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.
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.
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