The Power of Being Positive

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Service of Worship

Be Lifted Up
Ross Anderson

Opening Prayer
Most wonderful God,
the beauty we see in Jesus
is your beauty veiled in human flesh,
the love we witness from Bethlehem to Golgotha
is your love contracted to a span.
If Christ’s life is so holy as to fill us with wonder,
how much more would your unveiled beauty
leave us overwhelmed and trembling?
You are more than the eye could bear,
more than the mind can ever fathom.

Yet you have so carefully made us
that although we cannot fathom you,
we can yet love you.
Gratefully we bring our little lives to you,
asking that our worship may arise from love and be shaped by love,
and be directed towards that larger loving which is our soul’s desire.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen!

Opening Hymn — #568 Christ for the World We Sing

1. Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with loving zeal;
the poor, and them that mourn,
the faint and overborne,
sin sick and sorrow worn,
whom Christ doth heal.

2. Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.

3. Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with one accord;
with us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare,
with us the cross to bear,
for Christ our Lord.

4. Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with joyful song;
the new-born souls, whose days,
reclaimed from error’s ways,
inspired with hope and praise,
to Christ belong.

Christ For The World We Sing (Italian Hymn)
Samuel Wolcott | Felice de Giardini
Public Domain

Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:8 (NRSV)

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Children’s Time with Pastor Stacy

Joys and Concerns, and Pastoral Prayer

Pastoral Prayer
Dear Lord our God,
we are thankful that you are constantly at work in our lives.
You are…
    a help in times of difficulty
    a strength in times of weakness
    a guide when we feel lost and alone

We know that through Your Son, Jesus Christ,
You have the power…
    to transform lives
    to mend broken relationships
    to bring strength to the weary
    and hope to the broken hearted.

So we bring our worries and our burdens,
our hopes and dreams,
before your throne of grace,
knowing that you are the Lord of our lives and the hope of the world.

We remember in our prayers today…
    those who are worried about their health and what the future might hold
    those who feel anxious or depressed or afraid
    those who are in hospital
    those with burdens they find impossible to share
    those who still mourn the loss of someone dear to their heart.

And we pray for ourselves—
    that we might know the gentle authority of Jesus
    in all parts of our lives—
    leading us, guiding us, encouraging and directing us,
now and always. Amen.

Offering Our Gifts to the Lord
For those who are called and able, gifts and tithes can still be made through online giving, by mailing them in, and by dropping them off to the office through the secure mail slot to the left of the double door entry to the church hallway.

Offertory — Barry, Marshall, and Leah

What Does the Lord Require of You
Jim Strathdee
© 1986 Strathdee Music
CCLI License # 656051

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.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (Old 100th)
Louis Bourgeois | Thomas Ken
Public Domain

Offertory Prayer

Generous and Giving God, you have poured your blessings on us as the rain soaks the sun-parched grass of our lawns. You have lavished us with redemption, forgiveness, and grace. When you send the rain to water the grass, you expect growth in return. Remind us this day, as we make our gifts to you, that we have been blessed for a purpose – that we might be a blessing to others. May we grow in compassion, in mercy, in longing for justice and love, as Christ loved us. In that holy name, we pray. Amen.

Sermon – Pastor Stacy
The Power of Being Positive

Closing Song — #2175 TFWS Together We Serve

1. Together we serve, united by love,
inviting God’s world to the glorious feast.
We work and we pray through sorrow and joy,
extending Your love to the last and the least.

2. We seek to become a beacon of hope,
a lamp for the heart and a light for the feet.
We learn, year by year, to let love shine through
until we see Christ in each person we meet.

3. We welcome the scarred, the wealthy, the poor,
the busy, the lonely, and all who need care.
We offer a home to those who will come,
Our hands quick to help, our hearts ready to dare.

4. Together, by grace, we witness and work,
remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong.
Together we serve in Spirit and truth,
remembering love is the strength of our song.

Benediction

Go with the attitude of Jesus our Christ. Be humble, be loving and focus on what is able to be accomplished and worthy of being called the work of the Lord. Amen.

Postlude – Hani

Acclamation of Praise
Tom Birchwood