The Evening Service 6:00 p.m. The kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky settled down in its branches. (+ Congregation please stand if able.) WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS PRELUDE: Abide With Me Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide: When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour; What but thy grace can foil the tempter s pow r? Who like thyself my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies: Heav n s morning breaks, and earth s vain shadows flee: In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. CALL TO WORSHIP The Chancel Choir Jacob Will, Bass (Luke 13:19) Mr. David Lauten arr. Paul Manz + HYMN: Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder ALL SAINTS OLD Trinity Hymnal, no. 172 Let us love and sing and wonder, let us praise the Savior s name! He has hushed the law s loud thunder, he has quenched Mount Sinai s flame: He has washed us with his blood, he has brought us nigh to God. Let us love the Lord who bought us, pitied us when enemies, Called us by his grace, and taught us, gave us ears and gave us eyes: He has washed us with his blood, he presents our souls to God. Let us sing, though fierce temptation threaten hard to bear us down! For the Lord, our strong salvation, holds in view the conqu ror s crown: He who washed us with his blood soon will bring us home to God. Let us wonder; grace and justice join and point to mercy s store; When through grace in Christ our trust is, justice smiles and asks no more: He who washed us with his blood has secured our way to God. Let us praise, and join the chorus of the saints enthroned on high; Here they trusted him before us, now their praises fill the sky: You have washed us with your blood; you are worthy, Lamb of God! + PRAYER OF INVOCATION + HYMN: When All Your Mercies, O My God MANOAH Trinity Hymnal, no. 56, stanzas 1-3 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. CHILDREN S SERMON: What Will Last Forever? Children s Catechism #19 Q. What else did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? A. He gave them souls that will last forever. HYMN: When All Your Mercies, O My God Trinity Hymnal, no. 56, stanzas 4-6 Ten thousand thousand precious gifts My daily thanks employ; Nor is the least a cheerful heart That tastes those gifts with joy. Through ev ry period of my life Your goodness I ll pursue; And after death, in distant worlds, The glorious theme renew. Through all eternity to you A joyful song I ll raise; For oh, eternity s too short To utter all your praise. PRESENTATION OF EVENING OFFERINGS OFFERTORY: What God Ordains MANOAH Josh Bauder What God ordains is always good, his will is just and holy; And though the path be wrought with thorns, I follow meek and lowly. My God indeed in ev ry need Knows well how he will shield me; To him, then, I will yield me. What God ordains is always good: He is my Friend and Father; He suffers naught to do me harm, tho many storms may gather. Now I may know both joy and woe, Someday I shall see clearly That he hath loved me dearly. What God ordains is always good: Though I the cup am drinking Which savors now of bitterness, I take it without shrinking. For after grief God gives relief, My heart with comfort filling, And all my sorrow stilling. What God ordains is always good: This truth remains unshaken. Tho sorrow, need, or death be mine, I shall not be forsaken. I fear no harm, for with his arm He shall embrace and shield me; So to my God I yield me. What God ordains is always good. Amen. EVENING PRAYER Mr. Ansel Bunch + HYMN: The Beatitudes QUEBEC Trinity Hymnal, no. 527, stanzas 1-2,4 Blest are the humble souls that see their emptiness and poverty; Treasures of grace to them are giv n, and crowns of joy laid up in heaven. Blest are the men of broken heart, who mourn for sin with inward smart; The blood of Christ divinely flows, a healing balm for all their woes. Blest are the souls that thirst for grace, hunger and long for righteousness; They shall be well supplied and fed, with living streams and living bread. SCRIPTURE LESSON: Luke 13:1-21 (Pew Bible, page 872) SERMON: Don t Let the Small Stuff Throw You PRAYER Dr. D. Ralph Davis + HYMN: What Shall I Render to My God DOWNS Trinity Hymnal, no. 637 What shall I render to my God for all his kindness shown? My feet shall visit thine abode, my songs address thy throne. How much is mercy thy delight, thou ever-blessed God! How dear thy servants in thy sight! How precious is their blood! How happy all thy servants are! How great thy grace to me! My life, which thou hast made thy care, Lord, I devote to thee. Now I am thine, forever thine, nor shall my purpose move; Thy hand hath loosed my bonds of pain and bought me with thy love. Here in thy courts I leave my vow, and thy rich grace record; Witness, ye saints who hear me now, if I forsake the Lord. + BENEDICTION + CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE May the Peace (Benediction) May the peace of God our heav nly Father, And the grace of Christ the risen Son, And the fellowship of God the Spirit Keep our hearts and minds within his love. And to him be praise for his glorious reign, From the depths of earth to the heights of heav n; We declare the name of the Lamb once slain, Christ eternal, the King of kings. POSTLUDE: A Mighty Fortress is Our God Keith Getty and Stuart Townend CCLI No. 393170 arr. T. Tertius Noble
To Be Noted Thank you for turning off cell phones during the worship service. Please leave any food or drink outside the Sanctuary. Nurseries for children to the age of four are provided in the Thornwell Education Building. Parents of children who have been in the Nursery are asked to come for them promptly after the conclusion of the service. A quiet room with a live video feed of the service is available in Thornwell, Room 113. There, mothers may attend to the needs of their children. The Sanctuary is equipped with a hearing assistance system. Please ask deacons for a receiver. The flowers in the Sanctuary are given to the glory of God and in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Willis who were married on June 2, 2018. Sermon Notes Don t Let the Small Stuff Throw You Luke 13:1-21 Dr. D. Ralph Davis First Presbyterian Church Evening Service Missionary of the Week Irina and Alex Ponomarev Irina and Alex (associate members of FPC) are originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. Their ministry is MOST, which is the Russian word for bridge. This acronym stands for Ministry of Outreach to Slavic Tribes. Irina and Alex pray that the Lord will use them as bridges of his love to Slavic peoples in Columbia, America, and overseas. In addition to direct outreach, they are aiding missions agencies and churches to effectively disciple Russian-speaking people in the former Soviet Union and elsewhere. They have two grown children. The Women of The First Presbyterian Church invite the congregation to a reception honoring the Rev. Dr. and Mrs. D. Ralph Davis on the occasion of his retirement First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, SC following the evening worship service in Jackson Hall June 3, 2018 6:00 p.m.
Beatitude Blest are the humble souls that see their emptiness and poverty; Treasures of grace to them are giv n, and crowns of joy laid up in heaven. Blest are the men of broken heart, who mourn for sin with inward smart; The blood of Christ divinely flows, a healing balm for all their woes. Blest are the souls that thirst for grace, hunger and long for righteousness; They shall be well supplied and fed, with living streams and living bread.
Luke 13:1-21 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 6 And he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground? 8 And he answered him, Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear
fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down. 10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, Woman, you are freed from your disability. 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. 15 Then the Lord answered him, You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for
eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. 18 He said therefore, What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. 20 And again he said, To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.
May the Peace (Benediction) May the peace of God our heav nly Father, And the grace of Christ the risen Son, And the fellowship of God the Spirit Keep our hearts and minds within his love. And to him be praise for his glorious reign, From the depths of earth to the heights of heav n; We declare the name of the Lamb once slain, Christ eternal, the King of kings.