arguments with friends and even family- perhaps even losing our relationships with them.
Quite possibly, some of the people who disagree with us may be in a position to harm our careers or occupations!
 
     Paul says to “keep PEACE in our lives  and endure this suffering as we continue to witness to God’s goodness and mercy TO THOSE WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS. That produces people of character; which creates hope for us and our worl; and hope leads to PEACE.
 
     How do we do this?  The list is almost exhausting! Oyr lives are to be:
 
Compassionate: caring for the less fortunate
Kindly – not the kind with animals—but with PEOPLE
Humble – giving all of the credit for successes to God, not ourselves.
Meek – resisting opposition with gentleness
Patient – the most difficult of blessings, inmy opinion.
 
     We are to forgive one another—THAT will lead to inner PEACE. “Ane let the PEACE of Christ rule in your hearts –and be thnkful.
 
     We can do all this if we let the word of God dwell richly in our hearts. Read and get to know your Bible! Comfort and PEACE can be found there. “And whatever you do in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Amen.
 
 
 
 
Hymn                Near to the Heart of God                                                      No. 527
                    
                          
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in 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,
for ever. Amen.
 
Sending
 
 
*HYMN                                 I’ve Got Peace Like a River                           No. 368                                                                                                                                                 
                                             
  CHARGE & BLESSING
And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide within us, now and forever more.
 
POSTLUDE
*Stand as you are able.
 
 
 
 
 

​MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
         Session has voted to open the church during the week once again from
Monday- Thursday; 9:30-1:30 PM.
July 18th Congregational Meeting to re word By-laws
July 21st Mission and Outreach Meeting
July 21st Bible Study
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
     Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez, a person seeking a job, Annette Conzett, Jim Roling and family, Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Amy Jacobs, Cornell Family two deaths in the past week, Bonnie Pillers, Pawlik Family in the loss of an infant, people in Florida affected by the collapse building, the Wynn family at the loss of Lamette, Mike Niles, and Tom Kelly
 
PRELUDE
 
WORDS OF WORSHIP
      Leader: Have mercy on me, O God according to Thy steadfast love.
      Response: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse my sin.
      L: For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.
      R: Create in me a clean heart, o God
      L: Restore to me the joy of thy salvation
      R: and uphold me with a willing hand.
 
GATHERING PRAYER (Unison)
      Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being; whose face is hidden from us by our sins, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen
 
*HYMN                 There’s A Wideness In God’s Mercy                                   No. 298
                       
 CONFESSION AND PARDON   (Unison)   
           Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge and confess to You our sinful nature prone to evil and slothful in good. We bring you all our shortcomings and offenses. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from
Your ways, in wasting Your gifts, and in forgetting Your love. But you, o Lord, have mercy on us who are ashamed and sorry for all the ways we have displeased You.
Cleanse us from our secret faults and forgive our sins for the sake of Your dear son. Amen.
.
 
Assurance of Pardon
Almighty God, who freely pardons all who repent and turn to Him, now fulfill in every contrite heart the promise of redeeming grace; remitting all  our sins and cleansing us from an evil conscience, through the perfect sacrifice of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen
 
*ANTHEM:  
 Hold On Jesus Will Come
Crown Quartet coming to Clinton                  
 
*THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
ITHE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
    
OFFERTORY PRAYER
As you have freely given us every blessing, so accept these our sacrifices that we gladly give to Your service. All things come from You, and of Your own, we have returned our due portion. Bless what we give that it may enable Your Church to do great things in Your Name. Amen.
 
INTERLUDE
Word
 PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Master, may Your Gospel come into us, not only in word, but in power and the Holy Spirit with much assurance. We know and trust that, properly understood, every word of Your Holy Bible is true and useful for the guiding of our lives. Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
John 1: 9-18
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
 
    Romans 5: 6-11
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
 
    Romans 9: 14-18
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,  and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
 
  Ephesians 2: 1-10     
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  
 
SERMON                         Saved by Grace     
 
     Good morning! This is a very important day in the life of the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa. Today, following morning worship , we will have  Congregational Meeting to update our bylaws and elect some new officers.  This is the Facebook broadcast of our morning worship on July 11th.
 
     I am Rev. Rev Dr. Dale A Dykstra, the interim minister here and I have served the Presbyterian Church (USA) for 49 years in churches in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa.
 
     Some folks think there isn’t much of a difference between religions really. Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Shinto, Confucianism ---all of them want us to lead morel lives and respect whoever they call God.  There are others who agree with this sameness, but who reject all of it saying “It doesn't matter” they say.
 
