Prelude
Preparing Hearts and Minds for Worship
“Keep Your Lamps” arr. Andre Thomas
The Praise of God’s People
Call to Worship
Psalm 47:1-2, 5-8
Reader: Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
People: For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
Reader: God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
People: Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
Reader: For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
People: God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
Prayer of Invocation
Hymns of Praise
“Rejoice, All Ye Believers” No. 320 (vv. 1,2,4)
“We Will Feast in the House of Zion"
Affirmation of Faith
The Apostles’ Creed
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence He will come to judge the quick and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer for Christ’s People
Offertory
“We Love You, Lord” arr. Tom Fettke
Greeting & Dismissal to Children’s Church*
*Please check-in your children PreK-1st grade at the check-in station by the FH level elevator and walk them to the PreK-K dept.
Doxology
The Word for God’s People
Sermon
“The Greatest Stories Ever Told: A Study of the Parables”
Matthew 25:1-13: “Faith for the Future”
Rev. Chris Ehlers
Tasting God’s Grace
Confession of Sin and Assurance of Pardon
We do not presume to come to this, Your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Your manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Your table.
But You are the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy.
Grant us therefore, gracious Father, to partake of this sacrament of Your Son Jesus Christ,
that we may walk in newness of life, may grow into His likeness,
and may evermore dwell in Him, and He in us.
Thanksgiving
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord.
People: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Pastor: It is right and good and a joyful thing, always and everywhere to give You thanks, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
The Words of Institution
Words of Praise
Pastor: Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Alleluia!
People: Alleluia!
Pastor: These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Take these in remembrance that Jesus Christ died for you. Feed on them in your heart by faith and drink remembering that Christ’s blood was shed for you.
Hymn of Response
“We Are God's People” No. 355 (vv. 1,2,3)
The Sending of God’s People
Benediction
based on Numbers 6:24-26
Pastor: May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you
and give you peace, both now and forevermore.
People: Thanks be to God! Amen.
The flowers today are given to the glory of God and thankfulness
for the body of Christ at First Pres by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Currey.
Flowers from today’s display will be arranged by the flower committee and delivered
by volunteers to our homebound and hospitalized on Monday, October 18th.