PROVIDENCE CHURCH

     February 5, 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:   Psalm 1:1-3

Leader:  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Congregation:  but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

ALL:  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.

 

 

Songs of Praise:

All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown, Glenn Robertson, 1998; CCLI #2489542)

All who are thirsty, all who are weak

Come to the fountain, dip your heart in the stream of life

Let the pain and the sorrow be washed away

In the waves of his mercy, as deep cries out to deep

 

We sing, “Come, Lord Jesus, come; Come, Lord Jesus, come.”

(Repeat all)

 

“Holy Spirit, come; Holy Spirit, come.”

 

You Have Been Good (Twila Paris, 1988; CCLI #59452)

Oh Lord, You have been good

You have been faithful to all generations

Oh Lord, your steadfast love

and tender mercy have been our salvation

 

For by your hand (for by your hand)—

we have been fed (we have been fed),
And by your Spirit—

we have been led

 

Oh Lord, You have been good

You have been faithful to all generations

Oh Lord, your steadfast love

and tender mercy have been our salvation

 

For by your hand (for by your hand)—

we have been fed (we have been fed)
And by your Spirit—

we have been led

 

Oh Lord, Almighty God

Father unchanging, upright and holy

Oh Lord, you have been good

You have been faithful

You have been good

 

For by your hand (for by your hand)—

we have been fed (we have been fed)
And by your Spirit—

we have been led

 

Oh Lord, you have been good

You have been faithful, you have been good

You have been faithful, you have been good

You have been faithful, you have been good

 

What If? (Renee Allsbrook CCLI #7060313)

What if I lived this day as if You were strongest?

What if I gave away as if You had more?

What if I ate Your words as if they’d fill my hungry soul?

What if I heard Your footsteps nearing as I knocked on this door?

 

Chorus: Breathe in me reality, from heaven’s higher view.

Speak Your truth and stir in me an echo back to You.

 

What if I slowed my pace, and found You were speaking,

whispering, “Courage, child,” and “Come walk with Me.”?

What if my heart believed that every wrong would be made right?

What if I found Your yoke was easy, and Your burden truly light? (Chorus)

 

What if my pain and tears were part of a mystery,

calling my heart to draw closer to You?

What if from brokenness You composed songs of joy and praise,

lifting my temporary focus to an everlasting gaze? (Chorus)

Respond in Praise:

May the Mind of Christ My Savior (Kate Wilkinson, 1925; tune A. Cyril Barham-Gould, 1925)

May the mind of Christ my Savior

Live in me from day to day

By his love and power controlling

All I do and say

May the Word of God dwell richly

In my heart from hour to hour

So that all may see I triumph

Only through his power

 

May the peace of God my Father

Rule my life in everything

That I may be calm to comfort

Sick and sorrowing

 

May the peace of God my Father

Rule my life in everything

Him exalting, self abasing

This is victory

 

May his beauty rest upon me

As I seek the lost to win

And may they forget the channel

Seeing only him

 

Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead and buried;

He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand

of God the Father Almighty.

From there he will come to judge the living and 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

 

 

Scripture Reading:   Revelation 6

 

The Seven Seals

6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart[a] of wheat for a denarius,[b] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers[c] should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave[d] and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

 

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

Sermon:  “How Long O Lord?”           

                                                                                  

Communion Hymn

 

Behold the Lamb (Keith & Kristyn Getty)

Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away

Slain for us,

And we remember

The promise made that all who come in in faith

Find forgiveness at the cross.

So we share in this bread of life

And we drink of his sacrifice

As a sign of our bonds of peace,

Around the table of the King.

 

The body of our Savior Jesus Christ,

Torn for you,

Eat and remember

The wounds that heal,

The death that brings us life

Paid the price to make us one.

So we share in this bread of life

And we drink of his sacrifice

As a sign of our bonds of grace

Around the table of the King.

 

The blood that cleanses every stain of sin,

Shed for you,

Drink and remember

He drained death’s cup that all may enter in

To receive the life of God.

So we share in this bread of life

And we drink of his sacrifice

As a sign of our bonds of love

Around the table of the King.

 

And so with thankfulness and faith we rise

To respond,

And to remember

Our call to follow in the steps of Christ

As his body here on earth.

As we share in his sufferings,

We proclaim: Christ will come again!

And we’ll join in the feast of heav’n,

Around the table of the King.

 

 

Confession/Assurance    Select verses from 1 Corinthians 15

 

For this is what the Lord himself has said about his Table, and I Paul, have passed it on to you before: That on the night when Judas betrayed him, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks to God for it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and you that has been established and set in motion by my blood. Do this in remembrance of me whenever you drink it.”   For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are retelling the message of the Lord’s death, that he has died for you. Do this until he comes again.

 

So if any eat this bread and drink from this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, they are guilty of sin against the body and the blood of the Lord.   That is why each one should examine their heart carefully before eating the bread and drinking from the cup.    For if they eat the bread and drink from the cup unworthily, not thinking about the body of Christ and what it means, they are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon themself; trifling, as it were, with the death of Christ.    That is why many of you are weak and sick, and some have even died.

 

But if you carefully examine yourselves before eating you will not need to be judged and punished.   Yet, when we are judged and punished by the Lord, it is so that we will not be condemned with the rest of the world.    So, dear ones, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper—the communion service—wait upon each other.

​

Communion

 

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

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (Edward Mote, 1834; tune William Bradbury, 1863)

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

 

Chorus:

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

 

When darkness veils his lovely face,

I rest on his unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil. (Chorus)

 

His oath, his covenant, his blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay. (Chorus)

 

When he shall come with trumpet sound,

O may I then in him be found:

Dressed in his righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne. (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.

Installation/Ordination of Elders – Join us on Feb 12th for the installation/ordination of our new elders, Luke Allsbrook – Class of 2024, Sam Mitchell – Class of 2023, Jeffery Alt – Class of 2025

Church wide Baby Shower Pot Luck–   Join us Feb. 12th following Sunday School for a Church wide Potluck Luncheon to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Taylor Roberts. Please note that Taylor’s gender is still a surprise even to Mom and Dad!

Dessert and Beverages will be provided so bring a main dish, fruit/veggie, salad, etc. to share as we fellowship together. Christina and Will Roberts are registered at

babylist ( https://www.babylist.com/utyfcanyh) and

Buy Buy Baby ( https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/giftregistry/viewregistryguest/551733141).

 

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

For Mercy and Grace:  Bill Silverthorne, Robbie Hargrove