      You probably presume (correctly) that I could not disagree with these people more! Jesus Christ was not just another holy man or prophet. He was
(and is) the very Son of God. Fully human but also fully divine. NO other religion claims their founder WAS GOD –let alone that He still is! Confucius – a very wise man-was very much in touch with nature. Mohammed was actually not very successful in his own day—being ostracized from his own country, though countless millions worship Allah now, Shintoists worship nature and are your model “tree huggers.”
 
      One of the most basic differences between religions is in their view of the nature of mankind.  All of the Eastern major religions hold that the goal of life is to become pure or good by renouncing evil deeds and thoughts –the perfection of man will lead to an internal blessing of some kind.
 
       Christianity cannot be more OPPOSITE for its understanding of the nature of man. We hold that God created man perfect, but that sin entered the world through the temptations of Satan. Our understanding is stated in Romans , chapter 3. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” We are all sinners by nature through the fall of original sin—but also the sins of our own lives.
 
     Other faiths – and philosophers – talk of “man’s inhumanity to man.” But we hold to man’s Inhumanity to OTHERS. Selfishness, pride, greed, all of these are universal!  Now this is a typically Jewish understanding! Their response to that sinfulness in the presence of God is to offer sacrifices as a “payment” for their offenses.
 
      Jesus came and upset this apple cart LITERALLY when he overturned the money changers tables in the Temple. He declared that God HATED their sacrifice of animals! He called upon the prophesy tht Amos declared – “I desired mercy and not sacrifice.” Jesus quoted that to the Pharisees who were in the business of conducting sacrifices. What did he mean? Jesus declares a new sacrifice. The very sacrifice of Jesus as being himself as the new sacrificial lamb. “whose blood takes away the sin of our lives.
 
     “To those who receive him , who believe in His name, he gave power to become children of God.” Now, many of us have been parents and we understand that children make mistakes and sometimes are willful, yet we forgive them and urge them to make a new start. This is called MERCY, or GRACE.
 
     Romans 9 tells us that “it depends not on human will, but on God  WHO SHOWS MERCY. Romans 5 says “For while were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly ---US! “God proves his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. “ This is even more than mercy –the mere acquittal of guilt. This is GRACE that declares THAT THE SIN IS gone.
 
      Some of you like my penchant for making complex ideas into anagrams that are much easier to remember. I want to give you another one – an anagram for Grace.
 
How do you spell grace?  C’mon 1, 2, 3,   G-R-A-C-E. thank you. Now here is what real grace in Christ means:
 
            GOD’S REDEMPTION AT CHRIST’S EXPENSE.
 
     He redeems us from our life of sin by His blood on the cross of Calvary! THAT is grace. Ephesians 2 declares :” You were dead through your sins in which you once lived following the course of this world. But God, rich in mercy, made us alive.
 
                                BY GRACE YOU ARE SAVED.
 
     Other religions stress doing good works as the way of salvation – but not us. We are forgiven of our sins and made whole to be able to stand in God’s judgement seat and be saved to enter heaven. “Go raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We are saved from what?? The punishment due us for our sins – that is what. They are erased from the divine record book.
 
     Because of Grace—do you know that when you are at God’s judgment throne and Satan or one of his demons bring up your mis-deeds and failures =- do you know what Jesus will say???
                                                      WHAT SINS?
 
     They are gone and you are forgiven. Enter into the joy of your creator!
                           
                                      WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE!!!        
 
*Hymn                           Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing                                 No. 356
                         
                          
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in 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,
for ever. Amen.
 
Sending
 
*HYMN                                Amazing Grace                                                  No. 280                                             
                                             
  CHARGE & BLESSING
And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide within us, now and forever more.
 
POSTLUDE
*Stand as you are able.

​ 
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
July 04, 2021
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                   
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
The office and the rest of the building remain closed, but you can contact Karla during her office hours.
July 4th Independence Day
July 7th Bible Study
July 11th Session
July 18th Congregational Meeting
July 21st Mission and Outreach Meeting
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
     Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez, a person seeking a job, Annette Conzett, Jim Roling and family,  , Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Amy Jacobs, Jeff Fish, Cornell Family two deaths in the past week, Bonnie Pillers, Pawlik Family in the loss of an infant, people in Florida effected by the collapse building, and the Wynn family at the loss of Lamette
 
PRELUDE
WORDS OF WORSHIP
      LEADER: Our heavenly Father, we worship and adore You.
     Response: We are Your children and we come to You this day.
     L: You are our guide, our Savior, and our friend.
     R: may the grace of our Lord Jesus be the joy of our salvation always.
     L: God be merciful to us and bless us.
     R: Show us the light of Your countenance and be merciful toward us.
 
