GATHERING An Ancient-Future Faith Community Liturgy October 2, 2016 (Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost) Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth. Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious! Say to God: How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power, Your enemies cringe before You. All the earth worships You and sings praise to You; They sing praises to Your name. Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot! Come, let us rejoice in Him! He rules forever by His power; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Bless our God, O peoples, and make the voice of His praise be heard. He has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip. He has refined us as silver is refined. We went through fire and through water, yet He has brought us out into a place of abundance. Praise the LORD! Psalm 66:1-12 All People That On Earth Do Dwell All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell; Come ye before Him and rejoice. Hereford Mappa Mundi, c.13
O enter then His gates with praise; Approach with joy His courts unto; Praise, laud, and bless His Name always, For it is seemly so to do. Bridge: Sing to the Lord, exalt His name; O, make His praise glorious. Pour forth His praise, His anthem raise; Rejoice in Him forever. For why? the Lord our God is good; His mercy is forever sure; His truth at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure. Bridge To Father, Son and Holy Ghost, The God whom heaven and earth adore, From men and from the angel host Be praise and glory evermore. Setting and bridge: Ellen Koehler Copyright 2010 Words from Fourscore and Seven Psalms of David (Geneva, 1561), attributed to William Kethe. Hymn tune (verses): Old 100 th, attributed to Louis Bourgeois. PRAYERS OF ADORATION, INVOCATION AND THANKS Calling on our Father God, in the Name of Jesus, inspired by the Spirit Sing to the Lord I sing praise, I give You my heart; I sing praise, I give You my all; I sing praise Sing to the Lord. Eternal, Immortal God of all glory, Fearful in wonders and worthy of praise; The Alpha, Omega, Lord God Almighty, Wonderful, Beautiful, Ancient of Days. And I sing praise, I give You my heart, I sing praise, I give You my all, I sing praise Sing to the Lord. 2
Redeemer, Messiah, Rock of the ages, A help in trouble, a tower of strength; Emmanuel, Jehovah, God of Creation, Wonderful, Beautiful, King of all kings. Bridge God of compassion and God of all gladness and Your tender mercies are new every morning, and God of compassion and God of all gladness and You dance around me; You dance around me. 2005 Julie Meyer/Forerunner Music PROFESSION OF FAITH This is the hope of the gospel, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, the mystery which was hidden from past ages and generations but has now been manifested to us, His saints: Jesus is the Christ, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. In Him all things in the heavens and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. And although we were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet now He has reconciled us in His fleshly body through death, in order to present us before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. God has made known to us the riches of the glory of this mystery: Christ in us, the hope of glory. Thanks be to God! from Colossians 1:15-28 3
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION Who may ascend the hill of the LORD, and who may stand in His holy place? Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, whose walk is blameless, who do what is righteous; Those who speak the truth from their hearts, who do no wrong to a neighbor, And who honor those who fear the LORD. They shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of their salvation; they will never be shaken. This is the generation of those who seek Him, of those who seek Your face, O God. from Psalms 15 and 24 [Silence] God of mercy and steadfast love, You welcome all who come to You with repentant and contrite hearts. We confess to You, and before one another, that we have sinned, in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. [Silence] We have offended Your holiness. We have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, and have spurned the promptings of Your Spirit. [Silence] We have not loved our neighbors as we love ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven. [Silence] O Lord, have mercy upon us. Be gracious to us, and hear our prayer. Cleanse us from sin and accomplish the work of Your salvation, that we may walk as Your people in holiness, to the glory of Your name. Amen. 4
Agnus Dei Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Grant us peace. 1997 Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.; James MacMillan ASSURANCE OF PARDON The psalmist testifies: Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for us. If we had cherished iniquity in our hearts, the LORD would not have listened. But truly God has heard; He has given heed to the words of our prayer. Blessed be God, because He has not rejected our prayers nor removed His steadfast love from us. based on Psalm 66:16-19 How blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple! By awesome deeds You answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; You are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas! from Psalm 65:4-5 Thanks be to God! 5
TIME OF OFFERING Words and prayers of thanksgiving and praise Fountain of Grace You have been faithful when I have been faithless, Forever giving when I have been selfish, Still the beginning of all that is holy, Unsearchable Ancient of Days. I kneel before You, and offer this vessel, You were the constant when I chose to wander, You were forgiveness when I cried for mercy, You are the author of all that is finished, I owe You my life and my praise. I kneel before You, and offer this vessel, Pour out the water of life on this vessel, CCLI Song #2552558 (lyrics) 1998 Ariose Music/Mountain Spring Music (Admin. by EMI Publishing). Words and Music by Twila Paris. THE WORD Hebrews 11:13-16 THE TABLE Remembering the Body of Christ The Lord be with you! And also with you! Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise. 6
The Lord s Prayer (sung) Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heav n. Provide each day our daily needs; Forgive our sins as we forgive others wrongs; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil For Thine is the kingdom, forever and ever; And Thine is the power, forever and ever; And Thine is the glory, now and forever. Amen, amen, amen. Setting: Ellen Koehler Copyright 2010 Ellen Koehler. All Rights Reserved. Knowing You All I once held dear, built my life upon, All this world reveres, and wars to own, All I once thought gain I have counted loss; Spent and worthless now, compared to this. Chorus Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You; there is no greater thing. You re my all, You re the best; You re my joy, my righteousness, And I love you, Lord. Verse 2 Now my heart s desire is to know You more, To be found by You, and known as Yours, To possess by faith what I could not earn; All surpassing gift of righteousness. Verse 3 Oh to know the pow r of Your risen life, And to know You in Your sufferings, To become like You in Your death, my Lord; So with You to live, and never die. CCLI Song #1045238; 1993 Make Way Music; Graham Kendrick. CCLI License # 3097801 SENDING FORTH The Life of the Body 7
Knowing You (reprise) Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You; there is no greater thing. You re my all, You re the best; You re my joy, my righteousness, And I love you, Lord. Benediction: And now, beloved, we go forth into the world to love and serve the Lord. Let us remember, with thankful hearts, that He has called us into the company of those who trust in Christ and who joyfully resolve to follow Him wherever and however He leads. For we are pilgrims together on the way of His kingdom. Amen. May He guide us ever closer to Him and to one another, in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, confirming us in His ways, for His glory alone, forever. Amen. Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! A thought about worship from the Ancient Fathers There are two kinds of blessings: temporal and eternal. Temporal blessings are health, honor, friends, wealth, children, a home, a wife, and other things from our journey in life. But we reside in the hotel of life as travelers moving on, not as owners intending to remain.... We are renewed day by day by making progress in our righteousness and true holiness through the knowledge of God. For those who do so transfer their love from temporal things to eternal things, from visible things to invisible things, from fleshly things to spiritual things.... When the last day of life finds them holding on tightly to their faith in the Mediator through such progress and growth, they will be welcomed by the holy angels. They will be led to God, whom they have worshiped, and will be perfected by Him. As a result, they will receive an immortal body at the end of the world. They won't be led to punishment, but to glory. For our likeness of God will be perfected into His image when our sight of God is perfected. The Apostle Paul speaks of this. He says, Now we see through a glass, in an enigma, but then face to face. And also: But we with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. This is what happens from day to day in those who make good progress. Augustine Lectionary for next week: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8 Epiclesis: An Ancient-Future Faith Community www.epiclesis.org Info line: (916)572-9113 Sunday mornings at The Carmichael Chapel, 4600 Winding Way (Corner of Winding Way and Pasadena), Sacramento, CA 95841. Informal gathering: 10:00 AM; Worship at 10:30 AM. 2016 E.K. 8