PROVIDENCE CHURCH

      March 20, 2022

 

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 4:8-11

Leader:  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

Congregation:  “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’  who was, and is, and is to come.”

Leader:  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever.

Congregation:  They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

ALL:  “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

 

 

Songs of Praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Reginald Heber, 1800; tune John Dykes, 1861)

1.Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

 

2.Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

Who wert , and art, and evermore shalt be.

 

3.Holy, holy, holy! Through the darkness hide thee,

Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,

Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,

Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

 

4.Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

 

God of Wonders (Marc Byrd & Steve Hindalong, 2000  CCLI #3118757)

Lord of all creation, of water, earth and sky,

The heavens are your tabernacle; glory to the Lord on high.

 

Chorus:

God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy.

The universe declares your majesty, you are holy, holy…

Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of heaven and earth,

 

Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth,

Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth,

Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth!

 

Early in the morning, I will celebrate the light,

And as II stumble in the darkness, I will call your name by night. (Chorus)

 

Awake My Soul (A Thousand Tongues) 

(Jonas Myrin, Laura Story, Matt Redman, Matt Maher  CCLI #7053752)

 

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.

 

A thousand songs are not enough to say how great You are:

The glories of your Majesty, the triumphs of your love.

 

Chorus:

Awake my soul, to sing the glories of my God and King!

Arise and praise the One worthy of the songs of a thousand tongues.

 

Your name, Lord Jesus, casts out fear, and bids our sorrows cease;

It’s music in the sinner’s ear, it’s life, and health and peace.

 

You break the power of all our sin, You set the captive free,

You make the broken heart rejoice; new life the dead receive. (Chorus)

 

Forever you are…

Forever you are worthy.

Forever you are…

Forever you are worthy.

Forever you are…

Forever you are worthy.

Forever you are…

Chorus:

Awake my soul, to sing the glories of my God and King!

Arise and praise the One worthy of the songs of a thousand tongues (Repeat)

Tag:  You are worthy of the songs of a thousand tongues.

 

Confession/Assurance    Psalm 139

 

You have searched me, Lord,

    and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

    you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue

    you, Lord, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before,

    and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain.

 

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

    and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;

    the night will shine like the day,

    for darkness is as light to you.

 

13 For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand–

   

When All Your Mercies, O My God (Joseph Addison, 1712)

When all your mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys,

transported with the view, I’m lost in wonder, love and praise.

 

Unnumbered comforts to my soul your tender care bestowed,

before my infant heart conceived from whom those comforts flowed.

 

When worn with sickness, oft have you with health renewed my face;

and when in sins and sorrows sunk, revived my soul with grace.

 

Ten thousand, thousand precious gifts my daily thanks employ;

nor is the least a cheerful heart that tastes those gifts with joy.

 

Through every period of my life your goodness I’ll pursue;

And after death, in distant worlds, the glorious theme renew.

 

Scripture Reading:    Matthew 20: 17-28

 

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

 

A Mother’s Request

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[a] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[b] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

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

Sermon:  “ Becoming the Least”                                                                                                    

 

Hymn of Dedication

 

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God (Keith Getty, Stuart Townend  CCLI #4779872)

Holy Spirit, living breath of God, breathe new life into my willing soul.

Breathe the presence of the Risen Lord to renew my heart and make me whole.

Cause your word to come alive in me;

Give me faith for what I cannot see,

Give me passion for your purity,

Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.

 

Holy Spirit, come abide within, may your joy be seen in all I do;

Love enough to cover every sin, in each thought and deed and attitude.

Kindness to the greatest and the least,

Gentleness that sows the path of peace,

Turn my striving into works of grace,

Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.

 

Holy Spirit, from Creation’s birth, giving life to all that God has made,

Show your power once again on earth, cause your Church to hunger for your ways.

Let the fragrance of our prayers arise,

Lead us on the road to sacrifice,

That in unity the face of Christ

will be clear for all the world to see.

 

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)

1.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.

 

2.Blessings abound where e’er He reigns; the pris’ner 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!

 

3.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.

 

4.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)

 

5.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!.

POTLUCK APRIL 3RD:  On Sunday, April 3 we’re planning a potluck for the whole church after the morning worship service. It’s been way too long since we have done this. So everyone get ready, prepare and bring your best-tasting Chili! If you would like to bring Chili and be a part of the competition that’s great! Otherwise, bring a beverage or a side dish- or just bring yourself! There will be plenty. Note, we will not be having Sunday School that day.

Brief Congregational Mtg:  Also on April 3, the Session is convening a short congregational meeting in the Fellowship Hall. Here’s the background. This year the general assembly of the EPC is approving a new presbytery (a local geographical association of EPC congregations) right here in Western North Carolina. This new Presbytery of the Central Carolinas (PCC) is right in our backyard. Presently we are in the Presbytery of the Southeast (POSE), with outlying churches spread an 8-hour drive due west and 8-hours due south.  Providence is on the extreme eastern boundary of POSE. There are about 35 churches in this large area. Three times a year your pastor and two elders serve as commissioners to attend, participate and serve on committees. So there is a fair amount of driving. After prayerful consideration, your session endorses to you, our members, that Providence be released from POSE and transferred to PCC. That would place us just 30-40 minutes from 7 EPC congregations and the farthest church would be Charlotte.

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.

Nursery Worker Needed –     Providence is looking to hire a part time nursery worker for each Sunday from 9:45 to 12noon.  Please contact Edward Brouwer 828-550-4615, or Linda Wilson, 901-230-7178, providencechurchassistant@gmail.com, if you are interested or know of anyone that might be.  Also, please be in prayer that God will guide this process. Thank you!

 

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GROW

 

Pastor Bible Study – meets each Tuesday at noon in the fellowship hall to discuss the previous week’s sermon as well as the upcoming sermon.   Bring your Bible and a bagged lunch if you would like.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY – From 6:30pm until 8:00pm, we are excited to hold our Wednesday night bible study. The study will be on selections from the book of John. We will also have a short praise and prayer time. Childcare provided if needed. Contact the Allsbrooks or the Mitchells with any questions.

Women’s Prayer Group – 10:15am Tuesday mornings, contact Linda Roberts for more info

Men’s Prayer Group – 6:45am Thursday mornings, contact Sam Mitchell for more info.

 

 

GO

 

Prayer Requests: For Mercy and Grace: Glenda White, Judd and Susanne Heriot, Robbie Hargrove, Mike and Rhonda Lear, Chuck & Carole Torpy; Lisa Rhodarmer’s mother Ruth