GATHERING PRAYER
      Eternal and ever-blessed God, Lord of heaven and earth; we praise Your glorious majesty. Your wisdom is seen in all Your works. Your grace and truth are revealed in Jesus Christ, your Son. Your power and presence are blessed to us through the holy Spirit. We therefore adore Your holy name, o blessed Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.    
 
HYMN                                My Country, “Tis of Thee                                 No. 561
 
CONFESSION AND PARDON.
      O most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; who pardons everyone who truly repents of their sin and turns to You; we humbly confess our sins and implore Your mercy. We have not loved You with a pure heart fervently, nor our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justly, nor loved mercy, nor walked humbly with You, our God. Please have mercy upon us according to Your loving-kindness and blot out our sins. Amen.
 
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
     Almighty God, who freely pardons all who confess their sins and turn to You, now fulfill in every contrite heart the promise of redeeming grace. We pray that You would remit our sins and cleanse us from an evil conscience, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
ANTHEM                      More Than Just  Enough
                                         Hope College Chapel Choir
     
THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
THE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
    
OFFERTORY PRAYER
      O God, of whose bounty we have all received, we pray that You would accept this offering of Your people and so follow it with Your blessing that it may promote peace and good will among the people of our community, country, and world. May we advance the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
INTERLUDE
 
                                                    Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
      Heavenly Master, we have come to the place of the reading of Your Holy Word. May we quiet the concerns of our lives so that we are free to receive the blessings You seek to provide us. On this day of celebration for our land, may we direct our hearts and minds to hear Your instructions for living as a Godly citizen of a Godly country. Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
  Psalm 33: 12-22
 
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.13 From heaven the Lord looks down     and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— 15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.  17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.  18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,  on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine 20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
 
Mark 6: 1-6
 
1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
 
   Hebrews 11: 8-16
 
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
 
                                  
 
SERMON                                   “His Own Country”
                                          
     Welcome to the Fourth of July Independence Day morning worship service of the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa! May you all have a blessed and meaningful holiday and Lord’s Day!
 
     I am Rev. Dr. Dale A. Dykstra and on this past Friday, I celebrated my 49th anniversary of my ordination as a minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) after graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary. I have served a total of ten different congregations with a parish of four of them being my first call in Pennsylvania. I have also served in Illinois and now Iowa.
 
     I suppose you came today expecting to hear patriotic hymns (you will) and a sermon about how great our country is. Well, one out of two isn’t bad! You WILL hear about how great our country HAS been and how godly our country CAN be.
 
     The Bible lifts up God’s demands for all countries to be blessed –even including Israel – “the chosen people.” God absolutely DOES promise to bless nations who are faithful to Him and obey His commandments. Throughout Scripture there are times where people have been blessed for their faithfulness to God.  There are also times where God has sent prophets and preachers to warn wayward peoples of God’s upcoming judgements on the unfaithful.
 
     Our own nation is unique among all the people’s of the world because it was carefully crafted in a brand-new way. There were many patriots who met in Philadelphia for an entire hot and muggy summer to craft the principles and the procedures by which a free and independent people could govern themselves in ways designed to please our holy God.
 
     They were quite group –gentlemen farmers, land owners, merchants, former state politicians, and even one Presbyterian minister whose name was John Witherspoon. I have worshipped and sung in his Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. It would be a serious mistake –and I have actually heard this said by some authorities who should have known better –that the Continental Congress were all of one mind.
 
      HARDLY! There were Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Methodists, Puritans, Anabaptists and even a few Roman Catholics from South Caroline. There were also some pretty famous atheists represented! They came from the thirteen rather weak colonies loosely bound together by the Articles of Incorporation.
 
    Fortunately they kept journals of the proceedings of their deliberations. If you have read the journals, the discussions got very heated at times and positions were held passionately.
Large states vs small states; and how to represent them both in an equitable manner.
Slave owners and those opposed to slavery.
Strong central government vs a loose confederation.
Strong executive vs those who fear that one might return to being a king.
And many other debates.
 
     What unified them then? Their faith in God first and foremost. They were BELIEVERS. They also shared a Christian understanding of morality that was far more strict than ours is today. They also rebelled against Britain’s taxation and control – and eventually their military as well. (Or have you forgotten “redcoats?”) They cherished freedom from coercion and the right to self-determination. They also had an understanding that “we all stand together or we all fall together.” They had to work together just for their survival.
 
