10/23/2022
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.
· Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Masks are required by those not vaccinated as well as social distancing
· 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
PRAYER REQUESTS
Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston has been moved into a Hospice unit, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Kay Werner, Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Bonnie Pillers , Deb Weller, The Wagner family as they morn the loss of Karen (Knight) Wagner this week .
* PSALTER Psalm 65, NLT
What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers.
All of us must come to you.
Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.
What joy for those you choose to bring near,
those who live in your holy courts.
What festivities await us inside your holy Temple.
You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth,
even those who sail on distant seas.
You formed the mountains by your power
and armed yourself with mighty strength.
You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves
and silenced the shouting of the nations.
Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.
You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile.
The river of God has plenty of water;
it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so.
You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.
You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.
The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!
*HYMN Oh God of Earth and Space #274
(You may be seated.)
CALL TO CONFESSION Luke 18:9-14, GW
9 Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that God approved of them while they looked down on everyone else. 10 He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’
13 “But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Let us spend a few moments in honest silent confession, humbling ourselves before the Lord our God.
(Pray silently.)
WORDS OF ASSURANCE Luke 14:11, NLT
Jesus said, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” If we humble ourselves with honest confession, Jesus is the one who will lift us up. Through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!
SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579
PASSING THE PEACE
(Please greet those around you as we all say these words in unison.)
May the peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
INTERLUDE
Word
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Almighty God, as we receive your Word, may our hearts and minds be open to receive a rich blessing and produce a bountiful harvest of spiritual fruit. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Joel 2:23-32, NIV
23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--
the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm--
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON 2 Timothy 4:6-8, NCV
6 My life is being given as an offering to God, and the time has come for me to leave this life. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now, a crown is being held for me—a crown for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give the crown to me on that day—not only to me but to all those who have waited with love for him to come again.
SERMON A Plentiful Harvest
One of the things I enjoy in the autumn is driving through the countryside to see the changes in crops as they approach time for harvest. Serving in rural churches made me aware of how many color changes soybeans go through, and it was fun to guess when that shade was dark enough for harvest. I’ve also ridden along on a combine harvesting soybeans, and the sound is fun as they kick up into the machine.
Whether we live in the countryside or in town, we might hope for a plentiful harvest. My dad was disappointed he didn’t get many tomatoes this year. He had plans for canning. If there’s a shortage of certain crops, be they grain or vegetables or fruit, we might experience that difference later at the grocery store. Even the rabbits in my yard might be disappointed that I had the tall grass cut down, because it won’t be sticking above the snow for them to nibble as they did last year.
The psalm we read as we began worship today reminds us that it is God who enriches the soil and waters it well to sustain the growth for a plentiful harvest. Animals as well as humans depend on that harvest to get through the coming year. Most cultures throughout time and many nations today have some sort of harvest festival that gives thanks for what our Creator provides.
Our Old Testament Lesson today came from the prophet Joel. We read from Joel on Ash Wednesday and Pentecost traditionally, but have you ever taken the time to explore this book of the Bible? Let me give you some background.
Joel speaks to the southern kingdom of Judah at a time when swarms of locusts have devoured everything. It brings to mind locusts as one of the plagues in Egypt at the time of Moses. From that standpoint it was seen as a warning from God that people needed to change their ways. In the case of Egypt, it warned that Pharoah should let the Hebrews leave. In Joel’s time, it was that the people had wandered too far from God’s ways and needed to turn back to God. The swarm of locusts could also figuratively represent the invading Babylonian armies, because that fits the timing of Joel’s prophecy.
The first section of Chapter 2 is that call to repentance. It begins with the reading often read on Ash Wednesday calling us into the season of repentance known as Lent.
“Blow the horn in Zion; give a shout on my holy mountain!
Let all the people of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is near—2 a day of darkness and no light,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread out upon the mountains,
a great and powerful army comes,
unlike any that has ever come before them,
or will come after them in centuries ahead….
12 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts,
with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow;
13 tear your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate,
very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.
14 Who knows whether he will have a change of heart
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?”
(Joel 2:1-2, 12-14, CEB)
What follows then in the section we read from Chapter 2 is the promise God makes to those who do change their ways, change their hearts and lives as the CEB usually translates the word repent. Those promises reverse the devastation wrought by the locusts, and to the exiles it also promises an eventual reversal of the devastation caused by the Babylonians. It echoes the same themes as later chapters in Isaiah or other prophetic promises.
Those promises include an abundant harvest. The rains will come. The grain will grow, and the vines will bear fruit; wine and oil will overflow.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--
the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
(Joel 2:25-26)
This is followed by the promises we read on Pentecost, the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on God’s people without regard to gender or age. Just as soil needs to be prepared with nutrients, aeration, and water, seeds planted, cultivated, and tended before there can be a harvest, so too our inner spirit and minds need preparation to reap a spiritual harvest that will bring joy to the Lord, to those around us and even to ourselves.
