PROVIDENCE CHURCH

JANUARY 15, 2023

 

Welcome

Passing of the Peace: Though we are separated by distance our hearts are one in Christ. The peace of Christ be with you!  And also with you!

 

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise him all creatures here below,

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

 

 

 

Call to Worship:   Revelation 21:1-4

Leader:   Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

 

Congregation:  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 

Leader:   And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

 

ALL:  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

 

Songs of Praise:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Joachim Neander, 1680; transl. Catherine Winkworth, 1863)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;

Join me in glad adoration!

 

Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,

Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!

Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been

Granted in what he ordaineth?

 

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee!

Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;

Ponder anew what the Almighty will do,

If with his love he befriend thee.

 

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him!

Let the amen sound from his people again;

Gladly, fore’er we adore him.

 

You Are My All in All (Dennis Jernigan, 1991 CCLI #825356)

You are my strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek;

You are my all in all.

Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up, I’d be a fool.

You are my all in all.

 

Chorus: Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name!

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name!

 

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame, rising again, I bless Your name;

You are my all in all.

When I fall down You pick me up, when I am dry You fill my cup.

You are my all in all. (Chorus)

 

You are my strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek;

You are my all in all.

Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up, I’d be a fool.

You are my all in all. (Chorus 2X)

 

 

Is He Worthy (Andrew Peterson, Ben Shive  CCLI #7108951)

Do you feel the world is broken? We do.

Do you feel the shadows deepen? We do.

But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through? We do.

Do you wish that you could see it all made new? We do.

 

Is all Creation groaning? It is.

Is a new Creation coming? It is.

Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? It is.

Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? It is.

 

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

The Lion of Judah, who conquered the grave,

He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.

Is he worthy, is he worthy, of all blessing and honor and glory?

Is he worthy of this? He is.

 

Does the Father truly love us? He does.

Does the Spirit move among us? He does.

And does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those he loves? He does.

Does our God intend to dwell again with us? He does.

 

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

The Lion of Judah, who conquered the grave,

He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.

 

From every people and tribe, every nation and tongue,

He has made us a kingdom of priests to God to reign with his Son.

Is he worthy?

Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory?

Is he worthy? Is he worthy? Is he worthy of this?

He is!   

Is he worthy, is he worthy? He is!

 

 

Confession/Assurance    Psalm 103:1-5

 

Bless the Lord, my soul;

all my inmost being, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

Respond in Praise: 

 

This is My Father’s World (Maltbie Babcock, 1901; tune Franklin Sheppard, 1915)

This is my Father’s world, and to my list’ning ears,

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.

 

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world: he shines in all that’s fair;

In the rustling grass I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.

 

This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done;

Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heav’n be one.

 

 

Scripture Revelation 5

 

The Scroll and the Lamb

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.   And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”   And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.   And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.   And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.   And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

This is the Word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

 

Sermon “ The Lamb is Worthy”                                           

 

Hymn of Dedication

Be Enthroned

(Jeremy Riddle, Brian Mark Johnson, Hunter Thompson, Kalley Anne Heiligenthal, 2015 CCLI #7054178)

 

We’ve come to join the song
Sung long before our lives
To raise our voice along
Heaven and earth alike

 

We’ve seen Your faithful hand
Your mercy without end
A King who bled and died
A God who sacrificed

 

And be enthroned upon the praises of
A thousand generations
You are worthy, Lord of all
And unto You, the slain and risen King
We lift our voice with Heaven
Singing worthy, Lord of all

 

All through this life we lead
On to eternity
Our endless praise we cry
Jesus be glorified (2X)

Jesus be glorified

 

Be enthroned upon the praises of
A thousand generations
You are worthy, Lord of all
And unto You, the slain and risen King
We lift our voice with Heaven
Singing worthy, Lord of all (2X)

 

And highest praises, Lord of all
Highest praises, Lord of all (4X)

Be enthroned upon the praises of
A thousand generations
You are worthy, Lord of all
And unto You, the slain and risen King
We lift our voice with Heaven
Singing worthy, Lord of all

Singing worthy, Lord of all

Singing worthy, Lord of all

 

 

Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.  Amen

 

Hymn of Thanksgiving

Jesus Shall Reign (Isaac Watts, 1719; Chorus Keith & Kristyn Getty, Ed Cash, 2017)

Jesus shall reign where e’er the sun does His successive journeys run;

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

 

Blessings abound where e’er He reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains;

The weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed.

 

Chorus:

To our King be highest praise,

Rising through eternal days.

Just and faithful He shall reign:

Jesus shall reign!

 

Where He displays His healing power, Death and the curse are found no more.

In Him the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost.

 

People and realms of every tongue dwell on His love with sweetest song;

And infant voices shall proclaim their early praises to His name. (Chorus)

 

Let every creature rise and bring blessing and honor to our King;

Angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud Amen! (Chorus)

 

Benediction 

 

KNOW

Welcome to Providence Church! We are glad that you are here, joining us in person or via Zoom!.

Sunday School:   Adult and Youth Sunday School is at 11:15. Paula Rhodarmer will be teaching.   Will/Christina are leading a study in Exodus.  Children’s Sunday School – K-3 downstairs and 4-6 upstairs at the end of the hall.

Children of all ages are invited to participate in the entire service of worship.  Childcare for children up to 6 years of age, in our downstairs Christian Ed wing (on the left) at the end of the hallway.

Congregational Meeting:  TODAY a congregational meeting will be held immediately after the service to hear the report of the Nominating Committee, to vote on our slate of elders, to choose the 2023 Nominating Committee, to prayerfully receive the 2023 Budget, and to vote on the Terms of Call of Pastor Edward. We will also have a short meeting of the Corporation.

 

GROW

Women’s Prayer Group – 10:15am Tuesday mornings, contact Linda Roberts,  828) 506-3101

Men’s Prayer Group – 6:45am Thursday mornings, contact Sam Mitchell,        (828) 734-1392

 

GO

Prayer Requests   Please pray for Pastor Edward as he travels to Indonesia leaving on January 16 for a mission trip with our Presbytery.

For Mercy and Grace:  Bill Silverthorne, Robbie Hargrove