     Toward the end of June ---about this time of year -- most of the big choices and decisions ended in
 
                                              COMPROMISE
 
      That is something I wish our current politicians would understand. We would get a lot more done!
 
     The Biblical principles undergirded everything they did. They believed and defended the worth of every free man. They upheld the right to keep and bear arms. They established courts to ensure obedience to the laws.
 
     I go through all the American history for you because the faithful foundations of our country are VITAL. I added II Chronicles as a promise of God to Israel and any other country that is faithful to the one true God. “If my people, who are called by my Name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven AND I WILL HEAL THEIR LAND.”
 
     That is God’s promise. It is a covenant and we just had a whole sermon about covenants, didn’t we? It says that God will heal our badly divided LAND.
 
                                       IF We keep our part of the covenant.
 
Called by my name- we must claim our name as CHRISTIANS publicly and declare Him Lord and His will as supreme—even over the president or congress!
 
Humble themselves -not claim our power or wisdom is supreme, but openly seek God’s forgiveness of our sins and His grace.
 
Pray -how many times have you heard of this from me? We need to talk to God and listen to His answers as HE GUIDES OUR LAND.
 
Seek God’s face -we need to FACE God –not turn away to our own desires and devices.
 
Turn from our wicked ways -Repent and STOP the sins against God, then walk in newness of life.
 
     I also took you to Psalm 33. “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord. Our land is strained and stressed and we all would like it to be a happy place. This is how our country can regain happiness.
 
   
     Mark 6 shows that we are not the first nation WHO SHOULD HAVE BELIEVED, but did not. Jesus’ own hometown of Nazareth questioned the reality of His ministry. But Jesus still did works of healing there FOR PEOPLE OF FAITH! He will do the same for Christians in our country – even if the country strays away.
 
     We further need to remember that as much as we love, honor, and cherish America – THIS IS NOT OUR HOME!! God has prepared “a place for us”. Hebrews is crystal clear about our heavenly home. Jesus spoke of our “mansion” that awaits us.
 
     Abraham looked forward to a city that had foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Now, Abraham only lived in tents all his life, so we know he was looking forward to heaven!
 
     We need to serve as America’s Christians to make our land as godly as we can, but also prepare ourselves for the home that waits for us on high! Amen.
   
HYMN                        God of the Ages                                                         No. 262                            
                                
AFFIRMATION   Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
      The Lord be with you.
      And also with you.
      Lift up your hearts.
    We lift them to the Lord.
      Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
      It is right to give our thanks and praise.
      O Holy God…we lift our hearts in joyful praise.
 
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.                                          Hymnal #581
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.
 
 
We praise you…together, we proclaim the mystery of our faith.
 
Dying, you destroyed our death; rising, you restored our life.                    Hymnal #582
 
Gracious God… all glory and honor are yours,
Almighty God, now and forever.  Amen.
 
                                                                Sending
HYMN                               O Beautiful for Spacious Skies                              No. 564             
.
 
CHARGE & BLESSING
         And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, through Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide with us, this day and forevermore. Amen.
 
POSTLUDE

 SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
June 27th, 2021
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                   
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
The office and the rest of the building remain closed, but you can contact Karla during her office hours.
June 30th Bible Study
July 4th Independence Day
July 11th Session
July 18th Congregational Meeting
July 21st Mission and Outreach Meeting
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
     Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez, a person seeking a job, Annette Conzett, Jim Roling and family, Sara Feilmeier, Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Tom Kelly facing Surgery, Amy Jacobs, Jeff Fish, Cornell Family two deaths in the past week, Bonnie Pillers, Pawlik Family
 
PRELUDE
 
WORDS OF WORSHIP
     Leader: Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled.”
     Response: “You believe in God; believe also in me.”
     L: I go to prepare a place for you.”
     R: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again!
     L: I am the way, the truth, and the life.
     R: No one comes to the Father, but by me
 
.GATHERING PRAYER (Unison)
Jesus said, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.  O God, our heavenly Father, who has made known Your love in Jesus Christ and Your presence by Your Holy Spirit,; we praise You, we adore You, and we worship You, world without end. Amen.
 
