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PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
RINGING OF THE BELL
Please rise as you are able
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Baptized into Christ, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God, you free us to love others, but we neglect our neighbors and follow our own way. You lead us by the Spirit of joy and peace, but we turn away from the abundant life you offer. You surround us with patience, kindness, and generosity, but we grow weary in doing what is right. In your mercy, forgive us. Do not give up on us. Heal us, break our bonds, and show us the path of life. Amen.
You belong to Christ Jesus and you are God’s children through faith. In the cross of Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Clothed with Christ, you are a new creation. Amen.
GATHERING HYMN “Chain Breaker” Next Page
Words and Music by Jonathan Smith, Mia Fieldes, and Zach Williams. © 2015 Anthems of Hope; Be Essential Songs; Cashagamble Jet Music; Hipgnosis Songs Essential; So Essential Tunes; Upside Down Under; Wisteria Drive. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2561118
GREETING
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also with you.
“Chain Breaker”
We’ve all searched for the light of day in the dead of night
We’ve all found ourselves worn out from the same old fight
We’ve all run to things we know just ain’t right
When there’s a better life, there’s a better life (CHORUS)
VERSE 2
ENDING
If you believe it
If you receive it
If you can feel it
Somebody testify
(3 times then to CHORUS)
BRIDGE
Oh if you need freedom or saving
He’s a prison shaking Savior
I you got chains
Well He’s a chain breaker
HYMN OF PRAISE
(Leader sings verses. Congregation sings words in bold & refrain.)
For peace in the world, for the health of the church, for the unity of all; for this holy house, for all who worship and praise,
Let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
That we may live out your impassioned response to the hungry and the poor; that we may live out truth and justice and grace,
Let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
For peace in our hearts, for peace in our homes, for friends and family; for life and for love, for our work and our play,
Let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
For your Spirit to guide; that you center our lives in the water and the Word; that you nourish our souls with your body and blood,
Let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. O God, you resist those who are proud and give grace to those who are humble. Give us the humility of your Son, that we may embody the generosity of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Please be seated.
WORD
FIRST READING Acts 25:1-14, 22-23
1 Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him 3 and re-quested, as a favor to them against Paul, to have him transferred to Jeru-salem. They were, in fact, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself in-tended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” he said, “let those of you who have the authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.” 6 After he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8 Paul said in his defense, “I have in no way committed an offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against the emperor.” 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a fa-vor, asked Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there be-fore me on these charges?” 10 Paul said, “I am standing before the em-peror’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. 11 Now if I am in the wrong and have commit-ted something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death, but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.” 12 Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, “You have appealed to the emperor; to the em-peror you will go.” 13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. 14 Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will hear him.” 23 So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
PSALM Psalm 112
REFRAIN
1 Hallelujah! Happy are they who fear the LORD and have great delight in God’s commandments! 2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
REFRAIN
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright; the righteous are merciful
and full of compassion. 5 It is good for them to be generous in lending and to manage their
affairs with justice. 6 For they will never be shaken; the righteous will be kept in everlasting
remembrance.
REFRAIN
7 They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; their heart is steadfast,
trusting in the LORD. 9 They have given freely to the poor, and their righteousness stands
fast forever; they will hold up their head with honor.
REFRAIN
SECOND READING Acts 26:1-3, 8-23,30-32
1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself: 2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently.
8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 9 “Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. 11 By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme, and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. 12 “With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 when at midday along the road, Your Ex-cellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. 14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.’ 15 I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to ap-point you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.
17 I will rescue you from your people and from the gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 19 “After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place:
23 that the Messiah must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the gentiles.”
30 Then the king got up and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them, 31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor.”
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S SERMON Rev. Chris Steubing
SERMON Rev. Chris Steubing
HYMN OF THE DAY “You Servants of God” Hymn #825
Please rise as you are able
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Together with the whole church, we confess our faith:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
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. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
. . .Hear us, O God, Your mercy is great.
THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Let us share the peace with one another.
All share the peace of the Lord
OFFERING
OFFERING MUSIC “I Love to Tell the Story”
Choir, Piano and Hand Bells
Please rise as you are able as the offering is brought forward.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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 heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen
BENEDICTION
The love of God abound in you; the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ fill your hearts; and the life of the Spirit bless you and give you peace.
SENDING HYMN “We Are Marching in the Light of God” Hymn # 866
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Live by the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE.
Our thanks to those who serve as our worship leaders today:
Our Reader—Kamryn Prater
Our Liturgist—Don Gillett
Organist/Pianist—Jimmy Cheung
Choir and Hand Bell Director—Wendy Kuenemann
Pastor—Rev. Chris Steubing