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Service of Worship

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
J.S. Bach
Public Domain

Something made the hairs stand up on our necks. Was it you, O God?
Was it you that we saw blowing over the water?

Was it you that we heard moving through those feet?
Was it you that we felt in the beating of our own hearts?
Was it you that called our names?
Come, O God. Come to search us. Come to know us again.
We were knit in your womb. We have tried to count your works.
Come, O God, so that we can hear you calling our names.
Here and now.

Opening Hymn — #600 “Wonderful Words of Life”

1. Sing them over again to me,
wonderful words of life;
let me more of their beauty see,
wonderful words of life;
words of life and beauty
teach me faith and duty.

Refrain
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.

2. Christ, the blessed one, gives to all
wonderful words of life;
sinner, list to the loving call,
wonderful words of life;
all so freely given,
wooing us to heaven.

Refrain

3. Sweetly echo the gospel call,
wonderful words of life;
offer pardon and peace to all,
wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
sanctify forever.

Refrain

Wonderful Words of Life
Philip Paul Bliss
Public Domain

Joys and Concerns, 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, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and glory forever. Amen.

Baptism of Woodrow Gambrell

Baptismal Covenant I

Introduction
Brothers and sisters in Christ: Through the Sacrament of Baptism we are initiated into Christ’s holy church. We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price. Through confirmation, and through the reaffirmation of our faith, we renew the covenant declared at our baptism, acknowledge what God is doing for us, and affirm our commitment to Christ’s holy church.

Presentation of Candidates

Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith
On behalf of the whole church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?
I do.

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
I do.

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?
I do

Will you nurture these children (persons) in Christ’s holy church, that by your teaching and example they may be guided to accept God’s grace for themselves, to profess their faith openly, and to lead a Christian life?
I will.

According to the grace given to you, will you remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world?
I will.

Will you who sponsor these candidates support and encourage them in their Christian life?
I will.

Congregation:
Do you, as Christ’s body, the church, reaffirm both your rejection of sin and your commitment to Christ?
We do.

Will you nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and include these persons now before you in your care?

Congregation:
With God’s help we will proclaim the good news and live according to the example of Christ. We will surround these persons with a community of love and forgiveness, that they may grow in their trust of God, and be found faithful in their service to others. We will pray for them, that they may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.

Addressed to all:
Let us join together in professing the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Do you believe in God the Father?
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
I believe 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, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.]

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
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.]

Thanksgiving Over the Water
The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray.

…to the land which you promised.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Tell of God’s mercy each day.

…and to make disciples of all nations.

Declare his works to the nations, his glory among all the people.

…they may share in his final victory.

All praise to you, Eternal Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever. Amen.

Baptism With Laying on of Hands
I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The people respond:
Amen.

…you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

The people respond:
Amen.

Now it is our joy to welcome our new sisters and brothers in Christ.

Through baptism you are incorporated by the Holy Spirit into God’s new creation and made to share in Christ’s royal priesthood. We are all one in Christ Jesus. With joy and thanksgiving we welcome you as members of the family of Christ.

Confirmation or Reaffirmation of Faith
Remember your baptism and be thankful.

Amen.

…you may live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

All respond:
Amen.

Remember your baptism and be thankful.

Amen.

Reception Into the United Methodist Church
As members of Christ’s universal church, will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?

I will.

Reception Into the Local Congregation
As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service?

I will.

Commendation and Welcome
Members of the household of God, I commend these persons to your love and care. Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.

We give thanks for all that God has already given you and we welcome you in Christian love. As members together with you in the body of Christ and in this congregation of The United Methodist Church, we renew our covenant faithfully to participate in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service, that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

The God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in Christ, establish you and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you may live in grace and peace.

Hymn of Celebration — #2249 “God Claims You”

Refrain
“Woodrow, Woodrow,” God claims you,
God helps you, protects you, and loves you, too.
“Woodrow, Woodrow,” God claims you,
God helps you, protects you, and loves you, too.

1. We this day do all agree
a child of God you’ll always be.

Refrain

Scripture Reading — Psalm 139 (NRSV)

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.

19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
20 those who speak of you maliciously,
and lift themselves up against you for evil!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wickeda way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Response
The Word of the Lord:
Thanks be to God.

Sermon — Pastor Stacy Dickson
“You Know Me”

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 – Rachelle and Leah

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.

Offertory Prayer

Generous God, We have known Your unfailing love and faithfulness, Your care and provision, Your protection and salvation. And so we respond with deep gratitude, offering back to You a portion of what You have given to us. Accept the gifts we bring—tangible expressions of our love and gratitude for what You have so generously given to us. Amen.

Closing Hymn — #334 “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”

There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;
there are sweet expressions on each face,
and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Refrain
Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet heavenly Dove,
stay right here with us, filling us with your love;
and for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived
when we shall leave this place.

Benediction

Postlude – Hani

Fanfare
Theodore Dubois
Public Domain