*HYMN                                  Precious Lord                                                   No. 404                      
 
 
CONFESSION AND PARDON   (Unison) 
                Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts; cleanse us, we ask You from all our offenses and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires. We seek to draw near to You, confessing our sins, confiding in Your grace forever. Amen
 
Assurance of Pardon
     Almighty God, whose nature is to forgive sinners and ever to have compassion on them that turn to You, grant you perfect remission of all your sins and full assurance of pardon. May He strengthen and confirm you in all good works and bring you to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
     
*ANTHEM     
                          
*THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
THE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
 
OFFERTORY PRAYER
   .O giver of every good and perfect gift, we acknowledge Your bounty in these gifts which we now offer and dedicate unto You. We ask You to accept them and multiply them for the work of Your church and the spread of your kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
 INTERLUDE
 
                                                    Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
O Master, in a world with multiple voices always seeking to give direction and purpose to our lives, help us to focus today upon Your timeless voice of Truth in a world of confusion and sin. Amen.
 
​
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Psalm 130: 1-6
 
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.  5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.  6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
 
Matthew 17: 14-21
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”  17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.  19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ]
 
Mark 5: 21-43
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”  31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”  32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”  35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”  36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
 
SERMON               When Things Get Desperate 
 
    We come to the close of the first half of the year 2021 today! What a year-full of trouble and distress it has been in our land and in the world! Yet, the people of God gather in this place to thank God for His manifold blessings in the midst of all the struggle we have encountered. This is the Facebook broadcast of the morning worship service of the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa.
 
     I am Rev. Dr. Dale Dykstra, the interim minister here for the past 15 weeks. I have been a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for the past nearly 49 years, with July 2 being the anniversary of my ordination by the Presbytery of Chicago. I have served churches in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and now in Iowa.
 
     I have been blessed to be of service to many people over the years who have faced terrible situations and events in their lives. Just this very week I got a phone call from a woman I did not know.  She was a distraught great-grandma whose little great-grandson had passed away very soon after his birth.  I was priviledged to bring the comforting words of our Savior to her wounded heart. After the call, I recognized that she was one of the people that this sermon is pointed to. I contend that every one of us faces times in our lives that seem desperate; times of hopelessness.
 
     It seems that we all turn to our faith and our Church when we have encountered desperate times that seem totally beyond our control. We are pretty good at managing our lives through normal difficulties and stresses, but there are times beyond our capabilities.
 
     I took you to David once again in his famous Psalm 130. Do you recall much of David’s story? He was the shepherd’s youngest son. He was the smallest and weakest among a family of burly outdoorsmen, One day, the great judge Samuel came to their house because God had sent him there to anoint a new King for Israel.
After looking at all the other men, Samuel chose David. He faced overwhelming odds many times. The first one was a Philistine giant named Goliath—remember? There was NO WAY that a boy armed  with a slingshot he used to chase away predators from his sheep should have defeated a huge and strong man with armor, a sword, and a shield! BUT HE DID !! God blessed Israel and David with the victory.
 
     There were several stories about various enemy nations –like the Ammonites, the Edomites, the Philistines, the Moabites, and others—who came up against Israel. They usually had much larger armies than the Hebrews did. In that day and age before sophisticated weaponry and explosives; usually the LARGER army would win the battle. Often times the smaller army captain simply surrendered, rather than sustaining great losses in conflict. Yet David turned to God EVERY TIME and Israel was blessed.
 
     But there was one time where David got himself into terrible trouble! Remember Bathsheba? You know the story of his adultery- Even worse than taking her in sin—David sent her husband Uriah to his death in battle in order to cover up his own unfaithfulness. David was no longer God’s obedient servant – he became public enemy #1.
 
     That is why I took you to Psalm 130. It was written just after his sins were proclaimed publicly by the prophet Nathan. It answers a critical question that every one of us faces sometimes.
 
                                       WHAT DO I DO NOW??
 
     David says – and means – “out of the depths I cry to you, o Lord.” “If You should mark sin, who could stand?” David confessed his sin openly, brought the mistakes of his ways to God, and stopped his sin. The Psalm declares that David feels God’s forgiveness as he hopes for grace to continue life in obedience as he starts over.
     There are critical lessons here:
Realize your errors and sins
Confess them to God
Hope for grace and mercy from God.
Start fresh walking in newness of life
 
     I also took you to a story of two different people in desperate situations. There was a leader in the synagogue – a man of influence and power in the community – named Jairus. His twelve-year-ole daughter was at the point of death –the physicians could do no more for her. What could her desperate father do?
 
     He had heard about this miracle-worker named Jesus. He had created quite a stir when he cast demons out of a man in the neighboring town of Gergasa. It seemed that the demons went into a big herd of pigs and made them run pell-mell into the sea! Boy were the swineherds mad!! Yet the story caused Jairus to have hope that Jesus might be the only possible solution! He humbled himself (fell at his feet) and BEGGED Jesus to come and heal her.
 