We know that spiritual preparation comes through many spiritual disciplines for us individually: through worship, Bible Study, devotions, prayer, and also through giving and serving. As a congregation in the Body of Christ those disciplines are equally important to do together and to that we add Christian fellowship as well as witness and outreach in our community. Just as God has gifted individuals with unique talents to share, so God has blessed each congregation with resources and abilities to serve others. God’s work takes place within the church walls and among congregants as preparation, but the harvest comes when we go beyond the walls into the community to offer what God has given us to our neighbors and friends and others in need. Every person and every congregation has something to offer that someone else needs.
One contemporary commentator on Joel looks ahead to what this prophecy will mean on Pentecost:
Joel prophesies the inauguration of the age of the church—a time when all people everywhere can call on the name of the Lord, be saved from their sins, and become participants in the kingdom of God. Through the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit, the church becomes the body of Christ in the world. The redemptive purposes of God are therefore extended and made available through every Spirit-filled believer.
That’s what God asks of us, to be Spirit-filled believers fulfilling God’s purposes in the world. We are the workers sent out to plant seeds, to cultivate and tend to others with a growing faith, to become mature believers who work toward the harvest of new believers.
I invite you to share with each other how you came to believe. Someone told you or taught you about God and Jesus. Someone was an example to you of what it means to be a Christian. Hopefully that was a positive example! The Holy Spirit worked through all that, and you became part of one season of harvest as a new believer.
Now ask yourself who has God put in your path that you can nurture in the faith. Who needs help or encouragement? Who needs to know a little bit more about our God? Ask the Holy Spirit how best to reach that person and for the courage to do it. It may be as simple as a message or a card with a verse of scripture. It may be asking if you can pray for them or maybe even saying “I believe God can get you through this.” The choices that person makes are between them and God. Your only job is to be obedient to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and faithful to God as you plant seeds, water, and nurture them. May you reap a rich spiritual harvest as individuals and a bountiful harvest as a congregation in the community.
*HYMN Let All Things Now Living #554
(You may be seated.)
PASTORAL PRAYER
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
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, now and forever. Amen.
OFFERING OUR LIVES
God who blesses us with all that is good, receive the lives we offer in return for the life you have given us. May we be a plentiful harvest of blessings to honor and serve you. Amen.
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
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 into hell. On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come 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 life everlasting. Amen.
*HYMN As Those of Old Their First Fruits Brought #414
Sending Forth
*CHARGE & BLESSING
POSTLUDE
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.
· Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Masks are required by those not vaccinated as well as social distancing
· 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
PRAYER REQUESTS
Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston has been moved into a Hospice unit, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Kay Werner, Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Bonnie Pillers , Deb Weller, The Wagner family as they morn the loss of Karen (Knight) Wagner this week .
* PSALTER Psalm 65, NLT
What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers.
All of us must come to you.
Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.
What joy for those you choose to bring near,
those who live in your holy courts.
What festivities await us inside your holy Temple.
You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth,
even those who sail on distant seas.
You formed the mountains by your power
and armed yourself with mighty strength.
You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves
and silenced the shouting of the nations.
Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.
You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile.
The river of God has plenty of water;
it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so.
You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.
You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.
The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!
*HYMN Oh God of Earth and Space #274
(You may be seated.)
CALL TO CONFESSION Luke 18:9-14, GW
9 Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that God approved of them while they looked down on everyone else. 10 He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’
13 “But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Let us spend a few moments in honest silent confession, humbling ourselves before the Lord our God.
(Pray silently.)
WORDS OF ASSURANCE Luke 14:11, NLT
Jesus said, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” If we humble ourselves with honest confession, Jesus is the one who will lift us up. Through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!
SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579
PASSING THE PEACE
(Please greet those around you as we all say these words in unison.)
May the peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
INTERLUDE
Word
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Almighty God, as we receive your Word, may our hearts and minds be open to receive a rich blessing and produce a bountiful harvest of spiritual fruit. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Joel 2:23-32, NIV
23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--
the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm--
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON 2 Timothy 4:6-8, NCV
6 My life is being given as an offering to God, and the time has come for me to leave this life. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now, a crown is being held for me—a crown for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give the crown to me on that day—not only to me but to all those who have waited with love for him to come again.
SERMON A Plentiful Harvest
One of the things I enjoy in the autumn is driving through the countryside to see the changes in crops as they approach time for harvest. Serving in rural churches made me aware of how many color changes soybeans go through, and it was fun to guess when that shade was dark enough for harvest. I’ve also ridden along on a combine harvesting soybeans, and the sound is fun as they kick up into the machine.
Whether we live in the countryside or in town, we might hope for a plentiful harvest. My dad was disappointed he didn’t get many tomatoes this year. He had plans for canning. If there’s a shortage of certain crops, be they grain or vegetables or fruit, we might experience that difference later at the grocery store. Even the rabbits in my yard might be disappointed that I had the tall grass cut down, because it won’t be sticking above the snow for them to nibble as they did last year.
