​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