     Here again, coming to Jesus in desperate times was the right answer!
 
     But Jesus wasn’t able to go to Jairus’ house directly. I read you the next story about the woman with a 12-year hemorrage! She done all the right things- gone to every doctor , gotten all their help – but to no avail. Here was a pitiful hopeless woman.  She had used up all her resources, and not received a healing. She was desperate, too!
 
     This lady could not address Jesus like Jairus did. She was a common woman without any “clout” like the cantor of the synagogue had. She tried to SNEAK a blessing. If she could just touch Jesus, her faith told her that would be enough to heal her---so she grabbed him as he went on his way to this very important journey to heal the little girl. Now, we all know that was not the right way to seek a rescue from despair!
 
                                      BUT IT WORKED!!!
 
She was healed! But she did not get away with stealing the blessing. Jesus felt the touch! His disciples didn’t understand his statement; thinking there was quite a crowd and of course somebody bumped him. Jesus said “No, I felt some healing power leave me- I need to know who touched me, and why! She had to admit her fraud to the Master.
 
              BUT HE SAID: “GO IN PEACE, YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL.”
 
      Back to Jairus. The girl dies!!!   Jairus’s helpers come running up, telling him not to bother Jesus, because IT IS TOO LATE. With her dead, there was nothing there for Him to do. But Jesus doesn’t let him give up. Professional mourners at the house certify that, yes, the girl was dead. They had seen a lot of people die AND THEY CERTINLY RECOGNIZED DEAD!
 
                                      BUT JESUS RAISED HER TO LIFE AGAIN!
   
Last of my examples of people in desperate situations is the man with the epileptic son. He had done everything he could to keep him safe. He even sought the healing power that Jesus had given to his disciples, but even they could not heal him. Jesus healed the boy by casting out the demon. When asked by his disciples, he said they couldn’t do it because of their “little faith”.
 
      There are many ways of getting into desperate times. Our world has had a huge one in the global pandemic we are all just emerging from. Some of the troubles are our own fault –like those of David. Others are beyond our control, like those of the father of the epileptic boy. Some are physical in nature, like the woman with blood. Other desperate times affect other people that we care for—like those of Jairus.
 
 
     The key point is that ALL of these examples of truly helpless predicaments were brought to the Lord Jesus Christ and
 
                                                  HE OVERCAME THEM!
 
Will God in Christ heal every situation? Of course not, but many times when we feel hopeless can be overcome with answered prayer to the Lord our God. Amen.
 
 
 
 
*Hymn                                There Is a Balm In Gilead                             No. 394                
           
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in 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,
for ever. Amen.
 
Sending
 
*HYMN                                Great Is Thy Faithfulness                                    No. 276                                             
 
 
  CHARGE & BLESSING
And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide within us, now and forever more.
 
POSTLUDE
*Stand as you are able.
 

​ 
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
June 20th, 2021
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
· Dr Dyke has started a Bible study on Wednesdays  at 3pm sign-up  sheet outside Pastor Study
 
Schedule reminders:
The office and the rest of the building remain closed, but you can contact Karla during her office hours.
June 20th Father’s Day
June 23rd Bible Study
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
     Family of Rose, Family of Chuck Thornton, Gary Iverson, all who are seeking Jesus, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Jack Braden, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Valerie Jerez, a person seeking a job, Annette Conzett, Jim Roling and family, Sara Feilmeier, Jackie with difficult pregnancy, Lois Seger, Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Clayton Mallory, Jane with upcoming knee surgery, Deb Weller death of father in-law and upcoming surgery, people of India, Tom Kelly facing Surgery, Amy Jacobs, Jeff Fish and Cornell Family two deaths in the past week
PRELUDE
WORDS OF WORSHIP (From Psalm 150)
     LEADER:  Praise the Lord!
     Response:   Praise God in His Sanctuary.
     L:  Praise Him in his mighty firmament!
     R: Praise Him for His mighty deeds.
     L: Praise Him according to His surpassing greatness!
     R:  Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
 
GATHERING PRAYER
          O God, whose chosen dwelling is the heart that longs for Your presence and humbly seeks Your face, we come to You at the beginning of the day as the light and warmth of the sun projects Your eternal glow. Strengthen every desire to improve our lives according to Your holy Will. We ask You to restore the joy of our salvation as we proclaim Your grace to our personal worlds. Amen.
 