The psalm we read as we began worship today reminds us that it is God who enriches the soil and waters it well to sustain the growth for a plentiful harvest. Animals as well as humans depend on that harvest to get through the coming year. Most cultures throughout time and many nations today have some sort of harvest festival that gives thanks for what our Creator provides.
Our Old Testament Lesson today came from the prophet Joel. We read from Joel on Ash Wednesday and Pentecost traditionally, but have you ever taken the time to explore this book of the Bible? Let me give you some background.
Joel speaks to the southern kingdom of Judah at a time when swarms of locusts have devoured everything. It brings to mind locusts as one of the plagues in Egypt at the time of Moses. From that standpoint it was seen as a warning from God that people needed to change their ways. In the case of Egypt, it warned that Pharoah should let the Hebrews leave. In Joel’s time, it was that the people had wandered too far from God’s ways and needed to turn back to God. The swarm of locusts could also figuratively represent the invading Babylonian armies, because that fits the timing of Joel’s prophecy.
The first section of Chapter 2 is that call to repentance. It begins with the reading often read on Ash Wednesday calling us into the season of repentance known as Lent.
“Blow the horn in Zion; give a shout on my holy mountain!
Let all the people of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is near—2 a day of darkness and no light,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread out upon the mountains,
a great and powerful army comes,
unlike any that has ever come before them,
or will come after them in centuries ahead….
12 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts,
with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow;
13 tear your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate,
very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.
14 Who knows whether he will have a change of heart
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?”
(Joel 2:1-2, 12-14, CEB)
What follows then in the section we read from Chapter 2 is the promise God makes to those who do change their ways, change their hearts and lives as the CEB usually translates the word repent. Those promises reverse the devastation wrought by the locusts, and to the exiles it also promises an eventual reversal of the devastation caused by the Babylonians. It echoes the same themes as later chapters in Isaiah or other prophetic promises.
Those promises include an abundant harvest. The rains will come. The grain will grow, and the vines will bear fruit; wine and oil will overflow.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--
the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
(Joel 2:25-26)
This is followed by the promises we read on Pentecost, the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on God’s people without regard to gender or age. Just as soil needs to be prepared with nutrients, aeration, and water, seeds planted, cultivated, and tended before there can be a harvest, so too our inner spirit and minds need preparation to reap a spiritual harvest that will bring joy to the Lord, to those around us and even to ourselves.
We know that spiritual preparation comes through many spiritual disciplines for us individually: through worship, Bible Study, devotions, prayer, and also through giving and serving. As a congregation in the Body of Christ those disciplines are equally important to do together and to that we add Christian fellowship as well as witness and outreach in our community. Just as God has gifted individuals with unique talents to share, so God has blessed each congregation with resources and abilities to serve others. God’s work takes place within the church walls and among congregants as preparation, but the harvest comes when we go beyond the walls into the community to offer what God has given us to our neighbors and friends and others in need. Every person and every congregation has something to offer that someone else needs.
One contemporary commentator on Joel looks ahead to what this prophecy will mean on Pentecost:
Joel prophesies the inauguration of the age of the church—a time when all people everywhere can call on the name of the Lord, be saved from their sins, and become participants in the kingdom of God. Through the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit, the church becomes the body of Christ in the world. The redemptive purposes of God are therefore extended and made available through every Spirit-filled believer.
That’s what God asks of us, to be Spirit-filled believers fulfilling God’s purposes in the world. We are the workers sent out to plant seeds, to cultivate and tend to others with a growing faith, to become mature believers who work toward the harvest of new believers.
I invite you to share with each other how you came to believe. Someone told you or taught you about God and Jesus. Someone was an example to you of what it means to be a Christian. Hopefully that was a positive example! The Holy Spirit worked through all that, and you became part of one season of harvest as a new believer.
Now ask yourself who has God put in your path that you can nurture in the faith. Who needs help or encouragement? Who needs to know a little bit more about our God? Ask the Holy Spirit how best to reach that person and for the courage to do it. It may be as simple as a message or a card with a verse of scripture. It may be asking if you can pray for them or maybe even saying “I believe God can get you through this.” The choices that person makes are between them and God. Your only job is to be obedient to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and faithful to God as you plant seeds, water, and nurture them. May you reap a rich spiritual harvest as individuals and a bountiful harvest as a congregation in the community.
*HYMN Let All Things Now Living #554
(You may be seated.)
PASTORAL PRAYER
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
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, now and forever. Amen.
OFFERING OUR LIVES
God who blesses us with all that is good, receive the lives we offer in return for the life you have given us. May we be a plentiful harvest of blessings to honor and serve you. Amen.
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
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 into hell. On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come 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 life everlasting. Amen.
*HYMN As Those of Old Their First Fruits Brought #414
Sending Forth
*CHARGE & BLESSING
POSTLUDE
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
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