HYMN                                  Immortal, Invisible                                               No. 263                      
 
CONFESSION AND PARDON.
     O most merciful God, Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who pardons all who truly repent and turn to You, we humbly confess our sins and implore Your mercy. We have not loved You with a pure heart nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We have not done justly, nor loved mercy and walked humbly with our God. Have mercy upon us according to Your loving-kindness. According to the multitude of Your mercies, blot out our sin. We ask You to create a clean heart within us, Lord. Amen.
 
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
       Almighty God, who doth freely pardon all who repent and turn toward You, now fulfill in every contrite heart the promise of redeeming grace. We will remit all our sins and cleanse us from an evil conscience, through the perfect sacrifice of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
 
ANTHEM                                 More Than Just Enough                
                                Hope College Chapel Chorus – loaned by Jon Ryner
 
THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
 
RECOGNITION OF FATHERS
 
THE OFFERING AND OFFERTORY
    
OFFERTORY PRAYER
       As King David wondered what he could offer to God that was worthy, so we, also, come with our best gifts and realize that they fall so far short of Your divine goodness toward us. Help us to see our financial gifts to Your church as the symbols they truly are; representing the gift of our lives in Your service. Amen.
 
INTERLUDE
 
                                                    Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
      Heavenly Father, we come to hear the divine Word from the Holy Bible. We know that we cannot approach Your gospel without receiving Your blessing. Open our ears and hearts to accept what you teach us, and put it into practice in our lives. Amen,
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
 
     Psalm 68: 1-6
May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.  2 May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire,    may the wicked perish before God.  3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.  4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,  is God in his holy dwelling.  6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
 
Matthew 10: 24-33
24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[a] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
 
Ephesians 4: 25- 5:2
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
 5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
 
 
SERMON                  The God Father
 
     Here we are at the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, Iowa again, and this is the Facebook broadcast of our Father’s Day morning worship. Now, ladies, remember that you had a special sermon for you on Mother’s Day just a month ago, so TODAY IS THE MEN’S TURN!  I am still Rev. Dr. Dale Dykstra, the interim minister here and a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for nearly 49 years. 10 churches have called me “Dr. Dyke” in Pennsylvania, Illinois and now Iowa.
     Well, I didn’t get through one paragraph without divulging the theme of today’s sermon. Jesus set it out in the Matthew 10 reading that I shared with you this morning. “ALL WHO ACKNOWLEDGE ME BEFORE MEN, WILL I ACKNOWLEDGE BEFORE MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN.”
 
     He called God “My Father”---since He was God’s holy Son. That statement led to the priests and the Pharisees calling Him a blasphemer—since that made him an equal with his Father God. Did you ever realize that we do the same thing? Haven’t you ever heard someone refer to a boy as “A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK?” – meaning that he took after His father enough to resemble him? This might be a physical resemblance, but more often it is a mannerism or behavior that calls the father to mind.
 
     Let’s go even further with this simile--- Jesus extended His sonship to us! He said “Our Father”---including ME- AND YOU!! as the children of God himself! Now, He COULD have and really SHOULD have said “My Father” as a true statement; whether mankind recognized it or not. But He did not. MEN—YOU HAVE THE VERY WORDS OF JESUS –YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD!!
 
    Now that is not a license or privilege to claim. NO, it is a relationship of dependance. We have known, or certainly heard of men who take advantage of their parent’s position, or wealth, or education. We may not know them, but there are sons who are SPOILED by their fathers into believing that the world OWES them honor or recognition just because of their birth. These are, without question, NOT our favorite people. Not “role model” material, I am afraid.
 
      I have mentioned that my youngest grandson is just over a year old, now. It was just a few months ago that he couldn’t MOVE! Not even roll over! Do you remember the days when you could put your baby down and know that HE COULDN’T MOVE?
He was totally dependent upon his mother (my daughter), his father, and family. PS, he is not only rolling over now, but walking, even running and CLIMBING now—putting him into some dangerous situations. Still dependent; but a different way!
 
      We are a lot like that. We are not able to lead the righteous life that would remind others of Jesus on our own---we need to DEPPEND upon the aid of our Almighty Father.  We can’t be independent….but we don’t have to be so! Our Father REALLY IS our father! We don’t need to be independent and strong by ourselves. It is OK to rely upon the holiness of God. HE can do what we cannot.
 
    In his fatherhood, David tells us in Psalm 68 that God is “the father of the fatherless and the protector of widows.” How bereft is the man who has not got a father! What does a fatherless man LOSE?
 
    Psalms tells us that the fatherless man loses PROTECTION. From the beginning to the bumps and bruises of childhood to the heartaches of youth, a father protects his children. So, God, OUR FATHER protects us from the very worst that Satan can do to us. His Holy Spirit is IN us, to warn us and to protect us. There is comfort knowing that we are protected from evil by a heavenly Father.
 
      Men, have you shared an experience that I know all-too-well?  There have been times in my life where I faced important choices and temptations and was poised to make what would have been the wrong choice. Suddenly, I had an uneasy feeling—one that I recognize now as the warning of the Holy Spirit—and paused and reconsidered in time to avoid a terrible outcome. God, My Father, was protecting me IN SPITE OF MYSELF.
 
      You are also Malnourished without a Father. He is there to provide for you—to nourish you. Every father wants to give “Good gifts” to his children as our Lord, himself, said. Fathers go out to labor so that they can provide for their children. Now God provides for us –His children. He provides for me.
 
       God provides ---PEACE– My own father was not one to express emotion; but one odd thing about my childhood was when I would do a “stupid kid thing” and get scraped or dented in some fall or disaster. I would go home and seek out my dad—rather than my more obviously loving mother –because of his big hand! He would put that hand on my back and rub and say “It will be all right”—and I knew that it WOULD be.
 
     God provides COURAGE.  I knew that my dad was brave, strong, and would certainly protect my mom and me. I knew that because I heard the stories of his service in the army in the South Pacific during World War II. In second grade I wanted to bring the ribbon for his Good Conduct Medal to school’s show and tell. I learned later how much that meant to him. I felt safe at home, though we certainly did not live in the best part of Chicago.
 
     God provides FORGIVENESS.  We only had one car, and Dad used it every day for work. Early in my teen years he was very clear that I would NOT drive the family car. I could drive when I could afford a car and insurance! I came home from college during my freshman year and after I got my license, and BEGGED Mom to get Dad to allow me to drive JUST ONCE with my friends. I am sure she had to really work hard to get him to allow it; but he did. Wouldn’t you know—while out, another car pulled right in front of me, and we hade a fender bender. Oh no! I knew Dad would kill me!
 
     I was afraid and parked the car about a block from in front of the house and walked home. I went to my room until supper, where we all ate together. After a time, I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and blurted out that I had an accident as careful as I tried to be! AND MY DAD STARTED LAUGHING! Huh???
     Mom explained—Where does your dad work? I answered “At the newspaper, why?” She said that Dad had seen the police report of my accident come through the ticker at work BEFORE I EVEN CAME HOME!  He was grateful I confessed—and he FORGAVE ME. I will never forget it.
 
     God provides LOVE.  Dad showed his great capacity for love as mom’s health declined. He took such good care of her!
 
      Fathers give their sons a NAME.  My initials are DAD and my son’s initials are DAD, and my grandson’s initials are DAD too! That was to honor both of my parents’s deceased fathers when I was born. I have told the story to my grandson and its special meaning as he goes to college.
 
     God calls us “Christians” which means “little Christs” –the diminutive of Christ our Lord. WE HAVE HIS NAME and all it represents. Men, make sure that people respect God’s name in you!
 
     Most obviously, God provides LIFE!  Matthew again relates “He who finds his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ’s sake will find it.” You were born in Christ in baptism and you live the life He gave you.
 
      God gives us His EXAMPLE. Remember when you tried to walk in Daddy’s shoes? CLOMP, CLOMP, CLOMP. Oops! Now move to Ephesians and St. Paul. He says ““Therefore, be imitators of God, as His beloved children.” How can we imitate one who is perfect, while we are so far from it?
       By loving others.
       By sharing and caring
       By living a straight life
       By confessing sin to God.
 
     No, we won’t be perfect like God—we can’t be! But we will be the best we can for him, ---and reflect Him in what we do, say, think, and say. We can make our Father PROUD! Do you remember a time Dad popped his britches because of you? My Seminary graduation and the ordination service in my home church in Chicago was when I saw the pride that my mom always told me was there.
 
    We can humbly and honestly MAKE GOD PROUD of us as his sons and we must do so while there is time.  Amen.
 
HYMN                                There’s a Wideness In God’s Mercy              No. 298                       
                                 “
   
*AFFIRMATION       Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical Version
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated on the right hand of the Father,
And 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.
 
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in 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,
for ever. Amen.
 
Sending
 
*HYMN                                Come, Thou Almighty King                               No. 139
 
 
  CHARGE & BLESSING
And now, may the grace, mercy, and peace which proceeds from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and into the Holy Spirit within us, rest and abide within us, now and forever more.
 
POSTLUDE
*Stand as you are able.